The Alpha's Gamble - Chapter 113: Chapter 113

MADELINE
The only thing worse than waiting was waiting with a man-child who huffed and puffed, complained and pouted because his friends wouldn’t let him play.
It tested the sanity in a whole new way, and I’m starting to wonder if any future children of mine were a good idea, or if this was the universe’s way of telling me no.
After the thousandth sigh snapped my patience like a twig, I took the pillow behind my back and threw it at Logan’s face.
“What was that for?”
“Your sighing is pissing me off. Being stuck in here is painful enough without your constant pouting, so stop acting like a child!” It wasn’t even that he was trying to be annoying; he just had a natural gift for it, and the more comfortable he got with me, the more those tendencies floated to the surface.
“Fine, maybe I’ll just go if I’m so annoying.”
I flung my arms around and stared at him in shock, because I’d told him at least ten times in the span of the two hours he’d been in here to leave me alone.
“I’ve tried to kick you out for an hour!”
Logan rose and held the pillow like a pointing stick to make his point, but he just looked like a toddler throwing a tantrum. Which, you know, is not that far off from reality.
“You’re being very cranky, you know that?”
I kept glancing at the door, hoping to see them walk in. I’m sure that much of Logan’s restlessness and pouting comes from fear—they should’ve been back by now, the sun had set, and the mansion was quiet. After they left, Logan was too antsy to sit around and wait so he dragged Nate out of his house for a run. When they were done with that, he came in here and made himself comfortable on the chair, but we had barely spoken two words. The plan was never to kill the witch; they just needed to know the spell she’d used so that Freya could reverse it, and that shouldn’t take too long, right? A talk. That’s all it was supposed to be. What if she didn’t want to talk?
I dragged my hand over my chest to soothe my nerves, but what I needed was for that door to open and for Noah to step in. Fuck it if they couldn’t negotiate with the witch, it didn’t matter whether Nasha was with me till the end—as long as he came back.
A click in the lock and the door creaking open had me shooting off the bed, and Logan ran over and pulled the door open.
His back stiffened, hand on the door handle, and his shoulders slowly rose to his ears.
“Logan?” I said and tried to see who it was.
Eventually, he stepped aside, eyes gracing the walls and pinning me down.
It wasn’t Noah, or Freya, or Malania. It wasn’t anyone that I wanted to see, but she strutted in with a faint smile and her hands cupped in front of her embroidered dress.
“Mother,” the word slipped like a poisonous curse, and she took in the room.
“Hi, sweetheart.” She turned her head, a perfect updo sat polished and perfect on her head.
“Logan.”
“Veasel.”
Mom’s smile fell, her eyes narrowed, and she stuck her chin out while I tried to suppress the laugh in my chest.
I guess Jack and she were back from their getaway. How unfortunate, although it made sense, she wouldn’t want to miss the biggest event of the year.
“I just wanted to say hi and let you know that we’re back,” she circled the room, but stopped by the bookshelves and dragged her meticulously manicured finger underneath one of the wooden boards.
Ash residue stained her skin, and she rubbed her fingers together with a wrinkled nose.
“Where’s Noah?” she asked.
“Out,” Logan answered and walked up beside me.
Everything about her was calculated; she was goading for answers to questions she had yet to ask.
“The maid told me that you received a letter from the Academy. I forgot to tell you that I sent out an early application form before we left,” she shrugged and looked around the room.
“Well?” she said.
“Well, what?”
“Where’s the letter? What did it say?”
You already know damn well what the letter said.
The only reason she sent in the application was to live out this moment, to see my face fall when I tell her that they rejected me—for the foreseeable future.
Something about my torment amused her, a trait others didn’t seem to see because I didn’t know anyone in the pack with a bigger friend group than my mother. The friends she had were the same she’s been with since they were pups; they were there for each other’s first shift, first run, first love, first heartbreak. All of it, always. For some reason, that I’ll never know, they loved her and her company.
“I didn’t get in.” I forced the emotions down and regulated my heartbeat to make sure that I remained composed, uncaring.
“Oh, honey,” she stuck her bottom lip out, unable to hide the twinkle in her eyes, she opted for the mirroring empathy.
Mom stepped closer, grabbed my shoulders, and moved my hair away from my face.
“I’m so sorry, it’s a shame,” she paused and locked eyes. “Truly.”
As she turned to head out she couldn’t hold the pout and her face returned to its natural emotionless void.
“Please let Noah know that his father is seeking him,” she said to Logan as she headed out of the room.
Logan followed after her to the door and held onto it as she left.
“You tell him yourself. You may have my father on a leash but no one else will be doing you any favours.”
Mom turned, an offended scoff trembled from her lips but before she could speak, Logan slammed the door in her face and I watched as his back rippled when his muscles tensed.
“Your mom’s a bitch,” he said hoarsely under his breath, still leaning against the door.
“That’s dawning on you now, is it?” I couldn’t help but smile, it wasn’t anything I wasn’t used to but she was obviously getting under his nerves. She’d be thrilled to know it.
Logan was shoved back when the door burst open and at first there was no sight of anyone. Logan called on his wolf, his claws extended and I prepared myself for a fight. From around the corner, careless and with great force, Freya pranced inside with the guards outside my door leaning in to see the witch that visited our town for a second time.
As if she sensed their lingering worry, Freya looked over her shoulder and raised her hand.
“A little privacy, please,” she flicked her wrist and the door slammed shut. Poor door, people had not been kind to the use of it.
“Lie down, let’s get this over with,” she ordered.
Based on her pissy mood, I’m guessing the visit with the dark witch didn’t go as smoothly as I’d hoped. As all of us had hoped.
Of course, there were also the thin pieces of wood stuck in the knots of her hair and shallow cuts on her arms and her neck that exposed the fact that there had been a fight.
I lay down on the bed, and Logan came to stand on the other side.
My head immediately heated from her touch when she dug her fingers into my hair and pressed them against my scalp.
“If you feel the need to pass out, don’t fight it. It’ll be easier for me to do this if you’re unconscious.”
So that’s why the witch had knocked me out before putting Nasha in there.
Then I remembered I hadn’t asked about Noah, if he was back, where he was and if he was okay. I opened my eyes and lifted my head.
“Where’s…” All I remembered was a shadow covering the walls, drawing over her face and her chants sounding like they were coming from another room.