The Alpha's Gamble - Chapter 42: Chapter 42
You are reading The Alpha's Gamble, Chapter 42: Chapter 42. Read more chapters of The Alpha's Gamble.
When Maddie walked in, dressed in sweatpants and a tight t-shirt that exposed her lower stomach, my fingers cramped from the grip on the edge of the door.
It wasn’t the way she was dressed even though she was hot as fuck and had folded the waistband of her sweats to sit lower on her waist, it was her strength: the way she held her head up and stuck her chin out, her eyes menacingly narrowed on her mother and her heart beating like calm waves on a lake. She wasn’t scared or nervous, but that was fine; I was scared enough for her.
“Thank you for joining us,” Clara smiled.
“Look at you, Mother, standing there with your Alpha like you have any power whatsoever,”
Good girl.
“She does, Madeliene, your mother has the same amount of power as I do. She is my equal.” My dad defended his latest whore and sent Maddie a silent warning that flew right past her.
I stood at a distance, I had the best view from here. Everyone was too calm for my liking, and I knew the curveball would soon come. All I had to do was make sure it didn’t hit Maddie.
Why do I care so much? It was her fault, she was the one who pissed off the Russian, she went along with Logan’s stupidity and put herself in this situation, so why the fuck was I standing guard behind her, ready to fight the one man we have all been taught to run from?
“My apologies, it must be my eighteen years of experiencing her tyranny that makes me think she’s unfit to rule.” What the hell was she doing? She’s provoking her mother and Clara’s face is twisting, the mask slowly falling and a spark ignited in her eyes like she was about to lunge at her daughter.
Clara removed her hand from Jack’s shoulder and that’s when I noticed his flaming red cheeks and his chest expanding. His chair flew back against the wall, and he slammed his fists down on the desk, the papers all crushed under his hands, and he pointed a finger at Maddie who stood as calm as ever. How much experience did she have not to react at all?
“You will show your mother respect, Maddie. I will not tolerate anything less under my roof!”
The carpet rustled under her weight when she shifted on her feet and cocked her head.
“Good thing it’s only for a few more months then.”
I took a step closer and stared at the back of Maddie’s head. What the fuck did she mean it was only for a few more months? Where did she think she was going?
“It’s okay, my love.” Clara put her hand on my father’s shoulder again and pulled back his chair. Fuck it was hard not to gag, and Logan was doing a shittier job than me hiding the look of disgust.
“Let’s just get on with what really matters,” she said when he sat back down.
For a moment I’d forgotten the guest of honor. He sat there silently watching the family drama unfold and didn’t seem to mind having to wait.
I couldn’t read Volokov, no matter how hard I tried I couldn't make sense of him, and it pissed me off. I always knew what was going on in someone’s head, it was never a matter of if I would learn it, it was always a matter of when, but with him it was like staring at a wall and expecting it to speak.
“Volokov tells us you three went to his bar to reclaim an item?” Logan kept his head up when our father glared at him.
“And somehow, it ended in a slaughter of over twenty humans.” The grave darkness in our father's voice told me he was pissed. Normally, I’d shrug it off, tell him to fuck off, and walk out, but this time, I wasn’t so sure.
We were in the wrong. I knew that.
But what I was waiting for was the punishment, the disciplinary actions, and how they would ripple through all of us. He’d have to do something that satisfied Volokov, something that gave the Russian a sense of justice, if that was even possible.
Friends or not, we killed them. All of them. My father’s eyes moved back and forth between me and Logan, pausing on each of us long enough to make sure we felt the weight of what we’d done, like we didn’t already. "I've been too lenient with you two,” he said, voice low and steady. “That’s become clearer now than ever before. But what I’ve never failed to drill into you is the importance of peace between us and the humans.” He was slowing down. Calming.
That wasn’t good. “The vital importance of keeping our secrets. Not just to protect us, but to protect them from a world they’re not ready to know about. You haven’t just put yourselves in danger by disrespecting those rules, you’ve endangered the entire pack. And for that, to honor Volokov and the men he lost, I’ve decided…” He paused. “…he will choose one of you to reprimand.”
Fuck this.
“Which one?” I asked.
All heads turned, except Maddie’s. Our father cupped his hands on the desk, lifted one shoulder in a half-shrug.
“The one who threw the first hit. The one who started it all.” Was that Logan? But my brother looked worried, not for himself. His usual nonchalant disinterest was gone. His eyes were glassy and focused, locked on Maddie.
