“Today they have an important meeting,” I point out.
“Oh, I forgot! The one Felix went to. Then it might be a guest!”
A guest? It can’t be, can it? What are the chances…? No, I am getting ahead of myself. It could literally be anyone who is here at the moment. Maybe a warrior joined the meeting, or a few of them. Maybe not all ranked members are in the said meeting and have their regular office hours. It could even be that someone from another pack arrived to deliver something, or that they invited more guests to join them. I didn’t know about Silas joining us until Charlie told me, so he might not be the only additional guest.
It doesn’t necessarily mean-
“There,” Charlie whispers, pulling me into a hidden corner of the corridor. Further away, I can see a tall young man with broadshoulders and wavy brown hair walking around, his eyes almost frantic as he looks around.
“Maddox,” I say quietly.
“Wait a moment. That name rings a bell,” Charlie mutters.
“He is the alpha’s son who helped me escape,” I say.
Charlie nods. “You told us about him… It means he is from your old pack, right? You barely like anyone from your old pack…”
“Yeah, I have mixed feelings about him due to my past, but I have mixed feelings about everyone in my old pack. Maddox himself isn’t a bad person.”
“He didn’t stand up for you, though.”
“Yeah, and my mentor – one of the very few in the pack who had my back – called him out on it. The thing is, he did come around and act. I wouldn’t have been able to run without his help. Now that I know how shit his father is, I doubt he had many options.” I pause, thinking back to the moment at the party many months ago, when he asked Brandon so many questions, all the while looking at me. He didn’t intervene directly, but he made sure of me finding out that Brandon was a major asshole. “He watched out for me in his own way.”
Charlie stays quiet. “But his pack is full of bullies, isn’t it? And they are somehow involved with Marina’s fate.”
“Yes. It looks like it. However, obviously, Maddox is here to help. And I guess he is taking a huge risk in doing so.”
Charlie is unusually quiet, which makes me instantly worried. Maddox and I might never become friends, as too much happened. He was never directly involved in my bullying, but he never did anything to stop it either. I get that he had his own problems; Daniel hinted at it plenty of times, but obviously, I don’t want to be his best friend. However, I will be eternally thankful to him for making it possible for me to have fled the pack. Without him, I would have never been able to meet Felix.
“Everyone deserves a chance,” I say quietly.
“I know,” Charlie agrees. “But his pack is shit. Obviously, there is room for improvement for him, too, but at least he is trying. His pack, however…” She grimaces.
There is no time to discuss this further because footsteps are coming closer. Charlie takes a deep breath and steps into the corridor again, right before Maddox walks past us. “Hello,” she says.
Something in her eyes flashes again, while Maddox’s eyes turn pitch black. “Mate,” he growls.
I almost expect him to walk towards Charlie and grab her, but to my surprise, he doesn’t. Instead, he pushes his beast back and smiles at her, reaching out his hand. “I am Maddox,” he says, his eyes pinned to Charlie’s face while his expression is softening. “My beautiful mate.”
Being in his presence obviously has an effect on Charlie; of course it does. And I need to give credit where credit is due, Maddox is behaving well, and doing it all right with her. She takes his hand, a look of surprise on her face once she realizes what she did.
Behind Maddox, I can see Silas and Aurelia approaching. “You just took off, Mads,” Aurelia says with a chuckle.
She names him so informally, even gave him a nickname? Guess he must have made a good impression on her.
Her gaze wanders down to Maddox’s and Charlie’s hands. “Oh,” she says, instantly catching on. “You are mates!” she adds. “Well, that’s a surprise!” Her tone doesn’t give it away, but she sounds a little worried to me.
“Yeah, how wonderful,” Silas mutters, his voice dripping in sarcasm. “That’s Charlie,” he tells Maddox. “Myniece.”
Man, he sounds threatening when he says the word ‘niece‘. I wouldn’t want to be on his bad side, ever!
Maddox doesn’t even seem to notice his tone however, he just smiles at Charlie. “Charlie,” he repeats.
“Short for Charlotte,” Charlie says.
“I see, but I think Charlie fits you well.”
Charlie’s eyes light up. I don’t know what it is that makes her so happy, but he certainly said the right thing. Meanwhile, I‘m wondering if I should steal myself away when finally Maddox’s eyes raise, and he catches me. “Gwen!” he says, his eyes widening. “You are here! Goddess, I am so glad you are safe! Daniel and I didn’t dare to snoop around too much. We just hoped you made it to safety.”
