Chapter 66 - WHY AM I STUTTERING AGAIN?

"What?" 

"Uncharted territory," Xavier stated, "What does it mean?" 

"Since I doubt you're using its literal meaning."

"It's commonly used in unfamiliar situatio–"

Madeline realized how close they were.

'Not again.'

"O-Oh," she stuttered.

'WHY AM I STUTTERING AGAIN?' She asked herself, truly confused as to why this was happening.

Why were her cheeks heating up? And why was she flustered all of a goddamn sudden?

She certainly didn't think she had a whimpering kink. 

'Or maybe it's not about that,' Madeline considered. 

'Hmm…'

__

"You've got to tell me what's happening!" Briar exclaimed. 

"Why would I? You are a mere delta," Adrian retorted, scrunching his nose while he crossed his arms. 

"Wah, who knew the incredibly wise and smart beta could have such an attitude?" 

"Your reputation precedes you," Briar followed Adrian's actions, crossing her arms as well. 

"My reputation?" 

Briar nodded. 

"So people talk about me?" 

"Err—"

"Do tell," Adrian said, sitting down on Xavier's chair.

"Isn't this Alpha Xavier's office?" Briar reminded him.

Adrian immediately got to his feet, as if only remembering he was there at that very moment. 

"Right, right," he dusted something off of his long-sleeved, button-down shirt. 

"Let's talk someplace else," he said, knowing Xavier would get extremely upset in the case that he discovered Adrian sat in his chair without his permission.

As Briar would put it, Xavier 'busted his ass off' to get to own that office in the first place. And to be able to sit on that chair too. 

And just like that, they moved places.

Currently, they were at Adrian's personal office. 

"Come in," Adrian gestured. 

"Wow," Briar said in awe. 

Obviously, she had never been in the beta's office before. 

It was a new experience for her. 

'If only the others knew I had the luxury of being able to visit the beta's office. To be welcomed in it too. They'd freak,' Briar thought to herself. 

Briar laughed. 

"Why did you laugh so suddenly?" Adrian asked her, looking at her strangely. 

"Such a weird person," he said out loud, just so she could hear him say so. 

"I'm the weird person?" Briar asked, looking hurt. 

"Aish." 

"With all the things I heard about you, I doubt I'm the weird one," Briar sneered. 

"So you admit you're weird, and that you've heard things about me."

Briar's sneer faltered. 

Truth be told, she hadn't.

She hadn't heard anything about him. At all. 

No one had anything to say about him, and when they did - a rare occasion - they all spoke highly of him. 

So what was she to do? Tell him someone spoke ill of him when no one actually had?

She couldn't simply place the blame on someone and frame them for something they didn't do. They'd get into trouble because of her, and even if she wasn't close with any of them… she didn't despise them. She chose to stay neutral with everyone and have no enemies. 

It was better that than to have enemies within the pack. That was dangerous. 

"Hmm?"

"Why have you gone silent all of a sudden?" 

"You were pretty chatty a while ago, were you not?"

"Aish," Briar said out of annoyance. 

"You don't know what you're talking about." 

"Seems like you don't know either," Adrian combatted.

"You said you heard lots about me, so who did you hear it from? And what was it did you hear?"

He had cornered her. 

'I'm toast,' Briar thought to herself. 

'What am I supposed to say to him? I can't lie!' 

"I'm kidding," Adrian said, laughing aloud. 

It was him that was laughing this time, but why was that the case? 

"I don't get what's happening," Briar admitted. 

What the hell was happening?

Was he mocking her?

"I monitor most werewolves in the pack. And as per what I've observed, you don't talk to much werewolves, yes?"

Briar was stunned. 

"What, you're a stalker now?" 

"I am not a stalker, and I refused to be called one," Adrian said, his chin up in the air. 

"So don't call me a stalker," he said, as though he hadn't made it clear enough. 

Briar gave him a strange look before she looked away from him. 

__

'Great, now my hair's messed up,' Xavier grumbled. 

Madeline personally thought he looked great with his hair styled messily, but she refused to admit it. 

Xavier? Look good? No. 

