Her Devilish Alpha

"Xavier's missing?!" Madeline practically jumped out of her chair from shock and confusion.

How could he go missing?

Adrian reasoned, "Well, he isn't really… missing."

"But he doesn't want to talk to me right now," he nodded.

"Where could he be?" Madeline asked, her tone filled with concern.

"You're his friend, surely you should know where he likes to go," she reasoned with Adrian.

A bead of sweat formed on Adrian's face, "Unfortunately, he doesn't want to tell me where he is now."

It was then an idea popped in Adrian's head. A brilliant idea, might one add.

"Say, Madeline, could you do me a favour and find Xavier for me?"

"Find Xavier for you? Can't you do it?"

"I could, but I'm not who he probably wants to talk to right now, and I have work to do."

"But I've got to pack for my return!"

"Finding him won't take too long. Pleaseeeeee, for me?" Adrian pleaded with her, hoping for her to agree to his little favour.

Besides, she and the man were destined to be together, so a little nudge in the right direction wouldn't help now, would it?

"Oh alright," Madeline said, frowning at Adrian's smug facial expression. He came out victorious.

"Off you go," Adrian shooed Madeline away.

"You expect me to find him now?" Madeline pouted.

Adrian came to an abrupt stop.

"Were you still eating your breakfast?"

"Err, no," Madeline answered truthfully before she let out a sigh.

"I know what you're about to say. Okay okay, I'll try finding him, but no promises."

"Thanks," Adrian thanked, grinning from ear to ear.

Madeline mumbled something to herself before she went her way, off to find Xavier.

She passed by the shooting range, but he wasn't anywhere in sight. She visited a couple of other places in Eudora before she spotted a figure in the distance. Somewhere Adrian would've never thought of looking.

Madeline couldn't help but wonder why she could find Xavier with ample ease, but Adrian couldn't.

Was this some sort of setup?

Adrian wouldn't have done this all for her and Xavier, would he?

She shook her head, she was overthinking again.

Xavier turned around the minute he heard sounds coming from her direction.

"...Ms Delcour?"

Madeline snorted, "You know you can always call me Madeline."

"Ms Delcour's a tad bit too formal," Madeline sat down beside him, prompting him to ask the question, "What are you--"

"Adrian sent me to find you," Madeline answered.

"Ah."

It did seem like something Adrian would do.

Xavier sighed. He'd have a word with him when he returned.

"Why are you here, anyway?" Madeline knitted her brows together in confusion.

This place didn't seem like somewhere special, or anything like that. It was simply secluded from everywhere else.

"Peace and quiet?"

Xavier didn't answer her question.

"Ah, so it is peace and quiet you came here for."

She read his facial expression, and a look of pity crossed her face.

"What's the full moon like?"

Xavier stared at her questioningly, "Why ask?"

"Because unlike you, I'm not a werewolf. I don't know what it's like to turn into a werewolf, and I've never been able to experience seeing the world from a wolf's perspective."

"You did say I could ask questions," Madeline reasoned.

"I did," Xavier nodded.

He pondered about it, until he gave her his answer.

"Turning into a werewolf during the full moon..."

"It makes everything around you change. Your senses are even more heightened than before, and you feel hungry. You crave the taste of meat and blood and the urge to kill something is irresistible."

He explained further, "Not only that, everything around you shifts. Suddenly, everything in your way is an obstacle. Even if that thing is another living being. You become merciless. You don't hold back."

Xavier had seen best friends kill each other in their wolf forms. He'd seen others kill their family members, and for some, their own soulmates. Turning into a werewolf - during the full moon - was a dreadful experience. And him being the alpha, he got to witness it all in real time. For everyone else, they only got to remember what they did when they return to their human forms.

Some werewolves - after remembering what they'd done - took their own lives. They couldn't bear to live centuries knowing they were why the people they loved had perished.

By the look on Xavier's face, Madeline could tell he was trying to stay strong.

"So… what you're saying is… tonight, when everyone changes into werewolves… they'll kill each other?"

After a couple of minutes of silence, Xavier replied, "Some have learnt to resist the urge - however tempting it may be. But others… don't. The young ones especially. It depends for everyone."

"And I have to see to it no one goes running off looking for prey or causes trouble. Humans can't know of our existence, or we'd be hunted down and killed one by one until there's none of us left."

"But I'm a human, and I know you exist," Madeline countered.

"Yes, you do," he said, before turning dead silent.

Madeline's hands began trembling.

"You're an exception," Xavier said, as though it was obvious.

"An exception? Because you can't hurt me?" She teased.

"You know exactly why and it's not because of that," Xavier spoke, his voice dripping with… pain.

Madeline wondered if it was because of what she said, or something else he was hiding from her.

"You know, you can tell me anything."

"Even if I haven't even known you for more than a week… you're my friend."

"And friends tell each other things."

"Your…"

He paused, the word still quite foreign to him.

"Friend?"

"Mhm!" Madeline nodded, knowing Xavier needed some cheering up, despite unaware of why he looked hurt.

It wasn't because of what she'd previously said to him, but something that he hadn't gotten over, even after centuries of time passed by. It felt like nothing had changed.

"I'm your friend, and I hope you consider me as yours.... too."