An Alpha's Dark Secret

Chapter 4: Dinner

-Madeleine-

I was so happy to see my sister again—and Chris, of course. He looked happier than I’d ever seen him, and Kate, too. Seeing them like that filled me with joy and reassured me that I’d made the right decision to take her place.

She practically glowed beside Chris, his arm wrapped around her, proudly displaying his mark on her shoulder. Her top barely concealed it, and I knew she wanted everyone to see. She deserves this, I thought.

“So, Maddy, how are you…” I didn’t know what happened. One moment I was listening to my sister, and the next, her voice faded into the background. My eyes began searching for something, though I didn’t know what—until I saw him.

He stood at the top of the stairs, his hands gripping the railing beside the first step. An orange cat sat by his feet, watching me with piercing yellow eyes, while his dark, intense gaze locked onto mine. My whole body trembled, but it wasn’t fear. What was this feeling surging through me as I drowned in his mysterious eyes?

I’d never seen eyes like his—deep, dark voids that seemed to lead to nowhere, yet held secrets I inexplicably wanted to uncover. Who was he?

Mate!

The excitement I’d felt upon seeing him suddenly turned to fear as I heard my wolf speak inside me. No, this can’t be true! Not this…

“Maddy?” I snapped back to my sister, who was watching me with confusion. I glanced at the stairs again, but he was gone—and so was the cat. Had I imagined it? I wouldn’t be surprised if I had. Yet, he had felt so real.

“Are you okay, Maddy?” Chris asked, his eyes filled with concern.

I nodded, forcing myself to focus on the happy couple in front of me. “Of course, sorry. I’m all right,” I assured them.

“Are you sure?” Kate inquired, her gaze searching mine.

I nodded again. They exchanged a glance, and when I turned, I noticed Lucian watching me carefully as well. He was always so polished, dressed in a suit with his hair neatly pushed back.

“Really,” I insisted. “Don’t worry about me.”

“But we do, Maddy,” Kate said softly. “You wouldn’t be in this situation if I—”

“Kate,” I interrupted, taking her hand. “I’m fine.”

She sighed, knowing that whenever I said those words, I wasn’t telling the truth, but she didn’t want to argue. This was our chance to spend time together, and we shouldn’t waste it.

“I just—” she began.

“Kate,” I said, smiling sweetly. “I’m okay. Truly.”

“But Hunter Dayton… he’s a stranger,” Kate said, her concern evident. “And he doesn’t have the best reputation.”

“Chris didn’t either,” I replied.

I glanced at Chris, hoping he wouldn’t be offended, but he just smiled and nodded slightly. “She does have a point,” he agreed.

“Still, I just want to help, like you helped me,” Kate said softly.

“Kate, I’ll be fine. Trust me,” I reassured her. “Mom barely speaks to me anyway, and I hardly ever see Dad. Honestly, it’ll be good to get out of the house. I actually have more freedom than ever.”

“Wait, you don’t see Dad anymore? At all?” she asked, frowning.

“He comes home maybe once a week, if we’re lucky.”

“He’s not planning anything, is he?” she inquired, exchanging a nervous glance with Chris.

I shook my head. “No, he’s definitely not planning anything. That wouldn’t make sense.”

I knew he was just spending more time with another woman—someone Kate didn’t know about.

“No, he just... doesn’t want to be at home with us,” I told her.

It didn’t come out the way I intended. But I didn’t want to worry my sister.

“Now, are you going to introduce me to everyone?” I asked, trying to sound excited.

They all smiled, and Kate grabbed my hand, pulling me along as we walked further into the castle. It was still a bit early for dinner, so instead, Kate led me to a large living room. It was much bigger than ours, with seating areas at both ends, two fireplaces, two TVs, a pool table in the center, and even a bar.

I knew I probably looked a little funny as I took it all in, but it was truly impressive. While the castle appeared dark and mysterious from the outside, this room was much brighter, with golden spirals decorating the white walls and beautiful artwork on the ceiling. As a painter, all I could do was hope that one day I’d be talented enough to create such intricate detail.

“So, you’re the brave sister we’ve heard so much about?” a tall, intimidating woman said.

She stood behind one of the couches, her hands gripping the back as she watched me with striking silver eyes. Wow. Just one look from her had me ready to run. She didn’t seem like someone you’d want to cross.

“Maddy,” Kate nudged me. “The queen is speaking to you.”

Wait... the queen? So this was the mysterious queen the king had chosen over the beautiful and high-status Selene Wilson? I suddenly found myself at a loss for words as the queen gave me a small smile.

What do you say to a queen? ‘Hello’ seemed oddly inappropriate in my head, but before I could respond, everyone’s attention shifted to a baby who had suddenly started crying.

“Sorry about that!” another woman said. “She must be hungry.”

I recognized her instantly—Selene, now mated to the king’s brother and mother of twins. She sat on the couch in front of the queen. Were they... friends? Selene held a baby girl in her arms, while another woman beside her cradled a baby boy.

This woman had dark hair like the queen, with olive-toned skin. She was petite and reminded me a bit of Kate. Beside her sat a tall man with dark hair, his arm wrapped protectively around her. They had to be mates.

As Selene began to feed her baby, the attention shifted back to me, and I felt a lump form in my throat. Everyone was looking at me. I noticed a few people were missing, and some of the women didn’t have men at their side—like the queen, for instance.

“Have you lost your voice?” Kate whispered in my ear.

“Sorry... what?” I inquired, glancing at her.

She looked at me, appearing concerned, as if she couldn’t understand why I’d been so quiet. Had she forgotten I was the quiet one?

