Page 45 of Bound to the Dragon
“Or she saved the pack.”
My eyes narrow. “Whose side are you on?”
Vigo seems startled by the question. “I’m always on the side of the pack, but you have to admit that was a pretty ballsy thing she did.” He raises an eyebrow. “Don’t you agree?”
I’m not so sure. “She might have done it to save herself. Especially if that’s where her heart always was.”
The Beta looks like he wants to say more, but thinks better of it. “I’m glad the matter is resolved, Blaze.”
I wish I felt better about it, but I know deep down that the yearning for my mate will never be resolved. I will want Madison until the day I die.
Unable to face anyone else today, I head back to my suite, determined to regroup mentally and have some alone time. It’s the best thing I can do for myself right now.
Before I stop there, I tell the enforcers in front of Lynelle’s door to set her free. “And make sure all of them are out of here. I don’t want a single Silver Glade shifter in this estate.”
“Yes, Alpha.”
I’m too wired for a nap, even though my physical form is exhausted. Still, it might be the best thing for me to wind down.
As soon as I enter the wing, I feel her. Her spicy scent stops me in my tracks well before I reach the door to the suite, and my heart pounds.
No. She wouldn’t be that stupid.
Steeling my breath and my temper, I stalk toward my suite and throw open the doors. Madison sits there, staring out the balcony doors as if she belongs there.
“You can’t be serious right now, Madison.” I don’t even recognize my own voice, but I can’t deny I’m secretly thrilled that she’s here. The sight of her still takes my breath away, despite the conflicting emotions rushing through me.
She turns slowly, the regret in her dark eyes tangible. “Hear me out?—”
“Hear you out?!” I cut her off. “I can’t even look at you!”
“I was trying to help.”
“You could have avoided it all by being honest from the start.”
“I explained that.”
My head snaps toward her. “No. You made excuses. You deflected. You blamed it on other things. But you never once told me the truth about what happened.”
“Maybe I didn’t trust you enough.”
The words slap me in the face, and I’m rendered temporarily speechless. “I’ve never given you a reason not to trust me.”
“I never knew you before I came here, Blaze. How was I supposed to trust you? The week I came here, we were mated. Our bond snapped into place. I never had a chance to consider it.”
The disdain must be written all over my face, because Madison throws up her hands and turns back to look out the balcony windows. “I just came to tell you that I didn’t go to the rogues to betray you by choice. I was looking for a way to free Vigo and the others.”
I can’t help but feel a spark of hope at the revelation, but I’m still not sure how much I can believe what she’s telling me. Is she still playing double agent, or is this her way of forewarning me?
Her next words clarify it. “I need help.”
I step closer, surprised by her plaintive plea. I don’t need to be told that she is displaying an uncharacteristic vulnerability with that ask, and I am willing to do whatever she wants in this moment.
But I still can’t get over the pain of her betrayal. “With what? It seems like you have it all figured out.”
She pivots back. “I don’t. At all. All I had in mind when I left earlier was getting our pack back and ending this once and for all. Now the rogues think I belong to them, and if I don’t stay with them, they’ll come for Shadow Pine again.”
A wave of protectiveness for my mate washes over me. “Not if I can help it. There’s always a solution.”
