Dimitri’s POV
I didn’t want to leave Maddie, but Mike assured me that she would be okay. I left them to talk even though I wanted to kick Mike out and drag Maddie to bed. I really wanted to be with her and make sure that she was okay.
I had work to do, though.
I had to think about appropriate punishment for my mother and Savannah.
I entered my office and Will looked up at me immediately.
“Where is Maddie?” he asked, looking behind me.
“With Mike,” I said, closing the door and walking toward my desk. “Where are they?”
“Locked up,” Will said, anger lacing his voice.
I sat down and nodded. I ran my fingers through my hair and took a deep breath.
“What are you going to do, Dimitri?” Will asked as he approached my desk. “How will you punish them?”
I sighed and shook my head.
“I have no fucking idea,” I said. “I want to kill them both, but…”
I tightened my jaw and clenched my fists.
“But one of them is your mother,” Will finished the sentence for me.
I looked at him and nodded.
Will sighed and sat in the armchair opposite my desk. He furrowed his eyebrows and crossed his arms over his chest.
“I never thought that we would have to deal with this,” Will mumbled quietly.
I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded. I still couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe that my mother would do this. I couldn’t understand why. Just because Maddie looked like her mom? What the fuck did my mother think would happen? Did she think that Mike would leave her? Did she really think that Mike would do that? I was sure that he wouldn’t. Mike loved my mother and he wouldn’t leave her even if Maddie’s mom was alive.
There had to be another reason for my mother hating Maddie so much.
I couldn’t fucking believe that I didn’t realize that something terrible was happening to my mate. I was a terrible mate. So fucking terrible.
I groaned and buried my face into my hands.
“It’s not your fault, Dimitri,” Will said, making me look up at him. “You didn’t know.”
I placed my arms on the armrest and clenched my fists.
“She is my mate,” I said. “I should have known. I should have seen that something was happening to her. Goddess, I even saw hurt one time and I didn’t do shit about it.”
That realization was especially hard for me. I saw her split lip and I didn’t do shit about it. I was so angry about her leaving without me and the rogues that were at my borders. I was so focused on her turning 18 so I could finally have her that I didn’t notice anything else around me. I should have asked her more about it. I should have known that she didn’t fall.
“What are you talking about?” Will asked, furrowing his eyebrows.
I sighed and swallowed another lump.
“I saw her with a split lip one day,” I mumbled. “She told me that she fell. She lied. My mother did that.”
Will growled and cursed under his breath.
“I should have known,” I said, groaning quietly.
Will sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.
“You couldn’t have known, Dimitri,” Will said. “Both of them were hiding it well.”
Knowing that didn’t make me feel any better. Maddie was my mate. She was my heart and soul. I failed to protect her. I failed to protect my own heart.
I tightened my jaw and forced the air deep into my lungs.
I fucked up, but I couldn’t change what happened. All I could do was make sure that no one ever hurt her again. All I could do was make sure that my mother and Savannah were severely punished for what they did.
“The law is clear,” I said, clenching my fists again. “Both of them will be killed for what they did.”
My tongue burned saying those words. My heart clenched when I thought about killing my own mother.
But the law was clear when it came to threatening and endangering Luna and Alpha’s lives. It was a crime punishable by death.
My mother knew what would happen if I found out. She knew that I wouldn’t hesitate to kill her. My mate was my biggest treasure and I would choose her over everyone. My father raised me to do so. I wanted to do so. Maddie was my everything and I wasn’t going to allow anyone to hurt her.
“There could be an issue with your mother’s punishment, Dimitri,” Will said and I furrowed my eyebrows.
“What issue?” I asked. “The law is clear. She will be punished by death.”
Will sighed and gave me a small nod.
“I know what the law says, Dimitri,” Will said. “I am with you on that, but I am not sure if the Council will be. She is the former Luna of this pack and a former Queen of the Kingdom. They could be against it.”
I tightened my jaw. I hadn’t thought about those fuckers at all.
“You will maybe need to consider another punishment for her,” Will said.
“I am a King,” I said angrily. “The Council can advise me not to kill her, but my word is final.”
“It is,” Will said, giving me a small nod. “But you know the law, Dimitri. The Council has a say in such matters.”
I tightened my jaw and stood up. I started pacing around my office, trying to calm myself a little.
I was pissed as fuck. I wanted her punished for what she did.
“I am not saying that they will be against it, Dimitri,” Will said. “I am just stating that it could happen and that you should prepare for it.”
I glanced at him and took a deep breath. I had to focus so fucking hard to keep my temper under control.
“I will have an alternative solution,” I said. “But I won’t back down. I will do whatever I have to do to make sure that she gets what she deserves. She is my mother, but it won’t save her from being punished.”
Will gave me a small smile.
“Good,” he said. “No one hurts Maddie.”
I nodded and took another deep breath.
Will was right. No one fucking hurt what belonged to me. I had to show everyone what would happen if they did.
