《My fated alpha》 Chapter 1 Chapter 1 Madeleine Fear Pure, unadulterated fear That was all I could feel as Iy on the cold floor of the basement of the house I had been in for a week. My hands went to my stomach as I felt something wet and warm below my flimsy shirt. I touched my stomach and winced as my fingers were streaked red. I was bleeding and I was alone. From upstairs, I could hear the angry voices of people, bickering about something. They say you get used to fearing and to living with it after some time. But how did you define ¡®some¡¯ time? It had been a week since I was forcing myself to ept this new reality. But having been sheltered by my loving parents all my life, I was finding it difficult toe to terms with the fact that they were no more. My previous pack had lost all its members in a fight against the ck Forest packst week and I, a wolfless girl, had been left alone. Since I hadn¡¯t awakened my wolf yet, nobody wanted me. I was beneath them all. Steve, the ck Forest pack¡¯s omega was asked to use me as a ve and he did that dutifully. Thankfully, as I had no wolf he despised me so he never even looked at me save for scowling or hitting me. Relieved that nobody thought of forcing themselves on me, I was thankful to the Moon Goddess for providing me with a temporary shelter. However, more often than not, I would find myself hurt and crying, but at least, I used to be on a makeshift bed. Tonight, however, he decided to throw me into the basement. It was dark and cold. I wasn¡¯t sure how long I stayed lying on the cold floor until I finally mustered the energy to get up. A part of me just wanted to give up and wait for death to finally greet me, but I could hear my mother¡¯s voice ying in my head, ¡°wolf or not, you are my brave girl and I hope you will always be that.¡± Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. Those words stirred something within me. cing both my hands on the floor, I tried to exert as much energy as I could and forced myself into a sitting position. Struggling and panting, I finally managed to lean on one of the several wooden poles that held the house together. A tear or two trickled down my eyes but I wasn¡¯t even aware of the fact that I was crying. Tearing the corner of my shirt, I tried to dab at the wound, praying that I would somehow get out of this hellhole. But then I realized that prayers weren¡¯t going to work. I had to act on my own, but first I had to escape. As I sat wondering about what to do next and kept thinking of how to stitch myself up, I heard footsteps above. My heart began to thud erratically as my hands began to shake. The sound of footsteps echoed through the basement like a loud ring horn against the pin-drop silence of my surroundings and I tried to make myself invisible. Obviously, I failed. It was still dark and the only lighting in was the rays peeking in through the small rectangr slits on the top. There was a light bulb somewhere but I recalled Steve breaking it thest time. He had tried to hit me with a baseball bat and had hit the bulb instead. Thud. Thud. The basement roof creaked as the door slowly opened. I tried to hide behind an abandoned chair and prayed that he would forget I was here. ¡°Madeleine, where are you?¡± Steve¡¯s drunken voice floated towards me. He took a swig from the bottle he was holding in his hand and I was sure that was not the first bottle he had had for the day. ¡®How long has he been drinking?¡¯ I wondered. The wristwatch on my hand showed that it was hardly 9 pm. I put my hand on my mouth to not let a single sound escape my lips and willed myself to stay quiet and not tremble. ¡°Oh, I see¡­ ying hide and seek, are we?¡± Steve spoke in a drawled voice and I crouched further into the broken furniture. He strolled around the basement and began upending the furniture and other things he had stored inside. The sound of things breaking, rods moring echoed through the ce and I quickly put my hands on my ears to drown the noise. ¡®Be quiet, be quiet.¡¯ I kept repeating in my head but I felt myself being pulled forward when something forcefully yanked me out of my hiding spot. Steve found me hiding behind the chair and dragged me out, holding my hand. ¡°Please, I didn¡¯t do anything!¡± I begged as fresh tears trickled down my face. ¡°You did, I saw you talking to re in the morning. And then shees to me saying I should give you time to mourn your dead family and let you rest. You think you can gossip about me and get away with it?¡± My eyes went wide at the words, and I knew that he wouldn¡¯t think twice of hurting me again. Now, there was no one to save me but myself. As such, I mustered the courage to answer him, ¡°I¡­I only told her the¡­truth.¡± My voice barely came out as a whisper, but I was surprised that I could speak. ¡°What?¡± Steve¡¯s voice came out, angry and annoyed. It was as if he had heard me but he was giving me the chance to take my words back. Surprisingly enough, I wasn¡¯t feeling scared anymore. Emboldened by my courage, I decided to speak again with a firm voice, ¡°I said, I told her the truth¡­of what a filthy person you are.¡± My low voice turned into a scream as I yelled at him by the time thest few words left my mouth. Steve only looked at me in confusion for a minute, too stunned to see that I had suddenly found the courage to talk back. However, his features quickly turned into that of fury as he raised his hand to throw that bottle at me. My eyes flicked to the basement door and I saw my opportunity to escape. I ducked and pushed him aside with all my efforts before rushing upstairs through the small flight of stairs and running out into the backyard. My feet carried me outside but the injury to my abdomen was making it difficult for me to keep running. I stumbled against a small rock and lost my footing, falling to the ground again. I could hear Steve¡¯s voice drawing nearer as he walked out of the house into the backyard. Trying to look for a way out of the situation, I raised my eyes to turn around and something caught my eye. A pair of brown eyes were staring at me through the dense grass of the forest behind our backyard. Those eyes were eerily calm and were fixated on me. Startled at the sudden appearance, I stifled a scream. Could that be true? Or was I hallucinating? I blinked and those eyes were gone. Steve had almost reached me and was yelling at me, ready to hit me when I heard a distinct growl that made him stiffen on the spot. Shocked by the sudden noise, he looked around but couldn¡¯t see anyone. Thinking that the sound he had heard was a trick of his mind, Steve raised his hand and that¡¯s when the wolf came out of the bush. My eyes went wide as the glorious wolf revealed himself. A huge, golden-furred wolf was standing in front of me, his teeth bared and eyes filled with anger. However, what surprised me was that he wasn¡¯t even looking at me. Something overcame me as, despite his big brown eyes, I felt that the wolf in front of me was far better than the one behind me. ¡°Help me¡­please.¡± Those words slipped out of my mouth in a whisper before I could take them back. And as if on cue what I didn¡¯t expect to happen, happened. In a swift move, the wolf jumped up from the ground,pletely ignoring me as he almost glided over my head aiming straight for Steve. Author Note: If you loved the chapter, please drop a review on the main page and vote with gems, I would appreciate your support. Every single gem and review counts. Thank you for reading. Chapter 2 Chapter 2 Hayden It had been a long night since I had been running around the forest. I was restless and annoyed and my pack members had just added fuel to the fire. I needed a break from it so I decided to go for a run. I let my wolf, Luke, take over for the time being and take me far from our territory. I was lost in thought and didn¡¯t even realize that he was taking me close to the other pack¡¯s territory and none other than our rival pack, the ck Forest pack. ¡°Why are you taking me there?¡± I growled at him when I realized I was close to their borders. ¡°Why not?¡± came Luke¡¯s snark reply. I shook my head and was about to tell him off when I heard noises of someone shouting. I didn¡¯t want to walk into any trouble since I had enough going on in my pack already, but somehow my feet carried Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. me towards the backyard of a house. It was there that I saw a girl who was lying on the ground, possibly bleeding from some wound. Her face wasn¡¯t clearly visible as her hair covered most of it but she appeared to be in a lot of pain. ¡°Is she alive?¡± Luke asked me and I decided to find out even though I knew that I was breaking into the territory of another pack. And that is when I saw a man walk out of the home with a bottle in his hand. The girl was cowering and probably injured because of him and he had the nerve to go and try to hit her again. Despite not being my pack or my business, I couldn¡¯t help myself from jumping on the guy when he raised his hands to hit her again. The girl had looked at me with so much hope that even though I didn¡¯t like to y the hero every time, I just couldn¡¯t resist. Thus I jumped straight into something that was going to change me and my life forever. In one swift move, I lunged through the bushes and pounced on the man who was hitting the girl. My pent-up frustration needed a release and he seemed to be the perfect prey for this. Baring my teeth, I growled at him and his eyes went wide upon seeing me. ¡°What¡­what are you doing here?¡± He asked me in a voice that was confused but scared witless. Of course, he had recognized me. There was hardly anyone who didn¡¯t. Except possibly this girl who had stared at me as if I was a ghost. I growled again and I could swear that this good-for-nothing werewolf must have peed his pants. He was an omega of the pack, who neither had the strength nor the guts to fight a man. ¡°This¡­this is my pack¡¯s territory and my property. Back off.¡± He said to me but his voice didn¡¯t hold the conviction he hoped for. It merely came out as a croak. Stepping away from him, I ced my paws on the ground but my eyes were fixated on him. With wide eyes, he scooted away from me and got up though he could not keep himself up on his feet. My werewolf eyes were trained on him while my ears were alert to catch even the faintest noise if other wolves of the pack woulde at me. Thinking that I had taught him a lesson, I began to turn around when he spoke, ¡°I¡­I will tell this to Garron, he won¡¯t be pleased.¡± Garron was the alpha of the ck Forest pack, an alpha I didn¡¯t see eye to eye with. If I had been annoyed before, hearing Garron¡¯s name just made me murderously angry. I was not even aware of when I turned or jumped on him, almost tearing his ear apart. Blood dripped from my jaw and he howled in pain as he ran away from me. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have done that,¡± Luke spoke to me. ¡°Oh, prettyte to tell me that, don¡¯t you think?¡± I snapped back at him and he fell silent. Looking back, I saw the girl trembling and staring at me in shock. I wanted tofort her but I guess I couldn¡¯t do so in my werewolf form. Thus, I walked into the house and looked around before locating the bedroom. Opening the wardrobe, I shifted into my human form and wore the first thing that I found- jeans and a t-shirt. To say that I was disgusted to wear an abuser¡¯s clothes was an understatement, but I didn¡¯t really have a choice. I could still smell the alcohol from his clothes though they were washed and ironed. Luke growled at the idea too, but I tried to calm him down. It didn¡¯t fit me perfectly but it would have to do for now. I knew I had made a mistake by entering a rival pack member¡¯s house, meddling in their affairs, and breaching their territory. But, I had been angry with the discussion back home and had been running around aimlessly to let out the heat. I had identally stumbled upon the incident and, I couldn¡¯t take my eyes off the face of the girl who was bleeding and crying alone. That thought reminded me of the girl and I quickly rushed outside to check on her. I had put on the clothes just to not terrify her in my wolf form further. As I ran into the backyard, I saw that she had somehow gotten up on her feet and was trying to walk but fell on the ground. I moved forward to help her but before I could, the man, if I could even call him that, to begin with, stormed through the gate, with two other men in tow. ¡°Shit¡± Luke muttered. The alpha of the ck Forest pack, Garron, and his beta, Peter were staring at me, dragging the man who was called Steve along with them, whom I had injured. ¡°What a pleasant surprise, alpha Hayden. I didn¡¯t expect you to be so eager to attend the ball. Though, I must say it is going to be in a week from now. Are you excited to find your Luna as well?¡± Peter snickered behind him and Steve made a choking sound while holding one hand to his ear. It had stopped bleeding and as far as I remember I had not even grazed the ear. ¡®Such a weasel,¡¯ I thought. Luke growled and I had to use force to make him not lunge at them. Answering in a casual voice I spoke, ¡°I was just passing through and saw this guy hitting that girl. She asked for my help so I obliged.¡± When I said that, all the eyes turned to look at the girl for an answer. She was cowering in fear while clutching her stomach which was bleeding. ¡®Why wasn¡¯t she healing yet?¡¯ I looked at her wounds and then at her face in shock before turning to look at the werewolves. They seemed to have mind-linked with each other because nobody spoke a word. So I presumed that they were having a discussion amongst themselves about what to do with me. Meanwhile, I received a mind-link from my beta, Charlie. ¡°Just checking on you. Are you fine?¡± ¡®I couldn¡¯t be in more trouble than I am in right now, Charlie.¡¯ I thought but I knew that if I said that to him, he would havee running all the way here to help me. As such, I only sent him a short message and closed the mind-link, ¡°I¡¯ll bete, don¡¯t worry.¡± Being an alpha born on a blue moon gave me the ability to mind-link over long distances, something other alphascked. Something Garroncked. And, something I couldn¡¯t help but rub in their faces. ¡°Done discussing right in front of me without making it look like you are actually doing it?¡± I asked with a smirk. As expected, their faces grew angry at what I had said without saying it explicitly- that they were too afraid to discuss things out loud in front of me. Alpha Garron let out a low growl but before he could say anything, I heard a voice from behind me. ¡°He is right¡­.I asked him for help but he didn¡¯t know what I needed help with. As such, he just jumped at Steve to protect me¡­it was¡­.a misunderstanding.¡± The girl said in a weak voice and I knew that if she didn¡¯t get any medical attention, she would fall unconscious due to blood loss. Thankfully, after hearing the loud voices of us bickering, a woman ran into the backyard and helped the injured girl get back on her feet. While she was being taken away, our eyes met just for a second and my heart skipped a beat. Author Note: If you loved the chapter, please drop a review and vote with gems, I would appreciate your support. Every single gem and review counts. Thank you for reading. Chapter 3 Chapter 3 Madeline I sat on a chair with my arms crossed across my chest, trying to show that I was not shaken and appear confident. Meanwhile, re, the elderly she-wolf whom everybody respected took out a first aid box from a cab. She had dragged me away from the fight and away from my savior. I had never seen him before but then I had never really met anyone, not outside my pack at least. My pack¡­strange that I thought of these people as my pack. But then, I didn¡¯t really have anywhere to go. While I was deep in thoughts, re outstretched her hands in front of me, asking me to give mine in hers. ¡°The sooner you listen to me, the sooner I will be able to heal you.¡± Knowing that she was speaking the truth, I extended my pale hands in front of her. She made a disapproving sound before pulling out the antiseptic and cotton. ¡°Tsk tsk¡­when are you going to stand up to Steve?¡± I swallowed back tears as I thought of an answer, even she knew I cannot go against a werewolf even if he was an omega as I have no wolf. My physical strength wasn¡¯t that great either. As such, I only shrugged my shoulders and answered, ¡°I am trying to re but I was not really trained because most of the werewolves of my pack too felt that a wolfless girl was a burden on them.¡± C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org ¡°Only my mother used to think that I will be ate bloomer but looks like nobody believes that anymore¡­¡± I know I was wallowing in self-pity but then I needed to vent out my frustration. I had been enduring the torture and abuse of the pack members, basically, all the male werewolves who thought that female werewolves were good for nothing except giving birth to cubs and giving them an heir. Only re, the oldest she-wolf, would be nice to me but she was old and wasn¡¯t strong enough to stand against the others. While she administered the antiseptic after cleaning my wounds, she muttered, ¡°You need to start standing up for yourself kiddo. You aren¡¯t a four-year kid anymore. You are now¡­seventeen?¡± I nodded my head at that, ¡°I will turn eighteen in a month from now.¡± Most pack members awakened their wolf when they turned sixteen but I was yet to awaken one despite being seventeen. If my mother was right I was ate bloomer and the chances of me awakening my wolf on my eighteenth birthday were high. Though I wasn¡¯t too sure about it. By the time, re was done with cleaning the wounds and healing me, it was pretty early in the morning. I recalled that I was on kitchen duty for the day and that I had to cook breakfast. Recalling that, I hurriedly got up from the chair but re sensed my urgency and tried to calm me down. