Chapter 37: Tell Me Everything
Madeline held back a scream. No one was there for her to alert.
'I can't run, he'd catch me in an instant,' Madeline reasoned, her heart feeling like it'd explode.
What was happening?
However, as it turned out, Xavier wasn't trying to do any of that.
Madeline discovered she'd been worrying for nought.
All this time, she was occupied with her own thoughts. So much so that she hadn't noticed the leaves falling, and one leaf managing to snag itself on her silky locks.
'Why'd he have to do it with his mouth?' Madeline whined, a fiery blush spreading across her cheeks despite her best efforts to try to hide her now evident blush.
"Why are you blushing?" Xavier inquired.
Was Madeline too cold?
"Hmm?"
"Just a bit chilly," Madeline lied.
'If that's what you want me to believe then sure,' Xavier mumbled.
"We're here," Madeline announced, glad she'd finally arrived at her place.
"You know, you could always stay," she offered.
"Continue the conversation, the day's not over yet."
"I'll pass," Xavier said.
"Like you said, I have the night left to spend."
"Good point," Madeline nodded.
If anything, she understood the sanctity of spending time alone.
"Good night," she greeted him, unlocking her door.
"Night," he greeted in return, looking somewhere else.
Madeline was about to shut her door, before she felt someone tug at the other side of the door.
"Madeline," Xavier called.
Madeline opened her door again.
"Yes?" She looked up at him with her round eyes.
"Thank you. For choosing to spend today with me."
A small smile made it to Madeline's face. Madeline had to admit, it was a sweet thing for him to say.
"That's what friends are for, are they not?"
__
Madeline yawned, pushing her covers away.
Rubbing her eyes, Madeline was about to get out of bed before…
"You forgot you gave me the spare keys," a voice spoke from the corner of her bedroom.
Madeline turned her gaze to the mysterious source of the voice.
When she'd spent the entire day with Xavier, Madeline had forgotten about one thing.
Briar.
"Briar!" She exclaimed.
"Morning," Madeline greeted, trying to seem casual.
"Morning, Maddie," Briar greeted, her eyes narrowed. Madeline was acting suspicious. She never usually greeted Briar good morning. They'd gotten past the point of daily greetings.
"So," Briar began, wanting to get straight to the point without any further detours. She had questions she wanted answers to.
"Where did you run off to yesterday?" She questioned, not cutting off eye contact with her friend.
"Nowhere."
"So where were you?" Briar raised her brow.
"Ran off with Xavier?"
"How coincidental for the same day you run off to be the same day the alpha gets a day off from his duties."
"Yes, how coincidental indeed," Madeline nodded, unaware of her cheeks turning slightly rosy.
"Now look who's blushing."
"Surely… you didn't spend the entire day with him. Did you?"
Madeline's face turned red. She practically looked like a tomato at this point. Briar couldn't have been more sure of her suspicions. So she was with Xavier.
"You spent the entire day with the alpha?" Briar asked her, her words setting in.
"You have no proof," Madeline shook her head, denying everything.
"Then what's that blush on your face?"
Madeline mustered up a particularly lame excuse.
"I just woke up."
"Your face wasn't red till I mentioned Xavier."
"So… you spent the day with him?"
"Like… you didn't just go off into the woods to explore it or something?"
"Or did you go out with Xavier?"
"I DID NOT GO OUT WITH XAVIER!" Madeline snapped at Briar.
"But you spent time with him."
Briar studied Madeline's face - which consisted of a mix of emotions.
She looked dazed, upset, wary, and flustered all at once.
"Where did you go?" Briar asked once more, this time with a stern tone, expecting an answer from her dear friend.
When Madeline still remained quiet, she coaxed, "Tell meeeeeee."
"You can tell me anything you want."
"What happened between you and Xavier? Did something happen? Is that why you're blushing and why Adrian refused to tell me anything?"
"I assure you nothing happened," Madeline promised.
She blinked.
"Hold on, you talked to Adrian?" Madeline squeaked.
"I did," Briar said, recalling their conversation.
"He didn't tell me any useful information. All he said was, and I quote, 'Leave Madeline alone, she's occupied at the moment and her whereabouts are to be kept confidential, even to you,'" Briar told Madeline in her best impression of Adrian.
Madeline doubled down in laughter.
"Your impression of Adrian is spot on," Madeline praised. She had to hand it to Briar. The impression she made of him really was quite similar to Adrian's voice.
"Why thank you," Briar bowed jokingly.
"So, care to tell me what happened?"
"Why do you keep persisting with that same question over and over again?" Madeline said quizzically.
"Because, the alpha of my pack went missing on the same day my friend did. And it's the first time in decades Xavier's gone completely off the radar."
"Even Adrian didn't seem to know where the two of you were," Briar pouted. She'd gone to the length of asking Adrian where Madeline was. That took some serious guts to do.
"And Adrian knows everything," Briar explained, adding, "Since he's a close friend of Xavier's and all that."
"I digress."
"What did the two of you dooo?"
"We went to his place," Madeline answered.
The moment she'd spoken those four words, it was like Briar had been told a bomb was in the building.
Briar jumped up from her chair and her eyes went wide.
"YOU DID WHAT?" She yelled, unable to keep her voice down when all she felt like doing at the present moment was faint from shock.
Madeline said in a hushed tone, "Keep it down."
Briar couldn't help but gawk at Madeline.
"S-so what you're trying to say is…"
"You spent the entire day with Xavier…"
"…at his place?"
Madeline nodded.
Briar pulled a chair closer to Madeline's bed.
"Tell me everything."
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone