Chapter 150
(Demetri’s POV)
“I’m sorry alpha.”
His words are merely a whisper as he lets go of my daughter. I watch silently as Cole runs up the stairs. I can tell by the way he moves that he’s in a lot of pain.
He’s on the same medication that he’s been on since this morning yet he seemed to respond to it a lot better than he is now. Madisyn is taking her time approaching her seat. While I’m not happy with his defiance I am impressed with his skills.
I sigh hard, disappointed in myself for even considering what Cole knew I was going to do.
“Come here, Maddie.”
I speak softly but for the first time ever she appears genuinely afraid of me.
“I’m not going to hurt you. Just come sit with me for a minute.”
I hold my arms out towards her, inviting her into my lap.
She approaches me slowly, watching my hands. It’s difficult to tell what had more impact, what I wanted to do or what Cole actually did.
“I’m sorry daddy.” She whispers with tear filled eyes.
“So am I, Madisyn.” I wrap my hands beneath her arms and lift her into my lap. “Cole was right and I was wrong.” I state, looking her in the eyes.
It only takes a moment for her to leap up and wrap her arms around my neck.
“I’m sorry. Cole was right. I allowed my frustration from a long, hard day to cloud my judgment. You were not in any way deserving of what I wanted to give and I’m grateful he intervened.”
We hold each other tight for a good minute before I stand from her chair. Shifting her into one arm, I turn her chair back towards the table and set her gently upon it.
“I expect you to sit like a lady and eat your dinner. No more games at the table. You goof off again and you will get penalized from me. It won’t be my belt, that’s far too harsh but you still will not like it. Do you understand?”
“Yes daddy.”
“Good girl. You eat your dinner.”
I kiss her forehead before turning back to my seat. I would like to finish the smaller than usual amount of dinner that I’ve taken. Cole’s worsening condition is reeking havoc on my intuitive side and I’ve resorted to six small meals a day over my usual three.
For the first time in several months Madisyn is eating quietly like the little lady I expect her to be. It is without a doubt that her and her twin are fraternal as their personalities couldn’t be more opposite.
Madisyn was born first. Just like me, she has always been very bold and nearly unstoppable once she sets her mind to something. A true alpha that I can see easily leading her own pack with or without her mate by her side.
Lilly struggled to have Madilyn and we nearly lost her in the process. While she’s equally as strong as her sister she has a much more sensitive personality. She has never strayed far from the rules and has shown a level of care and kindness towards others that reminds me of my doctor days. She will make a fantastic Luna matched up with the right mate.
While the alpha and luna of the pack are equals I do see their roles as slightly different. Alphas are bold and strong willed. While they often consult with their upper ring of leaders in matters that they can take the time to plan out, they must also be able to make sound judgements quickly in matters of life or death.
Lunas tend to be more of the caretakers. They are the sensitive side of the duo but with the capacity to take over should the alpha fall ill or be killed in battle. That is exactly how I see my little girls. The perfect duo of alpha and luna.
It’s as I finish my last bite and place my silverware on my plate that I catch the eye of my oldest, Damian. I give him a smile and cock my head slightly, silently asking him a question, which one is up to him to think of. It doesn’t take long for him to respond.
“Did you know that was what he was going to do?”
He asks excitedly. My face immediately changes to a scowl as throwing my daughter up into the air and letting her nearly hit the floor was not exciting for me or Lilly to watch.
“I’m sorry dad but I’ve never seen a wolf drop down that quickly. I know it scared her badly since she barely cries when you spank her with your hand but….” He trails off his sentence shaking his head.
I look to my right side, Lilly has her head down looking at her plate. It doesn’t take long for Damian to notice it too.
“Mom? Are you okay?”
I slide my hand under her chin, gently lifting it up and wiping the tears from her eyes. The thought that I was going to hurt Madisyn has really shaken her up. Anger flashes in her eyes as she makes contact with mine but she doesn’t shove me away like I am expecting.
“I’m sorry Lilly. I had no idea what he was planning but I had made the mistake. I gave into his demands and allowed him to teach her a lesson his way because he knew what I wanted to do and he called me out on it.”
“I can’t believe you were going for your belt over something so simple. Falling and getting hurt should be enough of a lesson not to tip her chair.”
Lilly scolds me, an unusual thing for her to do in front of the kids.
“Why did you let him teach her his way?” Lily’s voice is much softer now.
“It was obvious that he was determined to protect her from me.” I state simply. “There are three adults at this table that recognize he’s still suffering immensely at the hands of his father. He’s still being taught ‘lessons’ at an extreme level on a regular basis from both him and at least one of his older brothers. His abuse started at a very young age, so he has no concept of how discipline towards the children works here and I just did a horrible job at showing him that I’m any different than his father. He’s only been here four days at this point and I was ready to pull the belt from around my waist and lay into her right here at the table.”
Madisyn looks up from her plate for the first time since sitting back down in her seat.
“You only use your belt on the big pups. Even then you count. Why did he save me? Even with your hand I only get two.”
“You were afraid of me Maddie. You knew, like he and your mom, that I wanted to use my belt and it scared you. Not knowing how that would turn out, how many hits or how hard I would hit you, scared him.”
“Why would that scare him, daddy?”
“I was really fired up from arguing with Lucas and he knew that my anger was misplaced. It’s quite easy to assume he’s been on the receiving end of such misplaced anger many times.”
“Why would he think you would hurt me like that?”
“Because it’s what happens to him, Maddie.” Damian tries to explain gently.
“Why would his mama and papa hurt him like that? Was he a bad pup?”
I shake my head lightly trying to figure out how to explain such a complex situation to my four year old.
“We don’t know a lot about Cole yet. He’s very frightened right now and him coming to a strange alpha’s land hurt has made being here very difficult. He’s an alpha like us, so being hurt like he is may be quite embarrassing for him even though he has no control over it happening to him.”
“That’s sad. For him to be hurt.”
“Speaking of him being hurt.”
I pull out my phone and dial Jessa’s number. Even though she did a private joining ceremony with us last year, she’s never developed a link with us so I end up having to call her when I need to speak with her. Fortunately, she answers on the second ring.
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