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Garron, Peter, and Steve have all left for some work. As such, you don''t need to cook an borate meal. We will just serve bread butter and tea or coffee for the rest of us. I am sure nobody would mind.¡± I sagged in relief to hear that. I wasn¡¯t really feeling good enough to cook much less stand on my feet. Though re insisted that I do no work, I got up and helped prepare the bread while she prepared tea and coffee. In less than fifteen minutes, we were done and I carried a huge te of bread butter to the packhouse where we served breakfast every day. As I was returning from the packhouse to the kitchen, I saw something brush past the far end of Steve¡¯s house. I blinked a little and squinted my eyes to see what it was and even looked around but there was nothing. Thinking that it was a trick of my mind, I headed back to thergemon kitchen to carry the second te. There were only a handful of members left behind but I didn¡¯t want anyone toin to Garron or Steve that I hadn¡¯t provided adequate food. Hence, I went ahead and my hands were about to pick therge tray when again I heard a noise. Startled, I turned around and my finger cut itself against the knife I hadid on the kitchen counter after slicing the loaves of bread evenly. A drop of red blood oozed out of the finger and I winced though my attention was at the window that was thrown open. I could see trees and leaves rustling so while I was busy looking out for who was there and if Steve had suddenly returned, I felt a hand gently wrap its fingers around my wrist. Turning around, I saw the same man who had saved me earlier. **** Hayden I was feeling restless after the situation back home and now that I had met Garron my mood had dipped further. Adding to the fact that there was a girl somewhere here who was bruised, afraid and in need of help made my restlessness increase further. Even Luke was with me and didn¡¯t grumble when I decided to head towards Garron¡¯s territory again. I knew I was testing my luck by invading his territory twice but my instincts told me that I at least needed to see if the girl was doing okay. Thus, I went ahead and slipped in through the woods like earlier. Luckily, all of the werewolves were farther away to even notice me. As I peeked in through the window, I saw the girl¡¯s abdomen covered in bandages and her cheeks red. Her eyes looked swollen and puffed but still, she was smiling and doing work. I didn''t know what overcame me when she flinched at something. Afraid that she had hurt herself again, I walked in and saw that indeed, she had cut her finger. While she was debating what to do, I gently held her hand and turned her to look at me. "It''s okay, don''t worry," I tried to assure her while praying that she won''t scream. Luckily, she didn''t and only kept looking at me. Her hand was still in mine and her pale skin was almost translucent. I could see the bluish-green veins below it. Caressing her wrist with my thumb, I gently rubbed her hand, trying to help her calm down. Her face was innocent and beautiful. she had long hair that cascaded down her shoulders, big round eyes that shone with hope and milky white skin. There were many beautiful girls I had seen in my life, girls of all shapes and sizes but she looked different. And the fact that despite being injured and abused, she was trying to forget all of it made me feel that she would turn into a brave werewolf one day. Her eyes darted to my hand that was still holding hers loosely. Raising it to my face, I closed my lips around her bleeding finger while she immediately looked away, apparently feeling shy at the contact. That is when I realized what I was doing. Quickly letting go of her hand, I tried to ask, ¡°Are you okay?¡± She simply nodded, too shy to even look me in the eye. I saw that there were minor scratches and cuts on her face and neck too. A question that had been bothering me made its way out of my mouth before I could stop myself, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you healing yet? You look of age to me.¡± My question was meant to be sincere but it made her sadder than she initially was. Though she tried to hide it and answered me. ¡°I¡­haven¡¯t turned yet¡­¡± She added in a very low voice while studying the floor and that is when it clicked to me. Of why she had been unable to heal on her own... "Her voice was soft and sweet just like her face," Luke tried to suddenly tease me and I asked him to shut up in my head. ¡°Oh¡± That was all I could say. The kitchen went eerily silent for a minute and I thought of ways to break the ice when I heard a voice. ¡°Madeleine, do you need help?¡± That voice made here to her senses, and she only whispered, ¡°thank you¡± before heading out with the te in her hand without another backward nce. So, I knew two things about her. One, her name was Madeleine, and another, she had yet to turn. I had yet toe across someone who hadn¡¯t awakened their wolf at sixteen. She was an anomaly. "Interesting," Luke said again. Little did I know that she was going to change my life forever and was going to be the reason for me to risk everything I had earned or cherished in my life. Author Note: If you loved the chapter, please drop a review and vote with gems, I would appreciate your support. Every single gem and review counts. Thank you for reading. Chapter 4 Chapter 4 Hayden I returned to my territoryte in the afternoon hoping that nobody would notice me. I didn¡¯t feel the need to sleep but I knew I had a lot of thinking to do. But before that, I had to change my clothes. Steve or whatever his name was, was smelly and Luke was growling at me to get rid of the stink. As such, I went inside my home and threw the clothes in the bin before stepping inside the shower. The hot water rejuvenated my senses and I felt instantly refreshed. However, the face of Madeleine kept swimming in front of my eyes. A small part of me was worried that Steve would hit her again because I had been impatient and bit arge part of his ear off though Luke tried to assure me that I had just grazed his ear. Even he was getting restless that I was the reason to make her suffer again. But then, I couldn¡¯t go running to that pack territory every now and then. My rtionship with Garron and his pack wasn¡¯t cordial and we bared our teeth at each other every now and then. Though, I had to thank her for the way she had saved my neck while lying to her alpha and the beta about not knowing that I was going to attack Steve. I let myself soak in the warmth of the hot water as steam surrounded me. The water drops ran down my hair as I smiled recalling the feisty girl who was brave and defiant. Her face was terror-stricken and the way Steve had walked out of the house with a broken ss bottle in his hand, charging at her, I couldn¡¯t have assumed that she needed saving from anyone else. ¡®She is courageous and quick-witted even while being injured and facing the alpha and that jacka** Steve who abuses her.¡¯ I thought and then was surprised that I was still thinking of her. There was a knock on the door and I turned off the shower and draped a towel around myself before heading out. As expected, Charlie was at the door, and I responded ¡°Come in¡± before walking towards my wardrobe. Charlie bowed his head to acknowledge me before asking, ¡°Can I know where you were yesterday, alpha? We were worried about you.¡± I knew that he was waiting to know the same and sooner orter he would find out when Garron and his pigs would try to make a big show of how I had entered his territory, both uninvited and unannounced. Holding my wardrobe door wide open, I tried to make myself busy and show that I hadn¡¯t heard him. Shuffling through the clothes, I pulled out a t-shirt and jeans and put the t-shirt on while wiping my head with another towel. ¡°I left to get some air, I am sick of you guys trying to throw girls at me.¡± ¡°But, you have to find someone sooner orter, alpha. You wouldn¡¯t even agree to attend the ball.¡± I mmed the open wardrobe door shut and turned to look at him, ¡°Do you want me to walk out of this room again? You can say so directly.¡± My voice was annoyed and Charlie instantly stiffened when my wolf let out a growl. ¡°But, I was just¡­¡± His voice turned hesitant and I rolled the towel I was wiping my hair with into a ball and flung at him. That made him duck and leave me alone for the time being. Once he was gone, Ibed my hair and put on the jeans before walking out of my home. The coast was clear for once and it was clear, no beta or omega troubling me for attending the ball. As such, I ran towards the packhouse and closed the front door before anyone could follow me. After going inside, I shuffled through my drawers and tried to find something that I wasn¡¯t even sure I still had with me. My office was simple; it didn¡¯t have any fancy furniture or unnecessary showpieces. I walked through the length of the room that was sparsely decorated. It only held a few cupboards consisting of old files, arge desk with drawers, and a chair. Digging through the drawers, I almost turned the entire office upside down until I found what I had been looking for. Picking one of the hardbound dusty registers, I coughed a little while wiping the dust away. The register was in tatters and it was a miracle that the loose pages hadn¡¯te off. Walking back to my desk, I ced the register on the table and gently flipped the pages open. As I carefully searched through the pages, I heard a knock on the door. I knew it was my Gamma, Ben. When Charlie failed to convince me about something, usually he would send Ben. Why were my two best soldiers so damn predictable? ¡°I am busy,ter Ben,¡± I spoke in a loud voice not bothering to look up. However, what I had failed to notice earlier was that Ben was not alone. The smell of freshly baked cookies wafted through the air, seeping from underneath my office door and I knew I was in deep trouble. ¡®Shit¡¯ I growled and Lukeughed knowing that I couldn¡¯t walk out of this situation like yesterday. Quickly, hiding the dusty register, I walked near the door and opened it to see Raine smiling at me. My face broke into a smile to see her and my arms instinctively went around her to hug her. ¡°That¡¯s a pleasant surprise, why didn¡¯t you tell me that you wereing? I would havee to pick you up myself.¡± Raine thrust the small box of cookies in my hand and ordered, ¡°Taste it, and tell me how it is. I tried a different recipe this time.¡± As I put one in my mouth, my taste buds exploded as the cookie melted on my tongue. ¡°Delicious as always, Raine,¡± I said licking my thumb. Behind her, I could see Ben eyeing the box of cookies hungrily. Before I could, she elbowed him and said, ¡°I have packed boxes for all of you, go take them and distribute them among all, and if anybodyesining to me that they didn¡¯t get enough, I am going to chop your head.¡± Ben bowed his head low in a mock salute and left before saying, ¡°I am going to pick the best of the lot.¡± We bothughed to see him prancing towards Raine¡¯s car to get the cookies. She loved to spoil us and I let her. For a bunch of miserable bastards that had no family in this world, she was like a breath of fresh air...fresh air that came with the smell of cookies and warm hugs. However, now that we were left alone, dread began to fill my heart. I knew why she was here and I didn¡¯t want to face her. ¡°What am I hearing, Hayden?¡± she asked in a stern voice and I shrugged my shoulders. ¡°I don¡¯t really know what you mean.¡± With that, I turned around trying to hide my nervousness from her but she quickly held me by the elbow and turned me around. ¡°You know very well what I mean. Are you not over her yet?¡± My heart skipped a beat to know how well she understood me despite not living with us but with the Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. humans far away from our pack and territory. Living among humans had definitely not dulled her werewolf side. She was still the same old strong and feisty she-wolf who had the ability to invoke both terror and respect just by showing up. ¡°Why would you think that, Raine? I am just busy with work.¡± I tried my best to hide my emotions as she walked through therge room to reach my desk and said while pointing her fingers at me. ¡°Well, that¡¯s settled then. You are attending the ball next week¡­with me.¡± Author Note: If you loved the chapter, please drop a review and vote with gems, I would appreciate your support. Every single gem and review counts. Thank you for reading. Chapter 5 Chapter 5 Hayden I could do little to go against the word of Raine. Both Charlie and Ben knew that and they had used her to make me listen to their pleas. ¡®¡®Smart move,¡¯¡¯ Luke added with a chuckle and I grew annoyed. My wolf loved teasing me for some reason. However, I didn¡¯t show my annoyance and instead shook my head. Raine smiled at my reaction and tried to add in a motherly voice, ¡°Hayden, you know one day or other you have to find yourself a Luna. If not for yourself, you will have to find one for your pack.¡± She had a point but I wasn¡¯t going to back down so easily. This Luna obsession was starting to get to me. These days all my pack members could think of was getting a Luna. And ever since the announcement of the ball had been made, they had be frantic. But, my mind was elsewhere. I only grunted at Raine in response and she got up from the chair she had been sitting in with a sigh. ¡°Guess, I¡¯ll just go home and cook you something nice.¡± I didn¡¯t want to respond but my stomach decided to let out a loud growl at that. They say a way to a man¡¯s heart was through his stomach and I think they are right. Trailing her finger across the edge of the table I was working on, she asked, ¡°So, any special demands or requests?¡± ¡°Yes, don¡¯t talk to me about this Luna stuff again,¡± I added without looking up. Raine furrowed her eyebrows, ¡°I am just asking you to attend the ball, maybe you will find someone you like there¡­just a possibility.¡± ¡°A very slim possibility¡± The face of Madeleine swam before my eyes. I hoped she was okay and Steve and Garron weren¡¯t being the a**holes that they were. ¡°I¡¯ll take it,¡± Raine replied with a bright smile and began walking towards the door, seeing that I wasn¡¯t interested in talking about it any further. C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org I busied myself in work and she held the door open before something she turned around to say, ¡°Don¡¯t let your past affect your future, little bro.¡± At that, I did look up from the book I was holding. She knew me well and she knew what was holding me back. A lump formed in my throat but I decided to not give in to the discussion. Every time we discussed that I grew even more agitated than this Luna stuff. I held her gaze for a minute and replied, ¡°Chicken¡± Raine smiled at me and said, ¡°Chicken it is¡± before leaving my office. When she had left, I let out my breath that I didn¡¯t even know I was holding. Running my fingers through my hair, I ced my elbows on the table. After all these years, I thought I had forgotten her. But just the mere mention of her brought back painful memories that I didn¡¯t want to experience again. Ensuring that no one was around, I walked to the farthest cab of the room and opened the lowermost drawer. It was filled with lots of yellowing papers and files that I had ced neatly. Rummaging through them, I reached for a smooth surface that I was familiar with. Taking it out, I looked at the photo. She was smiling at me and her hands were thrown over my shoulders. I held that photo close to my heart and sat there for a long time. Madeleine I spent the rest of the day worrying about what would happen next and if Steve would hold a grudge against me. From what I heard, they had gone to meet some other alpha of another pack and the meetingsted longer than intended. I couldn¡¯t be happier. The more time passed, the more Steve would likely forget about what I had caused to him. Despite trying to forget the face of the man who had saved me earlier, I couldn¡¯t get rid of his thoughts. re and the others helped me forget the incident and even I got busy at work. For the rest of the day, I helped re in the kitchen, did theundry, and even helped the others in the garden. re had taken a liking to nt vegetables and farming and I followed suit. The other females of the pack, Tisha and Freya, were neutral when it came to me. They neither supported me because of their fear of Garron nor did they openly spew hate at me because of re. She was like the protective grandma who would ensure that the other werewolves wouldn¡¯t pick on the weakest cub. But more often than not Tisha and Freya would be mean. Now, as we were nting the seeds as per re¡¯s instructions Tisha took the watering can from me and asked casually, ¡°So, how have you been doing, Madeleine?¡± Tisha asked me with a sweet smile and Freya¡¯s ears immediately perked though I knew that she was putting up a good show of being busy with digging the small holes to nt the seeds. ¡°Like usual, I guess¡± I answered not knowing why she was interested in knowing how my day was. As far as I recalled, neither of them liked me. Freya and Tisha exchanged a look and Freya added, ¡°I hope Steve didn¡¯t give you a hard time, we heard that there was some troublest night.¡± ¡°Oh no no, don¡¯t worry. There was just some misunderstanding but it was sorted.¡± I replied with a smile and got back to gardening. Pushing her hair that was getting into her eyes, Tisha asked, ¡°Is it true that alpha Hayden had shown up here?¡± It took me a second to realize what they were talking about. ¡°I guess?