Madelineâs POV
âMaddie, my love, wake up,â I heard Dimitriâs voice.
He sounded worried and I tensed up immediately. Why was he worried?
âMaddie,â he called me again and I felt his lips on my forehead. âPlease, princess.â
I gulped and forced my eyes to open. I saw Dimitriâs handsome face and I smiled. I missed him. I felt like I hadnât seen him in a while.
âHi, princess,â he said softly and caressed my cheek. âHow are you feeling?â
I sighed and furrowed my brows a little.
âTired,â I mumbled. âHow long was I asleep?â
Dimitri glanced behind him. I tried to see who it was, but he was practically lying on top of me and I couldnât see anything.
âA few hours,â he said. âDoes your head hurt?â
âA bit,â I sighed. âIs everything okay?â
Dimitri placed a hand on my forehead and frowned.
âLet me talk to her, my King,â I heard Oliverâs voice and I tried to look at him over Dimitriâs shoulder.
Why was he here?
Dimitri sighed and moved a little. He sat next to me and pulled me up so my back was pressed against his chest. He kissed my temple and wrapped his arms around me.
âHi, Maddie,â Oliver said softly. âHow are you feeling?â
I furrowed my brows a little. I looked around the room and saw that Will, Ali, and Ellie were also there. What the hell happened?
I tried to remember what I was doing before I fell asleep andâ¦
I froze.
âMaddie?â Dimitri called me worriedly.
I looked at him and my eyes widened.
âI am sorry,â I mumbled, shaking my head. âI am so sorry. I didnât mean to make you angry. I didnât mean toâ¦â
Dimitri interrupted me by pressing a soft kiss on my lips.
âI know, princess,â he mumbled. âYou donât have to apologize, okay? You didnât do anything wrong, I did.â
Dimitri studied my face for a second.
âI talked to you about it,â he added, his voice laced with worry. âIt was right before you fell asleep. You donât remember?â
I bit my lower lip and tried my hardest to remember.
âYou were sitting on the floor when I came into the room,â Dimitri said softly. âI pulled you onto my lap and I told you how sorry I was.â
Oh, I remembered that.
âI fell asleep after that,â I added and Dimitri gave me a small nod.
âDo you remember the pack doctor coming here after that?â Oliver asked, making me look back at him.
I was confused. Why was the pack doctor here?
âShe was asleep,â Dimitri said. âI didnât let him wake her up.â
âWhy was he here?â I asked, looking back at Dimitri.
âYou have a fever, princess,â he mumbled softly. âYou said that your head hurt.â
My eyes widened and I placed a hand on my forehead. I was really warm.
âThe doctor didnât find anything wrong, Maddie,â Oliver said. âIt is probably caused by your powers.â
âMy powers?â
âHow?â
âHow could her powers cause this?â
Oliver sighed and looked at Dimitri.
âShe is still learning to use them,â he said calmly. âDealing with that kind of power can be overwhelming.â
Oliver looked back at me.
âI need you to be honest with me, Maddie,â he said with seriousness in his voice. âDid you experiment with your powers? Did you use them without telling anyone?â
I shook my head immediately.
âNo,â I said. âI donât want to hear what others are thinking. Iâve been trying to find a way to stop myself from hearing those things. Why would I want to experiment?â
âYour powers go beyond reading minds, Maddie,â Oliver said. âYou can feel other peopleâs emotions. You can manipulate them.â
I tensed up and gulped.
âHave you been doing that, Maddie?â Oliver asked, narrowing his eyes slightly.
I remained silent. I wasnât sure what to say.
âMadeline?â Dimitri called me softly.
I gulped but kept my eyes on Oliver.
âI am not sure,â I said quietly. âIf I did, I wasnât aware of it. I didnât know it was related to my powers.â
Dimitri tightened his hold on me.
âWhat did you do, princess?â Dimitri asked softly.
I looked at him and took a deep breath.
âI took your anger away,â I said and his eyes widened.
I looked back at Oliver and furrowed my brows.
âBut I thought that mates can do that,â I said, shaking my head. âI didnât use my powers to do it.â
Oliver sighed and shook his head.
âMates make it easier on each other, Maddie,â he said. âThey canât take something away. You used your powers to do it.â
Dimitri kissed my temple and took a deep breath.
âYou didnât have to do that, princess,â he said quietly. âI could have handled it.â
I leaned more into him and kept my eyes on Oliver.
âSo thatâs why Iâm sick?â I asked. âI just probably need some rest then.â
Oliver nodded. âYou do need to rest, Maddie, but I am still a bit worried.â
âWhy?â Dimitri asked, tightening his hold on me. âShe will be okay. She has to be okay.â
Oliver took a deep breath and nodded. âShe will be just fine. She needs to spend a day in bed and she needs sleep.â
âWhy are you worried then?â Will asked, making Oliver look at him.
âBecause it is obvious that Maddie is having trouble controlling her powers,â he said. âShe needs practice and we canât do that with everyone here. We are risking exposure. No one can know who she is.â
Dimitri growled quietly and pressed me closer to him.
âNo one can know,â Dimitri repeated. âNo one will know. No one will touch her. I will kill them.â
He started shaking a little and I instinctively focused on his anger and fear. I was just about to take them away when he stopped me.
âMaddie, no,â he growled. âDonât take it.â
I looked at him and he caressed my cheek.
âI am sorry,â I mumbled. âItâs instinct. I didnât do it on purpose.â
Dimitri kissed the tip of my nose and nodded.
âI know, princess,â he said softly.
âThis is what I am talking about,â Oliver sighed, drawing our attention back to him. âYou react on instinct and it can be dangerous.â
âDo you have any suggestions?â Ellie asked. âWhat can she do until the Alphasâ Meeting is over and she can start practicing?â
Oliver looked at me and I saw worry on his face. I knew that I wasnât going to like what he was going to say next.
âThere is a plant that could block her powers,â he said. âBut there could also be some other side effects if she takes it.â
âWhat side effects?â Dimitri asked angrily. âShe isnât taking anything dangerous.â
Oliver looked at him and shook his head.
âI would never put her in danger, my King,â he said.
âWhat are the side effects?â I asked and Oliver looked back at me.
âYou wouldnât be able to use mind-link,â he said. âAnd you probably wouldnât be able to talk to your wolf.â
A wave of nervousness washed over me. Skye stirred and whined quietly.
âFuck no,â Dimitri said. âWhat if I am not with her? I want to be able to mind-link her.â
Oliver looked at him and nodded.
âUnderstandable,â he said. âWhich is why I will ask you to talk about it. Donât decide right now.â
âAre you sure that she will have those side effects?â Will asked.
âNo,â Oliver responded, shaking his head. âShe could have them. Itâs not certain.â
Oliver stood up and gave me a small smile.
âThink about it, Maddie,â he said. âLet me know what you decide. I will be ready if you choose to take the plant.â
Oliver bowed to Dimitri and walked out of the room.
I took a deep breath and leaned my head on Dimitriâs shoulder. I wasnât sure what I wanted to do. Was it really so dangerous for me to practice and learn more about my powers? Would someone really see me if I stayed in my room? How would anyone know what I was doing here?
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. My head started throbbing again. I couldnât think about it. I couldnât make a decision.