Scorned Alpha - Burgov Series IV

7. Maddox

"Have you talked with Danny today?" - Banks asked, sitting at the table next to me. For once, I was hoping for a casual meal with the warriors, and he had to come over and remind me all about the mission I had been taken off of.

"No." - I said, forcefully stabbing another bite. I was pissed because I knew exactly why one of my two best friends wasn't calling me at all. It's simple, because his Alpha told him not to. No talking, no including me in the mission, nothing. Just to remind me how painful it can be to let my father down.

"So you're not going tonight?" - Banks kept on asking as if it wasn't clear my Dad's petty revenge for failing the last time was to push me away from planning and executing the next ambush.

"No, I'm not going." - I said in a flat tone.

"Well s**t, so that's why Dad said he would be driving with me. They are babying us."

"That's why they are babying you. I was banned from the mission all together, so you should feel lucky to go at all." - I said angrily.

"I'm sorry, man. You don't deserve that. Every other guy in your shoes would have done the same. Even your father."

"I think not." - I snorted - "You're forgetting he rejected his fated mate as soon as he met her."

"Well, yeah. But he was already spoken for with your mother." - Banks pointed out, trying to appease me even a little bit in my bitterness.

But the truth is, my father's words wouldn't mean a thing if his true mate was a woman from even a similar shelf as my mother. He didn't care about his words or anything else other than his precious pack. And when his destined woman turned out to be a pack-less rogue, he didn't even ask for her rank or background. All he cared about was the disgrace she would have brought him as his Luna.

But my mother was chosen for him by my Grandfather. The youngest daughter of Beta from one of the neighboring packs. And the fact that somewhere along the genealogy tree she had one Alpha, only sealed the deal. She was a promise of a successful alliance, strong pups and all that s**t.

I wish I could say they were happy together, even for a short while, but unfortunately I can't. It's hard to build a home with someone who's first love will always be his work.

And since now I'm messing with that picture perfect life he wants everyone to think we have, I'm being punished for that. Postponing my ascension is just the tip of the iceberg. Taking me off the mission is just another show of disappointment. But I'm prepared for more ignoring and silent treatments.

Banks leaned forward, even closer so that no one could hear us.

"And that other thing? Have you reached her already?" - he asked, and I had no doubt he meant Ellie.

"No." - I answered flatly.

"She didn't even answer your calls?" - he frowned.

"No, and that Cerberus sitting on the front desk in Harvest Moon is adamant she can't either put me through or take my message. I'm telling you man, they protect their privacy better than the League itself." - I admitted with a sigh, because I don't know how many times I tried calling Ellie. To explain myself, to apologize and make her believe I'm not the self-centered bastard she probably thinks I am.

"Then why won't you go there?" - Banks suggested.

"To the Harvest Moon?"

"Yeah, you're her mate, they should let you in."

"There are a few things wrong about this plan." - I started, shoving another forkful into my mouth to gather all of them at once. - "For starters, my father assigned a tail to me, and I don't exactly want him to know about Ellie just yet."

"Why not? She's a Burgov, he should be ecstatic to join your families." - Banks pointed out with a frown.

"True. But she's from the Gamma branch of her family. I followed her family tree and it turns out she has very strong roots from both her father's and mother's sides. And you know what our Alpha thinks about Gammas."

Banks nodded sadly. He was such a great friend and he understood my resolve completely. He and his father hadn't exactly seen eye-to-eye either.

"Okay, then sneak out and go. We know this place better than anyone. I'm sure we could create a distraction for long enough for you to leave." - he offered.

"And that creates another problem." - I said, putting my fork down and leaning closer - "What if, as soon as I get there, she accuses me of trying to mark her? I'll be on her land, in her Uncle's jurisdiction, most likely alone. She could f**k me over in so many different ways if she only wanted to that it's hard to even list them."

"But, she hasn't reported you yet. So maybe she would be cool enough to let you explain you just lost your temper. You know, good old kiss and make up."

"Nah." - I shook my head - "I don't trust her that much. That's why I wanted to talk with her first. Tell her I'm sorry, feel the mood."

"But if she doesn't pick up, you won't have any other choice." - Banks said doubtingly.

"She will. I will find a way to reach her. I'm sure of it." - I said confidently. After all, no woman can stay angry forever, and if I'm thinking about her all the time I'm sure she feels exactly the same way. It's just a matter of days before I will finally find a way to get in touch with her. Maybe through her friend?

"Okay, Romeo, whatever you say." - my best friend shrugged noncommittally, but his sight focused on something behind my back. And when I followed his gaze I found him staring at Lana and her flock of brainless geese following her around like three separate, but equally useless shadows. She glanced our way, narrowed her eyes angrily and stomped away in a fit of fury. - "Is my cousin still giving you a hard time?"

"Nothing I can't handle." - I admitted.

"You know, she was whining to my father about you at the last family dinner we had. And if I know our fathers, they are already working on getting you two back together."

"That ain't gonna happen. I have another woman on my mind now."

"I know. And I told you before you and Lana would end that way, but you just wouldn't listen. You never do." - he admitted with a disapproving grimace.