¡± I added, not wanting to fan the mes. Both the girls let out a shriek and immediately threw the gardening gloves they were wearing and looked at me. ¡°Really? Did you guys talk? Did he look at you? What happened yesterday?¡¯ I furrowed my eyes at their unexpected excitement. ¡®So that is why they were being nice to me.¡¯ I thought again, finally understanding their sudden interest in talking to me. Usually, the two girls would hover around Garron and Peter, trying to impress them. But Hayden seemed to have sparked some curiosity in them. ¡°Umm yeah, he was just passing by when I bumped into him. Then he met Garron and they discussed some pack business.¡± I outright lied and re only looked at me meaningfully. I didn¡¯t want to add more things for Steve and Garron to be upset about when they returned. If they knew that I had told how Hayden had overwhelmed them and even bit off Steve¡¯s ear, they would be pissed off. In the little time, I had spent with them, I learned that the male werewolves were very prideful and didn¡¯t like to ept being defeated by others. I watered down the story and the girls oohed and aahed at the mention of Hayden every single time. It was easy to guess that he was an alpha that every she-wolf wanted to mate with. The girls told me that he had not found his mate and that he never showed any interest in any of the she-wolves from any of the packs. At that moment, a faint blush appeared on my cheeks at the memory of how he had sucked my finger. I had never been touched with concern by anybody except my parents so I felt it to be¡­intimate. Though I didn¡¯t share it with anybody else. It was going to be my little secret. Of course, I wasn¡¯t a hopeless romantic to think that he would have eyes for a wolfless girl. Wait a minute? Why am I thinking if he would like me or not? I pped my forehead and got back to work as re gently cleared her throat to remind us to do so. Chapter 6 Chapter 6 Charlie I was at the training ground overseeing the training of our pack. Today it was Peter¡¯s turn to be on patrol duty so I was responsible for training. Our pack was rtively small and our alpha, Hayden, had ensured that nobody missed training. He was a disciplined guy who wanted all of his warriors in the best shape and ever since he had taken up the post of alpha, our pack unanimously agreed on everything. Well, everything except one. I shook my head at that thought and instructed the pack members, correcting their stances and showing them what they were doing wrong. After two hours of solid training, I decided to end the session for the day. My mind was not in the training session anyway. Hayden hardly missed the training session and he would even join the pack members as a student to train with them. Seeing him join as a student who the beta or even the gamma would train, made the others know how important it was to take it seriously. But today he wasn¡¯t around. Hence, I decided to talk to him. Hence, I went to his home and knocked on the door to see Raine. She smiled at me and I greeted her with an equally bright smile, ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t know you were going to extend your stay.¡± Raine faked a frown and ced her hands on her hips, ¡°Bored of my cooking already? I must see what your chef is feeding you, maybe he is adding some magical potions to the food.¡± I chuckled at that and was about to reply when I heard a voice behind me, ¡°Probably some hallucinating stuff that makes your alpha forget where not to poke his nose in.¡± Surprised at the unexpected voice, I turned around to see Garron standing behind me. My eyes furrowed and I let out a growl, ¡°As an alpha of another pack, you shouldn¡¯t be the one crossing our territory just to say that though I appreciate the effort.¡± I added with a mocking tone and Raine rolled her eyes. Garron had been smiling at me whimsically but when he saw Raine his smile faded. Even Raine who had been smiling at me suddenly fell silent as if she was at a loss of words. Garron¡¯s eyes stayed on Raine¡¯s for a second before he turned back to me. ¡°Why don¡¯t you say that to your alpha, Charlie? Do you think Hayden is some God who doesn¡¯t make a mistake? Looks like this time, he did.¡± ¡°Cut the crap, Garron.¡± I growled and took a step in front to look him in the eye. We were staring at each other when I heard Hayden, ¡°Stand down, Charlie.¡± Seeing him made me feel relieved. I was worried as to why he hadn¡¯t shown up at the training and seeing Garron in front of his house could only bring bad news. Garron was trouble and so was his entire pack. His rtions with other packs weren¡¯t too great either but Hayden just didn¡¯t like him for some reason. Hayden walked up beside me and gently put his hands on my shoulder to pull me back. Despite wanting to punch Garron in the stomach, and wipe his smirk off, I obeyed my alpha. Meanwhile, Garron¡¯s eyes flicked from mine to Hayden¡¯s, and a slow smile appeared on his lips again. ¡°Oh, I see. I get it now, you didn¡¯t even tell them, did you?¡± His question was directed at Hayden but I couldn''t help jumping in. ¡°Tell us what?¡± Seeing him had attracted the other wolves too and those who had been training had gathered around to see what the fuss was about. Hayden only looked around at the others and they quickly dispersed while I stayed beside my alpha. I wasn¡¯t going to leave him alone while Garron was around. His eyes asked me to leave but I stayed my ground. I knew I was going to hear from him about this but I couldn¡¯t care less right now. Garron rubbed his hands together, making a show out of it, ¡°Oh, you still have your chance, Hayden. Either you tell them or I will share where you werest night.¡± ¡°Enough¡± Hayden just said one word and Garron¡¯s smile disappeared. Despite being alpha of another pack, we all knew that he feared Hayden a little. ¡°Let¡¯s go to my office if you want to talk about something. We are outside my home.¡± Garron¡¯s eyes flicked to Raine¡¯s who turned around and left inside without another word. Meanwhile, Hayden waved his hand in front of Garron, ¡°I am standing here, alpha Garron.¡± He tried to distract Garron who saw the door close behind Raine and nodded his head at Hayden. I motioned to follow but Hayden raised a hand, ¡°Later, beta.¡± He said only two words but I knew what he meant. He didn¡¯t want me to overhear their conversation. Something was going on that I had no idea about. Garron had never stepped inside our territory ever since ourst scuffle with his pack. So I was curious as to what was going on. But, I had already disobeyed him once so I couldn''t risk it again. Though he treated us like family, the way he had said ¡®beta¡¯ instead of ¡®Charlie¡¯ made me realize that he wouldn¡¯t let it slide the second time. As such, I decided to wait until Garron left and took a seat near a tree from which I had a clear view of his office. Madeleine After toiling in the sun for what felt like hours, we were finally done nting all the seeds, adding manure, and watering them. I knew that Tisha and Freya had no interest in gardening or any other work and they had been only around to ask me as much as they could about Hayden. But, I didn¡¯t have much to go on. I had met him just once and barely spoken a few lines to him. The more they talked about him, the more I learned that he was a fierce warrior who would at times go the extra mile to protect his pack members. I felt a pang in my heart at that. How I wished that I was in his pack. The girls didn¡¯t like me and the guys in this pack hated me for having no wolf. But, there was no use daydreaming. I couldn¡¯t leave this pack, I had nowhere to go. Luckily, neither Steve nor the alpha and his beta had shown up tillte at night and I hoped that they would stay away for as long as possible. Sadly that is not how fate worked. I heard Steve walk into my room in the small wooden cabin that I had begun to call my home since thest week. I immediately sprang up from the bed and ran to take cover behind the door. He was swaying and appeared to be drunk again. Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. ¡°Oh Madeleine, where are you? I need you to do something for me.¡± His voice drawled out and I felt like I wouldn¡¯t escape him this time. His voice was filled with contempt and hatred. ¡°Come on, don¡¯t be shy.¡± He said as the bottle from which he had been drinking clinked against the door. I willed myself to not cry and clenched my fists, my nails were digging into my palms as I tried to hide behind the clothes that were hung on the door. ¡°Your precious Hayden wont be there to save you from me¡­ it¡¯s just you and me honey.¡± He cackled through the small cabin and I looked around for the closest exit. He had turned around and was moving in the opposite direction when he said something that made me stop dead in my tracks. ¡°I have ensured that your savior Hayden doesn¡¯t see the light of the day tomorrow. And, tonight you are going to make me happy in all the ways possible.¡± Chapter 7 Chapter 7 Madeleine A chill ran down my spine at those words. My heartbeat had grown so loud and erratic that everything that he said next got drowned in the noise that echoed in my ears. No, he couldn¡¯t possibly mean that. My eyes went wide with terror and despite wanting to run away, I decided to let him talk as much as I could. Hayden had saved me once and I had been thinking of finding a way of returning the favor. If I could do it just by listening to Steve ramble about what he had exactly done or nned to do, it would really be helpful. I knew that the werewolves loathed me so he couldn¡¯t possibly mean that he would take me to his bed. I was beneath them all. No wolf, not even the gamma would ever want to taint his reputation by epting a wolfless girl, that I was pretty sure of. Hence, I mustered my courage and walked outside the door that was well hidden by the darkness. There was only a faint light entering the cabin through a slit in the window and I stepped in it to show Steve that I was around. Hearing my footsteps, he turned to face me. ¡°There you are¡­¡± He took a big swig from the bottle and leered at me. Looking around, he spotted the bed and plonked himself on it, crossing his feet and lying like some king. ¡°My body is sore, I need you to massage me a little.¡± He said in a voice that almost made me gag. Dread began to fill my heart as I willed myself to walk up to him. The bottle he was holding was almost empty and I knew that he wouldn¡¯t even be able to stand up on his feet if I were to run. Plus, I needed to hear what he was talking about Hayden. Thus, I pushed my hair behind my ears and walked out of the doorpletely. ¡°That¡¯s a good ve. Now, take off my shoes and start with the massage. I am feeling too tired.¡± Hesitating a little, I walked near him and did as he asked. Keeping one eye on him, I untied the shoces and ced the shoes on the floor one after the other. His feet were smelly but so was his entire being. I was horrified to think that I was touching his feet. Trying to distract myself from the growing disgust, I asked him in what I assumed to be a carefully neutral voice, ¡°Why are you tired? Did Hayden poke his nose in our matters again?¡± These words seemed to please him. The way I shifted all the me on Hayden made him feel happy and a smile appeared on his lips. ¡°Oh, smart girl. I thought you were also like the other girls of our pack,pletely smitten by the charms of that show-off.¡± I smelled jealousy in his words and he had every right to be. Hayden was a true alpha in all respects, at least from what I had heard so far. It was a miracle I had never heard of him or his pack before. But then, I had never really left the safety andfort of my territory earlier. That was until Garron and Steve had waged a war with my pack for a trivial matter and things had spiraled out of control. I could never forgive them for what they had done to my pack and my family. But right now I was weak and incapable of doing anything against them. As such, I removed his socks that were stinking and began to rub his feet. He closed his eyes and drawled, ¡°You know most werewolves wouldn¡¯t even let you touch their feet. But look how generous I am, l let you be in the same room as I, we eat the food that you cook and we also give you a nice ce to eat and rest, despite you being nothing than a burden to us.¡± My eyes filled with anger and sadness at the same time and I pressed on his foot harder than intended. ¡°Easy there, ve. We have been feeding you well I guess, you are getting strong.¡± Ignoring the rising hate in myself, I continued to massage his feet and only nodded my head. Even he closed his eyes and I feared that he had fallen asleep. My heart was gnawing at me to extract the information about Hayden as soon as possible. Thus, I tried again one more time. ¡°I don¡¯t know why Hayden would interfere in our pack¡¯s business, it was wrong of him to enter our territory.¡± I goaded him and the idiot fell for it. I really didn¡¯t understand how Garron could call him a soldier if he was this stupid. Nevertheless, it helped me and I looked at him eagerly, ¡°Oh yes, Hayden is aplete a**hole. He tried to enter my house and property and even left wearing my clothes¡­can you imagine that? He stole my clothes.¡± I nodded my head in understanding and added, ¡°You should really teach him a lesson.¡± He let out a cackle and spoke, ¡°Oh I am going to teach him more than a lesson. Garron has gone to talk to him about some pack business and treaty but I have made arrangements to turn it into a fight. Alpha Garron is going to w his face off and wipe out his smirk for being so cocky and arrogant. Bet that would make the girls swoon over him even more.¡± Steve let out a hystericalugh and my mind went nk for a minute. Was alpha Garron going to hurt him? All of this was going to happen because of me and I didn¡¯t want alpha Hayden to be in more trouble than he already was. My face wasced with worry and the scenario of Garron and Hayden fighting with Garron wing at his face made scared me witless. I didn¡¯t want him to be injured because of me. The moon was shining brightly in the night sky and the stars were twinkling around it. I looked at the sky and sent a silent prayer to the moon Goddess, ¡°please let him be okay.¡± Even if I wanted to, I couldn¡¯t just run into his pack unannounced and tell him about Garron¡¯s n. Now that I think about it, I don¡¯t even know where he lives or who all are there in his pack. I hadn¡¯t even finished my prayer when I was forcefully pulled up from the ground and Steve held me close. ¡°You think you are too clever for me, don¡¯t you? Trying to fish out information for your hero¡­.you little rat, let me show you how worthless you are.¡± Saying so, he pulled my hair with one hand, making me wince in pain while he ced his other hand on my shoulder and tore the sleeve away. ¡°Do you know what happens to someone who tries to be over smart with me? I put them down and show them their ce.¡± With that, he ced his hand on another shoulder and ripped the sleeve apart, as his nails dug into my skin. Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. The torn piece of the sleeve was still in his hand and he wasughing at me hysterically. ¡°You think I don''t understand that you were trying to dig out information from me? That your petty little mind cane up with brilliant ideas to outsmart me? Let me tell you what your true ce is.¡± I tried to not cry and closed my eyes as I felt his breath upon my face. He was gritting his teeth and every spoken word wasced with anger and contempt. My hands wanted to cover my bare shoulders but he closed his fingers around my wrist and held my left hand behind my back. ¡°Not so fast are you?¡± I could feel his stale breath upon my neck nearing my skin and I flinched. Before he could touch his filthy lips, I turned around and pushed him away with all the energy I could muster. He fell into the bed and lost his footing but I couldn¡¯t care less. There was one thing I could do...run away from him. And that¡¯s what I did. Chapter 8 Chapter 8 Hayden Luke was growling and it took me a great deal of effort to stop him from lunging at Garron. I didn¡¯t want more trouble. Charlie threw me a look that said he was going to talk to me about whatever Garron had said. Well, I had known that I cannot really keep things away from them, but I hadn¡¯t expected Garron to show up all of a sudden. He usually steered clear of my pack and my territory and as much as he loathed me, he wouldn''t show up just to goad me. The look that had passed between him and Raine was also bothering me. Nevertheless, I could talk about thatter. Right now, I walked into my office with Garron in tow. I ensured that all my pack members were well out of earshot. If Garron was going to be nasty to me, I didn¡¯t want the others to hear it. I would deal with him my way. Leading him inside, I asked him to sit on the chair opposite my desk. I turned around and closed the door on Charlie¡¯s face who was staring at me from beneath the tree. I mind-linked him just to be on the safe side, ¡°Don¡¯t barge in unless I ask you to, which is never going to happen. Just trust that your alpha can take care of himself on his own.¡± Before Charlie could even respond, I closed both the door and the mindlink. Garron was looking around with an amused smile as he asked, ¡°Pretty neat office you got here.¡± I ced both my hands on the table and asked him, ¡°Stop beating around the bush, tell me why you are here.¡± His face contorted in annoyance as he responded, ¡°I am here to do my duty as the alpha of the ck Forest pack. I am officially inviting you and your pack members to the ball which is going to be held next week¡­.you know¡­to help you find your Luna.