My fated alpha by Natalie novel 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.”