Page 113 of Drama Queen

"Mate." The word almost sounds accusatory, which snaps the greedy bitch between my legs to heel. He doesn’t get to call me that after they rejected me because of my shiftless nature.

"Not mate." I growl back, my bark rougher than intended.

Maddock clears his throat and blinks tightly, as gut-wrenching sorrow brightens his already unreal eyes. The emotion is so potent that I can sense it in the air, through our bond, even though it’s not consummated. The intense reaction radiating off him begins seeping into the air, into my skin, causing my heart to pound as if trying to leap from my chest to connect our souls. The sensation is as powerful and tempting as the last time I’ve felt it. His gaze latches to mine, seeing directly into my depths, and sensing where my thoughts have gone.

"Ares." His alpha may be the biggest of the brothers, but in that moment, his voice cracks, revealing the softer side of him.

I open my mouth—to bitch him out or beg him to stay, I’m not sure—because several things happen all at once. Evie screams like her life is ending, which is derived from her throwing her favorite cup on the floor, and I’m not there to play her pick-up game. The real pizza delivery guy appears out of nowhere over Maddock’s shoulder with a friendly smile, because yes, I order pizza weekly.

Maddock growls menacingly, snatching the pizza from Darren’s hands, tucking me to his side with his other hand, and effectively slamming the door in his face. Then he’s hustling towards the kitchen, a fire lighting his strides.

The skin-to-skin contact short-circuits my brain momentarily, but in seconds I’m storming after him. "What the hell do you think you’re doing? Get the fuck out of my house."

Maddock sets the pizza on the table, standing next to Evie’s cup on the floor, and staring at our daughter. A shuddering breath heaves his next words so quietly, I don’t think he meant to say them aloud. "She’s beautiful."

Evie is motionless, wide-eyed, and staring just as hard. But then she bursts into squeals, pointing at her cup, and repeats 'dada' over and over until Maddock picks it up, and places it back on her tray.

She happily puts it to her lips and sucks, while rubbing her eyes with her tiny fist. She’s a little past bedtime, so I expect her to pass out soon. She’s already had her dinner and bath, leaving cleanup for last.

But first, I needed to deal with one of her fathers. "Maddock. What is this? Why are you here?"

He visibly shivers when I say his name for the first time in years, closing his eyes to savor the sound. "Say it again?"

Confused, I tilt my head. "Maddock, seriously, what are you doing here? You can’t have her, you know. None of you can. She became mine and only mine when your brother fucked me and then left me naked in a barn."

He flinches, as if the words physically struck him. "We need to talk about that."

My body’s vibrating, as I shake my head in denial. "No. There’s nothing left to say. I was rejected." No matter how hard I try, my voice still cracks on the last word.

Maddock turns his attention to me, but continues glancing at Evie, as if checking on her now and then. "We didn’t reject you."

"Bullshit!" I growl, clenching fists at my sides, ready to do battle. He may be twice my size, but I’d be a force to reckon with if I attacked like a spider monkey and tried to claw his fucking eyes out. "Don’t you fucking dare stand there and say that to me. I was there! I had my heart ripped out to the point of numbness… for weeks. She’s the only thing that saved me," I punctuate my point by stabbing my finger in Evie’s direction. "And I’ll be damned if you come in here and confuse her."

Maddock raises his hands in a surrendering pose. "You’re entitled to be pissed. But please, just listen to me for a minute. Let me explain."

"Explain?" The word huffs in exasperation, but the stupid mate bond whispers to me.Maybe there’s a reasonable explanation. Maybe we should listen.To give myself something to do, I start to clean Evie’s hands. "I don’t have time for this. It’s Evie’s bedtime." This solidified when she yawns big and rubs her eyes again.

"I’ll help. Then we’ll talk." He confirms without waiting for a choice.

Unclicking Evie’s chair, she reaches for me, and instantly pats my back once she’s in my arms. The tell-tale sign that she’s almost asleep. "Fine." I agree, knowing he’ll never leave until we’ve had this out. I honestly don’t know what they could want after almost two years. "Her room is down the hall." I don’t wait to see if he’s following, his dominance lingers directly behind me. Not to mention the body heat coming off of him in waves. He’s silent but watches intently as I prepare our daughter for bed with one of her fathers for the first time. My heart is expanding and contracting into a tight fist with every breath and from the transparency that the bond allows, a rainbow of emotions plagues Maddock too.

After Evie’s baby duck pajamas are on and her diaper changed, she’s out like a light as soon as she hits the mattress. I watch her for a moment, brushing her silver hair from her forehead, and memorizing her tiny face. “Sweet dreams, Moonbeam.”

Maddock watches her just as intently and as silently as the night—his phone flashing quickly as he captures her sleeping form. As soon as her door clicks closed behind us, Maddock’s cornering me against the wall, his alpha riding him hard. “She’s beautiful. Just like her mother.”

His words suck the next breath away from me, as I squirm under his scrutiny. “Don’t say those types of things to me.” Brushing the compliment off is easier than accepting it—opening my heart after what happened isn’t in the cards. “Let’s talk in the living room and then you need to leave. We don’t need you or your pack. We’re doing fine on our own.”

He steps back, clearing the way as his calculating gaze shifts around the house, no doubt memorizing every inch. “You’ve done extremely well, mate. Our daughter is lucky to have you as a mother.”

Heart-stopping.Damn him!Playing into my omega’s need for praise. "Stop," I growl, struggling to cling to my anger. The thing is, Maddock wasn’t there that night. "Stop saying those things." My hands gesture wildly at his giant, toned, and extremely tempting body.

A smirk tilts his tantalizing lips.Bastard. “Come sit with me, mate. Let me speak to you."

A growl vibrates in my throat, but I shuffle toward the couch. He does the same, closer than needed, but I'm secretly enjoying the warmth his body offers.

Silence surrounds us as we appraise each other. Finally, I sigh. "Maddock, can we please get this over with? I’d like to head to bed soon."

His eyes flare, likely thinking of nighttime routines and less clothing. "Knox told us about seeing you and Evie at the library. You took off before he could catch you." He’s pointed when he says the last bit, knowing I ran like a scared rabbit. "Now that I see her for myself, his claims are true. The scent of my kin is easy enough to distinguish, along with the scent of my mate." Another growl accompanies his appreciative gaze over my body.

---