Chapter 5 - Fine, I'll Let You...

Madeline's sudden response managed to catch both Xavier and Adrian by surprise.

No sane person would stay, was she this crazy? Was she plain insane?

"Are you sure?" Xavier assessed her face as though waiting for her to let him down and change her decision. Say she'd return from wherever she came from and pretend as though nothing happened. Too many times he'd been let down, and given nothing to believe in.

What made him believe something would change this time? He was never the lucky one.

"We're not forcing you to stay," Adrian assured, not helping things.

Xavier nudged him hard in the shoulder.

"Ow," Adrian rubbed his shoulder, even if it didn't hurt in the slightest.

'Drama king,' Xavier mumbled under his breath.

"So, are you staying?" Xavier then went on to ask.

Madeline was tempted to say yes, but she paused for a moment.

'Should I really just stay here?'

She figured no one would notice if she disappeared. Frankly, she hadn't any friends and her parents... that was a story for another day.

What was there to lose?

Seriously, what was there to lose.

No one would miss her, and she certainly wasn't doing any good staying at home, spending most of her time in bed watching TV shows and eating.

"I am," she replied confidently.

Screw it, she was doing this!

"I'm staying," she repeated just in case Xavier and Adrian hadn't heard it.

A small smile tugged on Xavier's lips, he tried his hardest to fight it back, to no avail.

Meanwhile, Adrian had a huge grin on his face.

He checked with Xavier to see if this was good news or bad news.

Suffice it to say, Xavier looked less displeased than he did before.

"That's great!" Adrian then exclaimed, a twinkle in his eyes.

It seemed like it was good news after all. Madeline was staying!

Looking at the expression on Xavier's face, Madeline huffed.

"Hmph. I told you I'm staying, quit being so emotionless and grumpy already."

"I am not emotionless and grumpy," Xavier insisted.

"Sure you aren't," Madeline didn't seem convinced.

Knowing continuously starting fights with Xavier wasn't what she stayed for, Madeline heaved a sigh.

Adrian knew it was time to take his leave and leave the two be. Interfering in their… squabbles was a huge no-no.

However, before he left, he took it upon himself to give Xavier a nudge in the right direction.

'Converse with her. And don't be too rough,' Adrian told Xavier using their mind link.

'I won't.'

'Good, I'm leaving,' Adrian gave Xavier a confident smile before he left to attend to the matters of the pack.

"So, it's just you and me now," Xavier spoke.

"Not so confident when Adrian's no longer around, are you?" Xavier raised his arched brow.

"What does Adrian have to do with anything?" Madeline pouted.

"You tell me," Xavier uttered.

"We should get going," he said, looking around.

"I'll show you to your lodgings."

"You? Shouldn't someone else do it?"

Xavier swivelled his head, asking curiously, "Do you want someone else to do it?"

Once again, Madeline had put herself in an awkward situation.

'I've done it again,' she thought to herself, shaking her head.

"No, of course not," she answered truthfully, "I just figured since you're the alpha…"

"You wouldn't be the person escorting a nobody like me to my lodgings."

"Is that it?" Xavier furrowed his brows.

He raised his pinky, and the red string returned.

"Are you forgetting something?"

Madeline blinked. No, she hadn't forgotten that.

When her gaze returned to her pinky, her red string had disappeared.

Red strings worked in mysterious ways. It appeared and disappeared when you willed it to, although sometimes it could just show up at any random moment.

"Do most werewolves have red strings?" Madeline queried.

"They do," Xavier answered as he and Maddie walked past a couple of trees.

(Author's Note: To clarify, Maddie is a nickname for Madeline.)

"Humans aren't the only creatures who have soulmates," Xavier said.

"Werewolves have them too."

"Ah," Madeline said, her voice hushed.

Was it insensitive of her to ask whether or not werewolves had soulmates?

She was just curious, and Xavier didn't seem to mind.

'Why am I overthinking everything?' Madeline wondered, clearly still grappling with the whole 'werewolves actually exist' part of matters.

"What powers do you have other than super speed, hearing and… what was it again?"

"Strength," Xavier responded.

"Right, strength," Maddie nodded.

"What else?"

"Well you're a curious one, aren't you?"

"Asking so much questions like that…"

"When do I get to ask the questions?" Xavier asked.

Madeline replied, "After you answer my question."

"It's a deal," Xavier said in his usual monotone.

"To answer your question, werewolves have inhuman senses, meaning they can see perfectly at night and have a great sense of smell."

"And…"

Xavier paused, "You'll have to find out the rest later."

"Later? Eh?"

Madeline scrunched her adorable nose.

"I'm not the patient type of person," she admitted.

"Why is that not a surprise?" Xavier retorted.

"Oh, hush y--"

Madeline tripped on a small rock, but before she fell face-flat to the ground, she grabbed Xavier, who was strangely caught off guard.

Oof, went both Madeline and Xavier as they fell towards the ground. Xavier wrapped his arm around Madeline's head so she wouldn't suffer from a head injury or crack her skull from the landing impact, even if what she was landing on were grass and dirt.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" Madeline immediately asked, scanning Xavier for any scratches or scars only to find nothing except his suit torn.

Madeline's eye twitched.

She and Xavier were so close to each other - he was barely inches away from her.

With how close they were, he could see every detail on her face. Her dainty nose, her big, round eyes, her soft-looking, plump lips.

"Werewolves are also immune to damage," Xavier assured, wiping some dirt off of his suit.

"I see that now," Madeline admitted before feeling immense pain in her leg.

First, she passed out. Second, a leg injury.

Werewolves and their immunity to damage.

Xavier stared at the gash in her leg.

Madeline tried not to look at it, as much as she didn't want to admit, she was never the type of person to shrug off injuries and act like she wasn't in complete pain.

But, Xavier could sense her pain from a mile away. He kneeled down and applied pressure to her wound.

(Author's Note: What's written here is highly inaccurate for treating actual gashes, after all this is a fictional novel.)

He scooped her up in his muscly arms.

"Werewolves are immune to damage, but humans aren't."

"So what, are you just going to carry me all the way back to the lodgings?"

"If that's what it takes. Then yes, pup," Xavier cooed mockingly.

"I can walk on my own," Madeline insisted.

"Oh really?"

"Yes!"

"Then walk," Xavier prompted.

Madeline mumbled something under her breath before trying to move her leg.

"Ow," she winced, tears stinging in her eyes.

"So, what do you say, walk all the way back on your own or let me carry you?"

Madeline crossed her arms, "Fine."

"And…?" Xavier prompted.

"Thank you," Madeline grumbled.