ROTTEN LOVE - Chapter 6: Chapter 6

I flinch as he slams the door on his way out. The doctor introduces himself before he examines my arm, or so I think. I don't pay much attention. Instead, my eyes are drilled to the door, expecting it to open.
Who do I want to come? Marisa? Maddox?
No. Maybe, out of guilt. Maybe to tell him off. I want to see Zain.
'It was my mistake trusting you,' his words echo in my head.
They sting. I don't need his trust. People use many adjectives to describe me but untrustworthy has never been one of them.
Marisa trusts me. Jason trusts me. Maddox trusts me. All those at home put their faith in my leadership, yet he dares to say I'm untrustworthy.
Fuck that. I am not doing this for him. I agreed for Marisa. I did not want to see her unhappy, but an alliance must be made. I'm sick and tired of having my people hurdled in a small town, our only sanctuary.
They should be able to explore without worrying about being drained or being ripped to shreds by angry wolves.
I am a good person. I am a good—I suck.
Regardless of my reasonings for accepting Zain's offer, I gave him my word. He was very clear about his expectations, and I agreed. They were not hard to follow.
He only asked to be given an honest chance. We may come together for the benefit of our people, but we should not deny ourselves the chance to make each other happy. There is nothing evil in that. It's honestly refreshing.
Yet, I go on and let Maddox finger fuck me. He is not even here with me. I know he is not scared of a wolf.
"Ouch," I hiss, realizing that the doctor is finishing up on his second bandage.
He instructs me to apply a honey ointment in the morning and before bed. I walk absentmindedly to my room, slam the door, and let myself belly-flop on the bed. I wince as my arms hit it. That was stupid. I roll on my back and stare at the ceiling.
Perhaps, it's the injury, the pain, or my lack of will to see anyone, but my eyes feel heavy. Heavy enough to drift asleep.
My stomach clenches. Wet droplets run down my neck. I squeeze and squeeze my eyes shut.
'Mommy, where are you going?' I ask in a much younger voice as she leads Jason and me into Marisa's room.
But she ignores me. I cannot see her face. I keep asking and asking. Only her back is visible. We blindly follow. How could we not?
She is our mother. I love her. She loves me. I am safest with her.
She rushes into Marisa's room and Maddox is there. Fangs are ready to attack. Marisa is nowhere near sight.
He eases at the sight of my mother. My mother asks, 'and lady Marisa,' panic in her voice.
He strides to a chest near the bed and opens it. A very small, fragile-looking Marisa is compacted inside. He helps her out. I rush to my friend, hugging her.
We were both the same height at the time. Her tiny arms come around me. My mother does not waste time.
She pulls a dagger out. My eyes shake. She grabs my hand, but I pull it away, crying and screaming.
'No, mommy, no.'
She yanks my hand hard. 'Helena, listen to me. Mommy must go away. You must be strong.'
She nears the blade. I squirm and thrash. Her grip tightens around my arm. She has never been so mean. My lips tremble so badly that I bite my bottom lip close.
'Do you want to die?'
I kept shaking my head. Why is she saying scary things?
I want my daddy. He would not let her be so mean to me.
'Bad people are coming. Do you understand? If I do not do this, then Jason will die.'
I look at my brother. Tears stream down my cheeks.
'Do you want that?!'
I keep quiet. I do not want that, but I am scared. She shakes me hard. 'Answer me, Helena. Do you wish to see your brother dead, or lady Marisa and lord Maddox?'
No. No. I don't. I shake my head.
'Good. Then, be a brave girl. Do not cry. Your home is with them. Always remember that. YOUR home is with THEM. Okay, baby." She slices my palm.
Next, she slices Marisa's, pulls out a heart-shaped stone from her pocket, and then lets our blood drip onto it while unknown words slip out her mouth. She repeats the process with Maddox and Jason.
We hear a loud thump downstairs. Her eyes dilate and her hands shake. She places the stones through black thread and around our necks.
She corners us into Marisa's closet. I hug Jason and Marisa onto me. Maddox's body shields us three. His body is slightly taller than ours. He is crouched. His stance is a fighting one.
