Chapter 5

NADINE. 

“Nadine!” Xander’s voice rang in the air before another one came.

“In my office, Beta,” Maddox ordered him. 

“Give me ten minutes, Maddox,” Xander answered, and soon I heard footsteps following me. It still baffled me how easy it was for Xander to deflect words from Alpha Maddox, but I guess because they were brothers. 

I hurried my steps, and the moment I reached the second floor, I ran to my room. 

“Fuck!” I heard him mumble before he ran as well. I was able to reach my room, but it was locked, and I had no idea where the key was. 

I was still holding my doorknob when I turned around, my eyes glaring at him as I spoke. “Don’t come near…”

He stopped right away and raised his hands. “I have the keys in my pocket.”

“Give it to me.”

With one hand still up, he reached for his pocket and pulled the key from it. I grabbed it from him and inserted it into the keyhole. With my body facing him, I pushed the door open. “Don’t you dare attempt to come inside my room, or I will scream.”

“I just want to talk.”

“You had your chance last night!” I snapped at him, my teeth gritting. 

“Can I explain?”

“No.”

“You’re not safe here, Nadine.” He said it in a very low voice, and the moment he attempted to step closer, I slid inside the door and closed it, but he was fast. He slipped his arm inside, and it took too much effort on my end to press the door close. I didn’t care if I was hurting him. 

“If I push a little more, I might hit you with the door. So please just let me…” He kept talking, and I knew he was right, so I had no choice but to bite his forearm. 

“Aargh!” He grunted, but he was restraining himself from yelling.

Since I was biting too much, I forgot I was also holding the door. By the time I let go of his arm, there was already enough opening for him to slip in.

He closed the door and locked it. 

“I’m tired, Xander. I want to rest.” I said in a soft voice as I stepped back. I knew screaming at him would only cause me to lose more energy. 

“I’m sorry about last night, but if you let me explain…”

“Leave, please. I just want to go to sleep. If you’re going to throw me out, at least let me get a decent sleep so I have the energy to look for a new place.”

“I’m not going to throw you out. I put you in the bunker to keep you safe, even from me. Your tattoo, Nadine, it links you to Tristan…”

My mouth hung open as I listened to him.

“Do not let anyone see that until I can figure things out. Or just don’t make it visible at all.” He continued, and I kept quiet, wanting to know more, but our conversation was cut short when a knock came on the door. 

“What do you need?” Xander asked, his voice sounding annoyed.

“I’m sorry, Xander. But the Alpha insists you meet him at his office.” Mindy’s voice came, and my hands automatically coiled into tight fists. 

“He wants you there in three minutes. I’ll wait for you at his office.” She added, and I heard footsteps going away.

“Mother fucker!” Xander growled. 

He then turned around, ready to leave, and I couldn’t keep my silence anymore. “So, that’s it. One word from her, and you’re leaving me after you insist we talk.”

“If I don’t go there in three minutes, he’s going to make a pass at Mindy. That’s why he wants her to wait for me at his office.” Xander said without breathing as he stared at me. He was the first one to drop his eyes and leave without saying anything.

The moment the door closed, my tears fell as I slowly lowered my body to the floor. I thought the pain from last night was already the worst and that whatever pain he gave me would no longer hurt me. But hearing Xander be possessive of her in a way that he could not for me was ripping my heart apart.

I cried for a while before I pushed my body up and forced myself to walk to the bathroom. I opened the shower and stood under it, letting the water stream down my body. I didn’t even bother to take off my clothes. I just stood there, staring at the tiled walls as I went through everything that happened in the last twenty-four hours. 

I came here with a purpose. But every time I encountered Xander, I would lose my focus and let myself be vulnerable. I couldn’t let that continue. 

I shoved my wolf, Star, at the back of my head because she was just making all of this more unbearable as she kept pining for Xander. I stripped my clothes off and washed my body, scrubbing my skin to remove my sweat and all the juices that had dried on my legs.

I had things to do, and I shouldn’t let Xander get in the way.

Maybe it would be better if we rejected each other. Maybe without the mate bond, I could no longer feel any pull toward him. Without the bond, I could focus on things I needed to do, and he could rot away with his chosen mate. 

After taking a shower, I changed into new clothes. I initially wanted to put on a dress, but I remembered what he told me about Tristan. I had no idea whether I should trust him, but I guess it was only right to hide my tattoo, especially if it was the reason she found out I knew the old Beta.

I wondered if Tristan talked about me to anyone.

I contemplated whether I should pull my hair up in a tight ponytail like Mindy’s hair, but then I realized I had to stop caring about Xander and Mindy, so I just let my hair down and put on a faint lipstick.

I had no idea what time they ate breakfast, but I was hoping I could catch Alpha Maddox before he left for the day or got busy. 

I grabbed the small ice pick I hid inside my luggage and slipped it into my back pocket before leaving my room and heading to his office. I was relieved that I didn’t bump into anyone on my way down.

I pacified my loud heartbeat as I stood outside the Alpha’s door. I couldn’t smell Xander, so I was sure he was not there anymore. 

I was about to knock when I heard Maddox speak from the inside. “Come in.” 

I slowly turned the knob and pushed the door open, flashing him a warm smile as I peered inside. “Good morning, Alpha. If you’re not busy, I was hoping to speak with you.”

“Come in,” he repeated as he eased back onto his chair and rested his elbow on his armrest before his fingers played with the pen in his hand. “What can I do for you?”

I stepped in and closed the door. I walked toward him but stopped a few feet away from his table. He wasn’t smiling. For a moment, I worried that Xander might have told him about my tattoo.

“Uhm…” I stuttered. I wasn’t acting. I almost forgot what I needed to say because of the nervousness I felt. “I was wondering if I could be inducted into your pack.”

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: I changed Nadine's wolf's name to STAR. And I will change Xander as well, so please disregard the wolves' names you read in the previous books for them. 💛