An Alpha's Dark Secret

Chapter 2: Portrait

-Madeleine-

“Chin up. Turn a little more, and smile … smile!”

“Madeleine, are you not listening? He said, smile,” my mother said.

After everything that went down with Kate and Chris, I had taken over my sister’s place in this and had become Hunter Dayton’s future mate. I had bluffed the first time that I had made everyone believe we would be mated, but after one call with him, he had agreed. I had thought I would have to somehow convince him and tell the long version of everything, but he had simply agreed. I could not believe I was once again being mated to a stranger that I had never met or seen except one picture, but there was nothing to do about it now. Kate and Chris were happily mated and living with the king again. She had tried to call me a few times, but I had not had the courage to face her. So, I had let the phone ring, just looking at the number. My mother and I barely saw each other anymore and when we did, we barely spoke. She didn’t even try and put me down anymore, and I had no idea why. I guessed it was because of the new position I was getting. Hunter Dayton was no normal alpha, as I had learned. My father did not speak to me either, but that was not so strange. That was just … normal.

“Madeleine,” my mother repeated. “Smile!”

I tried my best, but I couldn’t even fake one. She thought that it was time we renewed the family portraits, even if I liked to be the one painting and not the one being painted. Kate’s portrait had, of course, been taken down, and everyone acted as if she had not even existed, maybe because after she got mated to Chris it was known to pretty much everyone that she was not in fact dead. It had my mother looking really badly among her “friends”. Maybe that was actually the reason why she had gotten quiet. She was no longer in power in the way she used to be. I had no idea about my father. I believed he did alright. After taking back his vote, he certainly no longer posed a threat to the king, but I was uncertain about the rest of the council. The king knew now what their intentions had always been, and I had no idea if he would remove them or destroy the council. Even after a month, I hadn’t heard much, except about Kate and Chris. I had wanted to come to the union. Truly. But I just … couldn’t. I was not ready to face anyone just yet.

“Madeleine, is that really the best you can do?” she asked.

I sighed and finally dropped the stupid pose I was sitting in with a straight back on the golden couch and my hands in my lap, slightly turned. It was stupid. I felt stupid.

“Let us take a break,” the painter said.

I nodded gratefully and finally stood up, stretching my sore aching body that had been sitting in that stupid position for over two hours. You wouldn’t think after the things my mother had done to me, it would hurt me much, but it did.

“Madeleine, the portrait is only half done,” my mother said.

“Only half?!”

She nodded. She was sitting on a couch behind the painter with a martini in her hand. She was drinking even more now, that she had been excluded from her friends.

I sighed deeply. I didn’t want to do this anymore. I was tired. Exhausted actually. I had dreamed of my freedom, even had a taste of what it was like, and now … I had lost my chance, and I was all alone in the big house. Lucian didn’t come around here much after I had gained his freedom as well. He just came to check up on me a few times. I heard he was at Chris’s and Kate’s union. He told me it was all really beautiful, and he kept in close contact with them. I knew he was sometimes staying there with them, slowly becoming a more trusted person to the king and the rest. That was good. I knew Kate had gotten so happy from living there, I could only imagine Lucian feeling the same thing. He was still a part of this pack, but I knew he was slowly changing sides.

“Madeleine-“

My mother was about to say something when I heard a ding sound from my phone on the table in front of her. She glanced at it but didn’t dare look at it like she used to. She really had changed. It was very strange. I walked over there and looked at my phone. It was a text from Kate. It had been almost two weeks since I last heard from her.

Hey Maddy, hope you are doing well. How about dinner here at six. Are you in?

She was inviting me to dinner. Why? I was confused by the text that had come out of the blue. She had tried to get me to call her or even asked if we should meet, but now she was inviting me for dinner at the king’s territory. It just seemed strange, and yet … as I looked at my mother who was slowly drinking her martini and then around in the quiet house, I thought why not? It was not like I liked staying here. It was awful, and I would soon meet Hunter and get mated to him. Why not see my sister? At least one more time.

I’m in.

I wrote to her before I turned off my phone, and placed myself on the couch again, letting the painter do his job. Two more hours passed before I was finally able to see the picture. I hated it! It was not that the painter had done a bad job, not at all. He was clearly very talented, but I hated seeing the person in it. She looked so … sad. Was this really how I looked? My long brown hair was running over my shoulder, and I was wearing a deep and long purple dress that covered me well and dark purple shoes and then there was the moonstone hanging from my neck. I had been given it back by my father. I had actually asked for it, and now that I had for the first time shown courage in my life, he gave it to me. Yet it felt strange seeing it around my neck for some reason.

“Beautiful!” my mother said behind me.

She had already had her picture done. She loved it and she loved staring at herself. It was rather pathetic, but the older female didn’t have much else in her life. So, maybe it wasn’t so strange.

The painter said his goodbye after packing his things and then he left the house, leaving me and my mother alone. I had no idea where my father was. Lately he hadn’t been home much, and my guess was he was with this secret Evelyn. Whoever she was.

“Mother,” I said.

My mother had placed herself back on the couch after seeing my painting, with her drink and a magazine. She had one leg crossed over the other, and she actually looked rather elegant or something out of a picture, as she looked up at me, her blue eyes meeting mine.

“Yes?” she asked.

I straightened my back even more, as I prepared myself to say what I wanted.

“I am going to the king’s territory,” I told her.

“Why on earth would you be going there?” she asked.

“To see Kate, of course.”

Her face darkened at my sister’s name, and she threw the magazine in front of her on the coffee table, before downing her drink and sitting that down as well.

“No, you are not,” she said.

“Mother-“

“You are not going there to see that … that … You are not seeing her!”

My hands tightened at my side, and I took a deep breath. It was not worth fighting over, I thought, but that did not mean I would listen to her.

“It wasn’t a question,” I said calmly.

She looked at me, almost shocked, as we looked at each other.

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me,” I said. “It was not a question.”

“Madeleine!”

“I am going. And you can’t stop me.”

“I am your mother!” she said.

“When have you ever acted like my mother?” I gave back.

It felt really good, even if it had my mother’s face turn a bright red, and she was tightening her hands in her lap, as if she was already preparing to hit me, but she could go ahead. It would not stop me. She would not stop me. I could go see Kate if I wanted. My father wasn’t even in my business anymore, now that I was granting him the power he so desperately craved, it was just my mother who had a hard time letting go of the old ways. I, on the other hand, had gotten braver. Even if I didn’t want to get mated to a stranger, I also knew what kind of protection and power Hunter brought with him.

“Madeleine, these people your sister lives with …”

“Are what?” I asked. “Kind? Sweet? Caring?”

“They are not like us. They live completely different lives, and I don’t want your sister to corrupt you!”

“Corrupt me?” I almost laughed. “Mother, have I not sacrificed enough? Have I not proven myself enough? I am giving you and father everything you have ever wanted.”

She had a hard time arguing with that. Even if she had lost some status among her friends for lying about her daughter, me being mated to Hunter would secure her status once again. She relied on me, and it showed clearly. She might try and tell me what to do, but she would not try and stop me by hurting me like she used to.

“Madeleine, I think it is a very bad idea.”

“Then it is a good thing, it isn’t you who is going, isn’t it?” I said.

“Madeleine, listen to me!”

“I am … You are the one not listening to me,” I said.

She looked ready to explode and she could throw as many tantrums as she wanted, but it would not change my mind. This was most likely the last time I would get to spend any time with my sister, and I would not waste my chance. Even if I was a little scared to face her.

“I will see you later tonight!” I said and walked out of there.