Madeline’s POV
“Maddie, my love, wake up,” I heard Dimitri’s voice.
He sounded worried and I tensed up immediately. Why was he worried?
“Maddie,” he called me again and I felt his lips on my forehead. “Please, princess.”
I gulped and forced my eyes to open. I saw Dimitri’s handsome face and I smiled. I missed him. I felt like I hadn’t seen him in a while.
“Hi, princess,” he said softly and caressed my cheek. “How are you feeling?”
I sighed and furrowed my brows a little.
“Tired,” I mumbled. “How long was I asleep?”
Dimitri glanced behind him. I tried to see who it was, but he was practically lying on top of me and I couldn’t see anything.
“A few hours,” he said. “Does your head hurt?”
“A bit,” I sighed. “Is everything okay?”
Dimitri placed a hand on my forehead and frowned.
“Let me talk to her, my King,” I heard Oliver’s voice and I tried to look at him over Dimitri’s shoulder.
Why was he here?
Dimitri sighed and moved a little. He sat next to me and pulled me up so my back was pressed against his chest. He kissed my temple and wrapped his arms around me.
“Hi, Maddie,” Oliver said softly. “How are you feeling?”
I furrowed my brows a little. I looked around the room and saw that Will, Ali, and Ellie were also there. What the hell happened?
I tried to remember what I was doing before I fell asleep and…
I froze.
“Maddie?” Dimitri called me worriedly.
I looked at him and my eyes widened.
“I am sorry,” I mumbled, shaking my head. “I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to make you angry. I didn’t mean to…”
Dimitri interrupted me by pressing a soft kiss on my lips.
“I know, princess,” he mumbled. “You don’t have to apologize, okay? You didn’t do anything wrong, I did.”
Dimitri studied my face for a second.
“I talked to you about it,” he added, his voice laced with worry. “It was right before you fell asleep. You don’t remember?”
I bit my lower lip and tried my hardest to remember.
“You were sitting on the floor when I came into the room,” Dimitri said softly. “I pulled you onto my lap and I told you how sorry I was.”
Oh, I remembered that.
“I fell asleep after that,” I added and Dimitri gave me a small nod.
“Do you remember the pack doctor coming here after that?” Oliver asked, making me look back at him.
I was confused. Why was the pack doctor here?
“She was asleep,” Dimitri said. “I didn’t let him wake her up.”
“Why was he here?” I asked, looking back at Dimitri.
“You have a fever, princess,” he mumbled softly. “You said that your head hurt.”
My eyes widened and I placed a hand on my forehead. I was really warm.
“The doctor didn’t find anything wrong, Maddie,” Oliver said. “It is probably caused by your powers.”
“My powers?”
“How?”
“How could her powers cause this?”
Oliver sighed and looked at Dimitri.
“She is still learning to use them,” he said calmly. “Dealing with that kind of power can be overwhelming.”
Oliver looked back at me.
“I need you to be honest with me, Maddie,” he said with seriousness in his voice. “Did you experiment with your powers? Did you use them without telling anyone?”
I shook my head immediately.
“No,” I said. “I don’t want to hear what others are thinking. I’ve been trying to find a way to stop myself from hearing those things. Why would I want to experiment?”
“Your powers go beyond reading minds, Maddie,” Oliver said. “You can feel other people’s emotions. You can manipulate them.”
I tensed up and gulped.
“Have you been doing that, Maddie?” Oliver asked, narrowing his eyes slightly.
I remained silent. I wasn’t sure what to say.
“Madeline?” Dimitri called me softly.
I gulped but kept my eyes on Oliver.
“I am not sure,” I said quietly. “If I did, I wasn’t aware of it. I didn’t know it was related to my powers.”
Dimitri tightened his hold on me.
“What did you do, princess?” Dimitri asked softly.
I looked at him and took a deep breath.
“I took your anger away,” I said and his eyes widened.
I looked back at Oliver and furrowed my brows.
“But I thought that mates can do that,” I said, shaking my head. “I didn’t use my powers to do it.”
Oliver sighed and shook his head.
“Mates make it easier on each other, Maddie,” he said. “They can’t take something away. You used your powers to do it.”
Dimitri kissed my temple and took a deep breath.
“You didn’t have to do that, princess,” he said quietly. “I could have handled it.”
I leaned more into him and kept my eyes on Oliver.
“So that’s why I’m sick?” I asked. “I just probably need some rest then.”
Oliver nodded. “You do need to rest, Maddie, but I am still a bit worried.”
“Why?” Dimitri asked, tightening his hold on me. “She will be okay. She has to be okay.”
Oliver took a deep breath and nodded. “She will be just fine. She needs to spend a day in bed and she needs sleep.”
“Why are you worried then?” Will asked, making Oliver look at him.
“Because it is obvious that Maddie is having trouble controlling her powers,” he said. “She needs practice and we can’t do that with everyone here. We are risking exposure. No one can know who she is.”
Dimitri growled quietly and pressed me closer to him.
“No one can know,” Dimitri repeated. “No one will know. No one will touch her. I will kill them.”
He started shaking a little and I instinctively focused on his anger and fear. I was just about to take them away when he stopped me.
“Maddie, no,” he growled. “Don’t take it.”
I looked at him and he caressed my cheek.
“I am sorry,” I mumbled. “It’s instinct. I didn’t do it on purpose.”
Dimitri kissed the tip of my nose and nodded.
“I know, princess,” he said softly.
“This is what I am talking about,” Oliver sighed, drawing our attention back to him. “You react on instinct and it can be dangerous.”
“Do you have any suggestions?” Ellie asked. “What can she do until the Alphas’ Meeting is over and she can start practicing?”
Oliver looked at me and I saw worry on his face. I knew that I wasn’t going to like what he was going to say next.
“There is a plant that could block her powers,” he said. “But there could also be some other side effects if she takes it.”
“What side effects?” Dimitri asked angrily. “She isn’t taking anything dangerous.”
Oliver looked at him and shook his head.
“I would never put her in danger, my King,” he said.
“What are the side effects?” I asked and Oliver looked back at me.
“You wouldn’t be able to use mind-link,” he said. “And you probably wouldn’t be able to talk to your wolf.”
A wave of nervousness washed over me. Skye stirred and whined quietly.
“Fuck no,” Dimitri said. “What if I am not with her? I want to be able to mind-link her.”
Oliver looked at him and nodded.
“Understandable,” he said. “Which is why I will ask you to talk about it. Don’t decide right now.”
“Are you sure that she will have those side effects?” Will asked.
“No,” Oliver responded, shaking his head. “She could have them. It’s not certain.”
Oliver stood up and gave me a small smile.
“Think about it, Maddie,” he said. “Let me know what you decide. I will be ready if you choose to take the plant.”
Oliver bowed to Dimitri and walked out of the room.
I took a deep breath and leaned my head on Dimitri’s shoulder. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. Was it really so dangerous for me to practice and learn more about my powers? Would someone really see me if I stayed in my room? How would anyone know what I was doing here?
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. My head started throbbing again. I couldn’t think about it. I couldn’t make a decision.
