Chapter Five

Hayden

I could do little to go against the word of Raine. Both Charlie and Ben knew that and they had used her to make me listen to their pleas.

‘‘Smart move,’’ Luke added with a chuckle and I grew annoyed. My wolf loved teasing me for some reason.

However, I didn’t show my annoyance and instead shook my head. Raine smiled at my reaction and tried to add in a motherly voice,

“Hayden, you know one day or other you have to find yourself a Luna. If not for yourself, you will have to find one for your pack.”

She had a point but I wasn’t going to back down so easily. This Luna obsession was starting to get to me. These days all my pack members could think of was getting a Luna.

And ever since the announcement of the ball had been made, they had become frantic.

But, my mind was elsewhere. I only grunted at Raine in response and she got up from the chair she had been sitting in with a sigh.

“Guess, I’ll just go home and cook you something nice.”

I didn’t want to respond but my stomach decided to let out a loud growl at that. 

They say a way to a man’s heart was through his stomach and I think they are right.

Trailing her finger across the edge of the table I was working on, she asked, “So, any special demands or requests?”

“Yes, don’t talk to me about this Luna stuff again,” I added without looking up.

Raine furrowed her eyebrows, “I am just asking you to attend the ball, maybe you will find someone you like there…just a possibility.”

“A very slim possibility”

The face of Madeleine swam before my eyes. I hoped she was okay and Steve and Garron weren’t being the a**holes that they were.

“I’ll take it,” Raine replied with a bright smile and began walking towards the door, seeing that I wasn’t interested in talking about it any further.

I busied myself in work and she held the door open before something she turned around to say,

“Don’t let your past affect your future, little bro.”

At that, I did look up from the book I was holding. She knew me well and she knew what was holding me back. 

A lump formed in my throat but I decided to not give in to the discussion. Every time we discussed that I grew even more agitated than this Luna stuff.

I held her gaze for a minute and replied, “Chicken”

Raine smiled at me and said, “Chicken it is” before leaving my office.

When she had left, I let out my breath that I didn’t even know I was holding. Running my fingers through my hair, I placed my elbows on the table. 

After all these years, I thought I had forgotten her. But just the mere mention of her brought back painful memories that I didn’t want to experience again.

Ensuring that no one was around, I walked to the farthest cabinet of the room and opened the lowermost drawer. It was filled with lots of yellowing papers and files that I had placed neatly.

Rummaging through them, I reached for a smooth surface that I was familiar with. Taking it out, I looked at the photo. She was smiling at me and her hands were thrown over my shoulders.

I held that photo close to my heart and sat there for a long time.

Madeleine

I spent the rest of the day worrying about what would happen next and if Steve would hold a grudge against me.

From what I heard, they had gone to meet some other alpha of another pack and the meeting lasted longer than intended.

I couldn’t be happier. The more time passed, the more Steve would likely forget about what I had caused to him. Despite trying to forget the face of the man who had saved me earlier, I couldn’t get rid of his thoughts.

Clare and the others helped me forget the incident and even I got busy at work. For the rest of the day, I helped Clare in the kitchen, did the laundry, and even helped the others in the garden. Clare had taken a liking to plant vegetables and farming and I followed suit.

The other females of the pack, Tisha and Freya, were neutral when it came to me. They neither supported me because of their fear of Garron nor did they openly spew hate at me because of Clare.

She was like the protective grandma who would ensure that the other werewolves wouldn’t pick on the weakest cub. But more often than not Tisha and Freya would be mean.

Now, as we were planting the seeds as per Clare’s instructions Tisha took the watering can from me and asked casually,

“So, how have you been doing, Madeleine?”

Tisha asked me with a sweet smile and Freya’s ears immediately perked though I knew that she was putting up a good show of being busy with digging the small holes to plant the seeds.

“Like usual, I guess” I answered not knowing why she was interested in knowing how my day was. As far as I recalled, neither of them liked me.

Freya and Tisha exchanged a look and Freya added, “I hope Steve didn’t give you a hard time, we heard that there was some trouble last night.”

“Oh no no, don’t worry. There was just some misunderstanding but it was sorted.” I replied with a smile and got back to gardening.

Pushing her hair that was getting into her  eyes, Tisha asked, “Is it true that alpha Hayden had shown up here?”

It took me a second to realize what they were talking about. 

“I guess?” I added, not wanting to fan the flames.

Both the girls let out a shriek and immediately threw the gardening gloves they were wearing and looked at me.

“Really? Did you guys talk? Did he look at you? What happened yesterday?’

I furrowed my eyes at their unexpected excitement. ‘So that is why they were being nice to me.’ I thought again, finally understanding their sudden interest in talking to me.

Usually, the two girls would hover around Garron and Peter, trying to impress them. But Hayden seemed to have sparked some curiosity in them.

“Umm yeah, he was just passing by when I bumped into him. Then he met Garron and they discussed some pack business.”

I outright lied and Clare only looked at me meaningfully. I didn’t want to add more things for Steve and Garron to be upset about when they returned.

If they knew that I had told how Hayden had overwhelmed them and even bit off Steve’s ear, they would be pissed off.

In the little time, I had spent with them, I learned that the male werewolves were very prideful and didn’t like to accept being defeated by others.

I watered down the story and the girls oohed and aahed at the mention of Hayden every single time. It was easy to guess that he was an alpha that every she-wolf wanted to mate with.

The girls told me that he had not found his mate and that he never showed any interest in any of the she-wolves from any of the packs.

At that moment, a faint blush appeared on my cheeks at the memory of how he had sucked my finger. I had never been touched with concern by anybody except my parents so I felt it to be…intimate.

Though I didn’t share it with anybody else. It was going to be my little secret. Of course, I wasn’t a hopeless romantic to think that he would have eyes for a wolfless girl.

Wait a minute? Why am I thinking if he would like me or not?

I slapped my forehead and got back to work as Clare gently cleared her throat to remind us to do so.