¡± There was a distinct twinkle in his eyes as if he was trying to goad me. I had not found my luna. But, I had made it pretty clear from the very beginning that I wasn¡¯t interested in finding one. By now, every she-wolf in the north knew about it. So did Garron. ¡°I ept your invitation, anything else?¡± I asked again with a pointed look. I didn¡¯t want him even a second more in my territory. But he only leaned back on the chair and smiled. Rubbing his temple with one hand he added, ¡°Easy there, alpha. You need to learn some basic courtesy to show to another alpha who is at your door. Ie in good faith.¡± Flipping a file open, I pretended to not listen to him and just began rummaging through the pages. Seeing that I wasn¡¯t paying him any more attention made him feel a little annoyed. Luke particrly enjoyed seeing him squirm but I ordered him to stay silent. Thankfully, he listened. ¡°Well, that¡¯s not the only thing I wanted to speak to you about. I went to meet Alpha Jack and the other alphas from the southern territoryst week to invite them for the ball.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°And, they asked me to help them train their new recruits as well as current warriors.¡± ¡°Then why don¡¯t you?¡± I replied without looking up. I knew what he was trying to avoid speaking, but if he wanted my help he had to ask for it. Swallowing his pride, he added in an awkward voice, ¡°They want you to train all their new recruits as well as help polish their betas¡¯ and gammas¡¯ fighting strength. They think they are gettingzy.¡± Luke grinned in my head and I asked him to shut it. I couldn¡¯t deny that I loved the situation myself. Garron hade to mock me in front of my pack members. Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. But, he was pleading with me to make him look good to the others. Suppressing my smile, I replied, ¡°If they are, in fact, gettingzy, I cannot help them either. I would not waste my time training those who don¡¯t want to be trained. I have better things to do.¡± At my reply, thin lines of fury appeared on his forehead. I know I was being rude but I couldn''t help it. I kept recalling Madeleine¡¯s face and the state in which I had found her. Part of me just wanted to smack his head on the table, but I restrained myself. And to make matters worse, Luke was pushing me to be even meaner which wasn¡¯t really helping. ¡°Shut it will you?¡± I snapped at Luke who was trying to bait me into saying something even nastier to Garron. In his defense, he just spoke of how Garron had treated Madeleine and how it had been Luke who had made it possible for me to help her. If not for Luke, I would have never met her. At the mention of Madeliene, I grew restless again. Some part of me wanted to ensure that she was fine and not injured. I didn¡¯t know why I felt the need to worry about a random girl who I had only met once, but her face had been seared into my brain. It had taken her so long to get up from the ground and she had been limping when she was carried away. Despite wanting to go and meet her, I had forced myself to stay confined to my office and busy myself with work. Trying my best to ignore my thoughts of her, I made myself clear, ¡°If the alphas need me to train their recruits or any other members, tell them that it will only be done my way. They are not allowed to interfere and meddle with how I run the training.¡± While holding a pen in my hand, I highlighted the key points of therge file that had beenid open in front of me. I had been sitting on it since yesterday, but I had not even managed to read a single page. My mind had been too clouded and my thoughts too muddled to think clearly. Garron only stared at me nkly but I offered him no other exnations. I needed my team to be on their A game and I couldn''t let lousy werewolves affect my team¡¯s morale. The reason many packs stayed away from mine was that they knew my warriors and even my junior recruits were always in their best shape. And, that happened only with relentless training. Training and discipline. Garron seemed to say something and opened his mouth but closed it when he couldn''t think of anything. He only added, ¡°Yes, I understand¡± before he fell silent again. Even I got back to my file and started to work. Garron had hoped to make a big fuss of how I had entered his territory in front of my pack, but he had fallen t on his face. Having left with nothing more to share he got up from the chair and said, ¡°I¡¯ll take your leave then.¡± I finally looked up from my file to give him a curt nod when I felt my beta hovering outside the front door. I had clearly asked him to stay away and yet he was outside the door. Sometimes I really wondered if my pack members annoyed me more than the outsiders. But before I could mindlink him, he hastily opened the door and said, ¡°Alpha, we found an injured girl who is just screaming your name¡­¡± Charlie didn''t even have to finish the line. There was only one girl that I could think of to be injured and asking for my help. My breath hitched to think that she was injured yet again. Ignoring Garron who was still in the office, I walked out of it and mmed the door hard as my feet automatically followed Charlie. While following him, I was silently praying to the moon goddess to let her be okay and if she was even lightly scratched, forgive me for killing Steve. Charlie neared the edge of our territory and began walking towards the deeper parts of the forest where there was a small river. It was a quiet ce that many werewolves would go to if they wanted some alone time or just avoid it. As he guided me there, my feet followed him faster than he could walk and that is when I saw her hugging herself. Her sleeves were torn and she was trying her best to shield herself from the observing gazes. Her hair looked matted and I saw blood on her forehead. My face contorted into fury to see her like that and I rushed to her. Upon seeing me, her face broke into relief as she only said one word- my name. ¡°Hayden" Chapter 9 Chapter 9 Hayden I didn''t even know when or how I had opened my arms and when she had slid into my embrace but it had felt the right thing to do. Madeleine was afraid and hurt and possibly someone had tried to take advantage of her. The thought of Steve forcing him upon her made me feel murderously angry. She was sobbing in my chest and I let her cry as my hands closed around her in a warm embrace. I could feel her heart beating wildly and I gave her a minute to help her calm herself. I had no idea how she had reached here or why but all I could be thankful for was that she was safe and in front of my eyes. Charlie was surprised to see me hug a stranger or how that girl knew me but he didn''tment. I only asked him to give us some space and he obeyed me by leaving us alone. When he had left, it was just me and her by the river. The only sound was of her quite sobbing and of Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. the water gently flowing by. I tried to pat her hair and make her sit on a nearby boulder but she clung to me even tighter. Not knowing what else to do, I only let her hug me thinking that she needed somefort right now. As my eyes flitted through her shoulders, I saw that there were nail marks on her arms as if somebody had wed at her. It took me no time or effort to guess who it was. Luke growled at me and wanted to run through the forest and tear that a**hole into two but I stopped him. Madeleine was hurt and she needed me. And I felt the need to be for her. ¡°Shh, it''s okay, rx,¡± I added in a gentle voice. Listening to me, she nodded her head as she wiped her tears with the back of her hand. My t-shirt had soaked wet due to the tears that had fallen down her eyes but at least she had stopped sobbing. I took her face in my hands and helped wipe the rest of the tears from her cheeks with the pad of my thumbs. Her eyes were swollen and puffed while her face looked red. I had no idea how long had she been searching for me or why. Before I could ask her any of it, she looked me in the eye and whispered in a small voice, ¡°I thought something had happened to you¡­¡± ¡®Something happened to me?¡¯ My eyebrows furrowed at that line and I couldn¡¯t understand her. Trying to get a clearer picture, I reassured her, ¡°Nothing has happened to me¡­see, I am fine, but why would you worry about me? It¡¯s you who is injured¡­¡± Her hair looked a little matted and even her shoes looked as if she didn¡¯t own another pair. She looked at me with relief and it made me feel powerless. Half of my mind wanted to run back to Garron and nail him on a wall for treating someone like this. How could he allow such filth of a person named Steve to even be in his pack? Madeleine was trying to pull down her t-shirt to hide her skin and I immediately removed the t-shirt I was wearing and gave it to her. Her clothes were torn and I didn¡¯t want to take her to the packhouse like that. I would have given her my jacket had I been wearing one but sadly I wasn¡¯t. Thus, I simply removed my shirt and held it out to her which she took reluctantly. Wanting to give her some privacy, I turned around as she put on the shirt. She had been manhandled and I didn¡¯t want her to think that I was ogling at her. After she was done, I felt a hand touch my back lightly. I turned around to see her wearing my shirt. It looked a little oversized and didn¡¯t fit her but that would have to do for now. ¡°Let¡¯s get you somece safe to rest and then you can tell me what was the matter, alright?¡± I asked her in a soft voice and she nodded her head while studying the ground. My shirt looked cute on her and I wanted to make her feelfortable again. But, I didn¡¯t know if I should take a step ahead and embrace her because I didn¡¯t want her to think that I was taking advantage of the situation. Hence, I simply fell in step beside her and began walking through the forest. I mind-linked Charlie to ensure that nobody would be around while I took her to the packhouse and he only gave me a curt response. But then he could wait. ¡°What about Garron? Are you done with your meeting with him?¡± He asked me and I replied, ¡°Not yet¡± My voice was annoyed and even Charlie sensed that I was trying to keep my anger at bay. Garron had been loitering outside the office when he saw me walk towards the packhouse with a girl. His eyes looked at me meaningfully thinking that we two had been doing something. I was shirtless after all. But when he saw who it was, his smile vanished. Madeleine ducked behind me on seeing him and I slipped my hand into hers, trying to make her stand her ground. If she kept running away from them, she would never grow strong. Garron saw my hand intertwining with hers and asked, ¡°May I ask what you are doing with my pack member, alpha?¡± I snarled at him, ¡°Doing what you should, caring for your own.¡± Gritting his teeth, he nearly bumped into me but I kept my eyes trained on him, ¡°You very well know that this is my territory, don¡¯t you?¡± Heughed at me mirthlessly, ¡°Doesn¡¯t give you any right to be with one of my pack members.¡± ¡°One, you are forgetting that she showed up near my territory to ask for help, so technically I am supposed to help her. Two, had your slime of a gamma treated her well, she wouldn¡¯t be in tattered clothes and bruised whenever I found her, and three¡­.just shut up.¡± My voice was edgy and I almost barked thest three words. Hearing me, even Garron staggered backward a little to see me lose my control. It was seldom that I showed my rage and he knew better than to argue with me. Looking behind at Madeleine, I pulled her forward gently and began walking towards the packhouse. Leading her to one of the empty rooms, I opened the door for her and said, ¡°Please take your time and rest here until you feel okay. When you feel alright, you maye to that building and meet me in my office.¡± I said while pointing to my office that was on the other side of the packhouse. She nodded her head and I closed the door. I would not have left her so scared and startled but I had Garron still eyeing me from outside. Thus, I walked towards him with my fists clenched and my eyes that were anything but calm. Holding him by the arm, I dragged him into the office and mmed the door shut before yelling, ¡°You are a disgrace in the name of both a werewolf and an alpha, do you know that?¡± Before Garron could speak another word, I added, ¡°I will train all the recruits and your betas and gammas of the other packs, on the condition that you sent your entire pack here to train as well.¡± His eyes went wide at my statement. ¡°No, my pack members are doing fine and I need them to help me prepare for the ball.¡± I knew he was lying. His pack members were good for nothing, at least from what I had seen on that night. ¡°I don¡¯t care how you manage things, that¡¯s for you to decide. But, if you want to not irk the other alphas, that is my condition.¡± Garron grew restless. The ball was a big event and his reputation would be at stake if the other alphas and their pack members decided to not show up. And, I knew how petty some of them could be. They would hold a grudge against him for not being able to convince me. ¡°But, that is not what we had agreed to earlier.¡± I held my ground. ¡°Agree to it now. I want to see how well trained your pack members are.¡± I knew I had used the line to hurt his ego. The pride of any alpha was his pack members¡¯ strength and if I could doubt his pack¡¯s strength, I was doubting on his ¡®alpha¡¯ im as well. Letting out a big sigh, he answered, ¡°Look, Hayden. If this is about the girl, she can be yours, she is a wolfless abomination so she is of no real use to us. You can use her as your ve, I don¡¯t mind¡­¡± He tried to rx me but did the exact opposite. The anger that had been ring inside me erupted as I heard those lines and before I could stop myself, my fist had connected with his jaw. Chapter 10 Chapter 10 Hayden I had punched him too hard and I could swear that I heard his jaw crack. His mouth was smeared with blood as he coughed and wheezed due to the impact. ¡°Say that again and you wouldn¡¯t be alive to say anything else¡± I roared at him. Luke was just a step away from lunging at him but I asked him to stand down. My eyes were blood shot and my veins were straining. As I held him by the cor, I spoke in a measured voice, ¡°The next time I see her, I want her to be ¡®not injured¡¯ for once¡­now fu** off.¡± Hurling him outside the door, I mmed it on his face. Garron could do nothing else but kick at the air and leave. He was alone and he was in my territory. Charlie I saw Garron practically being thrown out of the office and I decided to walk inside. I could feel the heat C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org and angering off of my alpha but I was too restless to give him some time. Hence, throwing an angry re at Garron, I jumped up the stairs. Climbing two steps at a time, I walked inside the office where I saw Hayden looking outside the window. His fingers were coiled in fists and I could see that his knuckles were a little bruised. As I recalled Garron¡¯s face, I think I saw him quickly wipe away his jaw. ¡®Had they been fighting?¡¯ Hayden was shirtless and was resting one hand on the window frame while the other was in his pockets. He had a faraway look in his eyes but his body was tense. ¡°Alpha, could you please tell me what is going on?¡± I asked him, trying to hide my frustration of not knowing anything. He was still gazing outside the window pretending to not hear me. ¡°Hayden, please¡­¡± Before I could finish my line, Hayden cut in, ¡°I had breached Garron¡¯s territory uninvited yesterday.¡± I would have expected anything to hear from him but that. Shock and confusion was apparent on my face. As far as I knew my alpha, he would never knowingly break any rules. Hence, a single question left my lips, ¡°Why?¡± He answered, ¡°I was running through the forest for a breath of fresh air and I heard angry noises so I went to check the source.¡± I had been standing a little far from the table. But when I heard him, I closed the distance and stood beside him. My wolf was telling me that I wouldn¡¯t like what I would hear. Yet, I couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°And, what did you find?¡± His face was a mask of sadness and worry as he answered, ¡°That bastard of a werewolf was hitting her, she was bleeding and yet he had the nerve to go and hit her again¡­¡± I could see the alpha vividly imagining the scene in front of his eyes. His hands had clenched into fists and he looked extremely restless. ¡°Her¡­you mean the girl you sent into the packhouse?¡± Hayden nodded his head in response. ¡°She is wolfless which is why she was taking time to heal and that a**hole was still abusing her. I¡­I couldn¡¯t just stand and watch, Charlie¡­¡± My alpha looked at me with a mixture of apprehension and guilt. It was clear that he wanted my support saying that he had done the right thing, which was in a way, correct. But, he had invited unnecessary trouble by meddling with Garron¡¯s pack. ¡°And why did Garron show up?¡± Hayden turned around to look at me and folded his hands across his chest, ¡°To invite all of us to the ball officially.¡± At the mention of the ball, my eyes brightened, ¡°About that¡­.are you going to attend it?¡± Hayden simply shrugged his shoulders, ¡°I¡¯ll decide that morning, but that is not important. Garron also said that the south wanted me to train their new recruits and warriors. So it looks like we might have I felt happy at the prospect of having more werewolves around us, ¡°That means we get to know more people even after the ball, that is awesome.¡± Hayden walked towards the front door and had ced his hands on the knob. I thought he was going to leave me standing in his office when he turned around to look at me, ¡°I have put a condition and if Garron agrees to it, we go ahead.¡± I hastily ran towards him and asked, ¡°What condition? Don¡¯t tell me it has something to do with that girl.