"True. I should have listened to you back then."

"You can always listen to me now and go get your girl." - he deadpanned.

"Maybe I will." - I agreed with a smile. Banks was a great adviser and maybe he's not wrong about apologizing in person. After all, four weeks should be enough to stifle the blaze of woman's fury. - "But how about a friendly spar before that?"

"Sure, we can't let you get out of shape before you actually win the girl." - he snickered and for that I wanted to smack him even more.

I snickered at him and we both stood up from one of the many picnic tables spread around for warriors and went to the training hall. At least that's what my Father calls it. For me, it's just a regular gym that, in my opinion, could use a little upgrading, with an extremely high ceiling and shitty lighting.

Banks and I immediately went to the last mat in the long row, our personal favorite since we were little pups who wrestle more than actually fought. Those were good times. It was definitely easier to please our old men back then.

"Rules?" - Banks asked, cracking his thick neck from side to side.

"To the first tap out?" - I suggested.

"So the usual." - he smirked, jumping from one foot to the other to warm his muscles up.

I'll admit that Banks was always my favorite sparring partner. Not only was he almost as strong as I was, but he also never backed down because of my rank. He knew I wouldn't be holding back, and so he never did either. And he has a few mean moves that are better to be left aimless, because his right hook knocked me down a few times before. But I guess that's what happens when you have an arm the size of an average guy's thigh.

But his impressive stature has its downsides too. My bulky friend can be really slow and he tires easily, unlike me.

We never played in waiting for another to strike first, we just got at it. And the first time we collided, Banks already tried his strongest blow, but I caught his fist with my own palm, redirecting it, and then I sold him a hit straight on his ribs. My Beta just smirked because, from a short distance and through all his muscles, he probably barely felt it.

"Flea bite." - he chuckled, knowing fully well that his comment would rile me up.

I didn't like to lose and I didn't like to be reminded of how close we were in physical strength. That's the one thing I shared with my father.

I pushed him away to get the upper hand of his distraction and enough space to launch a proper hit, and when he was far enough, I swung aiming perfectly into his jaw. But as my fist was inches away from the blow that could determine this match result, I felt the numbing powerlessness and soon after, over-consuming pain, that started in my chest and burned me completely from head to toe.

Instead of hitting Banks, I collapsed on him and he held my body in confusion and slid down on the mat to inspect me.

"What the hell, Ox? Are you alright?" - he asked as his brown eyes were watching me up and down for any signs of injury.

I wanted to tell him, but the pain made it hard to even catch my breath. It came out of nowhere and I had no idea how much it would take for it to go away.

However, I did have a good idea what the cause was. After all, I witnessed similar symptoms in someone else before, but I couldn't believe that theory just yet. It would be way too cruel.

"I'm taking you to the clinic." - Banks said with all his seriousness, standing back on his feet and trying to get me upright too.

But the clinic was a bad idea. There would be too many questions and I know I wouldn't be able to keep the source of my pain from my father for long. And I would rather die than give him another reason to postpone my ascension any further.

"Not… clinic… my… mother…" - I stammered with the remains of my strength, and I knew that even confused and concerned Banks would listen.

He helped me back to my feet, and with my arm hooked over his neck he started walking us back to the Pack House. He had to explain our peculiar situation to a few passersby, but thankfully, we reached the top floor without stumbling at my father.

Banks delivered me safely to my bedroom and ran out to get my mother, leaving me all sweaty and writhing in pain on the bed.

My mother came in like a blur. A fast moving smudge of platinum blonde hair paired with her favorite peach sweater.

"Oh my Goddess, Maddy, what's going on?" - she asked frantically, gently brushing the wet strand from my forehead.

"My… mate…" - those were the only two words she needed to understand.

I was sure that sudden pain was coming from Ellie. She was with someone and through the pain I didn't know what to make out of it. Either it took her a month to find a guy to get back at me, which I find hard to believe, any guy with the eyes would be all over her at the snap of her fingers. Or she didn't know about the mark working. But the excruciating agony I was going through was a clear sign that barely-piercing her skin was enough for us to be united. And at that moment I wasn't too happy about it.

My mother's face twisted in shock, probably at first caused by the news that I had found my soulmate and hadn't shared the news with anyone, and then she became calm. The concern was still very much present on her face, but her voice and posture became more Luna-like.

"Banks, I need a bowl of cold water and a cloth. Also check his cabinet for painkillers." - she said calmly but with a certain strength in her tone, and Banks didn't question her for even a second and sprung to action like a good gofer.

The cool cloth brought just a little bit of comfort, but it was like trying to stitch a stabbing wound with a Band-Aid. It just wasn't enough.

And my Goddess, it seemed to go on forever. Was she filming p**n or something?

But finally it stopped. As suddenly as it began. She was done. Ellie, my gorgeous mate, was done screwing someone else. That brought me a strange mix of relief and fury and I didn't know what to catch on to at first.

My mother laid a hand on my forehead again and glanced at Banks.

"How long since it started?" - she asked.

"Forty, maybe forty-five minutes."

