The Alpha's Gamble - Chapter 51: Chapter 51

NOAH
Sweat dripped down her face, gluing strands of hair to her cheeks.
What do I do? I didn’t know what happened, why she was curled up in the corner, and I had no fucking clue how to help her.
I placed my hand gently on her head, thinking maybe my touch could ground her. But Maddie jerked upright, eyes glossy with tears, lips trembling. The second she saw me, it was like she woke up from a nightmare. Her eyes darted around the room.
“Noah,” she whispered. She wiped her tears and got to her feet.
“What happened to you?” I rose slowly, scanning her face. Her walls were already going up. The petrified look was fading, replaced by that usual cold mask of indifference. I could already predict the next words out of her mouth, and even though she hadn’t said them yet, they pissed me off.
“Nothing. I’m fine.” There it is. I stepped closer. She raised her chin defiantly. Always so goddamn defiant, unless she was curled up in the dark, hiding her face in fear.
“Try again,” I said, stalking toward her.
“It was just a bad dream.” She could control her voice. Her heart rate. But she couldn’t control the fear still written all over her face. The way her lower lip quivered. Whatever she dreamed about, it wasn’t just a dream. It was too fucking real. I could still see the ghosts dancing behind her eyes, like it was a party they weren’t ready to leave. And I cared. I cared more than I probably should, and that made it worse. Because she was lying to me. Refusing to let me in. Nobody curls up in the dark like that unless they’re terrified.
So what the hell is she scared of?
A creaking noise snapped my head around. The door moved, just an inch. I was across the gym in a heartbeat. I threw it open, looking for whoever had been watching. And then I saw her. Hair swaying behind her as she walked away. Olivia. She glanced over her shoulder. Locked eyes with me. Then vanished around the side of the house. She heard. She saw. Maddie, me, everything.
“Just kill the bitch,” Onyx snarled.
“You know I can’t.”
“Because she doesn’t deserve it?”
“Because the Alpha doesn’t kill pack members for being nosy.” There was a pause. Then, Onyx slowly retreated. Unlucky for both of us, I still heard his parting words.
“Maybe it’s a good thing, then… that you’re not the Alpha.” That was a low fucking blow, and the worst part? He was right. I wasn’t Alpha.
And acting like I already was is what got the title revoked in the first place.
“Who was it?” Maddie asked when I returned.
“No one. I just forgot to close the door.” One white lie wouldn’t hurt. The less she knew about Olivia, the better.
“Should we continue training?” She moved into position like nothing had happened. But fuck that. She still wasn’t being honest with me.
“Not until you tell me the truth.” She dropped her arms and sighed.
“Can you just let that go?”
“No.”
“I’m sorry to disappoint you, but if you expect me to tell you anything, you’re going to be disappointed. There’s nothing to tell.” I didn’t want to do this. I wanted her to trust me. To want to tell me. But Maddie had practiced, too much practice, at locking her demons away behind that tough, uncaring mask. I stepped forward. There was one way I could get the truth.
“What are you-” I grabbed her throat and pulled her in. Relax. I wasn’t choking her. I wasn’t going to hurt her. I just needed to reach her mind. And this was the only way I knew how.
“Relax your mind. I won’t hurt you.” Just let me in.
“Noah, don’t.”
“Shh.” Onyx stepped up to the front, and Maddie’s eyes softened, resigned. She surrendered.
“Was it a dream you were having earlier?”
“No,” she whimpered.
“Why were you crying?”
“I’m afraid of the dark.” I tightened my grip, just slightly.
“Tell me why you’re scared.” She hesitated. Then the truth came, dragged out of her like a confession she didn’t want to make.
“My mom used to lock me in the closet. She’d turn off the lights to discipline me when I was a kid. I don’t like the dark. Never have. Never will.” I dropped my hand. It felt like someone had kicked me in the chest. Maddie touched her neck and lowered her head, but when she looked up, her eyes were on fire. And if she could’ve set me ablaze right then and there, I have no doubt she would’ve.
“Maddie-”
“You had no right!” She shoved her finger in my face, eyes wide and wild. I know now’s not the time to be turned on, but there’s something about Maddie’s fire that lights me up in all the wrong ways. The way she fights, the way she refuses to fold, it does things to me. Things I can’t fucking control. I dug myself into this hole. Now I was stuck. Stuck wondering about every dark corner of her life, wanting to learn everything that made her tick. Everything that made her smile, and everything that made her break. I wanted to destroy every single fucker that had ever hurt her.
Only now, I was starting to realize…I might’ve just joined their ranks. She turned with a huff, stormed out, and slammed the door behind her. What a clusterfuck this all turned into.