A Maddie dream

Sabrina’s POV

“What?” I muttered, eyes wide open. My gaze drifted to Logan, who stood frozen when he heard Damon’s words.

“Alpha Damon!” Elena stood up in protest, slamming her hands on the table. She looked like she couldn’t believe what she had just heard.

“Do you want her head also?” Damon asked me, his gaze locked onto mine, his face unreadable.

What was this? I could hear my heart pounding in my ears. The hairs on my body stood on edge as goosebumps spread across my skin.

In that moment, I didn’t feel fear or nervousness. It was something else…an emotion I couldn’t quite place.

Tears stung my eyes, but I quickly blinked them away. “I don’t,” I muttered, my voice shaky, my gaze returning to the food in front of me.

Did he actually want to kill them for me, or was this just another one of his twisted games? I mentally slapped myself. My thoughts were running too wild. This man was sick. It was all for his own sinister pleasure.

“That’s a shame,” Damon said slowly. He picked up a knife and dragged the tip along the tablecloth. “I would’ve loved to do that for you.”

Then, in one swift move, he stabbed the knife into the table.

I gasped and almost bolted from his lap, but his arms around my waist held me firmly in place.

“Scared, little mouse?” he murmured.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, beads of sweat forming on my forehead.

Just then, Ian walked in. He leaned close and whispered something into Damon’s ear, and instantly, the mischievous glint in Damon’s eyes disappeared.

“I’ll be right there,” he replied, his tone low and dark. Ian gave a respectful bow, then turned and walked out.

Damon turned back to me, and the gleam in his eye returned as if it had never left. “Go to your room, little mouse.” His arms loosened.

I slowly stood up, careful not to make another mistake. Without turning back, I made my way to my room in the basement, ignoring the many eyes that followed my every step.

What just happened back there?

I shivered as I sat on my bed, replaying the events over and over in my mind. Damon was eerie. Something about him rubbed me the wrong way, and I didn’t know how much longer I could take it. That was when I decided…I needed to escape.

I curled up into a fetal position on my bed, wrapping my arms around my knees. My eyes stayed locked on the door, terrified that Damon would walk in at any moment and do something even worse. He had clearly enjoyed whatever sick display he put on back there.

Minutes passed. My eyelids grew heavy. I tried to stay awake, snapping my eyes open every time they began to close. Eventually, I gave in and drifted into sleep.

I saw a woman walking through the hallways, dressed in a pack servant’s uniform. Her back looked familiar. There was only one servant with red hair.

“Maddie?” I whispered under my breath, confused. She wasn’t headed toward her usual wing.

I considered minding my business and turning back, but something pushed me forward. I had to follow her.

I turned the corner she had taken. The hallway stretched ahead of me, long and silent. Then I heard voices.

“You can’t leave me for your mate, Marcus,” Maddie said, her voice trembling. “I’m pregnant with your child.”

“I’m sorry, Maddie. I can’t help you with that,” a man replied coldly. His voice was followed by Maddie’s muffled sobs.

I leaned in, pressing my ear against the door the voices were coming from. My curiosity had completely taken over.

“Abort the baby or do whatever you want,” the man continued. “But if you tell anyone, I’ll deny everything, and you know what that will cost you. We’re over, Maddie.”

“I’ll kill myself if you leave me and our child, Marcus.”

“Kill yourself, please. You’d be doing me a favor.”

I gasped and stumbled backward, falling onto my butt when the door suddenly swung open. A man dressed in a pack guard’s uniform stepped out and stormed away.

He didn’t even glance at me. Did he not see me sitting there? Or did he not care that I had overheard everything?

Still stunned, I looked up and saw Maddie walking away.

“Madd—” I called out, but she didn’t respond. She didn’t even glance in my direction.

Did I just turn invisible?

My mind raced with questions. Why wasn’t she acknowledging me? What was going on? More than anything, I needed to get to her.

I got up and ran after her. “Maddie!” I called again, louder this time.

She didn’t stop.

She kept going down, flight after flight of stairs, heading to the lower levels of the packhouse where no one ever went.

I picked up speed and finally managed to cut in front of her, standing with my arms spread wide to block her path.

“I’ve been calling your na—” I began, only for her to walk right through me.

I froze. That couldn’t be real.

No. That did not just happen.

Panicked, I turned and chased after her again.

“Maddie!” I yelled.

She didn’t stop. She didn’t even flinch.

She continued to climb, up the winding stairs to the highest floors…the floors no one ever visited.

I kept following, yelling her name over and over. But it was like I didn’t exist.

She reached the top floor, the last one in the entire packhouse. I trailed her all the way to the massive window at the end of the hallway.

I realized too late what she was doing.

She was going to jump.

“No!” I cried, running toward her, but I wasn’t fast enough.

She leaped.

“Maddie!” I screamed, bolting upright, drenched in sweat. My heart pounded in my chest. My breathing was fast and shallow.

Just a dream. Again.

I looked at my barely-working alarm clock. It was one in the morning.

Why was I dreaming of Maddie?

These dreams were getting worse. More vivid. More real.

I let out a deep breath and stood up, parched and shaken. I needed water, something to clear my head.

I left my room and walked quietly through the corridor. As I passed by the common area, I heard a commotion. I ignored it. Whatever was happening had nothing to do with me. I was an outcast in this pack.

I headed to the kitchen and grabbed a jug, drinking straight from it.

I was too drained to care about whatever drama was unfolding in this godforsaken place.

Then I heard it.

“Was that Maddie?” a girl whispered to another.

“Let’s go take a look,” the other replied.

I froze in place.

Maddie?

I turned and grabbed one of the girls by the arm. “What happened to Maddie?” I asked, my eyes darting between them.

“We heard she fell from the last floor. We’re going to check it out,” one of them said before they hurried off.

My legs moved on their own.

I followed the girls to the back of the packhouse.

There she was.

Maddie lay face down in a pool of her blood. Her red hair was soaked, her eyes wide open and empty.

My hands flew to my mouth, a scream lodged in my throat.

Slowly, I lifted my gaze to the window high above us.

It was the same window.

The same one from my dream.