The Alpha's Gamble - Chapter 54: Chapter 54
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MADELINE
What a baby.
“What the fuck was that? You can’t kill a pack member—you’ll be banished or sentenced to death yourself!” None of that sounded worse than what living here had been like. My hell wasn’t dying or being cast out as a rogue. My hell was waking up every day and reliving every memory I’d made in this pack.
“Oh no, what a shame,” I said, monotone and careless, turning my back on Logan. In the distance, the soft echo of Landon’s wolf snarling brushed against my ears. I looked toward the forest, wondering what ran through his head when he saw me. Did his life flash before his eyes? I didn’t think that happened with werewolves, but I’d heard humans experienced a recap of everything they loved just before they died. The snarls faded, replaced by Logan’s heavy sigh behind me.
“Noah told me what he did… that he forced a truth from you.” Out of all the shitty reminders of my life, that was the least provoking one. A laugh bubbled in my chest and rolled out in a sinister ripple, almost doubling me over from the patheticness of his assumption.
“You think Noah is the reason I want to kill your boyfriend?” The laughter didn’t stop. I couldn’t make it stop. I didn’t want to make it stop.
“Maddie,” Logan whispered, like saying my name any louder would scare me off.
“Logan,” I answered with more force, straightening up.
“Something’s happening to you. I don’t know when it started, but you’ve never been like this before. I need you to see reason. You almost killed a pack member.”
“Are you telling me he doesn’t deserve it?” He dragged a rough hand over his face and raked his fingers through his hair.
“I know he can be a dick, but it’s not your decision whether he lives or dies.”
“You wanna know how you know he can be a dick?” I stepped closer to him, closing the space between us.
“Because you are too. You love that about him. That he’s volatile. You think it’s fun, you play together, you fuck people up together. And when you’re done, you turn around and never think about them again, while they’re left living every day, paying the price for crossing you.”
My jaw clicked, eyes narrowing to slits. The voices were back, laughing, echoing in my mind like this was some tragic, hilarious play. It all made too much sense now. Every piece fell into place, and the picture was finally clear.
“Do you know how I know that?” I asked. Logan’s eyes widened. He shook his head.
“Because I’m them. You fucked me over, Logan. You and Noah and Landon, and Nate. You were never going to help me, were you? I was just another one of your games. Another bitch for your amusement. Another victim to toy with because you were bored. And I made it easy, didn’t I? I moved into your house, my mom is fucking your dad, of course you wanted to make me pay. Make sure I understood it wasn’t going to be that easy." Bingo. “Well. Message received. But now you have to deal with the consequences.”
For the first time since I’d known him, Logan was speechless. His jaw practically hit the floor, his eyes narrowing like he was reliving every choice he’d made, trying to figure out exactly when I figured out the truth.
Without waiting for a response, I turned and left him standing there, alone at the scene of the crime, with no idea where I was headed next. This day just kept getting better and better. Maybe I didn’t need to want to live every day. Maybe that was the real luxury of life, wanting to live it.
Once I was back on the mansion grounds, I walked in circles to avoid going inside. When I was a kid, this pack felt enormous, like I could walk for hours and never hit the border. It felt like its own little world, infinite and full of hidden gems I’d never find. But growing up, I did find them. I searched every inch of this place, and the older I got, the smaller it became. Now it felt like a box I couldn’t stretch my limbs in. Claustrophobic. We all knew each other. We rarely accepted newcomers. In nearly eighteen years, I think we’d taken in maybe five new pack members total, people who’d sought shelter from other packs.
Landon...Logan... Noah...
My dad...
My mom...
The Ember Ring...
The Auburn Academy...
Everything was melting together into one big ball of fucking anxiety.
On my third lap around the mansion, I passed through the garden and dragged my fingers along the rose bushes, letting the thorns prick at my skin. That’s when I saw him, my father, walking down the same path. He stopped when he saw me, hands buried in his pockets. Did he come from the house? Had he seen my mom?
“Please don’t run,” he said softly, head bent. My fight-or-flight instinct kicked in hard. He was right, I wanted to run. But something about the way he looked at me, the way his eyes were wide and pleading as he walked closer… it froze me in place. Fuck. I continued walking and met him halfway. A cool stillness settled between us. And aside from the resemblance, there was nothing else there to remind me he was my father. “Maddie,” he said when he stopped in front of me. I stayed silent, waiting for whatever it was he had to say. “I have an order from Jack.” Not what I expected to hear.
“What is it?”
“I’m your new trainer. Jack said that something’s coming up… and that you need to be prepared. For combat.”
No. Fucking. Way.
What a baby.