My mother and Maddox exchange a look. She did not say anything, but the look was long. She was telling him a thousand words: to keep us safe, to keep us fed, to not stop fighting, to take care of ourselves.
Why is she like this? She meets my gaze and Jason's.
'Never take those off, not for a second. Remember who truly lies in your heart. You decide.' There is an intensity in her eyes.
A loud ruckus is heard. She closes the door. I inch toward her, but my hand misses her by a millisecond. The closet door shuts. My hand was still outstretched.
I hear the room door open. My mom is screaming incantations. I want to go to her. I wiggle out to see my mommy, but Maddox grabs my outstretched hand instead.
Our eyes connect. My lips tremble. I hear more screaming, her screaming.
My eyes widen with tears. He leans down enclosing my ears, shielding me. I try to look through the peaks of the door, but he shakes his head no.
So, I stare at him. Marisa and Jason cover their ears and lean into me. Even as blood seeps from below, and the room door closes, I keep staring at Maddox's determined golden eyes. My ears warm under his protection.
I gasp for air, huffing. There's goosebumps on my body. I run into the bathroom. As I heave into the toilet, my brain goes in circles decoding what I saw.
When my parents died, I was not there. I remember clearly. I woke up in bed with my brother like every morning. Amara, our caregiver, and senior witch, came into the room and informed us of my parents' death.
They were betrayed and died at the Malfatto home. Everything else we learned after: how somehow they bonded us with the Malfattos, how we are next in line to lead the coven, and how we will live with Marisa and Maddox from then on.
What I saw made no sense. I have no recollection. I reach toward my neck, finding warmth in my pendant. I do not remember when I got it. It's always been on me. Hasn't it?
'Your home is with them.' Her words play over and over. She loved Master and Lady Malfatto. She trusted them. She meant to say my home is with Marisa and Maddox.
She had to, and I know it is. I belong to them. I will protect them at any cost. The deal with Zain cannot fall through. It means everything to our future.
Little Maddox comes to mind how he shielded me from the scene. His eyes never left me. I will shield him too. He does not have to toughen it up alone. We are all grown.
Feeling an immense need to see him, I leave the restroom to check the time. The clock reads 3 AM. It's late but that should not matter. I check my attire. I slept in my Sunday dress. I deem it appropriate.
I walk out of my room, tiptoeing, even though everyone should be asleep. There's nothing in particular I want to say. I simply want to see him.
I'm halfway there. My steps falter. Will this be seen as disrespectful?
Things must work between Zain and me. I don't want to do anything with Maddox but I'm unsettled. A look, only one, will ease me.
I can run the dream by him, and try to understand why I can't recall any of it. He must know what happened. He was older.
I shake my doubts. I will deal with Zain tomorrow and make amends somehow. I arrive at Maddox's door and lift my fist. I halt midair.
A loud thump echoes.
I slow my hand down and near my ear to the door. I zero in on the noise, cursing myself for not having extreme senses. A not-so-subtle whimper escapes the door, a female one, followed by a grunt.
I put two and two together.
Don't cry. Don't cry.
I try my best to go unnoticed. But if he is awake, he can pick up any little noise. For my sake, I hope that he is too busy ramming into whatever tramp he managed to get so that I'm undiscovered.
I slowly walk back with something sour in my mouth. My gaze stays on my steps until I get to my door.
Some sensation had me looking into the other wing, Zain's direction. I peek at the aligned room doors, trying to remember which room is his. It's the furthest door on the right.
Maddox is in there screwing someone else. He did not check on me. I should do the same thing. Perhaps, it's how I make amends with Zain.
An idea pops into my head. Not a smart one. Yet, my legs move on their accord to the last door on the right. I knock lightly.
If he does not open, then I'll leave like nothing ever happened. I attempt to hear through the door, but I hear nothing.
This is a bad idea. I turn away.
There's a creak. Through the corner of my eye, a figure emerges. I slowly turn to the door. Zain gapes at me. His hand is on the doorknob while the other rests on the door frame.
