My fated alpha by Natalie
Chapter 16

Madeleine

I kept looking at alpha Hayden at his words and was utterly speechless. He had been doing nothing except caring for me and making me feel secure since I had met him.

And, I, on the other hand, had not done anything to deserve it. The thought made me feel sad but I couldn't neglect the fact that I hadn't felt this happy or relieved since my pack had been killed. It was as if Hayden's pack was a complete opposite to that of Garron's.

While Hayden was strict but treated everyone with respect, Garron and the others treated everyone as if they were filth with the exception of Clare.

But, I was the one who was treated the worst. In contrast, Hayden's pack had welcomed me and treated me as an equal.

I knew that Hayden was aware that I was wolfless and even I had told it to Raine.

I had expected her smile to disappear when I shared that secret but her smile didn't falter. Instead, she hugged me like my mother would and said, "You must be a late bloomer, don't worry."

Her words had brought tears to my eyes and I didn't want to leave the pack. After my own pack which was now dead, this was the first pack that I could think of as 'my own.'

I wanted to join Hayden's pack desperately but I knew I could be of no use.

While gardening, Tisha and Freya had told me of how various werewolves who would turn on their sixteenth birthday had applied to be taken into Hayden's pack but had been rejected. He only picked the best and didn't allow incompetent or lazy people to join.

As such, I thought that he had said those words only to cheer me up.

I was brought out of my thoughts when Hayden took out his car keys and waved it in front of me.

"Shall we?"

I nodded my head and bid goodbye to Raine, Charlie, and Ben who waved back at me enthusiastically.

Hayden walked towards the garage that was behind his house. It was a large open space and the smell of paint and grease greeted me.

From what I saw, there were a couple of cars and even some bikes.

All of them were glimmering in a bright shine and were polished. Hayden turned the lights on and that was when I saw that the space was truly clean.

I had expected it to be littered with tires and tools but everything was placed neatly at its proper place.

Hayden was a perfectionist it seemed. His eyes had a distinct glow when he looked at his collection and I didn't know even werewolves were fond of manmade vehicles.

Most of the werewolves relied on their legs to run at amazing speeds and go wherever they wanted to. At most, they had one or two vehicles.

Even Garron's pack had only a few.

Hopping in one of the cars, he turned on the ignition and looked at me, "Come on"

I did as asked and got inside the car. It wasn't a very flashy car but a decent one that he had polished and possibly renovated. It had an old feeling to it.

He drove the car out of the garage and through the small, unpaved road before we hit the concrete road. There was an awkward silence in the car and I didn't know how to fill it.

I kept my hands on my lap and was nervously twiddling my fingers. I had probably overstayed my welcome and I didn't want to ask more favors from Hayden.

He seemed to be deep in thought and I didn't want to disturb him. Thus, I was looking outside of the forest when he suddenly said,

"I am sorry for your family."

Those words made me look at him. He had his eyes fixed on the road in front of him and I took the opportunity to observe his face. His golden hair was tousled and there was light stubble on his jaw.

The black shirt complemented his honey brown eyes, making the color stand out even more. Those eyes had looked at me with worry, those hands had held me in an embrace when I had been scared witless and those lips had kissed my forehead.

I had even momentarily forgotten that he had offered his condolences to me.

I mentally scolded myself for that and replied, "I am getting used to it, I guess?"

He stayed silent for some time and I leaned back on the seat, my memories taking me back to the time when I was living happily with my parents.

A lone tear escaped my eyes and I quickly wiped it before Hayden could see it.

I didn't want to look like the crying girl who would always need support from him.

"Even I lost my parents in my childhood. Raine is what I have as my blood. And, my pack is more than family to me."

I was surprised at this revelation. I hadn't known that he had grown up without his parents. At least, I had them until I neared adulthood.

"Raine is very sweet. She is just like my mother."

A wistful smile appeared on his face at that line. "She became my mother when we lost our parents. I was in need of a motherly presence so she stepped up to the role, never letting me know that she needed one too. I

would never deny her anything."

I nodded my head at his words understandingly. I had loving parents and I doubt I would have said no to them either.

Before I could reply, the car stopped and I looked outside. We had reached Garron's territory.

Hayden killed the ignition and stepped out of the car. I did the same and got out hesitantly.

My eyes darted to see if anybody was around. Especially Steve.

Hayden walked towards the packhouse and announced, "Anybody home?"

Hearing his voice, Peter, the Black Forest pack's gamma stepped out. He looked at Hayden with squinted eyes before spotting me beside him.

His eyes were instantly relieved to see me and he jumped while letting out a whoop.

"The slave has returned, woohoo! At least, I will be eating a good meal today."

I looked at him nervously as Hayden stepped in front of me, blocking Peter's view of me.

"Have you forgotten to greet the alpha of another pack first when he shows up at your territory? It's basic courtesy, you know."

Hayden said in a level voice and Peter smiled at him.

"Of course not Greetings alpha Hayden. I was just happy that I had a lot of work piled up for her. The laundry, the dishes, and the cooking. Tell you what, I was just bored of eating half-cooked things. It

was... upsetting my stomach, you

know."

Hayden clenched his fist but refrained from commenting on it. Instead, he asked in a clear voice, "Where is Garron?"

"Coming..."

Before Peter could answer, Garron stepped out of the packhouse, wiping his fingers across his shirt.

"Wait, who is that girl? Oh, that's none other than our slave."

His cheery voice instantly became serious as he added, "What are you doing standing here and looking at our faces. Go and do your work, now."

I nodded my head and gave Hayden one last glance before walking away.

Hayden

I was having a hard time controlling myself and Luke to not pounce at Garron or his gamma as they openly spewed hate against her.

I knew once I had committed the mistake of attacking Steve and he had tried to force himself on her. The mere thought of him nearing her made my blood boil.

I could have wiped that smirk off their faces but I knew that if I fell for their provocation, they would only take it out on Madeleine later.

Bloody bast**rds!

Luke growled and was asking permission from me to teach them a lesson but I urged him to stay quiet.

After Madeleine had disappeared into the packhouse, I looked at Garron and asked, "When do the other alphas want the training to start?" Garron grew serious at the mention of other alphas and answered, "After the ball?"

The ball.

I had totally forgotten about the event. Not that I had been looking forward to it. But now I was not sure if I wanted to completely avoid it or not.

"And, do you have a venue for it?"

Garron nodded his head, "Yes. I think

one of the nightclubs in our territory

should suit it. I was thinking of the Wolf's Lounge. I have heard that they appointed new staff and have revamped it."

I hardly bothered about the details. Instead, I came up with an idea.

"I will attend the ball if you promise to send all of your pack members to train. And I mean ALL of them."

Garron looked at me with squinted eyes and it took him a whole lot of effort to just say one word.

"Fine"

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