"Ms Madeline!" Someone called on the other side of the door. 

Madeline didn't recognize who that voice belonged to.

Was it one of the other girls coming to visit her?

What reason did she have to visit her at this time of day?

"Hide," Madeline whispered. 

"I'm the alpha of this pack, I don't hide."

Madeline was about to say something but dismissed it. 

She headed over to open the door. 

[Author's Note: To those wondering, every room in Eudora is soundproof, meaning werewolves can't eavesdrop in conversations. This way, werewolves have their own privacy when they're in human form.]

The minute she opened the door, she sensed something was wrong. 

No, she wasn't in danger, it was another type of wrong. 

"Uh, hi," Madeline greeted to the stranger standing across her. 

The girl waved at her. 

"Hi."

"I was wondering if I could talk to you about something," she said. 

Madeline furrowed her brows, her gut instinct telling her something was about to happen. 

However, there were times her gut instincts were wrong and she seemed sweet. 

"Sure," Madeline nodded. 

"Go ahead." 

And suddenly, the girl's demeanour took a 360 degree turn. 

In an instant, she was no longer the sweet girl she was, and instead… 

"We know what you're doing."

"We?" 

Madeline tilted her head to the side.

"Me and my friends."

"You know what?" Madeline asked next.

"That you're the ex-alpha's daughter."

Before Madeline could ask anything next, the girl decided to attack her with a flurry of accusations and insults. 

"Playing the victim every single time something happens."

"You're nothing but a manipulative, controlling woman who's greed for power blinded her." 

"What, thought we wouldn't know about the identity of your father?" 

"Your little human act is over."

"We know you aren't a human, and that you're here to exact vengeance for what our alpha did to your father."

Madeline listened intently. 

"Look at you now! You're staying silent because you have nothing to say. You know you've lost."

"And if you so much as say something, me and my friends won't stand for it. We'll make sure you pay for what you've done. You don't deserve to be the alpha's mate."

Madeline bit her lip, unable to stop herself anymore. 

She slapped her thigh as she burst out laughing at her words. 

"What's your name?" Madeline asked her. 

The girl was caught off guard. 

'The gall this woman has!' She thought. 

'Once I get my hands on her, I will…' 

'I can't believe the alpha got paired with her. It could've been anyone but no! He was paired with a random stranger that stumbled upon Eudora. What a coincidence…' 

'And now she's laughing at me? She's dead to me!' 

Then, she ended up telling Madeline her name after all in a show of fearlessness and bravery. She wasn't scared to tell Madeline her name. She was the one in the right here! Madeline was in the wrong, so there was nothing for her to be guilty over. 

It was her that would bring glory to her pack by confronting the witch of a woman and telling her to put an end to her ways unless she wanted to face the wrath of the other werewolves. 

"Indiana," she answered confidently. 

Madeline began, "Well, Indiana, I appreciate your concern for your pack's alpha." 

"However, I'm pretty sure Xavier can handle himself and tell if he's being used or manipulated or anything you're accusing me of doing. There's a reason he's the alpha of your pack and he's been doing his job amazingly for centuries I assume. But…" 

She turned to Xavier who was behind her, seated on one of her quarters' chairs before returning her gaze back at Indiana. 

"Scared?" 

"Let me guess, you're going to go running to Xavier all scared and terrified."

"Telling him of what I did."

"Go tell him! I dare you!" 

Something Indiana hadn't seen coming was Xavier being able to listen in to their entire conversation; she hadn't even noticed he was there in the first place.

The look on her face was priceless when she noticed Xavier. 

Xavier was there the entire time?

He heard everything she said to Madeline?

Oh, this was the end of it. She was done for. Goodbye world, she was definitely about to be punished. 

It was as though she had been crushed flat by a meteor. 

"Hmm, do you now?" Xavier asked as he got up and walked over to her. 

He didn't seem calm, he seemed livid. 

Anyone could tell by looking at him. 

The minute his face was in her view, she cowered in her spot. Her life flashed before her eyes. 

Indiana shut her eyes, murmuring...

'Why did I have to be the one that this happened to?'