¡± But before my words left my mouth, Hayden had closed the door and left the office. I only looked at the door while I heard the sound of his retreating footsteps. Somehow I felt that this girl was going to be trouble for us and seeing how she had already made my tough alpha care for her made me worry. Garron and his pack weren¡¯t the best of men when it came to living peacefully and so far Hayden had always outwitted them. I hoped this girl wouldn¡¯t be the cause of my alpha¡¯s and my pack¡¯s downfall. Hayden I had been dying to go check on Madeleine but felt that she needed some time to collect herself. I had checked the clock and it had already been an hour since I had asked her to take some rest in one of the spare rooms of the packhouse. The file I had been reading was still on the table, I had been sitting on the same page for what felt like a day. When I really thought of it, I think I was. Climbing up the short flight of stairs, I reached the packhouse to see that the room in which I had asked Madeleine to rest was still locked from the inside. I hovered outside the room for a moment not knowing what to do. I tried to hear sounds, but the room was silent. Thinking that she was asleep, I turned around and was about to leave when I heard a voice from inside. ¡°Hayden?¡± My heart immediately felt relieved to see that she was not sobbing, at least, if her voice didn¡¯t betray her. ¡°Yes, Madeleine, it''s me.¡± I answered from outside the door and I heard her slow footsteps marching towards the door. It was followed by a soft click after which she peeked from behind the door. ¡°Are you alone?¡± She asked me in a whisper. Her eyes traveled on my body and I realized that I was still roaming around shirtless. I should have grabbed one by running to my room before walking towards hers. Cursing in my mind, I tried to add in a soft voice, ¡°Yes, I am.¡± Slowly, she opened the door to let me in and I stepped inside the room. The dim lighting in through the window was the only source of light in the room. It had nothing save arge bed, a wardrobe, and a dressing table. Most of the rooms were unupied because we would use them only to help guests stay. Seeing her close the door abruptly, made me turn around to calm her down if she were to be worried again. But, I saw that she was still in the same shirt I had given her. Only my shirt. Chapter 11 Chapter 11 Hayden I recalled that she had been injured and bruised and that her jeans had also torn at ces. I tried to swallow nervously as I saw her trying to pull the shirt down to cover her bare body. To say that she looked beautiful was an understatement. I had seen many good-looking girls in my life and when I was young and carefree, I had also flirted with some. But, I had never really taken the time to look at someone. Except her. And the girl standing in front of me reminded me of her. I felt a bulge in my pants and I turned around to help the little devil calm down. Even Luke growled in my head, a deep throaty groan that made me want to roam my hands all over her skin. What was I thinking? Blinking my eyes, I went to the window, putting as much distance between her and myself before adding, ¡°I will send someone over to send fresh clothes for you¡­¡± She nodded her head while trying to tug the strands of hair behind her ear that kept falling on her face. ¡°I think¡­I¡¯ll leave then.¡± I added, not knowing what to reply. ¡°Wait¡± Madeleine When Steve had torn my sleeves, I had used the bottle he was holding to throw him off bnce before rushing out. I was beyond terrified of what he would do next and the thought of going to re didn¡¯t even cross my mind. There was only one name I could think of- Hayden. I don''t know why but I had this urge of rushing towards him. After running out of the wooden cabin and Garron¡¯s pack¡¯s territory, I had no idea where to go next. My feet fumbled a little, deciding whether I should dare go back into the cabin and face Steve or just run around in the wild. I knew I should just wait around till he passed out from drinking but the way he had said that he would hurt Hayden scared me. Hayden had saved me from harm and if I knew he was going to be hurt, I would do the same too. The only thing I didn¡¯t know was where to find him. Clueless of where he could be, I just ran through the forest wherever my feet would take me. Everything looked the same to me, the woods, the grass and the little birds that peeked through the leaves every now and then. I was beginning to second guess my decision now. Was I lost? What if there are wild animals here? My heart was thudding wildly in my chest but despite the fear I didn¡¯t want to return or even find a way to return. That wasn¡¯t my pack and those weren¡¯t my people. I was a ve and they wouldn¡¯t really care if I went missing. Thus, I kept running until my feet couldn¡¯t run anymore. I was close to tears thinking that I was truly lost when I heard something. It was the sound of water flowing smoothly. My mood soared as I walked in the direction of the sound. After a while, I saw a river that was hidden due to the trees. As I neared it, I saw that it was more of a stream that flowed through the forest. Only after seeing the clear water, I realize that I was thirsty. My mind had been so upied with running away and finding Hayden that I didn¡¯t even notice that I was tired. Not bothering if the water was potable or not, I just got down on my knees and collected some of it, holding my palms together. I clumsily drank the water as arge part of it trickled down my face and clothes. The water was sweet and clean and I drank it to my heart¡¯s content. While I was wiping my face with the back of my hand, I heard a voice behind me, ¡°Who are you and what are you doing here?¡± My eyes went wide as I shakily got up on my feet, my hands raised up in surrender. ¡°I¡­.am lost and¡­I am looking for Hayden.¡± The man in front of me looked my age. He was tall, had short ck hair and ck eyes. He looked like he belonged to the forest too, like me. After listening to me, he furrowed his eyebrows, ¡°How do you know Hayden?¡± He asked me another question without giving his name or identity. But, the way he asked it made me feel that he knew Hayden. However, the doubt in his voice crushed my hopes. I worried that maybe he was going to take me to his pack andbel me as a rogue or a ve. Trying to sound as honest as possible, I tried to keep the disappointing thoughts away from my head. Repeating myself, I again begged to him. ¡°Please, I need to meet Hayden.¡± The man looked at me from head to toe and took in my torn clothes and disheveled look. I looked at him pleadingly and his expressions softened. ¡°I am sorry, I cannot take you to him. I don¡¯t even know you. Maybe, I could help you find your home.¡± I shook my head as my face scrunched in fear and disappointment, ¡°No, please, his life is in danger, I need to see him.¡± The young man seemed to debate on his decision, ¡°This may seem rude, but I need you to stay here until I go back and talk to him. If he agrees to meet you, I will bring him along.¡± Nodding my head in relief, I sat down by the boulder thinking of what would be his reaction to think that I had yet againe crying to him. It was after the man had left that I realized that I had neither told him my name or asked him his. What if he never returned? What if Hayden decided to ignore me? How on earth would Hayden know that it was me? I began cursing myself for being so stupid but all my worries disappeared when I saw Hayden. He was practically running in the direction the other man was guiding him to. Upon seeing him, my face broke into relief and I got up from the boulder. My feet automatically crossed the distance and before I knew I enveloped him in my arms and he let me. I wasn¡¯t sure what made me do that but I just felt that it was the right thing to do. Even his hands went C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org around me and that is when my tears started to flow again. I sobbed into his shirt, which soaked the tears while he kept patting me, trying to reassure me that I was okay, that he was there for me. It had been ages since I had felt such reassurance. Ever since my parents died, I hadn¡¯t felt so Garron and his pack, except re, didn¡¯t want to do anything with me. I had been a wolfless girl and except for my parents, nobody had really loved me. Thus, being hugged by someone was a feeling I hadn¡¯t been quite familiar with. I smelled his cologne that was fresh like morning dew and as he rubbed my back soothingly, I knew that I was safe, that I need not worry as long as he was there with me. His embrace felt warm and nice like summer. My body immediately rxed after seeing him. Hayden¡¯s honey brown eyes looked into mine with concern and worry and my heart fluttered. Did he really care about me? Then he did the nicest thing and took out the shirt he was wearing and handed it to me. I had almost forgotten my wounds and my torn clothes but he turned around to give me some privacy. My shirt was tattered and my jeans were also torn in ces. As he turned around, I looked at his toned back that showed his ripped muscles. His body was a marvel and he looked no less than a prince. Now, I could understand why the two she-wolves of Garron¡¯s pack were gushing about him. He looked spectacr, his body was toned and muscr while he was empathic and sensible. No wonder every she-wolf wanted to mate with him. However, I knew that I stood no chance. He was way out of my league. I was a wolfless girl that not even an omega would want, much less an alpha of the most renowned pack. After I changed from my shirt into his, I cleared my throat to let him know that I was done. He turned around and I saw the sunlight shining on his bare chest. My breath hitched at the sight. He was one hell of an alpha. Chapter 12 Chapter 12 Madeleine I willed myself to keep my eyes on his face and not roam around his body. He looked rugged in jeans and the shirtless look suited him. While my eyes were struggling to not dip down to his bare chest, he asked again, ¡°Are you okay? Let me take you to the packhouse and then you can tell me everything.¡± I simply nodded my head as words failed me. I was still shivering a little so to help me feelfortable, he weaved his hand in mine and I almost stumbled. My hand fit in his perfectly and the way he held my hand protectively made me never want to leave his side. I began walking with him, too awkward to say anything else. I could feel tingles spreading from my hand towards my entire body and I couldn''t think straight. My entire mind was focused on our hands and how it felt to be touched by him. I was feeling giddy but my happiness didn¡¯tst long. As soon as my eyes fell on Garron, I instinctively hid behind Hayden¡¯s back. What was Garron doing here? Would he take me away forcefully? I didn¡¯t want to leave. The happiness that had been surrounding me just moments ago was reced by fear and panic again. Sensing my hesitancy, Hayden stepped in front of Garron and asked him to leave. I really didn¡¯t understand their talk about pack rules and territory because I was too afraid that Garron would forcefully drag me away to the pack and to Steve. Thus, I was relieved when Hayden squeezed my hand and gave me a reassuring look. He guided me to a building that he told meter was the packhouse and asked me to rest in one of the rooms. I was reluctant to let him go but I knew that I couldn¡¯t hold his hand all day. As such, I simply nodded my head and let him go as he softly closed the door. Turning around, I saw that the room wasn¡¯t very big but was cozy andfortable. There was arge bed, a wardrobe, and a dressing table but nothing much. I was restless and even though I tried to sleep, it evaded me. I knew that Garron was outside and I didn''t want to leave with him. Half of my mind was upied with the thought that Garron would barge in the room and drag me away. Hence, I kept pacing around the room and that is when I saw my reflection in the mirror. Only then did I realize that I looked like a homeless person. And to an extent it was true. I didn''t really have a home. My hair was matted, the jeans torn at multiple ces due to the vines and thorns, I had scratched myself against and my face was covered in mud. ¡®Oh Goddess, he had seen me like this?¡¯ His soft t-shirt felt warm against my skin and I only looked at my reflection in the mirror for a few minutes. Not having anything else to do, I decided to take a shower. Luckily, I found a few towels soap, and shampoo in the bathroom. Thus, I turned the shower on and let the water run down my body. As the warm water touched my skin I recalled the way Steve had grabbed me and tore my clothes. The memory was so intense that I took the soap and began scrubbing my hands and body, trying to get rid of the feeling of him touching me. Tears were beginning to pool in my eyes again when I recalled the way Hayden had held me. My breathing that had grown erratic slowed down to feel his protective embrace around me. The hot water soothed me and Ithered the shampoo on my hair as my mind kept reying our first meeting where he had fought for me followed by today when he had stood up for me again. My heart fluttered at the thought that he hade to look for me in the forest along with his beta, Charlie, whose name I learnedter. I spent almost half an hour in the shower, crying away all my worries, mourning the loss of my parents, my pack, and almost my chastity until Hayden had shown up. To me, he was like a breath of fresh air and a ray of hope in my dark, dark life. But, he was an alpha and he had better things to do thane to the rescue of a damsel in distress every single time. A humorless chuckle escaped my lips to think that I thought of myself as a damsel. Surely he had seen enough beautiful and pretty girls in his life to even bother giving me a second look. Shaking my head, I pulled the towels hanging from the hanger and wrapped them around my body and hair. I walked out of the bathroom and went towards the closet. Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. However, I couldn''t find anything suitable. It was all boy¡¯s clothes that included oversized shirts and jeans. Frowning, I looked for something that would fit me but couldn¡¯t find anything. As I was debating with myself, I felt someone hover by the door and my heart fluttered. I felt it was Hayden and I was dying to see him again. He called out for me and I immediately grabbed his shirt that I had worn earlier and quickly put it on. Walking to the door, I opened it a little and peeked outside to see him. He was still shirtless and my eyes dipped to his abs again. However, I hastily looked around and as if to answer my doubt, he responded, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Garron isn¡¯t around. I asked him to leave.¡± I nodded my head in response and asked him, ¡°Are you alone?¡± He raised an eyebrow and answered, ¡°Yes, don''t worry. I just wanted to check if you were okay.¡± I opened the door a little to allow him to step inside. He looked at me worriedly and stepped in, not knowing why I was hiding behind the door. Maybe he was worried that I was being afraid again. When he entered the room, I quickly shut the door and he turned around to see me in nothing but his shirt. As his eyes roamed on my body, I tried to pull the shirt down. Nobody except maybe my mother had seen me like this and the fact that a man was looking at me in my half-naked body embarrassed me. Even he seemed to be stunned for a moment but he quickly turned around to look elsewhere. Tugging at the hem of the shirt, I tried drying my hair with the other towel. His back was still facing me and he asked, ¡°Who did this to you? Steve?¡± I could see his fists clench and the way his voice strained to even take Steve¡¯s name. I could feel his anger radiating through the entire room. They said an alpha was always fearsome but the anger that wafted through him scared me a little. ¡°Y-yes¡± I answered in a stutter. Chapter 13 Chapter 13 Madeleine ¡°That son of a bitch.¡± He swore under his breath, banging his fist on the windowsill. Though he had spoken in a low voice, I had heard him. ¡°Was that why you were looking for me? I¡¯ll just rip his throat apart and kill him for good.¡± My eyes grew wide at the thought of him killing Steve. While killing Steve would surely spare me of my pain, I knew that it would only increase his problems with Garron and the rest of the pack. Though I knew Garron and his entire pack wouldn¡¯tst even a minute in front of Hayden, I didn¡¯t want him to be in more trouble because of me. I wasn¡¯t his pack member yet he had done a lot for me already. Besides, now that I had seen Garron here, I knew that Hayden hadn¡¯t been in any real danger. Garron wouldn¡¯t enter an alpha¡¯s territory to harm him. In my short stay with his pack, I had realized that like Steve, Garron too preyed on the weak. Despite being an alpha, Garron wasn¡¯t that brave to face another alpha head-on. Right now, I was just relieved to realize that whatever Steve had said was just a drunkard¡¯s gibberish and nothing else. I felt like a fool for believing him and running around like a headless chicken. But, a small voice in my head said that it was just another reason for me to find and meet Hayden. I shushed that voice in my head and focussed on Hayden who was looking at me for an answer. And though I sounded stupid to my own ears, I answered him truthfully, ¡°He¡­he said that he would kill you¡­.and, I was afraid so, I decided to inform you¡­but, I didn¡¯t know where you lived¡­or where to even start looking for you¡­so I was just wandering around¡­ until Charlie spotted me.