There is no time to worry further as Liam introduces us to the elder, and vice versa. Elder Bernard looks like an incredibly kind man. “As I said before,” he now says. “I am sure we will find a good solution for the pack to support you, Maddox. Your father has been detained for now, and we will find out what he knew and who else was involved.”
For a moment, Maddox’s face looks crestfallen. “I can’t believe what he did,” he mutters. “Despite everything he did or said to me, I still thought…” his voice trails off, and he gets that detached look on his face again. Felix is right, it truly looks like he is someplace far away at times.
Charlie wraps her arm around him, which seems to do the trick, because Maddox becomes more alert all of a sudden. “Actually, Elder Bernard, there is something you need to know about my plans. I was just waiting for my mate to be here.”
“And what’s that, my boy?” Elder Bernard asks warmly.
“With you here, and with Alpha Liam as my witness,” Maddox says. “I want to officially reject the alpha position.”
At his words, all of us just stare at him. It’s as if the world stopped moving.
Elder Bernard widens his eyes. “You don’t know what you are saying, child! This pack is your birthright.”
“I know,” he says. “And I am very well aware of what I am saying. I have thought about it long and hard. I never felt at home here, I don’t have any good memories, and I don’t even like the pack much. I have developed a habit of detaching, orrather dissociating. For an alpha that’s not good. I have already talked to Alpha Liam about this-“
At that, Dante’s mouth drops open, and he stares at Liam in surprise. “You did?”
“Yes,” Liam says simply, an apologetic smile on his lips. “But it was a private conversation that had to remain a secret.”
Maddox nods. “I will move to Red Claw. Alpha Liam offered me a position in his team of advisors. One thing I know for certain is that I am a very good warrior and a good strategist, but I am not one for the front row. An advisor to a royal lycan alpha is exactly what I would love to do.”
Charlie stares at him, wide-eyed. “You… you didn’t even know I would accept you, yet you decided to move to my pack?”
“I made the decision for myself,” he says. “But meeting you helped me find purpose. Even if you reject me, no one is going to take this new revelation away from me.” He smiles. “And I heard you talk to Gwen earlier. Didn’t you do the same? You thought we would stay here, yet you were ready to accept me.”
“I did!” Charlie grins. “We both did the same, huh? Aren’t we generous and humble?”
Maddox smiles. “So, if you want me, I will happily move to Red Claw with you. If you don’t want me, I will still move to Red Claw, albeit less happily.”
Charlie throws her arms around him. “I am not letting you go anywhere.”
Liam turns to Dante. “And what does Dad think?”
“He has nothing to say,” he mutters. “Who could go against a young man who is ready to sacrifice something so big for my girl?” he pauses. “He is a good guy and makes her happy. Everything else comes secondary.”
fifty-eight
Mother
*GWENDOLYN*
Ilook at the photograph in my hands. “So that’s her,” I ask.
Flora nods. “Your mentor, Daniel, dug deep to find any trace of her. Elden and I went to your old pack yesterday, and he handed this to us.”
I look back at the photograph, my heart thumping against my chest. It’s been almost two weeks since my own visit to the pack. I’ve only been back once, and let my new family handle everything else.
But here she is. My mother. She looks like the person I hope I’ll see one day when I look in the mirror. It’s undeniable that Iam related to her. I might have my dad’s curly hair, but I have her face, her build, the same green eyes, and the same smile.
It gives me a twinge in my chest to see her, but it doesn’t hurt as much as I thought it would. When Felix told me we could look for her, I wasn’t sure at first.
But the urge for answers was greater than my anxiety. “She looks like me,” I say quietly.
“Do you want to hear what I found out?” Flora asks.
“Did you do your own research?”
She nods. “Daniel told me he couldn’t find more and didn’t want to approach her so as not to scare her away, but I spent the whole day yesterday digging into her past.”
