Madeline’s POV
It’d been two weeks since I last saw Alpha Dimitri.
He hadn’t been around the house and he hadn’t come to the diner. I didn’t know why I found that weird. Maybe because he spent a lot of time around me when I came to the pack. I noticed that I was hoping to see him again. I noticed that I was hoping to talk to him again.
“No, Madeline,” I said quietly. “You don’t want to see him or talk to him.”
I started wiping the glasses more aggressively.
“What?” Seth asked, making me look up at him.
I felt blood rush to my cheeks. Shit. Did he hear that?
He was wiping the counters and he didn’t even look up at me.
“Nothing,” I mumbled as I looked away from him.
He came to stand next to me. He leaned on the countertop and watched me wipe the glasses.
“What are you doing tonight?” he asked, making me look up at him.
I furrowed my eyebrows.
“There is a party in the woods,” he said, giving me a small smile. “Would you like to go?”
I wasn’t sure what to say. On one hand, I didn’t want to go. I wanted to curl up in my bed and read. On the other hand, maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to hang out with Seth and meet some new people.
“Come on, Mads,” Seth said, grinning at me. “You only leave that house to go working. You need to relax and enjoy yourself once in a while.”
I bit my lower lip and took a deep breath.
“Are you scared that your dad won’t let you go?” Seth asked, making me shake my head.
“No, it’s not about that,” I mumbled. “He will let me go.”
Well, he wouldn’t even know that I left. I wouldn’t even tell him. I would sneak out through my bedroom window.
“It is settled then,” Seth said, grinning from ear to ear. “You are going.”
He took the glass and the dishtowel out of my hands, making me furrow my eyebrows.
“I will finish closing up,” he said. “Go home and get ready. Meet me in front of the diner in an hour.”
I was still unsure.
Seth sighed and rolled his eyes.
“Come on, Mads,” he said as he pushed me a little. “Go home and get ready. We will have so much fun.”
I took the apron off and he took it out of my hands.
“Hurry up, come on,” he said, pointing at the door. “You have 58 minutes to get ready and come back.”
I glanced at the clock on the wall. It was 9:02 p.m.
“Hurry up,” Seth repeated, making me roll my eyes at him.
“Fine,” I mumbled as I walked away. “I will see you in an hour.”
“57 minutes!” he shouted as I closed the diner door.
I chuckled and started walking toward Mike’s house. The house wasn’t far from the diner so it didn’t take me long to get there.
“Where were you?” I heard the most annoying voice in the world as soon as I entered the house.
I sighed and resisted the urge to roll my eyes. We’d been through this every night.
“I was at work,” I said as calmly as I could.
Janet narrowed her eyes at me and took a step closer. I wanted to back away from her, but I wanted to show her that I wasn’t afraid of her.
“Where is Mike?” I asked, glancing toward the kitchen.
“That is none of your concern,” Janet said coldly.
I really couldn’t understand why she hated me so much. I’d never done anything to her. I didn’t even talk to her most of the time. I kept to myself. I worked, helped around the house, and spent most of my time in my bedroom.
“Did you hear the wonderful news?” she asked, smirking at me.
I furrowed my eyebrows and shook my head.
“I am going to be a grandma,” she said, making my heart stop beating. “My son’s mate is pregnant with their first pup.”
I didn’t know why, but it felt like a hot rod sliced through my chest. I tried to take a deep breath, but I couldn’t.
Dimitri was going to be a father? His mate was pregnant?
I didn’t know why, but my stomach twisted painfully.
“Aren’t you going to congratulate me?” Janet asked. “Didn’t your filthy mother teach you some manners?”
I gasped and forgot about Dimitri’s pup in a second.
What did she just say?!
“What did you say?” I mumbled, trying to remain calm.
Janet took another step closer to me.
“I asked about your filthy mother,” she said, repeating the word that made me want to rip her apart. “Didn’t she teach you some manners?”
I tightened my jaw and clenched my fists.
“Don’t you ever talk about my mom like that,” I said, gritting my teeth. “Take that back.”
Janet laughed, throwing her head back.
I really wanted to punch her.
“I will never take it back, you little bitch,” Janet said, looking back at me. “You and your mother deserved to be abandoned. Your mother deserved to die. It would be better for everyone if you had died with her.”
My heart broke inside my chest and all the anger I felt turned into pain. I wanted to scream. My mom didn’t deserve to die. My mom didn’t deserve to be abandoned by my father. She was an amazing woman and she deserved only the best.
I couldn’t come up with anything to say to the monster who was standing in front of me so I just walked past her and started climbing the stairs.
“I can’t wait until you are 18 and out of my house,” she said. “If I am lucky, maybe you will be out of my life even sooner.”
I would be the lucky one if that happened.
I walked into my bedroom and closed the door behind me. It was only at that moment that I let the tears fall. I would never give her the satisfaction of seeing me cry.
My mom didn’t deserve to be abandoned. My mom deserved the world.
“You didn’t deserve it, Mom,” I mumbled as I looked up. “You deserved to be loved and cherished.”
I sobbed quietly. I missed her. I missed my mom so much.
My eyes fell on the clock on my wall. It was 9:32 p.m. I had 15 minutes to get ready.
I wiped the tears from my cheeks and walked to my closet.
I needed to get out of that house. I needed to get away from Janet even if it was for only a little while.
