8 Why Are You So Calm? Someone’s Going To Kill Me!

"Xavier's waiting for you in the dining room."

"There's a dining room here?"

"There is hehe," Adrian answered, chuckling lightly.

Madeline couldn't help but notice the dirty looks all the ladies were giving her. It seemed they'd been notified of who she actually was. Word spread quickly around this place, she presumed. News of her… situation had been spread.

"Imagine being the alpha's soulmate," a beta whispered, unsure if she was supposed to be in awe or looking at Madeline in pure disgust. That was supposed to be her, not Madeline. Pft!

Another beta agreed, mumbling, "I'd give anything to be her and to have Alpha Xavier as my soulmate…"

"She's not even pretty," the two betas said in unison.

"Really? I think she's really pretty," a third beta chimed in, looking at her in awe.

The two betas glared at her.

"Who's side are you on?" One of them demanded, wondering what would make her spout such nonsense.

"Ours," the third admitted, "But that doesn't stop me from saying what I think, and I think she's pretty."

Speaking of Madeline… she was surprised to find Xavier already waiting for her at the breakfast table.

She was still unable to wrap her head around having a werewolf as a soulmate, but she was adapting.

After a satisfying meal, and failed attempts at starting some small talk with Xavier. Madeline asked, "What's a soul form?"

Xavier looked confused.

"A soul form?" He mused.

Madeline had expected him to ask her what it was. Instead, he questioned her, wide-eyed, "How do you know of it?"

"Uh."

Madeline hadn't anticipated that reaction, so she was at a complete loss for words.

Xavier mused, "Interesting."

"What did you see?" Xavier inquired.

"Excuse me?" Madeline furrowed her brows.

"What did you see in that—"

He stopped himself, clearing his throat.

"That vision," he finished his sentence.

"What did you see there?"

"What vision?"

"Don't play dumb with me, pup."

"I won't once you stop calling me pup," Madeline glared at him.

Well, she didn't completely dislike being called pup, but that didn't mean she allowed him to call her that.

"Well then, I suppose you ought to continue feigning ignorance. If you're alright without knowing what a soul form is and what that vision meant, that is."

Xavier had hung tempting bait, and Madeline was on the edge of giving in. She craved to know what it was, and what that nightmare was. And especially who that man possibly could be.

"Information for information," Xavier reasoned, staying dangerously calm despite the new information he'd just learnt.

"A fair bargain," he added helpfully.

"You tell me what vision you had, and I tell you what it means," he said in his dulcet tones.

"You promise?"

Xavier's eye glinted with an unfamiliar emotion.

"I don't do promises."

"Ever," he added, as though his previous words weren't enough.

There was more to it than he was letting her know.

However, curiosity got the best of this cat, so Madeline let in.

"Fine."

"I dreamt of being in some cave, being hunted by a man who has it out for me. He briefly mentioned something about soul forms, and how he'd kill me once he found me."

"And?"

"And then, he found me… and I woke up," Madeline responded, observing his face for any changes to see just in case he'd start behaving strangely. Then again, Xavier was a man of little to no emotion, so she'd come to learn, so it'd be difficult to tell anyway.

"Now it's your turn to tell me what soul forms are," Madeline pointed out, starting to get freaked out by the expression on Xavier's face.

Was it something she'd said? Was unfortunate news coming her way?

For a man that didn't express much emotion, Xavier looked… concerned. Or was she hallucinating?

Could she have been making this up herself? Whyever would Xavier look so concerned when it was all just a dream?

"A soul form is basically the soul that could visit and roam wherever it pleases. Sometimes, it goes where the universe wants it to go. And sometimes… it goes where it truly belongs."

Madeline's lower lip trembled.

Xavier nodded, confirming her suspicions.

"Couldn't this just have been a dream?"

Xavier peered at her, now being the one that asked questions.

"Then, why would you ask about this soul form?"

'Darn it.'

"B-because…"

"The man in what you call a vision mentioned it," she admitted.

"So he did," Xavier said, taking a sip from his cup.

"It's certainly not a dream," he confirmed.

"If what you say is right, then there is someone out there hunting you down to kill you for finding him."

"How could you say that so calmly?"

Xavier turned silent. Madeline was enraged.

"You're telling me someone's out to kill me, and you say this calmly? Is there something I'm missing here?"

She jabbed a pair of chopsticks into the plate of noodles out of frustration, giving up and admitting defeat to her opponent. The chopsticks she'd been trying to pick up noodles with.

Why was she making such a big deal out of this?

"Surely, whoever this man is is no match compared to the werewolves that would fiercely protect their pack."

"May I remind you that I'm not a part of your pack?"

"And exactly what makes you say that?"

Madeline's heart thudded in her chest.

Was she really—?

A part of their pack?

Before she could react, the doors flew open.

"MADDIE?!"

Author's Note: So... who do you think was surprised to see Madeline here? Comment your thoughts down below!