Page 12

Chapter 12

MADELINE

“Do you still need my help?” I ask, having already organized and prepared most of the day's work.

Nate looks from one paper to another. “Uhm, no, nothing. This is really good work, Madeline.”

“Thank you,” I respond a bit curtly. I place both hands before me, lacing my fingers together.

Nate looks up at me, his beautiful eyes searching my face for any sort of answer. I know exactly why he's this confused. He is accepting that I have changed. He’s open to seeing who I am.

“Is there a problem?” I ask.

“No. It's about lunch time anyway, so I guess you're free to take a break.”

“Thank you.” I turn to walk away.

“You're just going to leave?” Nate asks, bewildered. “I thought you'd want to hang around for lunch or something.”

“Why would I do that?” I inquire in a way that comes off politely.

“I—” Nate stops himself, realizing he can't manufacture an answer for wanting me to spend time with him. “I guess that's it for today. You don't have to come by after lunch. We're basically done so you can have the rest of the day off.”

“Thank you,” I respond. I'll still be around, so just call me if you need me.”

“Okay.”

I give him one last pleasant smile before walking away. If he was any closer, he would realize just how much my heart has been beating through the conversation.

I close the door and lean against it, taking a huge breath. After getting my body under control, I walk away from Nate's intoxicating scent and head back to my aunt's office. This restraint doesn't come naturally; it's a deliberate choice.

The old me would have stayed, trying to win him over with persistent attention. But I've learned that some distances need to be crossed from both sides.

If there's something real between us, it needs to grow on its own terms, not just mine.

The empty space isn't as appealing without Aunt Cora here, but I make do. I sit on her very comfortable chair and lean into it.

Every fiber of my body wants to go back to Nate and just be around him, but this is the best thing for me if I want to make any progress. It's a hard decision, but it's still the best one.

There's a knock on the door almost immediately before someone walks in—a blonde woman that I've seen around the office a few times.

“Hey, Madeline, right?”

“Yeah …” I say carefully.

“We haven't actually been introduced. I'm Rose.”

“Oh, you're Graham's mate,” I blurt out, forcing me to cover my mouth in shame. “I'm sorry for saying it like that.”

“It's alright,” she says, laughing. The soft sounds make me feel more relaxed. “Yes, Graham is my mate.”

“If he's anything like my mate then I'm sorry.”

Rose chuckles again before taking the seat opposite me. “I came to check on Cora and see if she's back yet.”

“No, she's still at the hospital.”

“Damn, I'm sorry about that.”

“It's fine, she's better. I think they need to keep her there so she doesn't come to work just yet. My aunt can't seem to stay away from work.”

“Tell me about it. I was her paralegal for a bit.”

“Oh my God, so you know how much she focuses on her job.”

“She's a perfectionist,” Rose shrugs. “Making a mistake under her is a cardinal sin.” We both pause to share a laugh before Rose continues. “I didn't just come for her though, I came to introduce myself to you. I haven't really been in the office a lot recently.”

“Yeah, that's sort of how I knew about you. Graham mentions you nonstop.”

“I'm glad he does,” Rose smiles. “I hear you may not be having the same luck with Nate.”

I let out an exasperated breath. “He's pretty hard to figure out.”

“Even though he's with us, the man's a bit of a loner. Even Graham can't provide many details about him and they're close friends.”

“I guess I'm stuck like this then.”

Rose shakes her head. “I think he's going to come around. I did.”

I gasp. “You didn't want to be with your mate?”

“It's a bit more complicated than that,” she says, smiling as if she's keeping a secret. “What's that?” Rose points to the corner of the room at my bags.

My eyes light up immediately. "It's this project I'm working on. I like to knit, it helps me relax and it's a lot of fun. Right now, I'm working on a temperature blanket."

"I started learning when I was in high school, but I've gotten more serious about it recently. There's something calming about creating something beautiful with your own hands, watching it grow row by row, knowing each decision matters to the final piece."

“Ooh, I've always wanted to learn. Can I see it?”

I stand up in a second, rush to my bags of supplies, and bring out the half-finished blanket. Rose comes over and takes a good look at it before reaching to touch it.

She handles the material like it's the most delicate thing on Earth, a fact I greatly appreciate.

“That's gorgeous,” she says in genuine awe. I try not to blush at the praise.

“Thank you.”

“I'll definitely come back to see the finished product, but I have to go back to work.”

“That's okay. It was nice of you to stop by.”

We share one last friendly smile before she leaves. I do my best to contain my excitement, but it's a pretty tall order considering someone just complimented my work.

This urges me to continue working on the blanket since I have nothing else to do.

My senses pick up Nate's scent, indicating he's close by. This brings a smirk to my lips, but I continue working like nothing happened.

While I work, I listen to a true crime podcast, switching from my constant knitting to trying to solve who the Mannyville killer is before the big reveal.

I don't finish either of these things by the end of the work day, but I make enough progress to not feel bad about it.

“Damn, I need to get more stuff,” I muse. My mind travels to a crafts shop I saw on my way to work.

I bundle the blanket along with my other supplies and pack them all as neatly as I can before leaving my aunt's office.

People are already trooping into the halls, so I can't immediately spot Nate. Still, a quick sniff of the air alerts me that he's nearby.

As I pass her cubicle, Olivia waves frantically with a smile and draws my attention. She’s sitting at her desk, with Dave standing beside her. “Hey!” she calls.

I walk over to the pair, and Dave greets me with a small wave. Most of the interns are human, so I'm not as close to them as I could be.

Dave is one of the unfortunate ones who probably won't get called back here once he's finished with law school.

“Whatcha got there?” Olivia asks.

I happily show her my supplies and the blanket I’m working on. “It's a temperature blanket,” I explain.

“This is gorgeous; you did this? Dave, look at this.”

“Whoa,” he says, handling it. “You're knitting this?”

“Yeah,” I smile. “I've actually done quite a lot today, but I'm nowhere near done.”

Dave is so surprised by this sudden revelation that he leans in and lowers his voice. “Are you serious?”

“Um, yeah?”

“You're an intern,” he reminds me. “You can do stuff like this on company time, they could fire you for this.”

Olivia gives him the same odd look I do, but I can't take offense. He seems genuinely worried for me.

“Relax, Dave. I finished my work early today. Nate said I could have the rest of the day off.”

This seems even more unbelievable. “There's no way Mr. Barlow gave you free time.”

“I'm just that effective.”

I sense eyes on me and instantly know who's watching me. Olivia feels this, too, so we both turn in the direction of the hallway while Dave continues to look confused. Just then, I see Nate walking away.

“I have to go now,” I say, trying not to sound too triumphant. “I'll talk to you later.”

My next stop is the craft shop. The entire place is filled with arts and crafts supplies. It's not a huge place, but it's definitely what I need. I go to the section with knitting supplies, surprised by the multiple types of yarn on display.

“It's glorious isn't it?”

I spin around at the sound of the voice. The woman behind me flashes her wolf eyes, and my eyes widen in shock.

“Don't worry, no one saw me,” she says. Her voice sounds like she wants to do it again, just for fun. “I’m Hannah.”

“Madeline,” I say, accepting a handshake.

“Madeline,” she repeats. “I haven't seen you around here before. I come here enough to know everyone who pops up.”

“I haven't been in town very long,” I reply. “I saw this on my way to work and decided to check it out.”

“Well, you came to the right place. My buddy Lucca runs this place and she can hook you up with whatever you need. Are you ready to explore?”

“Yes!” I respond without hesitation.

I spend hours at the store, going through supplies I never knew I needed, and getting to know Hannah. At the end of the day, I gather she's not related to anyone at IronFang, which I like.

She's also very easy to talk to and a great listener, which is why I end up telling her most of my problems with my mate as we walk home.

"That's a lot," Hannah admits after hearing my tale. "I wouldn't be too hard on him, though. I think he's sort of like me."

"In what way?"

"When you're a loner, it takes a while for you to let anyone into your space and it doesn't matter who they are. He may feel like he's losing his identity."

"I never thought about that," I admit. "I've been so focused on what the mate bond means to me that I haven't fully considered what it might feel like from his perspective, especially for someone who's built their life around independence. It's not just about love, it's about identity too."

“It's alright. He seems to like you though, but he's probably just worried about what having a mate means to him.”

"I think you're right. Would you like to get drinks or something? I haven't really had someone to talk about this stuff with."

"I'd love that," Hannah replies, beaming.

As we make plans, I realize how much I've changed in just these few months.

I came here to learn to see Nate again, but I've found myself along the way—friends, interests, a clearer sense of who I am beyond just being someone's mate.

Whatever happens with Nate, I know now that I'll be okay. That certainty feels like its own kind of strength.