Chapter 48
forty-eight
Followers
*FELIX*
“This took us way too long,” I groan. “I didn’t expect your pack to throw me a goodbye party. I was only there for one day and one night.”
“I apologize. My father probably wanted to show off in front of you.”
“Well, we‘ve managed to leave now,” I say. “It’s okay.”
Maddox is driving again. This time, as we are driving away from his pack, his mood seems a bit lighter. That is, if anything about Maddox’s mood can ever be described as light. He packed his suitcase yesterday once we came back from the bar, while I updated Gwen, Dario and Dad.
Dad told me he would inform Liam, and he commended me for my good work.
I didn’t know it would feel that good to hear his praise. Not that he never praised me before, but this time it’s different. I did something difficult, I took a risk, and I did it right. I gauged the situation correctly and took action the moment it was needed. It feels good to know I did well.
It also helps me to get over the minutes and minutes of silence stretching between Maddox and me. I thought maybe he would have warmed up a little and become more talkative, but he is as quiet as he was the day before.
“Daniel is a nice guy,” I finally say.
Maddox nods. “He really helped me a lot.”
Silence.
“Gwen told me he was the only one who stuck with her after her dad died.”
Silence.
“Did you know her dad?” I ask.
At this point, I just want him to make conversation with me; I don‘t give a shit about the topic. If he wants to talk about rocks, be my guest. If he wants to tell me all about nuclear fission, I’d happily engage with him.
I am ready to listen to an hour-long ramble about stamps.
But I am not sure if I can handle his reluctance to talk for the whole drive.
After what I experienced yesterday, I am starting to understand why he is that way. Daniel further verified it, but it doesn’t change the fact that he needs to push himself so that we can solve the issue with his pack, and he definitely needs to do it for Charlie.
I just want to see a glimpse of the real him. For a moment, it was there last night when he snapped at Daniel. But it was just brief.
Maybe I should switch strategy. I have tried to make light conversation and small talk with him, I tried to have him talk about his hobbies, but I never asked the truly burning questions. Things I wanted to ask him ever since I met him.
“Gwen told me about her ex, Brandon, and his friends… your friends,” I say into the silence.
This seems to alert Maddox in some way, at least, because I can see his hands tighten around the wheel. “They were never my friends. I was just expected to hang out with them.”
“She also told me about her horse and what happened that day.”
This time, Maddox visibly flinches.
“Why did you not stop them?” I ask, deciding to be straightforward. “I understand you weren’t in on it, but you ran into the mob, didn’t you? You could have done something!”
“I know, my biggest fuckup!” he blurts out, much to my surprise.
“Fuck! I didn’t know the others were up to something so awful.
When I caught up with them, I told them to stop, but they wouldn’t listen,” he pauses.
“It’s not an excuse, however. I was too passive, always have been.
It’s why they don’t really respect me. I should have been much more insistent; I should have commanded them. ”
“You don’t care,” I say.
“Excuse me?” For a split second, Maddox looks truly upset. “Of course I care! The pack members mean something to me-”
“That’s not what I meant,” I interrupt him. “Sorry, it came out wrong. I know you care about your pack members, or you wouldn’t have helped Gwen escape. It’s just… you barely talk. It’s like the switch is off. Like you are numb. You are not here.”
Maddox is quiet for a while. “I don’t feel much anymore,” he admits.
“What about Charlie?” I ask.
For the first time in these two days, I see his eyes light up, and something like warmth bleeds into his features. “Oh, she is amazing! She has so much personality, and she is beautiful and smart!”
“She would make an interesting luna,” I say with a smile. “With her strong personality and her quirky appearance, she will definitely make an impact.”
“She doesn’t want to be luna,” Maddox says.
I am not sure what to answer. I guess he is right. Charlie loves her pack. She has family there, and she was lonely for so many years that her family means the world to her. “I think she would be amazing,” I say.
“Yes, she would be amazing, and I would never let anyone change who she is...“ Maddox gazes out of the window briefly. “But I don’t think she will want to become luna.”
“Have you asked her?”
“Some things you just know.”
Again, he has a point. Yet... “You should still talk to her,” I say. “There is no point in keeping it all inside and making assumptions without getting her opinion.”
“I just don’t know how to react,” he admits. “I don’t want her to feel any pressure.”
