Madeline’s POV
Two more weeks and I could leave this pack. Two more weeks and I would never have to see Janet’s face anymore. Two more weeks and I would never have to hear her calling me a little orphan anymore.
Things got a little bit better after Alpha Dimitri moved in. Janet hit me only twice since then and it wasn’t hard enough to leave any marks. Her insults never stopped, though. She would use every opportunity she had to insult me and tell me that she would get rid of me the first chance she got. Savannah wasn’t around ever since she had her pup. She was in some sort of jail and Alpha Dimitri was trying to find the pup’s father. Janet visited her all the time and she would always come back with a message from Savannah. It was always something about me taking away her pup’s father and her getting her revenge. I had a hard time understanding what the hell she meant by that, but I didn’t really care. Only two more weeks and none of it would matter. I would be gone and I would never see any of those people again.
My heart clenched thinking about not seeing Alpha Dimitri and Seth. They were the only ones who cared about me. They were the only ones who I cared about. Seth was my best friend and Alpha Dimitri was…
I didn’t know what he was. He was my step-brother, but calling him that felt wrong for some reason. He felt more like a…
I took a big gulp of my drink, stopping that thought from forming inside my mind.
“Goddess, Mads, slow down,” Seth chuckled as he sat next to me.
He ran his fingers through my hair and I smiled at him.
“Is everything okay?” he asked, glancing down at the now-empty cup in my hand.
I shrugged and leaned my head on his shoulder. I would miss him so much. He became one of my best friends.
“Seth!” Jasper shouted, waving Seth over. “Come on, dude!”
I lifted my head off Seth’s shoulder and turned around to pour myself another drink.
“I’m good, Jasper,” Seth shouted, making Jasper whine.
I chuckled and looked at Jasper who was pouting at Seth.
“Go over there,” I told Seth as I poured a bit of wolfsbane into my beer. “What are they doing anyway?”
“Beer pong,” Seth said, shaking his head at Jasper. “I’m not in the mood.”
I looked at Jasper who ran back to his friends. The party was packed tonight. Everyone was shouting and I was sure that the whole pack knew that there was a party in the forest again tonight.
I knew that Alpha Dimitri would be pissed at me for leaving and not telling him where I went. He always insisted that I tell him where I was going. Most of the time he would go with me. I wasn’t sure why he was so protective, but I wasn’t going to lie and say that I didn’t enjoy his company. I liked spending time with him.
Except tonight. I needed to get out of that house and I needed to forget that I lived there. As much as I liked Alpha Dimitri, he reminded me of Janet and I fucking hated Janet.
I took a big sip of my beer, trying to erase everything she said and done in the last few months.
“Goddess, Maddie, slow down,” Seth said as he took the cup from my hand.
He glanced at the bottles next to me and growled.
I looked at him and frowned. “I’m okay, Seth.”
Seth rolled his eyes and poured the rest of my beer on the ground.
“Hey!” I exclaimed as I tried to stop him.
He threw the cup away and grabbed my upper arm. He pulled me up and started dragging me away. I swayed a little, making him growl at me.
“How much did you drink?” he asked as he stopped walking. “I left you alone for 10 minutes, Madeline. How much did you drink?”
I shrugged as I leaned on the tree behind me. I didn’t even realize how drunk I was until I stood up and started walking.
“Goddess, Madeline, what the hell is going on?” he asked. “You’ve been weird lately. No, you’ve been weird ever since that night you tried to run away.”
I looked at him and saw his jaw clench.
“You didn’t fall that night, did you?” he asked as he caged me between his arms and bent down to look me in the eyes. “I let it go because I never saw you hurt again, but you didn’t fall. Someone hurt you, didn’t they?”
I gulped and pressed myself closer to the tree.
“Who hurt you, Madeline?” Seth growled, narrowing his eyes at me.
I spoke before I thought things through.
“It doesn’t matter,” I mumbled. “I will be out of here in two weeks anyway.”
Seth’s eyes widened. He gasped loudly.
“What the fuck are you talking about, Madeline?” he shouted as he grabbed my shoulders tightly. “You are not leaving the pack!”
“Yes, I am,” I argued. “I am not staying here. I didn’t even want to come here.”
Seth growled and cupped my cheeks.
“You can’t leave,” he said, his voice laced with panic. “I can’t let you leave, Maddie. I think that you are my mate and I can’t let you go.”
My heart stopped beating and my breath got caught in my throat.
What the hell did he say?!
Seth’s eyes widened when he realized what he said. He mumbled a curse and closed his eyes.
“What?” I forced myself to ask.
Seth opened his eyes and leaned his forehead on mine.
“I can’t be sure, Maddie, I am not a Lycan,” he mumbled quietly. “But I feel connected to you and a huge part of me thinks that you are my mate. I’ve been waiting for your birthday for months. I’ve been waiting for the moment when my wolf will feel yours and know for sure.”
My heart was going to jump out of my chest. I liked Seth, but I never thought of him as my…
“Goddess, Maddie, I would be a fool if I let you go,” Seth mumbled as he glanced down at my lips.
A wave of heat washed over me. Was he going to kiss me?
Seth leaned in and his soft lips brushed over mine gently. A shiver went down my spine. Seth grunted quietly. He wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me closer to him. I grabbed a fistful of his shirt, trying so hard not to fall. I couldn’t feel my legs.
Seth’s lips captured mine just as a loud, feral growl interrupted us.
