Her Devilish Alpha

Briar slammed the door behind her. 

After her unpleasant conversation with Adrian, she had run to Madeline's quarters, deciding to visit her friend. 

She stomped over to Madeline, flouncing into her room and throwing herself down into a chair from pure frustration. 

"Do I need to kill someone?" Madeline asked Briar instantly, taking her entrance as a not-so-subtle sign. 

And then, out of nowhere, Briar spoke, catching Madeline by complete surprise. 

"Adrian is a jerk, and no one can convince me otherwise."

"What's gotten you so upset?" Madeline asked, looking over at her. 

"Did Adrian do something?" 

"Or did you have some lover's quarrel?" She cooed. 

"Where did that come from?" Briar questioned in confusion, tilting her head to the side. 

A lover's quarrel?

"Never mind that," Madeline said, wondering what had overcome her. 

She had accidentally spouted that out. 

"Yes," Briar said, asking Madeline immediately, "So what do you think of Adrian?" 

"What do I think of Adrian?" Madeline asked, pointing at herself.

Briar nodded, confirming it.

Madeline shrugged.

"I don't know, I haven't gotten to know him much during my time here and he seems like a really pleasant guy. He's sweet and compassionate, as well as caring and calm." 

She observed the look on Briar's face. 

"Not the answer you were looking for, huh."

[Author's Note: For those that might not remember what happened since it took place a couple chapters ago, her and Adrian had engaged in an unpleasant conversation whereas Briar pretended to have heard about someone speaking ill of Adrian when… In reality, no one had. That conversation ended with the two of them exchanging 'I don't like you's.]

Crossing her arms, Briar puffed her cheeks out, not commenting on what Madeline had previously said about Adrian. 

"I can't believe him. That, that–"

"I don't know what it is about him that the others rave about. What is it that makes him so great at his job and all that too."

"Once I have a real conversation with him, I see his true colours and he's inconsiderate, bratty, snobby–" 

"Slow down, I've never seen you this upset before."

"Especially… over a guy." 

Madeline gasped.

"Woah."

"Could it be that–"

"Please please please don't say it," Briar pouted. 

"So you admit it." 

"Admit what?" Briar inquired, seemingly confused.

"That you..."

Madeline created a heart with both her hands. 

"Like him."

"Is this your way of getting me back for what I said about you and what you feel for Xavier? Because I'm not taking it back," Briar said, standing her ground.

"But I'm not getting back at you."

"I'm just…" 

"You haven't even heard what happened," Briar said. 

"Yeah," Madeline nodded. 

"So what went down with you and Adrian for you to be so perturbed?" 

"And don't leave out any details like you usually do," Madeline added, frowning.

Just as Briar was about to defend herself, Madeline interjected, "And don't try to deny it."

"What happened?" Madeline inquired next, wanting answers. 

"Hmph." 

"Adrian was rude to me is what happened."

"Rude to you?"

"Adrian doesn't strike me as a rude person," Madeline mused. 

"He doesn't strike you as a rude person until you get to know him. I can't believe him, calling me a liar!" 

Madeline looked both amused and shocked. 

Frankly, she looked like she was trying to hide her amusement, but she didn't manage to fool Briar. 

"Don't try to hide it from me, you find this funny," Briar observed.

Madeline shook her head, "Of course not."

"Of course I don't find this funny, my friend being called a liar is horrible!"

"But what did you do for him to call you a liar?"

Gasping, a couple of unseemly and unbecoming ideas surfaced her mind.

'Of course I had to think of that,' Madeline mumbled under her breath. 

She doubted what happened was anything like that.

However, the images were already stuck in her mind. 

'Oh god.' 

Madeline slammed her eyes shut.

"Are you alright?" Briar asked her worriedly.

"I'm fine," Madeline replied reassuringly. 

"You keep saying that phrase more times and it won't even sound like a phrase anymore."

"I see right through you."

Briar narrowed her eyes. 

"How did this suddenly become about me?" 

"You came here, wanting to talk about what happened between you and Adrian, don't stray away from that."

Briar told Madeline dryly, "You really are talented at changing the subject."

Managing a forced smile, Madeline didn't say a thing afterwards. 

Was she alright?

Xavier had successfully improved her mood but there wasn't anything that could completely 'cure' her mood.

She knew what was going to happen next. 

Emilio would likely return to his cave where he'd stay trapped there like before. 

Or… He'd be killed. 

She knew how these things went. 

And ironically, it all depended on Xavier. Her mate/friend.

It was up to him to decide what happened to Emilio. And as much as she wanted Emilio to return to the cave… She had to admit. 

A part of her wanted to stay. 

Was she crazy for thinking so?

That was debatable. 

Had she told anyone else? 

No. 

Did she intend to tell anyone else?

Maybe. 

And last but not least, why did she want him to stay?

'Honest answer? I don't know,' Madeline admitted. 

She wondered what part of her was deranged enough to want him to stay. 

'I'd have to be out of my own damn mind.'

'What has he done for me that makes me want him to stay?' 

'I've already said I never wanted to get to know my biological parents. That's why I never tried finding them. What's with my sudden change of mind?' 

'Is this because I never knew what it was like to have actual parents in my life?' 

Shaking her head, Madeline told herself, 'Why am I even thinking of this? I'm pathetic. How pathetic of me.'

By then, Briar had told her everything about her and Adrian, while she hadn't been present to hear absolutely present but she had gotten the main gist of it.