¡± After finishing myme answer, I fell silent and looked at the floor. I had expected him to be anything but amused at my answer. Instead of getting angry or disying signs of worry, Hayden chuckled. That cute smile was enough to warm my heart and send tingles all over my body. He added with a grin that melted my heart yet again, ¡°It would take more than ten Steves to even touch me without my permission, forget killing me.¡± I liked the confidence with which he spoke. He wasn¡¯t even being arrogant, he had just said it as if it was the in truth. And looking at his chiseled body that my eyes couldn¡¯t help take a peek of every once in a while, I realized it to be the actual truth. His muscles were ripped and there were very fine lines of scars on his body indicating the battles he must have fought. Those white lines shone in the sunlight and I lost my mind again. Nodding my head at his words, I looked down at the floor and he said, ¡°You know what, Maddy, he is just a bully. An arrogant bully. He feeds on your fear. Don¡¯t let him make you feel weak. Next time he tries touching you, stand your ground and look him in the eye.¡± Maddy. He had called me something only my mother would call me. His words made sense to me. I had been so deep in fear that I had never really mustered my courage to retaliate. At most, I had spoken sternly just once, but I had quickly given in when Steve had looked at me in annoyance. Looking up from the floor to his eyes, I asked him what had been bothering me, ¡°Do I have to return to the pack? What if they harass me again? I don¡¯t want to live with them.¡± I had just blurted out without thinking and I could see Hayden tense at my words. He answered in a low voice, ¡°Long back, we had signed a treaty wherein neither of our packs could Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org. im the other pack¡¯s members as their own due to some¡­.mishap¡­¡± His voice trailed off and I knew he had wanted to say something but stopped midway. I had wanted to ask what it was but I didn''t want to pry. He had already helped me twice and the least I could do was not invade his privacy. The thought of going back to Garron and Steve made me almost cry but I swallowed back tears as I tried to feel brave. More than the fear of returning to them, I felt that I didn¡¯t want to leave Hayden. It was a strange feeling. I had never felt so reassured and safe around someone except my parents. Sensing my hesitation, he walked near me and turned me around to face him. I was still in his shirt and I hoped that my hard nips weren¡¯t showing through the fabric. His touch was making me feel both relieved and my heart fluttered for some reason. I could feel butterflies rioting in my belly. ¡°Look at me, Maddy.¡± Maddy. I loved the sound of my name on his lips. I could also feel wetness pooling in my core. Swallowing nervously, I willed myself to look at him and he spoke, ¡°You are a strong girl, wolf or not. Nobody can save you if you don¡¯t stand up for yourself. The pack treaty forbids me from taking you in my pack directly, but I¡¯ll try to find out a way. Until then, promise me you will be strong.¡± His eyes were so full of hope and concern that I couldn¡¯t disappoint him. Then before I could even reply, he pulled me close and took my face in his hands. I closed my eyes shut and he dipped his head to kiss my forehead. The warmth that oozed out of his lips made me feel giddy. Was I getting turned on at Hayden¡¯s touch? Yes. His lips were soft and supple and I had the mad urge to lift my head and catch his lips in mine. My brain began to vividly imagine how his rough hands would perfectly fit my b**bs and how I could drag him on the bed that was just a few feet away. But, I couldn¡¯t do that. My heart was telling me that he was onlyforting a crying and desperate girl, a wolfless girl. Nobody had even spared me another look so far so he surely wouldn¡¯t want me. That realization made me feel bad but I somehow tried to not get my hopes up. His hands left my face and then he smiled at me. Trying to not show my disappointment, I spoke in a low voice, ¡°I think¡­I should leave.¡± Again, he chuckled and looked at me, ¡°Not just in my shirt. I don¡¯t want my pack members to see you like this.¡± My eyes went wide. I hadpletely forgotten that I was wearing nothing but his shirt and I saw his eyes travel down below my face. The butterflies that had stopped flying in my stomach began rioting again. Chapter 14 Chapter 14 Hayden It was hard for me to not look at her and feel something. The little devil in my pants had taken a while to calm down but the moment I touched her, he grew hard again. Damn. I tried to tell myself that this was because I had never seen a girl wearing my shirt¡­just my shirt. My brain was already imagining the softness of her skin underneath but I willed myself to focus on her face. She was just harassed by someone and if I were to do the same thing, how different would I be from the person she had run away from? But I couldn¡¯t help it. I wanted to touch her so I pulled her close and gently kissed her forehead. She was scared of returning back and as much as I wanted to keep her away from harm, I couldn¡¯t just take her in my pack. Not with the treaty in ce. I would have to find a way to make Garron leave her, respectfully. He thought of her as a ve, and I didn''t want that to be her identity. I knew he would just find ways ofing back at her and to me. He was the alpha of the pack she belonged to after all. My fists clenched at the thought of letting her go back to Steve again and what he might do to her but I had to get my act together. Luke was trying to goad me into tearing Steve apart but I tried to calm him down. Damn everything in me needed to calm down. I decided that I would have to take a shower to be able to breathe again with her so close to me. Willing myself to step back a little, I put some distance between her and me. Turning around, I managed to say, ¡°I¡¯ll ask Raine to get you something decent enough to wear.¡± I didn¡¯t dare look at her again. My will was crumbling and the bed wasn¡¯t that far away either. Stepping outside her room, I closed the door behind me as I walked towards my house. Raine was as usual busy in the kitchen, preparing a nice meal for us. Knocking on the door, I waited outside while she raised her eyebrows questioningly. ¡°I need to lend some clothes from you.¡± At my line, her eyes went wide and she used the spoon that was in her hand to gently hit me. ¡°I am sure none of my clothes would fit you¡­or are you implying that I have be fat?¡± Raine put her hands on her hips and I answered while scratching the back of my head, ¡°Not for me.¡± The aroma of her cooking filled the entire house and it wafted towards me. My stomach growled and so did Luke. ¡°What are you cooking?¡± I asked her delightedly and she answered with a chuckle, ¡°You will see that when I serve food. No peeking¡± She moved away from the door and I walked inside, heading straight for the shower. The image of Madeleine in my shirt had been seared into my memory and I needed a hot shower before I could face her again. Thus, I walked towards my room before I heard Raine shout, ¡°And, just wear your clothes when you step out. I don¡¯t want to see my brother roaming around half naked.¡± Her line made me smile and I closed the door behind me. Stepping into the shower, I turned it on as the water flowed down my body. I ced my hands on the wall as my brain began reying scenes of her trying to tug the shirt down again. I squeezed my eyes shut and willed myself to think of something¡­ anything else. I tried to focus on work, recalling the details of the file I had been reading but nothing came to mind. I took the shampoo and beganthering it all over my head. Luke let out a groan trying to make me lose control of myself. Was this a sign? Was I beginning to forget her and finally look at someone else? I had never felt like this in ages and I tried to think what made Madeleine so special. She didn¡¯t even have a wolf. If I were to think of her as any other she-wolf, she might have had a chance of finding her mate. But, no human had ever mated with a werewolf and lived to tell the tale. Humans were not wee in any pack and even if they somehow tried to adjust, they withered in the harsh conditions that a werewolf lived in. They were vulnerable and weak and didn¡¯t stand a chance to fight against other werewolves in a battle. I let my thoughts wander and I looked down to see that the little devil had finally calmed down. Taking deep breaths, I simply stood in the shower, letting the water continue to pour over me. I didn¡¯t know why I was letting her affect me. I had always been in control and given a wide berth to all the she-wolves who wouldp at me, trying to get into my pants. But, she had not looked at me lustfully. ¡°You sure about that?¡± Luke asked and I rolled my eyes at him. My wolf had the crazy and annoying habit of speaking out of turn. Shaking my head, I tried to answer him, ¡°She was hurt and afraid¡­she was not climbing on me like the other she-wolves had tried to in the past.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll give her that.¡± Luke agreed and I was happy that he wasn¡¯t arguing with me. After spending what felt like an eternity in the shower, I stepped out of my bathroom after turning it off. Walking to the wardrobe, I hastily wore jeans and a ck t-shirt before stepping out of the room. My hair was still a little damp from the shower but I needed to see if Raine had already given Madeleine her clothes. But then I suddenly recalled that Madeleine was in my shirt and I didn¡¯t want Raine to be staring at me with a million questions in her head. Thus, I quickly rushed to the kitchen and saw that she was still there. Partly, I was relieved that she hadn¡¯t gone to see Madeleine and the other part was just sad to have made her wait for so long. She couldn¡¯t even walk out of the room without feeling awkward. Hastily I ran into Raine¡¯s room and pulled some of her clothes without looking. Before she could ask what I was doing, I dashed out of the house and sprinted towards the packhouse aiming straight for the room Madeleine was in. Knocking on the door, I didn''t even wait for her to say anything and ran into the room and deposited the clothes on the bed. Turning around, I saw her wearing her old tattered jeans and torn shirt. She smiled at me weakly and my heart skipped a beat to see her in those clothes. I immediately went near her and said, ¡°Sorry, I went to take a shower. Please wear something from this. Then, I will take you myself to your pack.¡± Hearing my words made her sag in relief. She looked a little pale and ashen and I realized that I hadn¡¯t even offered her anything to eat or drink. At the same moment, her stomach made a loud rumbling noise, indicating that she was ravenous. Smiling again, I said, ¡°Wear something ande outside. I¡®ll take you to meet my sister, Raine. She is a very good cook and you will love whatever she makes.¡± Madeleine simply nodded and I stepped away before walking outside the room. I felt a bit sad that she wasn¡¯t wearing my shirt anymore but I couldn''t really expect her to roam around in just that for the entire day. Thus, I waited outside the door thinking of ways to ensure her safety after I dropped her. While I was Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org. busy thinking, my gamma, Ben showed up. He was on patrol duty so it was odd for him to return this early. Panting a little, he answered, ¡°We think we spotted some rogues running around the edges of our territory.¡± I immediately climbed down the stairs and walked up to him, ¡°How many?¡± Ben shrugged his shoulders, ¡°Not many but just wanted to inform you. I-¡± He stopped abruptly when he saw something behind me. ¡°Who is she?¡± The question slipped out of his mouth before he could take it back. Turning around, I saw Madeleine step out of her room wearing a knee length pencil skirt and a white blouse. My eyes took in her petite figure and how the dress almost perfectly fit her. I never knew Raine had a sense of fashion. But, then I had always seen her in the kitchen or doing other chores. Looking at Madeleine who walked down the stairs to stand beside me, I only looked at her beautiful face as Luke answered in my head. ¡°She deserves to be a Luna.¡± For once, I didn¡¯t have something against Luke. Chapter 15 Chapter 15 Hayden Ben blinked his eyes and looked at me as if he didn¡¯t know where he was or what he was doing. His eyes were glued to Madeleine so I cleared my throat. ¡°You were saying something?¡± Upon hearing my voice, he shook his head, and Ben turned his attention to me. ¡°Yes, the rogues are from far south. It seems like a battle broke out in the south and some packs fought bitterly. I don¡¯t have theplete details but there is a new group of rogues roaming around¡­¡± I heard the report carefully and immediately asked him to tighten the security around our territory. I also asked him to take some of the trained recruits with him, who he knew wouldn¡¯t die or get injured if there were to be an attack. Then I turned my attention to Madeleine and said, ¡°Come, let¡¯s put some food into your empty stomach.¡± She smiled at Ben who couldn¡¯t take his eyes off her. I only looked at him with squinted eyes before he abruptly turned around and left without another word. Luke sniggered, ¡°Possessive already?¡± I snapped at him, ¡°Shut up, Luke.¡± He fell silent and I guided her to my home. My heart was fluttering at the thought of walking her home. I had never taken a girl to my home¡­except one. It had been a long time ago and I don¡¯t know why Madeleine reminded me of her. Trying to calm myself that I was just taking her inside my home to have her eat something felt reassuring. I knocked on the door again and Raine opened it. But before she could scold me for disturbing her again, her eyes fell on Madeleine. As expected, I could see a thousand questions forming in her head already. Before she could jump to any conclusion, I answered her, ¡°Raine, this is Madeleine. She was¡­ apparently lost and stumbled across the river where Charlie found her.¡± Madeleine only raised her eyes to look at me but refrained frommenting. Raine¡¯s eyes flitted from me to Madeleine and she saw the dress she was wearing. ¡°So, you needed that for her¡­¡± I looked around not pretending to know what she meant and Raine turned her attention to Madeleine. ¡°Come,e inside, we can talk inside.¡± Madeleine smiled at her and we both went in. I saw my beta and gamma watching from afar giving each other a knowing look but I only rolled my eyes at them as we went in. Raine immediately asked Madeleine to sit down and true to her usual nature offered her a truckload of food that she could eat for months. Madeleine only looked at me helplessly and I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. ¡°Raine, that food willst me for three days, you know.¡± My sister rolled her eyes at me and Madeleine tried to suppress her smile. For the next hour, the two girls started to talk and conveniently forgot that I was even around. I tried to join in their conversation once or twice, but the two were engrossed in talking to each other. So I had no other choice but to giveup and do something else. Shaking my head, I decided to walk out of the house and let them do the talking. I recalled Ben rushing up to me to inform me about some rogues so I thought I might as well see if he had found any more information. Predictably, the two were sitting below the shadowrge tree, gossiping with each other like school girls. Upon seeing me approach, both of them got up from their seats and stopped abruptly. Crossing my hands over my chest, I asked them, ¡°What is it?¡± Ben and Charlie looked at each other, each pushing the other one to ask something. Raising an eyebrow, I said in a stern voice, ¡°Spit it out, I don¡¯t have all day.¡± Charlie, who was poking Ben in the back, suddenly blurted, ¡°Ben was saying that he found the girl to be C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org pretty.¡± ¡°Is it so?¡± I asked, not trying to give away anything. Ben looked anywhere but me and tried to defend himself, ¡°What is wrong with that? She is pretty.¡± ¡°I know that¡± I added in an annoyed tone and then I was surprised at myself for saying that. I had not even thought about it and the words had casually slipped my mouth. Both Charlie and Ben looked at me in shock before I shrugged my shoulders, ¡°Can we please talk about the rogues? You can talk about pretty girlster.¡± My soldiers were the best when it came to strength or battle but the two were softies when it came to girls. They hadn¡¯t found their mates either and like me didn¡¯t like fooling around with girls if they weren¡¯t interested. Though when their body had demanded, they had given in to the pleasures, from what I heard. But, I never went into the details. Ben answered me in a serious voice, ¡°I did try to talk with the betas of other packs in the surrounding areas. It seems that only one of the farthest northern pack had been attacked by a rogue but that had been taken care of swiftly. So, no big deal.¡± I was relieved that there were no rogues roaming around. But then I wasn¡¯t sure if it would be okay to let Madeleine return to her pack on her own. She had stayed for more than a day and if I prolonged her stay any more, I knew Garron would think that I did that on purpose. While I was deep in thought, I saw the two boys whisper in front of me. Turning around, I realized what had made them suddenly talk excitedly. Madeleine was walking towards us with Raine beside her. The two still appeared to be deep in conversation and when the two reached us, the boys instantly fell quiet. Raine looked at them and decided to have some fun, ¡°Beta Charlie and Gamma Ben, have you two introduced yourselves to our guest?¡± The two realized that they hadn¡¯t and immediately rubbed their sweaty hands on their jeans. ¡°Hello miss, my name is Charlie, and I am the beta of the Blue Moon pack.