An Alpha's Choice

Chapter 8: Fear

-Madeleine-

I paced back and forth in my room, feeling anxious and nervous. Christopher wouldn’t return for two more days, yet I felt trapped in a cycle of restlessness. Kate was gone, and I was alone as the sun climbed higher in the sky.

I sighed and paused briefly to glance out the window. I had no idea how to be the female everyone expected me to be—the kind Christopher needed me to be. Despite his reputation, I was sure he expected me to be good, obedient, and submissive. But all I felt was fear.

I started pacing again, feeling increasingly lost. I had begged Kate to come back, telling her I couldn’t do this without her. She promised she would, but I had no idea how. How could she sneak into the house again without being seen?

“Madeleine.” I turned to see my mother standing in the doorway, wearing a tight dark green dress and black heels, her long blonde hair cascading down her back. She approached me, not looking pleased.

“Mother,” I said, lowering my head.

The slap was quick and hard, but I didn’t scream. I was used to her rough treatment.

“You embarrassed us last night,” she sneered.

I nodded, unable to deny it. Any attempt to argue would only result in another slap.

“How do you expect him to want someone who faints out of the blue?” she inquired.

“I don’t know,” I whispered.

“Neither do I!”

She began to pace in front of me, mirroring my earlier movements. Cursing under her breath, she crossed her arms. I stood silently, knowing it was best to remain quiet.

“Did Mira teach you nothing?” she snapped.

I whimpered slightly, immediately regretting it.

“Stand up straight, Madeleine. No one likes someone with no backbone,” she instructed.

I straightened up, trying to meet her gaze, but her piercing eyes forced me to look down again.

“Well?” she demanded.

“S-She did,” I stammered.

“Then how come you fainted?”

“I-I’m not sure. Maybe I ate too little,” I replied.

“Or maybe you wanted to embarrass us! Do you even want this union to happen?”

“Of course, Mother,” I lied.

I didn’t want it. I had never wanted it. I wanted it even less after meeting him. Christopher was as handsome as people said, and I understood why females flocked to him, but I felt nothing towards him. I had tried to remain quiet and small, hoping that if he didn’t like me, he would change his mind and I could be free, but so far, that hadn’t happened.

“Then why did you faint?” my mother inquired.

“I-I told you. I must have eaten too little.”

“You expect me to believe that?” she asked.

“I skipped lunch.” It wasn’t a lie. I had skipped both lunch and breakfast that day. I was so nervous that nothing could enter my stomach, definitely not my mouth.

“No one wants a fainter. It’s a sign of poor health. Do you hear me, Madeleine?”

I nodded. I always heard her, even if she thought I didn’t.

“It won’t happen next time, will it?” she snapped.

“No, Mother, it won’t,” I said.

“You will satisfy him. You will make him see there’s no reason to look elsewhere, yes?”

I nodded again. I didn’t want to say a word. I couldn’t.

“Words, Madeleine!” she demanded.

“Yes, Mother.”

“You will…”

“S-s-satisfy him,” I whispered.

“No stuttering.”

I shook my head. “No, I’ll do better.”

“Much better,” my mother sneered before leaving the room.

I couldn’t stand. It felt like my legs refused to carry me anymore. I collapsed to the ground, crying, feeling utterly lost.

-Chris-

“Sorry… what?” Speedy inquired.

I nodded. “Yeah…”

“But aren’t you going to be mated to Madeleine?” she pressed.

I nodded again. “Yes.”

She groaned and fell back onto her bed. “Chris!” she exclaimed, sounding defeated. “Do you understand the trouble we might invite if we dig deeper?”

“Does that mean you’re out?” I teased.

Speedy nearly jumped from the bed, giving me a look that said, Seriously? “You think I want out?”

“Well, digging into people’s private matters usually ends badly,” I said with a small smile.

Speedy smiled back at me. “Good! I’m in!” I laughed as she jumped from the bed, but then she paused as soon as she got back on her feet. “Wait, if Kaytlyn is your mate but you’re going to be mated to Madeleine… what are you going to do?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, who do you want? Kaytlyn or Madeleine?” she inquired.

I sighed, leaning back in the chair. “I’m not sure I have much of a choice.”

“Why not? She is your mate!”

“Father,” I sighed again. “He wants me to be with Madeleine, and he won’t change his mind.”

“Unless we uncover the truth!”

I smiled faintly. “I’m not sure it will change much.”

“Then why do you want to know the truth?”

I shrugged. “To be honest, I’m not sure.”

I knew she could see the hurt in my eyes, the longing for someone I knew couldn’t be mine. She walked over, crouched down, and smiled, reminding me why I had agreed to my father’s insane plan.

“We will find the truth. You just need to keep asking questions, and so will I.”

“People hate personal questions,” I said.

“Which is why we’re going to ask them,” she replied with a wink.

I laughed and got up from my chair, following her back to her bed where we opened her computer