“What the fuck was that? You can’t kill a pack member—you’ll be banished or sentenced to death yourself!” None of that sounded worse than what living here had been like. My hell wasn’t dying or being cast out as a rogue. My hell was waking up every day and reliving every memory I’d made in this pack.
“Oh no, what a shame,” I said, monotone and careless, turning my back on Logan. In the distance, the soft echo of Landon’s wolf snarling brushed against my ears. I looked toward the forest, wondering what ran through his head when he saw me. Did his life flash before his eyes? I didn’t think that happened with werewolves, but I’d heard humans experienced a recap of everything they loved just before they died. The snarls faded, replaced by Logan’s heavy sigh behind me.
“Noah told me what he did… that he forced a truth from you.” Out of all the shitty reminders of my life, that was the least provoking one. A laugh bubbled in my chest and rolled out in a sinister ripple, almost doubling me over from the patheticness of his assumption.
“You think Noah is the reason I want to kill your boyfriend?” The laughter didn’t stop. I couldn’t make it stop. I didn’t want to make it stop.
“Maddie,” Logan whispered, like saying my name any louder would scare me off.
“Logan,” I answered with more force, straightening up.
“Something’s happening to you. I don’t know when it started, but you’ve never been like this before. I need you to see reason. You almost killed a pack member.”
“Are you telling me he doesn’t deserve it?” He dragged a rough hand over his face and raked his fingers through his hair.
“I know he can be a dick, but it’s not your decision whether he lives or dies.”
“You wanna know how you know he can be a dick?” I stepped closer to him, closing the space between us.
“Because you are too. You love that about him. That he’s volatile. You think it’s fun, you play together, you fuck people up together. And when you’re done, you turn around and never think about them again, while they’re left living every day, paying the price for crossing you.”
My jaw clicked, eyes narrowing to slits. The voices were back, laughing, echoing in my mind like this was some tragic, hilarious play. It all made too much sense now. Every piece fell into place, and the picture was finally clear.
“Do you know how I know that?” I asked. Logan’s eyes widened. He shook his head.
“Because I’m them. You fucked me over, Logan. You and Noah and Landon, and Nate. You were never going to help me, were you? I was just another one of your games. Another bitch for your amusement. Another victim to toy with because you were bored. And I made it easy, didn’t I? I moved into your house, my mom is fucking your dad, of course you wanted to make me pay. Make sure I understood it wasn’t going to be that easy." Bingo. “Well. Message received. But now you have to deal with the consequences.”
For the first time since I’d known him, Logan was speechless. His jaw practically hit the floor, his eyes narrowing like he was reliving every choice he’d made, trying to figure out exactly when I figured out the truth.
Without waiting for a response, I turned and left him standing there, alone at the scene of the crime, with no idea where I was headed next. This day just kept getting better and better. Maybe I didn’t need to want to live every day. Maybe that was the real luxury of life, wanting to live it.
Once I was back on the mansion grounds, I walked in circles to avoid going inside. When I was a kid, this pack felt enormous, like I could walk for hours and never hit the border. It felt like its own little world, infinite and full of hidden gems I’d never find. But growing up, I did find them. I searched every inch of this place, and the older I got, the smaller it became. Now it felt like a box I couldn’t stretch my limbs in. Claustrophobic. We all knew each other. We rarely accepted newcomers. In nearly eighteen years, I think we’d taken in maybe five new pack members total, people who’d sought shelter from other packs.
Landon...Logan... Noah...
My dad...
My mom...
The Ember Ring...
The Auburn Academy...
Everything was melting together into one big ball of fucking anxiety.
On my third lap around the mansion, I passed through the garden and dragged my fingers along the rose bushes, letting the thorns prick at my skin. That’s when I saw him, my father, walking down the same path. He stopped when he saw me, hands buried in his pockets. Did he come from the house? Had he seen my mom?
“Please don’t run,” he said softly, head bent. My fight-or-flight instinct kicked in hard. He was right, I wanted to run. But something about the way he looked at me, the way his eyes were wide and pleading as he walked closer… it froze me in place. Fuck. I continued walking and met him halfway. A cool stillness settled between us. And aside from the resemblance, there was nothing else there to remind me he was my father. “Maddie,” he said when he stopped in front of me. I stayed silent, waiting for whatever it was he had to say. “I have an order from Jack.” Not what I expected to hear.
“What is it?”
“I’m your new trainer. Jack said that something’s coming up… and that you need to be prepared. For combat.”
No. Fucking. Way.
End of The Alpha's Gamble Chapter 54. Continue reading Chapter 55 or return to The Alpha's Gamble book page.