¡± ¡°Hello miss, my name is Ben and I am the gamma of the Blue Moon pack.¡± Raine pped her hand on her forehead as she added, ¡°I said the exact same thing a second ago, you boys need to work on your first impressions.¡± Hearing her made the two boys look around nervously. They wanted to disappear while Madeleine suppressed her chuckle. ¡°Hello, beta Charlie and gamma Ben, my name is Madeleine and I belong to¡­¡± Her voice suddenly trailed off and I knew why. She had momentarily forgotten that she had to return to Garron¡¯s pack and only now did she recollect it again. Her face immediately grew sad which all of us noticed. Trying to ease the tension, I added, ¡°She will join our pack soon.¡± I had said that inly and without another thought and all of them had turned to see me with wide eyes. ¡®Shit¡¯ I muttered. I had spoken that out loud and I had not even discussed it with her first. Hastily I added, trying to salvage the situation, ¡°...that is if she wants to.¡± Madeleine gave me a smile and even Raine beamed at me. But none of their smiles seemed to be as radiant as Ben who looked like he had found paradise. Waving my hand in front of him, I spoke to him, ¡°Earth to Ben, are you still here or did you leave us for some heavenly treasures.¡± All of us had a goodugh and Ben scratched the back of his head while looking at her. Hesitantly, he asked, ¡°Miss Madeleine, do you recall the direction to your pack? If not, I will be more than happy to drop you.¡± But before she could respond, I blurted, ¡°No¡± Luke grinned at me and I swore under my breath. What was happening to me? Was I getting jealous of my gamma over a girl I barely knew? Ben¡¯s face grew small at the sudden and harsh way I had spoken, but I tried to reassure him and correct myself. ¡°I need you on patrol duty for tonight as well, Ben. You can take Charlie with you.¡± Charlie¡¯s face was appalled as he tried to argue, ¡°Why me?¡± I answered, ¡°You can keep him from falling asleep as the rogues infiltrate our territory.¡± They knew I was joking so they didn¡¯t take it to heart. Raine who had been smiling and watching everything asked the most important question. ¡°But then who will drop her if not the beta or gamma, Hayden? You cannot let our guest out of our territory on her own when you know there are rogues roaming around.¡± I looked at Madeleine and answered in a confident voice, ¡°I will¡± Chapter 16 Chapter 16 Madeleine I kept looking at alpha Hayden at his words and was utterly speechless. He had been doing nothing except caring for me and making me feel secure since I had met him. And, I, on the other hand, had not done anything to deserve it. The thought made me feel sad but I couldn''t neglect the fact that I hadn¡¯t felt this happy or relieved since my pack had been killed. It was as if Hayden¡¯s pack was aplete opposite to that of Garron¡¯s. While Hayden was strict but treated everyone with respect, Garron and the others treated everyone as if they were filth with the exception of re. But, I was the one who was treated the worst. In contrast, Hayden¡¯s pack had weed me and treated me as an equal. I knew that Hayden was aware that I was wolfless and even I had told it to Raine. I had expected her smile to disappear when I shared that secret but her smile didn¡¯t falter. Instead, she hugged me like my mother would and said, ¡°You must be ate bloomer, don¡¯t worry.¡± Her words had brought tears to my eyes and I didn¡¯t want to leave the pack. After my own pack which was now dead, this was the first pack that I could think of as ¡®my own.¡¯ I wanted to join Hayden¡¯s pack desperately but I knew I could be of no use. While gardening, Tisha and Freya had told me of how various werewolves who would turn on their sixteenth birthday had applied to be taken into Hayden¡¯s pack but had been rejected. He only picked the best and didn¡¯t allow ipetent orzy people to join. As such, I thought that he had said those words only to cheer me up. I was brought out of my thoughts when Hayden took out his car keys and waved it in front of me. ¡°Shall we?¡± I nodded my head and bid goodbye to Raine, Charlie, and Ben who waved back at me enthusiastically. Hayden walked towards the garage that was behind his house. It was arge open space and the smell of paint and grease greeted me. From what I saw, there were a couple of cars and even some bikes. All of them were glimmering in a bright shine and were polished. Hayden turned the lights on and that was when I saw that the space was truly clean. I had expected it to be littered with tires and tools but everything was ced neatly at its proper ce. Hayden was a perfectionist it seemed. His eyes had a distinct glow when he looked at his collection and I didn¡¯t know even werewolves were fond of manmade vehicles. Most of the werewolves relied on their legs to run at amazing speeds and go wherever they wanted to. At most, they had one or two vehicles. Even Garron¡¯s pack had only a few. Hopping in one of the cars, he turned on the ignition and looked at me, ¡°Come on¡± I did as asked and got inside the car. It wasn¡¯t a very shy car but a decent one that he had polished and possibly renovated. It had an old feeling to it. He drove the car out of the garage and through the small, unpaved road before we hit the concrete road. There was an awkward silence in the car and I didn''t know how to fill it. I kept my hands on myp and was nervously twiddling my fingers. I had probably overstayed my wee and I didn''t want to ask more favors from Hayden. He seemed to be deep in thought and I didn''t want to disturb him. Thus, I was looking outside of the forest when he suddenly said, ¡°I am sorry for your family.¡± Those words made me look at him. He had his eyes fixed on the road in front of him and I took the opportunity to observe his face. His golden hair was tousled and there was light stubble on his jaw. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. The ck shirtplemented his honey brown eyes, making the color stand out even more. Those eyes had looked at me with worry, those hands had held me in an embrace when I had been scared witless and those lips had kissed my forehead. I had even momentarily forgotten that he had offered his condolences to me. I mentally scolded myself for that and replied, ¡°I am getting used to it, I guess?¡± He stayed silent for some time and I leaned back on the seat, my memories taking me back to the time when I was living happily with my parents. A lone tear escaped my eyes and I quickly wiped it before Hayden could see it. I didn¡¯t want to look like the crying girl who would always need support from him. ¡°Even I lost my parents in my childhood. Raine is what I have as my blood. And, my pack is more than family to me.¡± I was surprised at this revtion. I hadn¡¯t known that he had grown up without his parents. At least, I had them until I neared adulthood. ¡°Raine is very sweet. She is just like my mother.¡± A wistful smile appeared on his face at that line. ¡°She became my mother when we lost our parents. I was in need of a motherly presence so she stepped up to the role, never letting me know that she needed one too. I would never deny her anything.¡± I nodded my head at his words understandingly. I had loving parents and I doubt I would have said no to them either. Before I could reply, the car stopped and I looked outside. We had reached Garron¡¯s territory. Hayden killed the ignition and stepped out of the car. I did the same and got out hesitantly. My eyes darted to see if anybody was around. Especially Steve. Hayden walked towards the packhouse and announced, ¡°Anybody home?¡± Hearing his voice, Peter, the ck Forest pack¡¯s gamma stepped out. He looked at Hayden with squinted eyes before spotting me beside him. His eyes were instantly relieved to see me and he jumped while letting out a whoop. ¡°The ve has returned, woohoo! At least, I will be eating a good meal today.¡± I looked at him nervously as Hayden stepped in front of me, blocking Peter¡¯s view of me. ¡°Have you forgotten to greet the alpha of another pack first when he shows up at your territory? It''s basic courtesy, you know.¡± Hayden said in a level voice and Peter smiled at him. ¡°Of course not. Greetings alpha Hayden. I was just happy that I had a lot of work piled up for her. The was¡­upsetting my stomach, you know.¡± Hayden clenched his fist but refrained frommenting on it. Instead, he asked in a clear voice, ¡°Where is Garron?¡± ¡°Coming¡­¡± Before Peter could answer, Garron stepped out of the packhouse, wiping his fingers across his shirt. ¡°Wait, who is that girl? Oh, that¡¯s none other than our ve.¡± His cheery voice instantly became serious as he added, ¡°What are you doing standing here and looking at our faces. Go and do your work, now.¡± I nodded my head and gave Hayden onest nce before walking away. Hayden I was having a hard time controlling myself and Luke to not pounce at Garron or his gamma as they openly spewed hate against her. I knew once I hadmitted the mistake of attacking Steve and he had tried to force himself on her. The mere thought of him nearing her made my blood boil. I could have wiped that smirk off their faces but I knew that if I fell for their provocation, they would only take it out on Madeleer. Bloody bast**rds! Luke growled and was asking permission from me to teach them a lesson but I urged him to stay quiet. After Madeleine had disappeared into the packhouse, I looked at Garron and asked, ¡°When do the other alphas want the training to start?¡± Garron grew serious at the mention of other alphas and answered, ¡°After the ball?¡± The ball. I had totally forgotten about the event. Not that I had been looking forward to it. But now I was not sure if I wanted topletely avoid it or not. ¡°And, do you have a venue for it?¡± Garron nodded his head, ¡°Yes. I think one of the nightclubs in our territory should suit it. I was thinking of the Wolf¡¯s Lounge. I have heard that they appointed new staff and have revamped it.¡± I hardly bothered about the details. Instead, I came up with an idea. ¡°I will attend the ball if you promise to send all of your pack members to train. And I mean ALL of them.¡± Garron looked at me with squinted eyes and it took him a whole lot of effort to just say one word. ¡°Fine¡± Chapter 17 Chapter 17 Madeleine I returned to Garron¡¯s pack unwillingly and got back to work immediately. I didn''t even dare venture into my cabin because I knew that Steve or Garron woulde for me. re was in the kitchen preparing for the afternoon meal and her face broke into a relieved smile to see me. She immediately wiped her hands on the apron that was stained with oil and broth and rushed forward. ¡°Where have you been?¡± She asked me with a concerned voice and pulled me into a hug. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. Even I let her because she was the only one to wee me back. Holding my shoulders she looked at me and inspected my face and hands for any possible signs of injury. ¡°Nobody had any idea where you were. I was worried sick about you. I thought¡­.something happened to you¡­¡± I took her hands in mine and squeezed it, ¡°I managed to run away before something would happen.¡± re¡¯s eyes grew wide, ¡°Did Steve do something again?¡± Her question was clear. No werewolf would every hands on me because I was wolfless. But, the faint scratches on my arms told her what I didn''t. ¡°I pray to the moon Goddess that one day he would meet his match, that one day somebody would show him what it means to be a real man.¡± I tried not to show any concerns about meeting him again. We got busy with kitchen duties and I told her animatedly of my time at Hayden¡¯s pack. Of course, I filtered out the details of me seeing him shirtless and roaming around just in his shirt. That detail and memory belonged to me and nobody else. A smile appeared on my lips at the way he had taken my face in his hands and kissed my forehead. re saw me smiling and apparently lost in thoughts and gently nudged me once or twice so that I won''t cut my finger instead of the carrot in front of me. Only that made me remember how he had sucked my finger. A faint rosy blush crept up my face and I ducked my head to keep her from seeing it. But, re had seen it. ¡°I don''t want you to get your hopes up, kiddo. Hayden is an alpha of the strongest pack. Every single she-wolf has been eyeing him since forever.¡± My smile faded a little at that. Of course, I knew how Freya and Trisha had been gushing about him non-stop at the garden. But those eyes¡­were they just concerned about my safety and well-being? Did he not like me? Even a little? Sigh I couldn¡¯t just go on daydreaming about the alpha every she-wolf wanted. Thus, I got back to work again. re decided to prepare a special pie just for me as a small treat and my face brightened. For the next few hours, I busied myself in doing all the chores, trying to keep the memory of Hayden and his pack away. There was so much pending work and chores that it took me almost the entire day to finish all of it. By the time it was night, I finally decided to go to my room. I had both my meals in the kitchen itself because I didn''t want to face the others. But at night, I had to return to my room. I had to change Raine¡¯s clothes and wash them to return whenever I met her again. It was a slim possibility that I would be able to stay with them again but I clung to it nheless. re suggested that she would sleep in my cabin but I told her that I would be fine. She had already done a lot for me and I didn''t want to bother her. Garron and the others didn¡¯t try to get to her because she was old and had maybe raised them. I didn¡¯t want them to take out my anger on her. Thus, I bid her goodnight and departed for my cabin. But before I stepped out, I took a good look around. Steve wasn¡¯t around. re told me that he hadn¡¯t been there for dinner either. Maybe, he had gone somewhere and would return after days. Looking around, I slowly stepped on the ground and then dashed to my cabin. Running inside, I closed all the doors andtches and took a deep breath. My heartbeat was so erratic that I didn''t even realize I was panting. Taking a few minutes to calm down, I leaned on the door and closed my eyes. It had grown dark but I didn''t feel the need to switch on the lights. I was going to sleep anyway and I didn''t want Steve to know I had returned. Obviously, he would find out but I wanted to prevent it for as long as possible. Moonlight was spilling in my cabin through the window and soft bluish light brightened the room. It was more than enough for me. Now that I was here, I missed Hayden even more. I hadn¡¯t stayed back to see what Garron and Hayden were discussing because I knew Garron wouldn''t like that. I just wished I had taken onest look at him. I didn''t know when I would see him again. Or if I would even get the chance to meet him. I missed the warmth of his embrace, and the affection, not just him but the other pack members had showered over me. While I was deep in my thoughts, I heard a creak on the floor a little ahead of me. My heart almost skipped a beat thinking that Steve had been waiting for me here, all this time. But then Hayden''s words rang in my ears. He had told me to be strong and face my fear, not run away from it. Swallowing hard, I took a step forward. I looked around to see if I could grab anything that could act as a weapon and I saw a stick lying nearby. Curling my fingers around it, I held it in front of myself defensively and asked in what I assumed to be a confident voice. ¡°What do you want, Steve?¡± My voice sounded shrill to my own ears and I thought I heard a chuckle. But a voice answered me. ¡°Steve is not here.¡± Chapter 18 Chapter 18 Madeliene It was the voice of Garron and I was surprised to see him walk into the patch of moonlight filtering in through the windows a momentter. He was grinning at me and eyed the wooden stick I held in front of me. ¡°Put that aside, Madeleine. I am not here to hurt you.¡± I looked at the stick and to Garron and back to the stick. I didn¡¯t feel like dropping it, but then he was my alpha. I couldn¡¯t really deny a direct order from him. Thus, I lowered the stick and ced it on the ground. He smiled at me as he said, ¡° Good girl.¡± ¡°Now please take a seat.¡± He extended his hand towards the bed asking me to sit on it. I was growing hesitant but I agreed to him. There was nothing else I could do either way. Garron pulled a wooden chair and ced it in front of me. Throwing his legs over it, he ced it while keeping the backside towards me. As I looked at him warily, he ced both his hands on the backside of the chair and then proceeded to ce his chin on his hands. ¡°So, I have an offer for you. I noticed that the alpha of the Blue moon pack has grown particrly fond of you. Maybe, he pities you¡­either way, I have a nice deal to help both of us live happily.¡± I raised my eyebrows at that. I had no clue what he could possibly mean by a deal. I couldn¡¯t give him something he couldn''t find himself. So, I answered honestly. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean¡­¡± Garron chuckled and moved his hands through his hair. He waved his finger at me and answered, ¡°You would be going to his pack to train with the rest of our pack. And, I want you to work as my spy. If you do that, I will ensure that Steve doesn''t bother you anymore.¡± He was looking at me with an evil grin as if he had just offered me a once in a lifetime opportunity. As I began thinking what this could mean, he went on, ¡°See, I know I gave Steve a lot of free reign and he has been manhandling you. But, I was busy with the other pack duties to keep him restrained. But, now I would do that since I know you can be a useful ally.