His sharp blue eyes pierce me. No words come to mind. I stare at him like an idiot.
He has no shirt. That confirms my suspicions, he is a fine specimen. Every inch of him is adorned with toned muscle.
I travel further down. My attention snags at the shorts hanging low around his hip. I hear a grunt of sorts and it snaps me back.
"I... I ... I'm sorry. I came by accident. I must have been sleeping walking or something," I scramble out.
I hide the humiliation on my face. Suddenly, another door opens. It's from our wing, Maddox's door.
I tilt my head and meet amber eyes. Again, lack of words. Maybe, he is coming to fight.
Then, I see a pair of legs. Maddox opens the door wider for her to leave. He is not jealous. He did not care. Just needed to let his booty call out.
I avert my gaze down. Hoping he does not even get to see an inch of disappointment in my eyes. I look up at Zain. His attention is on Maddox before returning to me.
I don't want to cry. I don't want Maddox to see me get rejected, for him to know how pathetic I am over him.
Zain studies me. I want to come in, but I don't want to say it.
I need to be anywhere, just not here in this hallway. I look to see if Maddox is gone. He isn't. He looks at us intently. I need to get to my room.
"Sorry," I say lowly to Zain, determined to spare myself from any further humiliation.
A warm hand meets my wrist. Zain comes further into the hallway. His thumb traced circles on my wrist.
He pulls me in closer, and looks at Maddox with a smirk on his face, before coming down on my neck. His tongue travels down. His kisses chase away some of the earlier stings. Whether he knows it or not, I am thankful.
I hold my breath.
He travels back up, kissing my jaw. Zain very clearly eyes Maddox and sets his lips on mine. I am not sure if he was doing it to make Maddox angry or to help me. Regardless, I did not care.
I wanted to get back at Maddox. I press my lips to Zain's. He picks me up from the floor and turns his back to Maddox. Over Zain's shoulder, I meet Maddox's scornful gaze and my lips savagely taste Zain's.
Maddox's eyes turn a hateful color. I slip my tongue into Zain's mouth. I don't lower my gaze with Maddox.
The tension builds at my core. Warm hands grab my ass while a tongue savagely fights mine. I found myself lowering my stare and entangling my arms around the broad shoulders that sustain me.
I do not notice when my surroundings change and a room door closes. I become pinned against the door and my attention snaps.
I leave Zain's warm lips. "I should go," I say lowly.
He pressures me more against the door. My dress and his shorts acted as poor barriers. His intentions are unmistakable.
"No," he orders.
"Thank you for that," I say about Maddox.
He mutters, "I didn't do it to piss him off."
I give him a not-convinced face. He presses himself more into me, and I gasp. "I did it because for some reason I found myself jerking off at the thought of you." His breath tickles my ear.
My heart tumbles. I grip his shoulders and he presses even more. I instinctively tighten my thighs around him, adjusting to the movement.
He grunts, "and who is to come to my door, but the one person I can't seem to get out my head." He nibbles my ear and I shudder.
"I didn't do it for you either, witch." He drags the last word like it's the foulest thing.
I turn my gaze to him. "If I disgust you, release me, wolf," I bark back.
He smirks, "no." He takes my hand off his shoulder and leads it down to palm him. His eyes remain on me. "I did it for me. Remove this ache. Then, you may leave."
"And if I don't."
"Then, you'll get to see why exactly I am the alpha of this pack."
"You wouldn't hurt me."
He sinisterly chuckles. "I don't owe you anything, witch." He grips my hair. "You want this to work, right?"
I stare at him. His eyes aren't a sea of tranquility rather a thunderstorm brewing. He's another man hoping to use me. Thought he was slightly different.
He takes me out of my trance, pressuring himself further into my hand. "You remember my words from earlier."
He said a lot of things earlier. Most of them were nice so nothing came to mind. He says low, "I want it raw. I want it real."
The words ring a bell. So, this is what he meant. There was no depth in him. He was a wolf in heat.
He likes it raw. He likes it real. I smile sinisterly. He has no idea who he pissed off.