“But you still need to talk! There is no use in staying quiet. If you do, she will too, and I am sure she has plenty of questions and worries. Seriously, what type of mate do you want to be to her?”
“I want her to be able to rely on me,” he says. “I want her to know that I will support her.”
“Then you have to make sure she knows she can take her worries to you, even if you might be afraid to know them. That way, you‘ll know her stance on things, and you can work out compromises or solutions.”
Maddox looks at the street, his hands tight around the wheel. “You are right,” he finally says. “I will keep that in mind.”
“I,“ I pause, furrowing my brows. Was it just my imagination? I could swear there was a shadow behind us for a moment. “Can you drive faster?”
Maddox tosses me a surprised glance. “Yes, but why?”
“A gut feeling.”
For a moment, Maddox is silent again, then- “Fuck!” I feel the car picking up speed.
“You sense it, too?”
“No, but it’s enough for me that you do. Keep looking out for anything or anyone who might be following us.”
I nod, keeping my eyes focused on the road or rather, the forest next to us. Kiran?
If anyone wanted to spy on us or attack, this would be a perfect place to do so, he says. The forest surrounding us gives them cover.
Them?
I don’t know. It just makes sense that there would be a group following us. One single wolf would be too risky.
He has a point. With him present, I can feel my senses getting much sharper, my ears taking in all the noises around me.
I roll down the window to hear more clearly.
For a while, I don’t see anything suspicious, until we pass through a less dense area of the forest. There it is again: shadows passing behind the bushes. Clearly, an animal the size of a wolf.
If I have learned one thing, it’s that if it looks like a wolf, moves like a wolf, and is chasing me, then take it the fuck seriously.
“Damn it,” I curse. “A group of wolves is following us!”
“Fuck!” Maddox picks up the speed further, driving fast enough for me to grab the handle of the door for balance. He is not kidding around anymore, and it’s good to know that he can actually take action in a critical moment.
Maddox maneuvers the car past two bends without reducing the speed. We reach a straight road, which should take us out of the forest into a landscape with narrow fields, that will make it much harder to be followed.
Here they come! Kiran bellows.
“Hold on tight!” I yell, right when something bumps against the car. The car skids slightly, but Maddox manages to keep it under control.
Then another bump.
As long as Maddox keeps driving, we should make it out without a fight or whatever these wolves are after. “This is not pack territory, is it?” I yell.
“No,” Maddox exclaims. “And these are certainly not wolves from my pack either. I don’t know them.”
“Just drive!”
The car skids again, before- “SHIT!” Maddox yells. “Hold on tight!”
I do what he says, instinctively holding onto the handle while my gaze snaps from the wolves behind us to what’s in front of us. A huge tree lies draped across the street, giving Maddox no room to drive around it.
Kiran, make sure you are ready to heal me when we crash!
“No fucking way,” Maddox mutters under his breath. “I am going to make it out of this, in one fucking piece.” He spins the car around so fast that it rotates a few times before it suddenly halts.
He did it! Stopped the car before we could crash. But we have a new problem ahead of us now. “Out,” I exclaim. “We either need to fight them or run.”
“They are too close,” Maddox blurts out. “Fight!”
*GWENDOLYN*
It’s late in the morning, actually almost around lunch, when Charlie and I make it to the packhouse in search of something edible… and company. We were up until late into the night, even after Gisela and then Dario went home. I guess having your mate out there just hits differently.
“Maddox wrote to me that they are on the way back,” Charlie says, relief etched onto her face.
“I talked to Mom earlier this morning, and she told me to stay here for the week so I can get to know Maddox better. I have plans to show him Red Claw, too, though. Fingers crossed, he will actually want to get to know where I live and my family.”
“I am sure he will,” I say.
And if he doesn’t, I will have Felix or Elden or Arden or Aurelia kick sense into him. Or all four of them at once. And if nothing helps, I will ask Flora to do it. Something tells me he would be so terrified of her that he would agree to anything. But I hope there will be no need to go that far.
I hear a flapping noise, and Tiger lands on my shoulder. By now, I have gotten accustomed to her, and it seems like she is following me around more and more. It’s such a comforting feeling, giving me the security of never being alone.
I love my zoo. Today, my capybara and porcupine demanded some attention and wanted to have cuddles. It just feels like I am living my dream.
“Hey, girls!” Aurelia approaches, with long strides and smiles at us. “Where are you heading to?”