¡± The thought of Steve never even bothering me was relieving but would I want that at the cost of betraying Hayden? Yet, I was curious to hear him out. The thought that I would meet Hayden again made me hopeful. If he was going to send me to Hayden¡¯s pack, I needed to know what he had nned. And, I hoped he wasn¡¯t just a talker like Steve. I had seen him brutally kill my pack members and I had been wanting to take my revenge on him and Steve, both. Through Hayden, I would achieve that by bing stronger. My fingers curled into my fist as I decided I would do it slowly and not rush it. Hence, I looked at Garron in confusion and asked, ¡°What do you mean by spying? What specific information do you need?¡± Garron rubbed his hands together and got up from the chair in excitement. He thought he had me cornered. ¡°Anything and everything that happens there while you stay in his territory. Who does he favor, who does he hate, what are his deepest fears and his greatest weakness¡­¡± I looked at him incredulously. He was cooking something big and I needed to know what he wanted to achieve from this. ¡°But, why do you think he would tell me all of this? I hardly know him.¡± Garron was prompt with his reply. He was pacing the room up and down in anticipation and answered, ¡°He loves his sister, Raine and she probably likes you. So the chances of Hayden trusting you is high too. Thus, you could extract all the information and give it to me.¡± While I was trying to think of a way out of this he added in a whisper, ¡°Plus, I think he likes you too. I have never seen him be so protective around any girl who throws herself at him. Pity that you are a wolfless girl. He will just use and discard you.¡± His words stung and tears began to form in the back of my eyes. However, I clenched my fist and willed myself to not show how those words affected me. It was like you had a disability and someone or the other would continuously remind you of how worthless you were every single day. My mind tried to reason with me that Hayden would have used me if he wanted to in the room when it was just the two of us, when I was just in his shirt. But then, another thought told me that he was just being protective in general and didn¡¯t have any feelings for a wolfless girl. I shook my head as I tried to confirm with Garron, ¡°So, I spy for you and give you all the information and you keep Steve away from me?¡± Garron let out a whoop as if he had achieved a big task. I could only pity him for going to such lengths to defame Hayden. ¡°So deal?¡± I looked at him dead in the eye and answered, ¡°Deal.¡± He got up from the chair after pping his hands on his thighs, ¡°That¡¯s a good girl. Now, I want you to leave your kitchen duties and pay attention to the ball. It¡¯s a prestigious event and a lot of alphas and possible lunas would attend it. Make a single mistake and not only is the deal off but your head will be off your shoulders too.¡± Garron added thest line in all seriousness, his earlier smile wiped away from his face. ¡°Yes, alpha,¡± I answered. After he left my cabin, I immediately closed it, ensuring that everything from the windows to the bathroom doors was tightly locked. My legs gave in as Garron¡¯s words seeped into my brain. I had put on a brave face while he was around but now that I was all alone, I shuddered at the thought of what he had asked me to. I was supposed to betray Hayden? Earn his trust and give Garron all the inside information about him? While half of my mind was happy that Steve would no longer bother me, the other half was in disgusted at even having agreed to Garron. But then I had no choice except to say yes to him. I was at his mercy and if I disagreed with him, he could have very well snapped my neck then and there. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. A small voice in my head said that he wouldn¡¯t do that if he needed me to betray Hayden, but it was very small. Unknowingly, tears trickled down my face as I sobbed at the situation I was facing. Never before had I been given a task by an alpha, not even my previous pack. I wanted to be epted and treated like an equal but I didn¡¯t want to betray Hayden who had saved me over and over. I spent the rest of the night cursing myself and wishing that I would die before I would cheat Hayden. I could imagine the look on his face when he would realize what I was doing and it was eating away at me. ¡°Why moon goddess? What pleasure do you get in making me suffer?¡± I asked her but I received no answer. Wiping my eyes, I got in my bed as my mind was filled with anxious thoughts. I kept staring at the moon through the windowpane and it waste when I finally fell asleep. Author''s note: If you love the story so far, kindly drop a review and vote with your precious gems. Thank you for reading!! Chapter 19 Chapter 19 Hayden I stared at Garron as my fists clenched in an effort to keep myself from jumping on him. It was his territory but he was beginning to get under my skin. I saw Madeleine walk towards the packhouse and disappear behind the door. And, that is when I felt as if I had lost something. I had wanted to hug her onest time, to hold her in my embrace and tell her that everything was okay. But, I had missed that chance. Even Luke was disappointed with me. All the sorrow and worry were making me want to kill Garron right then and there. But I kept my cool and reminded him of our talk, ¡°If you don¡¯t send all of your pack members to train, you are answerable to the other alphas.¡± He grimaced but could say nothing except nod his head. Despite the little victory, I had over him, I felt anxious to know that it would be days before I would again see Madeleine. Giving him a stern and loathful look, I stepped in my car and drove away. I was feeling restless and anxious and I didn¡¯t know why. It had been a long time since I had felt the need to protect someone. Thest time I had done that, turned against everyone to im what I wanted¡­things had gone awfully wrong. The thought surprised me. When had Madeleine be so important to me? Shaking my head, I tried to empty my brain as I drove like a madman. Twisting the car through the narrownes, I almost crashed it into a tree but narrowly missed it. I looked at the wide tree trunk that was just inches away from the car¡¯s hood. It had been a narrow miss and my eyes went wide to notice that. Taking a deep breath, I tried to calm myself as I ced my head on the steering wheel. I sat there with my eyes closed and thinking of the past and the present, willing myself to not go down the same route as before. After I had calmed down myself considerably, I decided to turn the car away and drive towards my pack. It was almost close to evening, and I had not even realized that I had spent half of the day with Madeleine or thinking about her. Parking my car in the garage, I stepped out of it and was closing the door when I heard Raine call out from the window, ¡°Would you love to have some coffee?¡± I raised my head to look at her, ¡°sure¡± My head was hammering and I think my sister just knew what I needed- a strong cup of coffee. After Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. locking the garage door, I walked inside my house and sat on the couch. Ben wanted to talk to me about something based on the anxious look he had given me when I was heading towards the door, but I had signalled him to wait. I would talk to himter. Coffee came first. Thus, I sat on the couch with my eyes closed and it was when Luke picked the strong scent of coffee that I opened my eyes. Raine was smiling at me, holding a cup in front of my face. ¡°You could have simply said something instead of staring at me,¡± I said while taking the cup from her hand. She settled in the chair opposite me and took a sip, ¡°Is it too strong?¡± I took a sip and answered, ¡°It''s perfect.¡± I answered while smiling at her and even she gave me a hesitant smile. Raine was looking around instead of looking at me and this made me furrow my eyebrows. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± She took another sip from the cup and answered, ¡°Nothing, actually I was thinking of leaving tomorrow morning?¡± The cup almost slipped from my hand to hear that, ¡°But you just came. Why would you want to return so soon?¡± Her fingers were drumming on the cup and she appeared to be hesitating to say something. Sensing her hesitation, I ced the coffee cup back on the center table and got down on my knees. Walking like a small kid, I approached her in the same position and ced my hands on her knees. ¡°What is the matter, Raine?¡± She looked at me with a nervous smile and ced her hand on my face, ¡°Why would there be anything, little bro? I had juste here to make you attend the ball¡­and it looks like you are going to attend it.¡± I couldn¡¯t bear the fact of Raine leaving me to go live with the humans again. I had just let go of Madeleine. I wasn¡¯t strong enough to let go of my sister in the span of hours too. ¡°Why do you love humans so much? Why can''t you live with me¡­here?¡± Raine ced her hand on mine and squeezed it, ¡°You know why, Hayden.¡± She was saying the truth but I wasn¡¯t ready to let her go. ¡°What about the ball? Didn¡¯t you say that you would attend it with me?¡± Raine shrugged her shoulders and answered, ¡°I had said that to ensure that you would go. But now, I dont feel the need to do so.¡± My face hardened as the words slipped out of my mouth before I could stop myself, ¡°Is it because of Garron?¡± She shot me a warning look, ¡°Don¡¯t drag him into this.¡± I know I was being a spoiled child but that was how I was always to her. Like a kid who would demand the world from her mother and she would just give it to me. ¡°I saw the look that passed between you and him. But, it''s a thing of the past. Why would you let him bother you even now?¡± I tried to reason. If she was going to leave just because Garron had shown up unexpectedly I wasn¡¯t going to allow that. ¡°You know none of it was your fault. You didn¡¯t know what kind of a person he is. You did nothing.¡± Tears pooled in Raine¡¯s years and I took both her hands in mine, ¡°how long are you going to punish yourself for something you didn¡¯t do willingly?¡± As tears trickled down her face freely she answered in an angry voice, ¡°Until I feel that I have atoned for my sins.¡± ¡°Atone your sins all you want. But, I am not letting you go. Not this time. You are staying here¡­with me. And that is final.¡± Saying so, I pulled her into a hug and she sobbed in my chest. I tried to calm her down as I had finally seeded in making her stay. Now, I only had to find a way of making sure that the other girl stayed with me too. Luke smiled at that and I couldn''t help but return that smile. Chapter 20 Chapter 20 After I had spent almost an hour convincing Raine to stay with me, I got up from the floor. My knees were feeling a little numb because I had been sitting on the floor for so long but I was d that she finally listened to me. I wasn¡¯t sure how long she would stay but I thought that I would find a way to make her extend her stay for another few weeks. For now, she wasn¡¯t going anywhere. And, I was growing restless to find a way to the other problem I had. Hence, I left her after a hug and walked out of the door, straight for my office. The file I had been working on earlier was still lying on the desk but it could wait. Now, I had other things to do. As I walked towards my office, I saw Ben hastily rush towards me. ¡°Alpha, please spare a minute, I wish to talk to you.¡± I just waved a hand, indicating him to follow me. He did as I asked and walked in the office behind me. I sat on my chair and looked at the watch, ¡°Ok, I have a long night before me to work so quickly tell me what is that you want to talk about?¡± Ben gave me a sheepish smile and I raised an eyebrow at that. ¡°Uh, well it was about Madeleine.¡± ¡°What about her?¡± I unintentionally snapped at him. He heard the annoyance in my voice and asked a little apprehensively, ¡°I just wanted to know which pack she belonged to¡­and¡­¡± He stopped midway and I was getting frustrated at the way he was dragging things out. ¡°Common beta, you know you have pack duties and I have them too. Speak your mind.¡± I said with a smile trying to tone my voice down. He hadn¡¯t done anything to make me snap at him. Well, not yet. ¡°...and, if possible¡­I mean, by any chance¡­do you know if she has a mate?¡± ¡°Why?¡± I asked him more sharply than I had intended to. In my haste to get back to work, I had totally forgotten that Ben had been staring at her ever since he had seen her. Was my beta smitten by her already? I thought in annoyance. Then as if Luke wanted to taunt me, he reminded me of how she had looked in my shirt. At that thought, I felt a bulge in my pants and I mentally chided Luke. Damn, I was letting both my wolf and my beta get to me. Adjusting myself in my seat, I shifted a little and crossed my legs. Ben was only staring at the floor nervously and I told him what he wanted to hear. ¡°She is never going to have a mate because she is wolfless.¡± The shock that was visible on Ben¡¯s face made me feel satisfied. And then I scolded myself for feeling so. My gamma just ced his hands on the chair in front of him and shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Oh¡­¡± I knew I should not have said it the way I did but he was annoying me. I had work to do and he wanted to discuss Madeleine¡¯s possible mates with me. Ha! His alpha wasn¡¯t going to let him take interest in her. ¡°Why?¡± Luke suddenly asked me. I didn¡¯t answer Luke nor did I provide any more information to Ben. He kept staring at the floor and spoke, ¡°All right, then. I¡¯ll leave, alpha.¡± Knowing that he wasn¡¯t going to pursue Madeleine anymore made me sigh in relief. I immediately asked him without looking up from the file, ¡°Any recent news of the rogues who had shown up?¡± ¡°They are steering clear of our pack and territory. Everybody knows better than to mess with the Blue Moon pack.¡± Ben answered with pride and I smiled at him. ¡°That is great but it would only be the case until we continue to train ourselves harder than before. I want all my pack members in good shape.¡± My gamma looked at me eagerly, ¡°Charlie told me something about you agreeing to attend the ball¡­¡± I had just let go of my annoyance and my gamma decided to just talk about the topic I wanted to avoid. Madeleine¡¯s face shed before my eyes and I thought that it was a way for me to meet her again. ¡°Maybe, I haven¡¯t decided yet¡­¡± I tried my best to not let the emotions show on my face. I had reluctantly agreed to apany Raine and then used the same line on her to make her stay. But now, I felt that it would be yet another chance for me to meet her without any issues. The thought made me feel satisfied. Trying to sound casual, I asked him, ¡°How many days until that stupid ball?¡± Ben looked at me with wide eyes, ¡°Days? It''s tonight, alpha.¡± Damn it! Madeleine I never had a busy day in my life. I got up pretty early andpleted all my chores before re asked me to sit down on a chair and made me shove some food down my throat. For some reason, I was feeling very excited about the ball. I thought of all the good looking guys and girls who would be dressed in their absolute best, dancing together and maybe even find their mate. A ball was a prestigious event and I felt super nervous to be the one managing things. Garron had done his part by visiting all the alphas and personally inviting them to the ball. But, the rest of it was on me. And, despite everything I wanted the event to be a sess. My recent past was filled with nothing but sadness and misery so the ball offered me some respite. The good thing about Garron was that he had really asked Steve to stay away from me. So, I could roam around freely without the fear of him grabbing me or making me do unnecessary stuff. Steve looked at me pointedly, as if he had lost a chance to bully me, but I couldn¡¯t care less. I knew I would have to pay the price by giving Garron some insider information about Hayden, but for now, I decided to live in the moment. Thus, I hastily finished the food re served me before I ced the te in the sink and gulped a big ss of water. ¡°Thank you, re¡± I smiled at her and she smiled back while saying, ¡°Don¡¯t forget to breathe and rest, or you will just faint when you will see all the handsome hunks.¡± I chuckled at the thought. Last night, when I had been worried by Garron¡¯s words, I had imagined the very same thing. The only difference was that there was just one alpha who appeared in my dreams- shirtless and hugging me tightly. The mere thought made a faint blush rise up my cheeks but then I discarded the idea. Shaking my head, I began walking towards the gate when I heard Garron¡¯s voice. ¡°Wait, it will take you an hour to walk to the venue. Steve will drop you there, you will reach faster.¡± Steve who was standing just beside him threw him an incredulous look. ¡°What?¡± The omega couldn¡¯t quite believe his ears. ¡°You want me to drop her at the venue? What am I? Her personal driver?¡± Garron gave him a cold look and spoke, ¡°If she doesn¡¯t get there on time and the preparations are not Steve just raised his hands in the air and pped them against his legs, ¡°I know nothing about this maid stuff.¡± Munching on an apple, Garron continued, ¡°Right, so go ande back soon. We have things to do.¡± Madeleine merely looked at Garron who smiled meaningfully at her. She gave him a hesitant smile and then suddenly understood what was going on. He was ying nice to her already so that she could start working on her task. Swallowing hard, she got in the car beside Steve. Author''s note: If you love the story so far, kindly leave a review and drop some gems. Do let me know what you think Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org. about the story and the characters. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!