Charlie chuckles before her face falls again. “I am only telling you two, so please don’t tell anyone else.”
“We won’t,” Felix reassures her.
“I can’t reject Maddox. I thought I could, but I can’t. I like him. I know you are not his biggest fan, Gwen, but…”
“That doesn’t matter,” I tell her. “I am not the biggest fan of anyone in this pack except for a very few people. But it’s a fact that without his help, I would have never been able to run. He is working on himself, and he is a great mate to you, that’s all I need to know.”
“His father’s behavior was abhorrent towards him,” Felix adds. “I saw for myself.”
“Yeah, I wish Maddox would be openly mad at his father,” Charlie says. “But whenever he talks about his parents, he appears to be so detached.”
“Must be his coping mechanism,” I say quietly. Man, what a shitty life he must have had. “He has always been like that.”
“When we are alone, he is much more talkative,” Charlie explains. “He is actually cute. I never expected him to be like that. And he is interested in what I have to say. He doesn’t give me the feeling that I am weird or too much, and goddess-“ she groans. “Fucking mate bond, and fucking feelings. If it were just one of them, I could maybe act rationally, but now I really want him.”
I smile at her words. Her gaze drifts to Maddox, and suddenly she has that gleam in her eyes. Yeah, there is no chance she can let him go.
“I won’t reject him,” she adds. “Although I know this place here won’t make me happy.”
“We won’t leave you alone,” I promise her. “You are not alone in this.”
“Gwen!” Daniel’s voice interrupts us as he leaves Beta Mateo’s side and comes running towards us. He pulls me into his arms. “I am so happy to see you! I can barely believe it!”
I smile brightly. “It’s really me!”
“But you are not coming back, are you?”
I grin. “This is a joke, isn’t it?”
Daniel winks at me. “Of course it is. I am happy to see you so well and cared for.” He looks at Felix’s arm around my back and raises his brows. “So, my gut feeling was right.”
“I apologize,” Felix says. “I couldn’t tell you when we met.”
“I understand,” he reassures him. “I am just relieved to see Gwen so happy, and obviously with a mate who cares for her.”
“I guarantee you, she is my favorite person on the planet,” Felix says in his usual, sunshine-Felix-way. Anyone else would sound cheesy, but he can pull it off. “Now that everything is settled, I hope you will visit us plenty of times.”
Daniel’s eyes light up. “I would love to.”
“You are always welcome,” I tell him, hugging him once more. I am so happy to be able to see him again. He has been the only constant in my life, the only one aside from sweet and lovely Evelyn, with her mate who remained at my side. “I need to say hello to Evelyn, too.”
“She will be over the moon to see you,” Daniel says. “Yesterday, when Maddox arrived with Alpha Liam and his beta to detain our alpha-“
“Oh, shit, right. You must be completely in shock,” I exclaim. “Sorry, I was so in my own bubble I didn’t think how you would feel.”
Daniel looks amused. “Do I look shocked? I am beyond the moon that this awful man is finally gone, and I am glad Maddox found the support he needed to do this.” He turns to Felix. “I assume you had your hand in this?”
Felix grins. “Liam is my oldest brother.”
Daniel raises his brows. “Right, a fellow Alcott. I should have made the connection.”
“We wouldn’t have been able to act so fast without Maddox,” Felix admits. “He was an insider and ready to risk his life for this.”
“I am glad he is finally free,” Daniel says quietly, before his eyes finally wander towards Charlie. “I have to apologize. I was so happy to see Gwen, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Daniel, the doctor of this pack.”
Charlie smiles at him. “I am Charlie, short for Charlotte,“ she pauses. “Beta Dante is my dad and...“ She gazes at Maddox again before taking a deep breath. “Maddox is my mate.”
She fucking said it! She said it out loud!
