NADINE.

As soon as he left, my heat came. And it was the worst feeling that I ever had in my whole life. I was burning and miserable.

In the beginning, I kept myself composed and did my best not to even flinch at the first sign of pain when it came. But as time went on, I couldn’t stop myself anymore.

I was burning. I thought I was about to die. I couldn’t stop my cries anymore. So I just let the pain consume me and added my mate’s name to the list of people who had wronged me.

I thought Xander was different. I thought being his mate would make me special in his eyes. But I was wrong. He was one of the worst kinds.

I spent the whole night crying, cramped up in my little bed. I didn’t know when and how I fell asleep. Or maybe I passed out.

I woke up with my clothes soiled from my sweat and tears. I was sure the whole room was reeking of my juices because of how many times I touched myself until I couldn’t remember anything anymore.

I was the only one in the bunker, but I felt used and violated.

My eyes darted to the camera attached to the roof directly in front of me. I saw three cameras around the room but this was the only one that kept blinking last night, letting me know that someone was watching me.

I was sure he was at the other end. He probably watched me with his men, and they all enjoyed themselves or laughed at me while I touched myself during the peak of my heat.

Tears rolled down my cheeks as my lips quivered.

I felt like an open show.

The camera wasn’t blinking anymore but I turned my body around so my back was on it and I was facing the wall. Only then did I let my sobs go again.

I would cry so hard that when all the tears had gone dry, I would pick myself up and start my plan again. I would not let Xander derail me from reaching my goal.

I had no idea how long I had been in this position when I heard the lock of the metal door click, but instead of smelling my mate, I smelled the Alpha.

I closed my eyes and whispered to my wolf, asking her if she had the energy to help me fight off Alpha Maddox if he attempted to harass me because I was already drained out of it from all the screaming and thrashing I did the whole time I was in heat.

Before my wolf could answer, I felt my body being hoisted up, and I had no choice but to place my hands on the chest of the person who carried me in bridal style.

No words were spoken, and I kept my eyes closed. I had no idea if the Alpha knew I was awake, but at the moment, I didn’t want to talk to anyone.

I felt my lungs expand as I was able to take a breath of fresh air. I was out of the bunker, but I had no idea where he would take me. My eyes remained closed until I heard footsteps approaching and my mate’s scent swirled around me.

“You can give her to me.” Xander’s voice came out cold, as expected.

“No.” The Alpha answered in an equally cold tone. “If I knew you would put her in the bunker, I would have taken care of her myself during her heat.

“Give me my mate, Maddox,” Xander growled at him. It amazed me that he was not afraid of the Alpha. Maybe because they were brothers.

“Out of the way, Beta,” Maddox told him without stopping from walking.

“I said, give me my mate!” Xander roared, and I felt his aura rising. “Or I will fucking grab her from you and I would not care if someone gets hurt.”

I opened my eyes, curious to see the Alpha’s reaction, but then he lowered my body to the floor, and I had no choice but to stand on my feet.

My chest was heaving as I slowly tilted my head up, and it was only then that I realized there was another person beside Xander — a petite female with olive skin tone and long, straight black hair. An Omega.

The Omega smiled at me before she took a step forward. “Let me help you, Lady Nadine.”

“I don’t think she wants your help, Mindy.” Alpha Maddox scoffed sarcastically, and my face heated up.

Pain hit my chest, and in an instant, I pulled my arm harshly from her touch before I threw a deadly glare at Xander. I wondered if he spent the night with her while I was suffering from my heat.

I felt like I was the Omega. I looked like a peasant — my hair was a big mess, and my clothes were soiled from my sweat — compared to how fresh-looking Mindy was with her neatly comb-haired and ironed clothes.

My eyes pooled with tears, but I didn’t take my gaze off Xander, who was also meeting my gaze with a deadly look.

“Let me walk you to your room, Lady Nadine,” Mindy spoke again in her angelic voice, but she didn’t attempt to hold me this time.

I wanted nothing but to scream at her and tell her to stop pretending to be nice to me. But instead, I answered in a calm but sarcastic tone. “I’ve got feet. I can walk on my own.”

“Don’t help her if she doesn’t want to,” Xander told her and my hands coiled onto tight fists as I kept myself from tearing up.

I turned my back to all of them and walked up the stairs. I had no idea where I got the strength to keep my head high and to keep walking despite not having any energy at all. But somehow, I was able to walk arrogantly and made it out of their sight.

If Xander wanted war, I would give him a war he never expected.

NADINE.

“Nadine!” Xander’s voice rang in the air before another one came.

“In my office, Beta,” Maddox ordered him.

“Give me ten minutes, Maddox,” Xander answered, and soon I heard footsteps following me.

I hurried my steps, and the moment I reached the second floor, I ran to my room.

“Fuck!” I heard him mumble before he ran as well. I was able to reach my room, but it was locked, and I had no idea where the key was.

I was still holding my doorknob when I turned around, my eyes glaring at him as I spoke. “Don’t come near…”

He stopped right away and raised his hands. “I have the keys in my pocket.”

“Give it to me.”

With one hand still up, he reached for his pocket and pulled the key from it. I grabbed it from him and inserted it into the keyhole. With my body facing him, I pushed the door open. “Don’t you dare attempt to come inside my room, or I will scream.”

“I just want to talk.”

“You had your chance last night!” I snapped at him, my teeth gritting.

“Can you fucking calm down and get inside your room!”

