Hated By All, Loved By Four

♡◦✤The Second Session✤◦♡

•:•:•:•:•:•:•:•☾MADDOX'S P.O.V.☽•:•.•:•.•:•:•:•

The second session was about to begin, and Valeria didn’t look happy to be here. Her eyes were blotchy, swollen, and red. Her lips were puffy, her cheeks in a similar state. She is beautiful. I would love to watch her cry. Even in the black hoodie and leggings, she looked like she was coming to her own funeral. I know what was pissing her off. I hadn’t replied to her message.

It had come in while I was busy with the family. It was confusing, you know? To see such a message. The last line was also weird. She didn’t want my attention, what a girl.

It’s the Malcolm influence, but she will form her own opinion about me. I know it. Because that’s how this works. She’s interesting, yes. But she isn’t my first defiant doll. I mean, I did get close to Sebastian and he was closer to Malcolm than she will ever be. I won’t be deterred simply because someone laid some bad eggs about me.

I am Maddox King. There’s never been anything I really wanted that I couldn’t get. Well, not entirely true but if I wanted something so bad I would fight hard to get it.

“Welcome back, Miss Vanguard. You look sad, may I ask what’s wrong?”

She narrowed her eyes at me and bit her lip. She looked delectable. But a man has to buy his time. Warm his way into her life before he can make the right move. She would be pretty as a part of my collection. I wonder how long I can keep her before she snaps.

Pace yourself, Maddox. You need to lay the seed first and lure her in. You’re the first vampire in your family to have a mate, this could be incredible.

“You know why.”

“I do not. Tell me, please.”

“This is so f****d up. I don’t know what you did but you were in Malcolm’s house-”

“I don’t know where Malcolm lives.”

“Liar.”

I chuckled. “Ask around, I don’t know. After my incident last year, Malcolm switched homes and made it very clear that I was not to be told where he lived. And because I lost interest, I didn’t bother finding out. Ask my cousins, and ask my twin. I haven’t the faintest idea where he lives.” that is the truth. I’ve long since lost my interest in Sebastian since he became attached to Mr. Sunshine and happiness to everyone.

I refrained from rolling my eyes.

“You don’t know where he lives?”

“No. I know where he used to live. I know where Kaito lives. I don’t know where Malcolm and Sebastian reside. What exactly happened?”

“I threw up after I woke up. I threw up some black liquid, and it wouldn’t stop coming and then the door to Malcolm’s house opened.... and you were there. You held my hair out of my face, you called me baby doll. And when I asked what you were doing there... you said I needed to sleep. And then I woke up in the exact same spot I was in when I woke up. The time was the same and... and I think I’ve lost my mind.”

I wrote that down. That was very very intriguing.

“And?”

She fiddled with her shirt sleeves. “Malcolm could smell you. And this was on my leg. Who else could have done that?”

I glanced at the ankle bracelet and lifted my left eyebrow. “I’m a therapist and a teacher. Only assigned doctors are allowed to put those on.” I am a doctor, but I was not given her ankle bracelet. I was at a dinner with the family. In fact, we were all there. Another doctor, outside of the family, must have delivered it to her house. How it got on her leg is beyond me.

“You can’t be serious. You didn’t do this?”

“Do you remember the exact time?”

She nods. “Yeah, I do.”

“Well, I was at a family meeting/ dinner, for six hours after I left the hospital. I don’t think I’m the one who did that. Not to mention, there are surveillance cameras, all over the school. Apartment buildings too. Have Malcolm request yesterday’s footage from the monitors, and you’ll have all the proof you need. Anything else. Anything that would explain why you think you need to return my attention? Is that what you said? If you get my attention, do you want to give it back? What do you mean?”

Her eyes were moving all around, suddenly avoiding mine. I couldn’t stop myself from smiling.

“You have an answer for everything.”

“Let me be honest with you. I won’t lie. I am a proud man. If there is something I don’t want you to know, I will hide it rather than ever have to lie about it. If I ever lie about something then it must be really important, and private to me. Last year, I wanted access to Saint Valentine’s Pack because I’ve had a connection to them. So I got to know Sebastian, he would have been a nice acquaintance, or doll had Malcolm not intervened. That made him hate me because I targeted his boyfriend. I wasn’t going to hurt him.”

“But you were going to use him for personal gain. And you can tell me that knowing it would ruin my view of you, but you’re honest because you’re not ashamed or apologetic.”

I nod. “I don’t need to lie to get my way. I am okay with people hating me, or loving me. Form your own opinion of me, Miss Vanguard. If I’ve done nothing to you, then there is no reason to dream of me coming to help you. I wouldn’t. It’s above my pay grade. I care about your back story, and helping you because if I can restore a wolfless beta’s will to live, or connection with her wolf-” That got her entire attention. “Then I can do anything.”

“You think you can bring back my wolf?”

“Work with me, Miss Vanguard, I can do just about anything. I am valued here, for a reason. Everyone earns their place. Everyone is replaceable. I am not. I am worth more than my reputation to my family. If in two years I haven’t made a single progress, I will assign you a new doctor.”

