118\u2013The Difficult Talk\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeline:\u00a0<\/p>\n
*Actually, I\u2019ve gone back to my pack. I need to take care of some work I\u2019ll speak to you once I\u2019m back,\u201d he replied before hanging up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I let my head fall back in frustration.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When I looked down again, I saw someone coming up the stairs, wearing brown pants, a white shirt, and a brow jacket.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He seemed in a hurry until he noticed me and frowned\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMadeline, what are you doing here?\u201d he asked\u00a0<\/p>\n
His tone lacked the anger and coldness the others had shown\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI came here to speak with you and Elgin,\u201d I replied, avoiding his eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay, I don\u2019t think he\u2019s around, but you can speak with me,\u201d Batter responded\u00a0<\/p>\n
He placed his phone in his back pocket and gestured for me to follow him upstairs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIs Yuvonne here?\u201d I asked, slowing my steps.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, she left early this morning to see her mother, and then the storm settled, so she couldn\u2019t return. Why? Was it about her?\u201d he replied, his question softer than I expected.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The calmer tone made me feel oddly hopeful\u00a0<\/p>\n
When we reached the third floor, he guided me toward one of the rooms.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Once I reached the door, he opened it for me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stopped in the doorway, nervously playing with my fingers while glancing around.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I did not want any rumors, and a bedroom felt too intimate.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t worry, I\u2019m not going to start touching you once you\u2019re in my room.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The way he expressed it sent goosebumps across my skin, and I shot him a disapproving look\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCome on, I\u2019m serious. You\u2019ll be safe here,\u201d he added, so I stepped inside.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He entered after me, and the moment he closed the door, my heart began to pound loudly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I sat uncomfortably in his room on the chair next to the window.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I had not realized how clearly my terrace and entire front yard could be seen from there.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I began taking deep breaths as the memory of Graham seeing me with Sawyer returned.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I wondered if Baxter had seen me too, and if he had, whether I should expect him to treat me the way Graham had\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is on your mind?\u201d he asked, as if he had heard my thoughts.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He walked over and settled on the other chair. A small circular table stood between the two coffee chairs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is quite a view from your window,\u201d I remarked, keeping my eyes lowered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
118 The Cat Olt Talk\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
I noticed he had started preparing tea on the table, mixing the ingredients calmly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBut it is a pretty bad storm, so that is why I am keeping the window closed,\u201d he replied, not mentioning anything about seeing me with Sawyer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHere, take some tea, relax, and then tell me what is going on,\u201d he suggested, handing me a teacup.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I accepted it and took a sip. The moment I did, a familiar feeling washed over me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I remembered the times he had taken me on picnics and made tea for me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A smile began to form before I opened my eyes and noticed him watching me, and I reminded myself it was all in the past.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is up?\u201d he inquired, leaning back, placing one leg over the other, one arm stretched out while the other rested with his fingertips touching his temple.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGraham came over, talking about knowing that Sawyer is cheating on me,\u201d I explained, setting the cup down uneasily. \u201cWell, first of all, Sawyer is not. Second, Graham is asking me to choose him.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I looked up, waiting for Baxter\u2019s reaction.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cChoose him, as in what?\u201d he questioned.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAs in divorce Sawyer and marry Graham,\u201d I clarified, watching a few veins move near his temple.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I could not be sure of my interpretation, though, because otherwise he looked calm and still.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you do not want to do that?\u201d he asked, raising his eyebrow.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course not,\u201d I retorted quickly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy not? Is he not someone you wanted for a long time?\u201d Baxter remarked, lowering the hand from his temple and pretending to adjust his watch even though it did not need fixing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I assumed he only wanted to avoid looking at me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBaxter, what made you think I wanted Graham for so long? I stopped wanting him after that night when he told me he would not give my child his name,\u201d I stated.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Baxter began to nod his head.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThen do you want to be with Elgin?\u201d he questioned.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I did not understand what was wrong with these alphas, but they were behaving strangely,\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere did Elgin even come from?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I almost raised my voice in frustration but forced myself to breathe deeply, close my eyes, and calm down.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If he was having a civilized conversation, I needed to do the same.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I was the one who had come here to speak with him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo Baxter. I do not want any of them. It was just a crush. I was young,\u201d I tried to explain, watching Baxter shrug lightly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy? You do not believe me?\u201d I asked, watching him pick up his cup and take a sip from the hot tea.\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is just that when you were pregnant and told them you were conceiving, the two of them had a valid reason to not hold your hand. Does that not change anything for you?\u201d he questioned carefully.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was the right kind of question, and I needed to put the matter to rest once and for all.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI understand that Graham did a lot for me, and I am grateful that because of him I survived. Because he did not accept me, I got to live. Then there was Elgin. Fine, he had been wronged by his parents and Silver, but that did not change the fact that both of them were not able to protect me. Even when they were young, they were still alphas. Either one of them could have spoken up and said the children were theirs and accepted me. But no one did,\u201d I managed to speak in a calmer tone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Even mentioning that night always made me emotional.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDo not say nobody offered,\u201d he tried to correct me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I lifted my finger to silence him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ruby Walker is a rising voice in the world of romance and spicy fiction. With a gift for weaving deep emotions, sizzling chemistry, and unexpected twists, her stories are a blend of passion and drama that captivate readers from start to finish. Ruby\u2019s writing style is bold and irresistible\u2014perfect for those who crave intense, addictive love stories.<\/p>\n
118\u2013The Difficult Talk\u00a0 Madeline:\u00a0 *Actually, I\u2019ve gone back to my pack. I need to take care of some work I\u2019ll […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19114","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-no-daddy-novel-by-novelnozi"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19114","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19114"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19114\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19319,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19114\/revisions\/19319"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19114"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19114"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19114"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}