“You are not going to tell me what to do!”

“In your room now, or heaven forbid, I will grab and throw you in the bed again!”

“Bastard! I hate you!”

“I already know I’m a bastard. Now get your ass inside the…”

I didn’t let him finish his words before my foot raised and kicked his thigh. He didn’t expect it. So in the split second his eyes went to his legs, I slid inside the door and pushed to close it but he was fast. He slipped his arm inside, and it took too much effort on my end to keep it from opening.

“If I push a little more, I might hit you with the door. So stop fighting and let me…” He kept talking, and I knew he was right, so I had no choice but to bite his forearm.

“Aargh!” He grunted, but he was restraining himself from yelling.

Since I was biting too much, I forgot I was also holding the door. By the time I let go of his arm, there was already enough opening for him to slip in.

He closed the door and locked it.

“I’m tired, Xander. I want to rest.” I said in a soft voice as I stepped back. I knew screaming at him would only cause me to lose more energy.

“I want to know what the fuck was that?”

“What?”

“Why did you cling to Maddox as if he was your fucking mate?”

“Leave, please. I just want to go to sleep. If you’re going to throw me out, at least let me get a decent rest so I have the energy to look for a new place.”

“You have no idea what trouble you are in.”

I wanted to shout at him. I was already fed up with his attitude toward me. “I don’t care,” I mumbled softly.

“Do not let anyone see that tattoo until I can figure things out. Or just don’t make it visible at all.” He said out of nowhere.

“What?” I asked.

I saw his mouth open, but then a knock came on the door.

“What do you need?” Xander asked, his voice sounding annoyed.

“I’m sorry, Xander. But the Alpha insists you meet him at his office.” Mindy’s voice came, and my hands automatically coiled into tight fists.

“He wants you there in three minutes. I’ll wait for you at his office.” She added, and I heard footsteps going away.

“Mother fucker!” Xander growled.

He then turned around, ready to leave, and I couldn’t keep my silence anymore. “So, that’s it! One word from her, and you’re leaving me after you insist we talk!” My lips quivered and eyes watered. I wanted to say I was only pretending but I knew deep inside me, his actions were painful.

“If I don’t go there in three minutes, he’s going to make a pass at Mindy,” Xander said in one breath as he stared at me. He was the first one to drop his gaze and leave without saying anything.

The moment the door closed, my tears fell as I slowly lowered my body to the floor. I thought the pain from last night was already the worst and that whatever pain he gave me would no longer hurt me. But hearing Xander be possessive of her in a way that he could not for me was ripping my heart apart.

I cried for a while before I pushed my body up and forced myself to walk to the bathroom. I opened the shower and stood under it, letting the water stream down my body. I didn’t even bother to take off my clothes. I just stood there, staring at the tiled walls as I went through everything that happened in the last twenty-four hours.

I came here with a purpose. But every time I encountered Xander, I would lose my focus and let myself be vulnerable. I couldn’t let that continue.

I shoved my wolf, Star, at the back of my head because she was just making all of this more unbearable as she kept pining for Xander. I stripped my clothes off and washed my body, scrubbing my skin to remove my sweat and all the juices that had dried on my legs.

I had things to do, and I shouldn’t let Xander get in the way.

Maybe it would be better if we rejected each other. Maybe without the mate bond, I could no longer feel any pull toward him. Without the bond, I could focus on things I needed to do, and he could rot away with his chosen mate.

After taking a shower, I changed into new clothes. I initially wanted to put on a dress, but I remembered what he told me about Tristan. I had no idea whether I should trust him, but I guess it was only right to hide my tattoo, especially if it was the reason she found out I knew the old Beta.

I wondered if Tristan talked about me to anyone.

I contemplated whether I should pull my hair up in a tight ponytail like Mindy’s hair, but then I realized I had to stop caring about Xander and Mindy, so I just let my hair down and put on a faint lipstick.

I had no idea what time they ate breakfast, but I was hoping I could catch Alpha Maddox before he left for the day or got busy.

I grabbed the small ice pick I hid inside my luggage and slipped it into my back pocket before leaving my room and heading to his office. I was relieved that I didn’t bump into anyone on my way down.

I pacified my loud heartbeat as I stood outside the Alpha’s door. I couldn’t smell Xander, so I was sure he was not there anymore.

I was about to knock when I heard Maddox speak from the inside. “Come in.”

I slowly turned the knob and pushed the door open, flashing him a warm smile as I peered inside. “Good morning, Alpha. If you’re not busy, I want to speak with you.”

“Come in,” he repeated as he eased back onto his chair and rested his elbow on his armrest before his fingers played with the pen in his hand. “What can I do for you?”

I stepped in and closed the door. I walked toward him but stopped a few feet away from his table. He wasn’t smiling. For a moment, I worried that Xander might have told him about my tattoo.

“Uhm…” I stuttered. I wasn’t acting. I almost forgot what I needed to say because of the nervousness I felt. “I was wondering if I could be inducted into your pack.”

His brows hiked up, and it felt like forever as I waited for his reply.

“Does Xander know about this?”

I shook my head. “I decided for myself, Alpha. I don’t think Xander will claim me, and I have nowhere to go. I don’t have money to look for a new place. But if you give me a room, I can work in the packhouse, or anywhere I might be needed. Just tell me what I need to do so I can stay.”

“I like that.” A wicked smirk tugged on his mouth. “Would you like to work for me personally?”