"Dear Goddess, is she trying to kill you?!" - my mother gasped. - "How long has this been going on, son?" - she demanded sharply, but I knew it was her motherly instinct speaking.

"That was the first time."

My mother c****d her head to the side and looked at me sadly with all the empathy she had in her.

"I assume your father doesn't know?"

I clenched my teeth and shook my head.

"And I assume you don't want to tell him?" - she asked.

I locked eyes with her, wondering what to tell her. My mother wasn't known for keeping things from my father. But if there's one subject she might have been willing to lie about, it would most likely be me or Lilly.

"No, I don't. At least not right now." - I finally admitted and for some reason she smiled just a bit, but her lips curled up and she breathed in relief.

"So… Who is she? Do I know her?"

"That's rather unlikely. I met her on a mission four weeks ago and she's from Harvest Moon."

"Harvest Moon? That's like… pretty far away."

"Yeah, it is." - I nodded, agreeing with her. For the last four weeks I've been staring at the map far too many times to not know that. Harvest moon is at the far end of another state, five to six hours away from here. So it was kind of miraculous that I found Ellie on the one night I ventured just as far from home as she did. Otherwise, I wouldn't have found her for years.

But that makes me think that our miraculous meet-cute definitely meant more to me, if she's moving on so fast. Just four weeks and she's over me. Over us.

"So what went wrong?" - Mom asked the million-dollar question.

I didn't want to tell her everything, but she already saw too much, and not admitting what went down will only make her sad.

"Everything was going great, until I mentioned she would have to move in here. You should probably know she's next in-line Gamma, and she was very adamant she wouldn't give up her title."

"Next in line Gamma?" - my Mom's eyes widened and eyebrows shot up. - "A woman?"

"That's right."

"So you had a disagreement and now she's hurting you for it?" - Mom asked.

Here comes the ugly part.

"I don't think that's the case." - I said slowly, trying to pick my words carefully - "I may have tried to mark her…"

"Maddy!" - my Mother gasped, outraged. - "Tell me you didn't force yourself on this poor girl."

I said nothing, just looked down.

"Oh my Goddess, no wonder she hates you. Has she reported you? Should we warn your father? You know that if the League shows up…"

"No!" - I interrupted her. - "We're not going to tell Dad. If they haven't come for me till now, I don't think she's planning to report me at all."

"So what are you going to do? I can assure you betrayal pain is not something you can get used to. It stays exactly the same. Yes, you did something wrong, but even though that's a pretty severe punishment. She can't keep doing this to you…"

"I don't think she knows." - I said quietly. Maybe that was something I wanted to believe in myself, or maybe that's just making excuses for her. But even though I didn't know Ellie for too long, she hasn't pegged me as a girl who would intentionally cause me pain. Maybe punch me in anger once or twice, but nothing like that.

"What? How can she not know?" - my mother looked from me to Banks and back, waiting for someone to explain it to her.

"I was sure the marking didn't work. I haven't exactly bit in properly, so she may have thought the same."

"Oh, Maddy…" - my Mom sighed - "But you still have to do something about it. Rejection with a working mark would be difficult, but it's a…"

At my Mom's mentioning rejecting Ellie I felt a surge of anger.

"No." - I snapped, even though I had never raised my voice in her presence before.

I know she was just looking out for me, but I didn't want to give up on Ellie just yet. The thought itself was enough to make me want to smash something. Maybe it was my fascination with this woman, or maybe the formed bond was talking through me, but I wasn't my father, I couldn't settle down with someone else after meeting her. Besides, I'm not about to grant my father the last remains of my free will.

"There will be no rejection." - I said with more confidence.

"But Maddox, if she doesn't know, this could happen a lot more in the future." - my Mother pointed out with concern and she looked to the side at my silent Beta for some help.

"True. But it's just for a couple of months. After Dad steps down, whether she likes it or not, the mark will automatically make her my Luna." - I said with finality in my tone.

"Honey, she told you she didn't want it. Maybe it isn't a good idea to force her into it. Besides, we don't know for how long your father would want to postpone your ceremony. Sometimes letting go is better." - my mother caught my hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

I knew she meant well, that she wanted what was best for her son. But I've been around and I know Ellie is the best I could get. And she will be my Luna. With or without her consent. After today's stunt she owes me that.

"I don't care how long it takes, she will be Night Walkers next Luna." - I voiced my thoughts.

Mom let go of my hand, sighed sadly and shook her head.

"I've been trying so hard to turn you into someone better than your father, that I didn't even notice when you started changing into me." - she said with hurt in her tone - "I just hope neither of you will regret it. Now rest, I'll check up on you later."

She stood up, straightened her sweater and went to the door.

"Dude, do you really think it's a good idea?" - Banks asked when we were left alone.

"That's the best idea. But I still have to figure out a way to keep her here for good. Something tells me she would be hard to adjust to."

"I think you have a death wish, but whatever. I guess it's a no for driving to her pack now?" - he asked.

"Not today my friend." - I said with my mind already thinking of the game plan, because there was no doubt in my mind that she would be a hard cookie to crumble. But too bad for her. I like challenges, and if she's so eager to forget me, I will be happy to remind her when the right time comes.