“They were really worried about you,” Liam explains. “Obviously, they want to dote on you now.”
“They are not the only ones,” I admit, my heart clenching at the thought of how much danger Felix was in. It’s never allowed to happen again!
“We’ll be much more careful now,” Liam tells me. “We already know much more today than we did yesterday, and every piece of knowledge gives us more power.”
“Where is Dario?” Gisela asks us. “He was going insane with worry when he heard about the attack.”
“I think I was able to smooth things over with him,” Felix says. “But I am not sure.”
“He had to leave for an appointment in town,” Liam tells us.
“Is it just me, or has he been kind of withdrawn recently?” Felix almost blurts out the question.
“It’s not just you,” Gisela says.
Liam furrows his brows. “Yeah, I guess you are right, but maybe he is just trying to live his life. You found your purpose after all, Felix, maybe he wants to do the same.”
“You could be right,” Felix mutters.
We don’t have the chance to continue the conversation because two people are stepping out of the infirmary at the same time and walking towards us.
“Oh,” Gisela grins. “Maddox and Charlie!”
I don’t know who Charlie was trying to fool, but it’s certainly not any of us. Maddox has his arm around her shoulder and looks at her with a soft expression while she is talking happily. For a guy who is mostly distanced and closed off, it’s surprising to see him so attentive.
“Hey!” Charlie exclaims once they have walked up to us.
“Hello, you two,” Liam says with a smile. “I was about to come and look for you.”
Maddox nods. “Of course, you still need answers, Alpha Liam.”
“I guess we could do this tomorrow, at my pack,” he muses. “But maybe it’s better to get it over with so that you can enjoy your stay.”
Maddox turns to Charlie, squeezing her hand. “Is that okay with you?”
“Of course,” Charlie reassures him. “I’ll hang out with the others in the meantime. Give me a call once you are finished.”
Maddox smiles at her before he follows Liam back to the packhouse. Once he is out of view, she whispers towards us. “We are going on a date later.”
“Awesome!” Gisela beams.
Felix eyes her curiously. “What did Liam mean aboutthey could have the talk in his pack?”
Charlie’s eyes light up at my question. “Maddox was super interested in Red Claw,” she exclaims. “I was so nervous about asking him to visit me. But he is super attentive. He even wants to see my drawings. I showed him the shitty comic I drew as a teen, and he loved it. I can’t believe it! He is actually going to stay at my pack for a couple of days. Uncle Liam invited him!”
“Amazing! I am so happy for you,” I exclaim.
“Maybe I shouldn’t say this,” Felix says. “But he genuinely likes and cares about you. He told me during our drive back home. He reallyisinto you.”
“Really?” Charlie asks hopefully. “Even though I am not luna material and have colored hair and piercings?”
“He said no one is allowed to change you,” Felix says. “And that he likes you the way you are. Called you super-hot, and that you have so much personality.”
Charlie’s cheeks heat up at Felix’s words. I don’t know how she and Maddox will deal with the difficult situation of his pack, or with them leading the pack, but at least I now know that Maddox is seriously interested in Charlie and in her well-being.
I know the problem isn’t that she will need to become luna, the issue is that she will be forced to move to a pack with a terrible reputation after finally having found a place she can call home. She has a family in Red Claw, she has friends and her supportsystem. She grew up without any of that, which is why it means so much to her now.
I just hope he will find a way for Charlie to be happy.