I watched as she thought about my words. There was doubt but also hope in her eyes. Hope that she could get her wolf back. And that was the way to her heart. If I can help her... well then, she’d practically be mine.

Nothing comes for free. My little doll will find that out. You have to build dolls before you wreck them.

I wonder how her blood would taste. My eyes move around her body, slightly annoyed by the coverage of her skin. But I can hear her pulse and that is all I need to keep me going. Her blood would be divine. The blood of my mate.

“Shall we start, Valeria? If you don’t mind me calling you by your name.”

“Can I call you Maddox?”

“Of course. It’s a wonderful name.”

“Sure, mate.” she inhaled.

“tell me about the incident from yesterday. I couldn’t process it with Malcolm in the way. What happened? You froze...”

“And your machine tried to kill me, mate.”

“True, it can also induce hallucinations. It’s possible you received the package and put on the ankle bracelet without being consciously aware of it.”

“That’s preposterous.”

“The tapes will show. Although I don’t have access to them. That part is restricted from me.”

“Because Mal doesn’t want you spying on him and Sebastian.”

“Yes. As though I care. I’ve moved on, I wonder why can’t he?”

Her lips thinned out. “He cares about Sebastian. He wants what’s best for him. And surprisingly, he wants what’s best for me too.”

“He doesn’t know you, and you don’t know him. In two years, Malcolm will leave, and so will Sebastian and Kaito because they go everywhere together. Will they take you?”

She answers immediately. “Why would they? We’re just becoming friends.”

“Friends, they’re nice to have. But you need to put yourself first. In everything, put yourself and your opinions first. If you don’t trust me out of your own volition, I respect that. But if you distrust me because of what I need for someone who you plan on being friends with then, you’re going to be here for a long while Valeria. And might I add, without a good evaluation, we’re within legal rights to keep you for as long as we want?”

Her jaw drops, and I realize something.

“Did your parents not give you the contract to read?”

“I didn’t even sign it.”

“Well, parents can sign for their child if they have proof that the child is unwell. Wait here.”

I placed my pen between the sheets of the book, closed it, and placed it on the table beside my chair. Then I got up and went over to my desk to collect a copy of the contract from the file cabinet.

“Here, read it. It says in section four, that we can keep you for as long as we like. As your therapist only when you’re making progress can I demote you to a level one, and that will allow you to leave at your own will. Level ones can go at their own will. But you’re a level two, and from yesterday’s incident, I feel like I need to write a note to my cousin assigning you as a level three.” my tone was soft, letting my disappointment show.

I handed her the contract, and she shot her other hand forward to grab my wrist. “Don’t. I’ll never leave if I only go higher up.”

“I have a duty, but I will bend it a little if you’re willing to get better.”

“I am, I am. I do not want to be a level three,”

“If you say so.” I returned to my seat and picked up my book, “Let’s return to last night. Tell me what happened.”

She did. She recounted the events, leaving out something but I didn’t pry. I know it involves Kaito, I can read her mind. He saved her life, and she doesn’t want me to know that. She’s lucky I have no interest in him, or this information would be useful to my cousin.

My interest isn’t on any of the alpha trio. It’s locked in on Valeria.

“Again, I apologize for the device malfunction. This new one should be better. For the record, the vomit could be your body reacting to a bunch of things. The medications from yesterday.”

“I thought so. That’s all that happened. There are many things I used to be able to do and now I can no longer do it. It pains me that that is what I have become, but what’s a girl to do?”

“That must have scared you. Death? How did it feel?”

“I fought it, but then... it’s like I just accepted it. Is it okay to not be afraid of death but still kind of scared of it?”

“Yes.”

“Are you afraid of death?” her question is breathless. I know her thoughts and mind is occupied with so many things.

“No. I don’t fear many things. I only have one fear.”

“What is it?”

“Disappointing my great grandfather. That is the only thing I fear. Nothing in this world matters that much to me. I can get bored of anything. But his praises, are everything. Losing those would be my death.”

“Why are you so honest?” her tone was small this time. Like she couldn’t believe how easily I’d disclosed that information.

“I don’t know. Maybe it’s because I’m content with everything in my life.”

“I would like to be content. My life doesn’t mean much right now. In fact, I feel like a burden.”

“You’re not. But feeling that way is normal after yesterday. It wasn’t your fault though. You shouldn’t punish yourself for something that is out of your control.”

I have a way with words, and I have a feeling Valeria is going to hold on to the last thing I just said. She shuts down after that, not wanting to say anything else. I gave her a pen, and a notebook telling her to draw or write whatever she felt in that and we’ll address it during the next session.

That’s what she spent the rest of the session doing, by the end she was calm and a bit tired. Not a bad session. I had fun. I like how she’s unnerved by my honesty, and how she tries to be wary of me but can’t help feeling curious about me and who I am.

She wonders whether I can actually restore her wolf. I will repeat this a million times: I can do anything. This girl is as good as mine