“Technically, I’d say breakfast,” I chuckle.
“Though we could also call it brunch,” Charlie adds. “We might have skipped breakfast for the sake of sleeping in and cuddling with a whole bunch of fur babies.”
“How about you join Arden and me?” Aurelia offers. “We both had to skip breakfast today. He had an appointment with the Council, and I had a meeting with a bunch of alphas.”
“Is the kitchen still operating?” Charlie asks. “Or maybe, it’s operating again? Sorry, I am not making any sense. It’s just that we are right between breakfast and lunch.”
“I got you,” Aurelia chuckles, leading us towards the back entrance of the packhouse. There, on the first floor, is a small private dining room that the alpha family sometimes uses when they have official guests.
In there, I spot Arden, currently putting some plates on the table, and a generous amount of quesadillas and tacos. “You are a lifesaver,” I exclaim.
Aurelia grins. She wraps her arms around Arden, who returns the gesture.
I’ve noticed that Arden is more of a reserved character, but he always seems to light up when Aurelia is with him.
They are such a handsome couple. He fumbles with something in his ear.
While I try not to stare, I can’t help but throw secret looks at him.
Felix mentioned he has a hearing impairment and sometimes switches off his hearing aid.
Now I feel bad that Charlie and I are ruining their couple time.
“We really don’t want to intrude,” I say.
“Gwen is right,” Charlie agrees. “We can just grab something and eat somewhere else.”
“Why would you?” Arden asks. “There is plenty of food and space here.”
Aurelia smiles at us. “If I’d wanted to have Arden fully to myself, I would have had brunch with him in our private suite.”
“We just wanted to unwind a little here,” Arden adds. “But we can still do that with you two,“ he pauses, a smile curling his lips as he looks at Tiger, “three here.”
“Well then, I am too hungry to argue,” I admit.
At that, Arden smiles, and Aurelia chuckles. “We are family,” she tells me. “You don’t need to walk on eggshells around us.”
Both Charlie and I are happy to dig in. It’s been a while since I had quesadillas. I ordered them for Faye sometimes when I had the money to spare. “These are fantastic,” I say.
“Thank you.” Arden inspects his plate, a deep frown on his face. “They could be better, though, but thank you for the feedback.”
“Wait, you made them?” Charlie asks.
“Yes. I have been experimenting in the kitchen,” he explains. “My mentor and best friend, Eric, is a good cook and usually provides me with the information I need.”
“Eric is a prince of the Council,” Aurelia explains to us. “He is also my cousin.”
“Oh!” My eyes widen. “And you are working for the Council, too, don’t you, Arden?”
“That’s how I got to know Eric,” he says. “He supported me all along.”
I let his words sink in while grabbing my second quesadilla.
Meanwhile, Charlie attempts to eat a taco without spilling everything.
Aurelia and I can’t help but laugh. “They are great, but awful to eat,” Charlie says.
“Not sexy. I will only eat them in front of Maddox once he is head over heels for me.”
“Something tells me he already is,” Aurelia says.
“We barely talked!”
“But he looked at you,” she says. “He also seemed to be happy when he talked to you.”
“He smiled,” Arden adds. These two words seem to put Charlie in awe. She still looks slightly disbelieving, but also happy.
“I-“ she begins, but before she can say anything more, Tiger suddenly jumps from my shoulder, shrieking and flapping.
“What?” An instinct pushes me to get up. “What are you upset about?”
Aurelia stares at my bird before her eyes wander to the window. There, Titan is sitting, scratching at the window. Tiger flutters around us, from Aurelia to me, then back to me before returning to Aurelia.
Aurelia gets up, opening the window. “Show me,” she says.
Tiger flies out of the window, with the four of us scrambling to climb through the window and follow him. To my surprise, Titan leads us to Aurelia’s car. Aurelia casts a quick glance from Tiger to Titan, then unlocks the car. “Gwen, inform my parents. Arden and I will be following the bird.”
For a moment, I just stare at Tiger, before something in my stomach tugs. Painful and desperate. It squeezes my lungs shut. “This is about Felix!”
“Gwen.” Arden hurries to me and takes my hand. “Aurelia is a very strong lycan. Allow us to help Felix. Talk to Elden, and he will make sure to hurry after us. We will keep you informed,” he pauses. “Please trust us.”