He sucked in a breath.
No. Fucking. Way.
It wasn’t the way she was dressed even though she was hot as fuck and had folded the waistband of her sweats to sit lower on her waist, it was her strength: the way she held her head up and stuck her chin out, her eyes menacingly narrowed on her mother and her heart beating like calm waves on a lake. She wasn’t scared or nervous, but that was fine; I was scared enough for her.
“Thank you for joining us,” Clara smiled.
“Look at you, Mother, standing there with your Alpha like you have any power whatsoever,”
Good girl.
“She does, Madeliene, your mother has the same amount of power as I do. She is my equal.” My dad defended his latest whore and sent Maddie a silent warning that flew right past her.
I stood at a distance, I had the best view from here. Everyone was too calm for my liking, and I knew the curveball would soon come. All I had to do was make sure it didn’t hit Maddie.
Why do I care so much? It was her fault, she was the one who pissed off the Russian, she went along with Logan’s stupidity and put herself in this situation, so why the fuck was I standing guard behind her, ready to fight the one man we have all been taught to run from?
“My apologies, it must be my eighteen years of experiencing her tyranny that makes me think she’s unfit to rule.” What the hell was she doing? She’s provoking her mother and Clara’s face is twisting, the mask slowly falling and a spark ignited in her eyes like she was about to lunge at her daughter.
Clara removed her hand from Jack’s shoulder and that’s when I noticed his flaming red cheeks and his chest expanding. His chair flew back against the wall, and he slammed his fists down on the desk, the papers all crushed under his hands, and he pointed a finger at Maddie who stood as calm as ever. How much experience did she have not to react at all?
“You will show your mother respect, Maddie. I will not tolerate anything less under my roof!”
The carpet rustled under her weight when she shifted on her feet and cocked her head.
“Good thing it’s only for a few more months then.”
I took a step closer and stared at the back of Maddie’s head. What the fuck did she mean it was only for a few more months? Where did she think she was going?
“It’s okay, my love.” Clara put her hand on my father’s shoulder again and pulled back his chair. Fuck it was hard not to gag, and Logan was doing a shittier job than me hiding the look of disgust.
“Let’s just get on with what really matters,” she said when he sat back down.
For a moment I’d forgotten the guest of honor. He sat there silently watching the family drama unfold and didn’t seem to mind having to wait.
I couldn’t read Volokov, no matter how hard I tried I couldn't make sense of him, and it pissed me off. I always knew what was going on in someone’s head, it was never a matter of if I would learn it, it was always a matter of when, but with him it was like staring at a wall and expecting it to speak.
“Volokov tells us you three went to his bar to reclaim an item?” Logan kept his head up when our father glared at him.
“And somehow, it ended in a slaughter of over twenty humans.” The grave darkness in our father's voice told me he was pissed. Normally, I’d shrug it off, tell him to fuck off, and walk out, but this time, I wasn’t so sure.
We were in the wrong. I knew that.
But what I was waiting for was the punishment, the disciplinary actions, and how they would ripple through all of us. He’d have to do something that satisfied Volokov, something that gave the Russian a sense of justice, if that was even possible.
Friends or not, we killed them. All of them. My father’s eyes moved back and forth between me and Logan, pausing on each of us long enough to make sure we felt the weight of what we’d done, like we didn’t already. "I've been too lenient with you two,” he said, voice low and steady. “That’s become clearer now than ever before. But what I’ve never failed to drill into you is the importance of peace between us and the humans.” He was slowing down. Calming.
That wasn’t good. “The vital importance of keeping our secrets. Not just to protect us, but to protect them from a world they’re not ready to know about. You haven’t just put yourselves in danger by disrespecting those rules, you’ve endangered the entire pack. And for that, to honor Volokov and the men he lost, I’ve decided…” He paused. “…he will choose one of you to reprimand.”
Fuck this.
“Which one?” I asked.
All heads turned, except Maddie’s. Our father cupped his hands on the desk, lifted one shoulder in a half-shrug.
“The one who threw the first hit. The one who started it all.” Was that Logan? But my brother looked worried, not for himself. His usual nonchalant disinterest was gone. His eyes were glassy and focused, locked on Maddie.
He sucked in a breath.
No. Fucking. Way.
End of The Alpha's Gamble Chapter 42. Continue reading Chapter 43 or return to The Alpha's Gamble book page.