“I did, but he just told me everything is fine. Somehow, I call bullshit.”
“How come?” Dave wants to know.
Charlie presses a hand against her chest. “I feel off,” she admits. “I wish I could ask Maddox about it, but I don’t want to put too much pressure on him.”
“Felix told me they were making progress,” I say. “I have only gotten one message from him, though. Seems like they are really trying to get as much work done as possible.”
“Felix would tell you straight if something was wrong, right?” Charlie asks.
I nod. “I strongly believe he would.”
“Do you think Maddox would do the same? And tell me?”
The others all turn to look at me. “I… I don’t really know Maddox much,” I admit. “He is very reserved.”
“Then, I doubt he would want to worry his mate,” Dave points out, surprising me with his honesty.
“I have the same feeling,” Charlie mutters, brushing through her hair. “Would his father hurt him?”
I let her words sink in. I am not sure, but after meeting Maddox again and hearing the others talk about him, I am starting to believe he would. I also remember Daniel’s words about Maddox. Something’s definitely off between him and his father.
“Your silence is pretty loud,” Charlie mutters.
“I am sorry. I really don’t know for sure,” I admit. “But I don’t trust his father at all. I don’t think he is particularly nice to his son.”
Charlie groans. “Why is all of that so complicated? Shouldn’t it be all sparkles and butterflies when you meet your mate?”
“Certainly wasn’t so for me,” Celine admits.
“Me neither,” Dave says. “My first mate hated me, and himself. Raffy suffered from amnesia, and his wolf was suppressed. We didn’t even notice we were mates at first.”
“It was quite difficult for Dante and me, also,” Ella says. “But for different reasons.”
Again, all of them look at me. “Felix gave me time and adapted to my pace, but he… well…”
“Yeah, he is Felix,” Celine concludes with a warm smile. “He is just overall loving and sweet.”
I feel my cheeks warm up slightly. She is right. Felix would have done everything to make me feel comfortable. He actually did so from the first minute we met.
“Why don’t you come with me, Charlie?” I offer, short of any other answer.
Charlie blinks. “Would that really be okay?”
“Yes, I am worried about Felix, too. Like I said, I don’t trust Maddox’s father at all. We can hang out together and wait for one of them to call.” I pause, my own idea making me feel lighter too. “You actually would do me a favor.”
“Thank you,” Charlie lets out a sigh of relief, before turning towards Ella. “Is that okay? You are swamped with work.”
“Don’t worry, I can handle it. Besides, Dante is there and will help,” Ella reassures her, kissing the side of her head. “Go with Gwen and distract each other.”
I am so relieved about the solution. I was already dreading returning home to an empty house, though technically it isn’t empty. But I know I will miss Felix’s presence. I was already considering bothering Flora or Aurelia, but now that Charlie is coming with me, it’s a much better option for me. Charlie is my age, and I feel we are much more on a level than I am with Felix’s siblings or parents. They are very kind and sweet towards me, but it’s always different to share problems with a friend.
Celine offers to drop by Silverlake to take us home, an offer I happily take her up on. She drops us off, not without offering to invite me over to her pack once Felix is back. “Why don’t you bring Faye with you?” she says. “Mari and I wanted to invite her for a playdate anyway. We promised her she could come. But I guess it would be comforting for her to come with you.”
I doubt Faye would mind. She is obsessed with Celine and Marius, but I don’t want to reject her kind offer. It’s about time to get out of my lonesome shell. “I would love to.”
“Great, I will send you a message so we can talk about the details.”
With that, Charlie and I find ourselves back in the Silverlake pack and ready to tend to the animals. “How about I call Gisela and Dario for help?” Charlie offers.