“Are you okay, Maddy?” she asked softly.

I nodded quickly before turning back to the queen, who was still watching me. “I wouldn’t say brave,” I said. “I just tried to be like my sister.”

The queen smiled at that, nodding slowly. I could feel Kate’s gaze on me—she probably wanted to argue that I was wrong, but I wasn’t interested in discussing it.

“Come, let’s sit,” Chris said.

We settled onto the large couches—Kate beside me, with Chris to her right—and I was introduced to everyone in the room. Garrett, the king’s beta, was there. I learned that he was mated to a human named Lily, who was currently with Rider, the king’s brother, in the underground hospital, going over some procedures.

Damian and Isabella were the couple on the other side of us, with the little boy, Ryker. Selene sat beside them, and the queen hovered protectively behind her. They really were friends, I realized. The queen seemed like a tiger ready to strike at any threat to Selene or her baby girl.

“So, Maddy, tell me, how are things back home? Does Mom really leave you alone?” Kate suddenly asked.

Everyone watched me closely, as if they all knew about the abuse Kate and I had suffered and now feared for me, left alone with our mother.

“I’m fine,” I assured her, turning back to Kate. “Mom mostly spends her time with her martinis.”

The answer didn’t seem to ease Kate’s concern, and I understood why.

“Are you sure? You know you don’t have to stay there if you don’t want to,” Kate said, taking my hand.

I smiled gently, touched by her desire to protect me, but it was time for her to focus on herself and her mate.

“Really, I’m okay,” I said reassuringly.

“You promise me?” Kate asked again.

“Kate! Really,” I replied, exasperated.

She clearly still wasn’t ready to let it go. She wanted to save me somehow, but I meant it when I said I didn’t need her to.

“How about we go eat some dinner?” the queen suggested, obviously sensing the shift in mood.

We all nodded, and soon we gathered the rest of the group and headed to the dining room. It was then I had the chance to meet everyone properly, including the king. Standing in front of him, I found him intimidating, but not in the way I had imagined.

I thought he’d be more like my father, but he wasn’t. He was kind, acknowledging me with a genuine greeting. Rider and Lily were the same, both smiling as they said hello before sitting beside their mates. I also greeted another male, James, who didn’t seem to have a mate. Though he welcomed me politely, there was something about him—a sadness, perhaps—that he kept hidden well.

I sat down beside Chris, with Kate on his right and me on his left. He smiled at me as I took my seat, and I smiled back. But just as everyone settled in, the doors to the dining room opened, and my heart stopped.

It was him—the dark, mysterious man I had seen at the top of the stairs, the one who had watched me so intently. He entered and took a seat directly across from me. I swallowed hard as our eyes met briefly before he looked away. Who was he?

“Evan, glad to see you could join us,” the king said.

Evan... My wolf purred his name inside my head, and I shifted slightly in my seat. Was I having some kind of panic attack? My heart, which had stopped momentarily at the sight of him, was now racing uncontrollably.

I wanted to stare at him, but I forced myself to resist. He made me nervous, but not in the usual way males did. The fear I felt was mixed with excitement, creating a strange sensation I couldn’t quite describe. All I knew was... I wanted him to look at me. It was odd, considering I usually hated being noticed.

“So, I hear you’re going to England, Madeleine. When is that?” Selene’s voice broke through my thoughts.

I tore my gaze away from the enigmatic man in front of me, who was now focused on his drink, though I could feel his eyes subtly turning towards me as Selene asked her question.

“In a week,” I replied.

I saw Kate’s smile falter, her expression shifting from sadness to something closer to heartbreak.

“Hunter will come here, and we’ll travel back together,” I explained.

“I hear Hunter Dayton isn’t just any alpha,” Selene remarked.

I nodded. “He isn’t. At least, not if I’ve read his information correctly.”

“He should be a distant relative of yours, right, my lord?” Selene inquired.

The king nodded.

“Exactly how many distant relatives do you have out there, my lord?” his beta, Garrett, joked. “First Xavier, then Zane, and now this Hunter.”

“Please, don’t remind me of Zane and his connection to me,” the king said, eliciting laughter from the group.

“And just because someone has pure enough blood to have yellow eyes doesn’t mean we’re necessarily relatives,” the king added. “It just means he comes from a line of very pure-blooded wolves.”

I remembered the picture of Hunter—his eyes, yellow like the king’s. But even though they shared that feature, I knew Hunter’s blood wasn’t as pure as the king’s.

“I still don’t think you should do it,” Kate said softly. “You don’t have to do this for me.”

“Of course I do,” I replied. “I see how happy you and Lucian are. You’re both together because Father withdrew his vote, and he only did that because I’m going to be Hunter’s mate.”

Kate sighed, knowing I was right, but I didn’t regret my choice. I would do it again if I had to.

“I still don’t understand how you were able to contact him,” Chris chimed in. “Weren’t you being watched?”

I nodded. “Well, I might have... tied my sheets together to make a rope, climbed out of my window to the next floor, and snuck into my father’s office—which my mother forgot to lock after grabbing his phone for him. And I might have ‘hacked’ his computer and searched his office for any information about Hunter,” I explained.

They all stared at me, looking shocked. I understood why—it didn’t sound like something I’d ever do, and honestly, I’d surprised myself too. Still, I couldn’t help but feel a little proud of what I’d pulled off, and a small smile crept onto my face as they watched me.

Chris was the first to recover, laughing and leaning closer to place a hand on my shoulder, smiling proudly, which made me feel slightly embarrassed. Soon, the others joined in on the laughter, but the moment was cut short when a deep, threatening growl echoed from the other side of the table.