Here's for tonight. Thank you for waiting. I know this is hard to read, but I'm sure we already knew what Maddox was capable of, and this was expected of him. So just hang in there, this too shall pass 💛 Thank you for all the gems and comments! Please keep them coming.
NADINE.I was so ready to spit saliva on Xander like I did on Maddox after he slammed me against the wall, but his Alpha command caught me off guard. He wanted me to lie to Maddox in order to save myself. My mind went into a daze. I was exhausted, and I was not sure if I was hallucinating. The Alpha command was a clear indication he wanted me to survive, but it definitely did not mean he wanted anything to do with me anymore. He was just being Xander. The man who would lie to save everyone. “Give me that.” His voice snapped me out of my thoughts, and my head tilted to look at them. He grabbed the marker and harshly pulled me away from the wall. He bent forward and began scribbling on the front of my shirt, not caring how harshly he was gripping and holding me to keep me from moving.“I’m a traitor,” Maddox said, reading the words on my shirt. “Nah, give me that.”’Xander handed him the pen, and he stood before me, taking Xander’s place. He crossed out the word traitor and wrote do
XANDER. How do you stand still and show no emotions when the only female you love is being verbally abused and physically assaulted?I had told so many lies in my life to protect other people, but none of them crushed my whole being as they did today. Nadine looked helpless and lost.It made me wish I was a better shifter. It made me wish I hadn’t refused when my grandfather asked if I wanted to live with them to learn the ways of the wolves. Maybe if I did, I would have the power to challenge Maddox and save her. But I had nothing. And I had no one.The only ally I thought I had also betrayed me, and yet I was still here trying to protect her. My wolf was suffering inside me. He couldn’t understand why I was not doing anything. I wish I could, but with Maddox and the people with him, I am powerless. So, I played my part well. I had nothing to lose. I knew Nadine would never end up being mine, but I didn’t want her to die either.If this pack was what she wanted, then she could ha
NADINE. I had no idea how I was able to stand still and face all the egging without flinching or screaming for every hit. It wasn’t easy, especially if the crowd before me was more than hundreds. Aside from the sticky, icky feeling, I knew I had cuts on my forehead as I smelled and tasted blood. But no matter how I tried not to cry, I couldn’t stop the tears. I had always envisioned much further torture than this if Maddox were to find out about me, so this was nothing. The tears streaming down my cheeks were not for me, but for the agony I saw in the eyes of every mother standing in front of me. While their kids were having fun throwing eggs at me, their mothers were obviously distraught. I was sure Maddox had used his Alpha command again, as no one dared touch me at the beginning except for Carlotta.‘Use it as much as you want, coward. One day, it will be the main reason you’ll fall.’ I mumbled to myself as I kept my head high. I had to. I had to remind myself that I am a Montre
NADINE.“What happened?” Mindy’s face showed concern as she crouched in front of me. I pulled on the chains that held me in order to make some sound. I was not even sure if it could be heard in the corridor because the water was also making a lot of noise. But I wanted to mask our voices more. “I’m a Montrell, Mindy,” I said in a low voice. I kept my eyes on her, not wanting to miss any reaction. Up to this moment, I was not sure how Mindy took our last encounter. But if there was any doubt in my heart that she hated me, it went away the moment her face softened and tears welled in her eyes. Without letting go of the high-pressure hose in one hand, she wrapped her free arm around my neck and hugged me. Her warmth enveloped my whole body, just what I needed at the moment.“You’re crazy for coming here!” She mumbled, but she began peppering me with kisses on the side of my head. “But I’m glad to meet you.”She pulled away from hugging me, and a wide smile was plastered on her face. “
XANDER. We left Nadine at the central plaza and headed back to the packhouse. I didn’t want to leave her, but I had to play my part. I knew she was safer with Maddox’s men around her than if he were there.They would not kill or hurt her without him, as my evil brother wanted to see Nadine suffer. I was just buying time and trying to think of the best approach. I didn’t want to make hasty decisions because one wrong move could cost Nadine’s life. So even if I had to swallow my pride and act like a puppet to my brother, even if it meant the people who liked Nadine might end up hating me, I had to do it. Nadine above all. Maddox asked me to eat a late lunch with him, which I did. After that, he went directly to his office and locked himself there. And I hurried upstairs to the guest room, where I found Nadine on the phone. I was still grieving, knowing she was in love with someone else, but I had decided to let it go for now. I needed to save her. When I was sure no one was on the s
XANDER.It had been more than a week, and I was not able to get near Nadine anymore.If there was any consolation, no one had touched or tortured her after the first day. I had no idea what Maddox had in mind, but he had Gray here most of the time, and they would lock themselves in his office. I was his Beta, but I no longer felt like his second in command, except when it was about the usual pack concerns—not anything relating to Nadine and whatever he was conniving with Gray. Kenzo felt the same way. He had asked Maddox to let him and his men take charge of Nadine, but Maddox had dismissed the request right away. He told him to concentrate on his work and leave Nadine to himself.Kenzo was still treating me coldly. He was not in agreement with how I had just abandoned Nadine, but I had no choice but to shut my mouth. I was also concerned about him, as I could see him becoming agitated whenever the topic shifted to her. Maddox had already slipped, and he told me he was watching him.
MINDY.“Can you get me some water? I forgot to take one.” I asked Carter. He had been the one in here most of the time, and I had been doing my best to smile at him more often. And I could tell it was working, as he would flirt with me on some days. I was not comfortable with flirting. The truth was, I was not comfortable around any other men except for Xander. But I swallowed it all and just let him flirt with me. I never flirted back because I didn’t know how, but I kept smiling and nodding my head at him.“Where will I get bottled water here? I don’t want to run upstairs to the security room. It takes too much time.” He then cocked his head to the other side before smirking at me. “I’ll pull down the hose here. She can drink from it.”“Yes, she can, but then it would be a big mess, and I’m the one who’ll end up cleaning up the mess. The Alpha ordered me to keep her cell clean and dry to avoid molds,” I said in a soft voice before biting my bottom lip. “I can also go up there and
MINDY.“Arlo?” My voice almost didn’t come out. My heart was thudding so loudly that it felt like it would jump out of my chest. I was nervous, but I couldn’t deny the excitement I felt when I heard his voice. “This is Arlo. Who is this?” He asked. I could picture him smiling at the other end, and it made my shoulders relax.“Mindy. My name is Mindy…” I answered, but I got lost in what to say next.“Hello, Mindy. Do you need something from me?”“I need you.” I blurted out.Dead air.What did I just say to him? I felt my cheeks burning. I sounded so needy. It shouldn't be like that.“Okay.” I expected him to laugh or mock me, but there was nothing. His voice turned serious when he spoke. “Are you okay?”“Nadine is…” I attempted to continue, but I nearly choked, so I decided to stop. I didn't want to experience the pain of not being able to breathe like what happened when Nadine took me out of the territory.The Alpha command. The Alpha specifically instructed me not to discuss the Mo