I feel like there is a lot of information in what he just said. “Why?” I ask. “Did something happen for you not to be able to reach out?”
“Brandon went crazy,” he says.
When Charlie wants to pull herself free and step to the side, Maddox just pulls her closer to him, until she is standing right next to him, his fingers suddenly intertwined with hers. Yeah, girl, you are obviously not going anywhere.
“Maddox told us a lot,” Aurelia adds. “We need to be careful, though. It’s not safe for him to stay for too long.”
“What do you mean?” Charlie asks, her eyebrows furrowing deeply. “Why is he not safe?” She turns to look at Maddox. “Why are you not safe?”
In the distance, I can see Elden and Felix approaching as well, both halting for a moment when they spot us.No way!Felix links me.
Yes way,I say.I was shocked, too.
“Why is it not safe?” Charlie pushes.
“They are looking for Gwen,” Elden finally answers as he approaches. “And it seems like that stupid boy, Brandon, created quite the ruckus.”
“For real,” Maddox scrunches his nose. “My father already suspects me of being involved. I can’t alert him any further.” He pauses. “He is dangerous when he is angry.”
At that, Elden scowls, and Charlie just tightens her grip around his hand.
“I managed to lay some false trails, so there is that, but they won‘t suspect me again,” he says.
“But why?” I ask, dumbfounded. “Why am I so important? They never gave a fuck!”
“I don’t know,” Maddox says. “Frankly, I was surprised, too. But when they noticed you were gone, Dad threw a tantrum. He even had his warriors look for you.”
“Good thing I didn’t have a scent for them, since I wasn’t a pack member.”
Maddox stares at me. “What?” he exclaims.
“You… you didn’t know?”
“No! How could you not have been a pack member?” He brushes through his hair. “Goddess, what a mess! I am ashamed to admit it, but I don’t know how to solve it.”
“Of course you don’t,” Elden says. “How would you? You obviously need help with that. There is no shame in accepting it.”
Maddox is silent for a moment. “Maybe,” he says.
He has the same look as before I left the pack, that broody, thoughtful one. Originally, I thought he was just not interested in what was going on, but now he looks more defeated than anything else. I had my own shit to struggle with back then, so I never noticed, but now that I feel safe and happy, it’s pretty obvious.
Charlie must have noticed too, because she frowns again and tugs at his hand. It seems to startle Maddox awake from his thoughts, and he smiles at her. “Nothing that isn’t solvable,” he says.
“How about we grab some lunch?” Aurelia offers. “I think this would be the right timing. Come, Silas.” She grabs the vampire’s arm and tugs him along. “You can join Arden and me. I think Celine might join us, too.”
“Oh, young alphas,” he mutters. “You are all so pushy.”
“I don’t fuck with mates,” she says firmly. “They need to have some privacy now that they just met each other.”
Silas sighs. “I guess you are right.”
Meanwhile, Elden leads us in the other direction. “Liam will join us,” he says. “He wants to chat more with Maddox.”
With Felix next to me again, I feel all fuzzy and happy, especially when he puts his arm around my shoulder.
“Oh,” Maddox says. “So that’s how it is.”
“Yes,” Felix says. “She is mine!”
