Chapter 23
23 – I Ran Away To Save My Babies
Madeline:
Baxter had been taking a stroll in the garden, pacing back and forth, fisting his palm. Elgin constantly shook his head, rubbing his face with his hands while Graham sat across the table, right in my sight, his eyes fixed on me and his eyebrows furrowed.
I sat comfortably, leaning back in the chair, arms folded over my chest, one leg crossed over the other.
“Say what you want to ask me,” I finally snapped, piercing through the silence. I guessed it was a much–needed conversation; after all, the truth had finally been exposed.
“Is it true?” Elgin stopped pacing and faced me, asking in the softest tone.
“That you’re only Elara’s father?” I helped him, since it seemed too difficult for him to say it out loud.
“How could that be?” Elgin asked, and I shrugged while my eyes moved to Baxter, who had stopped pacing and came toward me, a bit too aggressively. That was typical Baxter.
“How could you lie to me? How could you call him Bodhi’s father when I am his father?” Unlike the other two, Baxter didn’t understand rules and never followed them.
But he would learn to behave from now on, because I wasn’t his subject, his people, or his friend, or people who took his blows and acted kindly just because they knew he had anger issues.
“Do you not remember what I said? We will only talk if you behave, if all of you behave,” I reminded him, keeping my posture firm.
“You think you have the ability to make commands?” Baxter hissed, walking from the side of the chairs to face
“Baxter, please sit down. We need to have this conversation. We cannot deal with your tantrums right now, Graham finally screamed at him, making Baxter straighten his back and look at his friend.
The rise and fall of his muscular chest showed he was struggling to swallow the information.
I couldn’t pinpoint what exactly angered Baxter so much. He was always a mystery wrapped in an enigma. Even when he was angry, either he couldn’t express what it was about, or he was just good at hiding the real reason and picking up on minor disagreements as excuses.
Finally, after getting harsh glares from his friends, Baxter backed down and sat on the seat. The three could barely fit on the chairs. Now that they were facing me, waiting for me to open my goddamn mouth, I began to prepare to speak.
“I came to you guys to tell the truth about my pregnancy that night, but I changed my mind once I heard how you reacted. And before you say you were young, not ready, I was younger than you. I was just 18. I was scared too. And when I realized that you three weren’t going to protect me, or at least the baby, I decided to leave. And I watched the way you celebrated when I told you I had my periods,” I/stated, clenching my jaw but forcing a smile on my lips.
I noticed the anxiety in my body starting to return as I spoke about the past.
“Well, you already answered, we were too young to react properly,” Elgin stated coldly, the others probably agreeing because they didn’t have any other excuse. However, it was funny coming from him.
“Alright, how old are your children? The ones you have with your wife–the alpha wife?” I asked. My smile was
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23-4 Ron Away To Save My Babies
+25 Bonus
genuine this time.
I was really happy to catch him in a lie. The way his eyes dropped and shame plastered across his face proved he didn’t have a response.
“Forget about him. I wasn’t ready at that time, and I was afraid my father would be angry at you,” Graham took the stand, leaning forward in his seat, almost as if trying to draw attention to himself.
“You did not say that. You did not want the baby. None of you did, actually. So stop with this nonsense and let’s talk about the real deal. Yes, I carried each of your children. Elara is your daughter, Elgin. Bodhi is Baxter’s son p>
I paused, watching Graham’s eyes widen. Tears started to form in them, turning them red.
“And Gina is your daughter. ” The minute I said that, Graham buried his face in his hands and started to cry loudly. It was the most unexpected reaction of the three.
He then uncovered his face and got up.
“ I had a daughter all this time. I had a child all this time. But you took the chance from me to be a father.” 1
However, his response soon turned more toxic as he began to point fingers at me.
“It’s not only you. She did the same to me,” Baxter added, clenching his fist.
“And me. I didn’t even know. She lied to me. And when I found out the truth, she lied again and told me all the babies were mine, just so I’d feel guilty,” Elgin added, making me unwrap my leg from the other and lean forward in the seat, studying their faces to see if they were genuinely spewing all this nonsense.
And it seemed like they were. They looked furious, angry enough that I had to lean back again just to make sure this was truly happening.
“You guys seriously believe I deprived you of children?” I asked, pointing at my chest.
The way Graham grunted and kicked the chair away gave me my answer. They were really holding me accountable for not being with their children. And I honestly lost it.
“Let’s say it,” I hissed. “You wanna know the truth? The truth is, you three were fucking cowards. You just wanted to sleep with me, and after that, you tossed me aside. You ruined my friendship, my life–everything.” I hicupped.
“I went home that night only to find out the council was going to kill my baby. That my parents were going to kill the babies. So I left–ran far, far away from all of you. From all of you who didn’t care about me and never would have cared about my children p>
I screamed, watching their jaws hang low.
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Sara Lili
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.