An Alpha's Dark Secret

Chapter 6: Screaming

-Madeleine-

I didn’t like this. The dinner, which had started off so pleasantly, was spiraling into something almost dangerous. Babies were crying, the king was furious, and Evan—sitting across from me—looked like he was ready to kill anyone who tried to come between him and… me? I wasn’t sure.

But then I noticed Chris’s eyes shift to me and looked up to meet his gaze. I could see he was searching for answers, and my struggle to meet his eyes seemed to be providing them. He groaned in frustration and turned back to Evan.

“You can’t be serious?” Chris asked.

I was sure his frustration was because we had just emerged from a complicated situation. The fact that Evan and I were mates only made things more tangled.

Evan didn’t respond to Chris, and before I could say anything, he stepped back and walked away. Why was he doing this? It wasn’t like we could run from the bond.

“You’re mates,” Chris said beside me.

I watched as the door closed before turning back to him and nodding. “Seems like it,” I whispered.

Everyone looked at me, almost shocked. Was it really that unbelievable that I could have a mate?

“And you didn’t think to tell us?” he asked.

Everyone listened intently, while the babies finally quieted down as their mother and father soothed them.

“Well, I… am being mated to someone else,” I replied.

Everyone turned grim as they realized I found myself in a situation similar to my sister's from over a month ago. But I didn’t want them to feel sorry for me.

“It’s okay,” I said, waving my hand to show that it really was okay. “Don’t worry. Besides, it doesn’t look like he was very happy to learn I’m his mate.”

The males around the table had strange expressions and moved around, some even coughing awkwardly. Had I said something odd? I looked up at Chris, who was just smiling slightly and shaking his head.

“Maddy,” he said, “Evan wouldn’t have reacted like that if he didn’t want you.”

I glanced over my shoulder at the closed doors. Was that true? Had his reaction been because he wanted me and couldn’t stand seeing another male touch me—even one who was already mated?

“So,” Kate said, clapping her hands together, “I guess we should look for a way to free you from Hunter. Any ideas?”

The room fell quiet as people started to brainstorm ways to “save” me, but I knew there was no way out. The council had nearly destroyed the king and taken the queen away just because Chris and Kate wanted to be together.

So, I quickly turned to everyone and said, “Don’t.”

They looked at me, appearing surprised, and I gave them one of my kindest smiles.

“I’ll be okay. I don’t need you to find a way to free me,” I told them.

“But Maddy, you and Evan—” Kate began, trying to persuade me, but I cut her off.

“I did what I did so you two could be together, but it also ensured Lucian’s freedom and kept the queen here with the king. That only happened because I took your place with Hunter. Everything will go back to the way they were before if I don’t go through with this.”

“We’re working on the whole council thing,” Chris assured me.

“But my father will start working with yours again if I go back on my promise,” I said. “You two might be mated now, but we all know that at the end of this stupid fight, it was all about power, not about us being mated. Just think about how angry my father will be—and Hunter, who would be losing yet another mate. And he’s no ordinary alpha. We don’t want him as an enemy. The king might be able to handle the council, but what about Hunter?” I inquired.

“He doesn’t have power on this side of the ocean,” Kate said.

“Doesn’t he?” I asked. “How can we be sure?”

The room fell silent as everyone considered my words.

“It’s okay. Really,” I said, standing up from my seat. “Thank you for inviting me, but I think I’ve caused enough trouble. I should head back. My mother is probably worried about me.”

That last part was a blatant lie, but no one was going to call me out on it. As I began to walk away, I heard a chair scrape and footsteps approaching. I turned to see my sister coming towards me, grabbing my hand.

“Please don’t go,” she said softly.

I gently took her hand and smiled, forcing her to let go. “It’s okay, Kate. Truly. I know why you invited me here, and it wasn’t just for dinner. But I don’t need you to save me. I’ve known for a long time that I’d be with someone who wasn’t of my choosing. At least you got the chance to be with someone you wanted,” I told her.

She shook her head, clearly not wanting to listen, her long silver hair swaying behind her. “It’s not fair. You deserve to be able to choose too. Why are you doing this?”

“I thought I just told you,” I replied.

“You keep taking the hits, Maddy. Aren’t you tired of it?” she inquired.

I considered her question for a moment, though I already knew my answer, and I was certain she wouldn’t like it. “Actually,” I said, “I barely feel them anymore.”

Her face fell, looking both sad and angry. She wanted to help me, but they all needed to understand… they couldn’t.

“Maddy…”

“I hope to see you before I leave for England, but I think this dinner is over,” I said.

I turned away, not looking back at her. It hurt too much. Maybe it had been a bad idea to come here, but how could I have known I would meet my own mate? Only the Goddess knew such things, and it seemed she had dragged me into a cruel game—a game of the heart.

Not wanting to bother Lucian, I called an Uber. The poor human driver had no idea he had a wolf in his car, but we didn’t talk much. I just let him drive me back home, paid him, and walked inside. The hallway was dark as I entered. Had my mom already gone to bed? I climbed the stairs, heading up to the floor where our bedrooms were.

Then I heard it. Screaming. The sound of things breaking. Yelling. I froze in the hallway, unsure of what to do. My parents hardly ever spoke, but now curse words and shouts echoed through the house. I realized why it was so dark—my mother must have sent the servants home. Lone wolves who needed jobs usually worked for us, but this was clearly a fight best kept private, and I understood why.

“You promised!” I heard my mother yelling. “You promised it would never come to this!”

“I never promised you anything!” my father shouted back.

“Oh? Then what is this on my shoulder, then?”

I gulped, glancing down the dark hallway where a sliver of light spilled through the crack of their partially open bedroom door. What were they talking about?

“She will never give you what you have now! This is all because of me!” my mother screamed.

“Because of you?” my father laughed. “Let us not forget who is the alpha!”

“And I’m a born luna! My father was an alpha too, and he gave you power!” she screamed. “He gave you all of this, including me.”

“Yes, and what a prize you are! With your drinking and snobby behavior!”

“Oh, don’t you start! You haven’t been a joy to be tied to either! Do you think I wanted to be with you? Carry your kids?” she screamed. “I was already in love with someone else when I met you!”

I should probably have been hurt by her words, but I wasn’t.

“And now I love someone else. What are you going to do about it?” he growled.

“Has our reputation not suffered enough?” she inquired. “Do you really need to bring this wh*re into this?”

“WATCH YOUR MOUTH!”

I literally had to grab onto the railing at the end of the stairs as my father’s voice made the walls and ground shake. I had never heard him talk like this before.

“You cannot leave me!” she screamed. “We are tied together!”

“Then how come I am? Now that Maddy will be mated to Hunter, our family will be more powerful than ever, and I don’t need you anymore!”

“Richard!”

Suddenly, my father appeared in the hallway. He quickly noticed me, most likely due to his alpha senses. We locked eyes for a moment before he turned away and walked down the stairs at the other end. Why was I not surprised? I could hear my mother crying in her room, but I did not move. I just stayed there, not knowing what to do.