Chapter 112 112

Chapter 112 112
Jason's POV 
I woke up, blinking my eyes slowly. I was staring at a ceiling I didn't recognise; its patterns were unfamiliar, and I found them quite girly and strange. My head was heavy, my thoughts blurry. 
It must be a really, really bad hangover, as it even managed to affect my viewing. I turned my head to the side and found Maddy asleep, her back against the bed stand in the most uncomfortable way ever.
A soft smile tugged at my lips as I reached out to tuck a stray hair behind her ear. She looked so peaceful in her sleep, her face calm and serene. This had to be a dream; it was just an aftereffect of thinking about her for days. 
As my fingers brushed against her skin, I realized it wasn't me hallucinating her presence. She was here in my room, and looking around, I realised I was actually in her room. How? Had I gotten drunk and come into her room instead?
I thought hard for a while, and finally, last night's events came rushing back to me, hitting me like a tidal wave as my heart beat began to speed up again.
Maddy had spotted me with some women, and I had sent them away because they had disrespected her. Then she brought me here, into her room, after I had had one too many drinks at the pack's gathering. She knew I wouldn't be able to find my own room in my drunken state. So she decided to help.
But then, I remembered something that made my heart race. My breath hitched as the memory hit me—I had confessed my feelings to her. I had told Maddy I loved her. The words, "I love you, my mate," echoed in my mind, causing my heart to pound harder against my chest.
Her reaction was exactly as I had anticipated. One of denial and negligence. I remembered her words clearly, and I probably would never forget them. "I love you, my mate." I breathed out. She suddenly became stiff and unmoving before she answered.
"Shut up. You say a lot of nonsense once you're intoxicated. You should know you're limit by now; why did you drink so much?" She had brushed it off as my intoxicated ramblings.
She then took me to her bed and tried to take off my shoes, but I didn’t let her. When she tried to pull her hand away from mine, I didn't let go. I refused to. I held onto her, needing the comfort and warmth only she could provide. I wanted her to still be close to me, even though she had just indirectly rejected me.
Eventually, she gave up trying to free her hand and fell asleep right there on the floor, her hand still clasped in mine. Looking at her now, my heart twinges with a mix of guilt and affection.
Did I really mean what I said last night? When I said I loved her, Yes, I did. I loved Maddy because she was my mate. The question now was: did she feel the same? And if she didn't, what would I do?
I looked at her, sleeping so peacefully by my side, her hand still in mine. And for the first time since I woke up, I felt a wave of calmness wash over me. But the calm suddenly disappeared when I remembered something that left me in a panic state.
I was in a panic, my heart beating like a wild drum in my chest. What was I going to say to Maddy when she woke up? What would I do when she asked me about last night? The questions swirled in my mind, making me feel slightly dizzy.
I decided to leave to escape before she woke up. I gently pulled my hand from hers, careful not to wake her. I tiptoed out of her room, praying that nobody would see me. The last thing I wanted was to start rumours that could hurt Maddy's reputation. She already has a bad one as it is.
I barely made it a few steps away from her room when a figure suddenly appeared in front of me. I was taken aback, my heart nearly stopping in surprise. It was Draven. Thank God.
"Alpha Draven," I panicked, trying to keep my voice steady. "What are you doing in this part of the mansion?"
Draven raised an eyebrow at me but then smiled and said, "Jason, drop the formalities. I'm pretty sure we've passed that. Especially given the fact that we are all alone and not discussing pack-related matters."
I nodded, relaxing a little. "Alright, Draven, what are you doing here?"
He looked at me with a playful smile on his face. "I could ask you the same thing, Jason. But you know... It's not nice to sneak out of a lady's room without saying goodbye to her."
I felt my face turn hot. "It's not like that, Draven. Nothing happened between us." Draven laughed, clapping me on the shoulder. 
"Relax, now, old friend; I'm just pulling your leg. But seriously, you don’t have to pretend or hide anything from me. We're friends, right?"
I nodded, feeling my nerves calm down a bit. Draven was right. We were best friends; we didn’t need to hide anything from each other. But still, I couldn't help but worry about what was going to happen next.
"I know, Draven," I said finally. "But really, I assure you, nothing happened." I said to him:
"You sound quite disappointed." He pointed it out. 
"I just really don't know what to do, Draven. Things just keep getting complicated." I sighed out of frustration. He patted my shoulder again, his smile softening. "You'll figure it out, Jason. You always do."
I hoped he was right. Draven knew everything. He knew Maddy was my true mate, as I had told him about it immediately after I found out, but she is still in love with that fool Zac. I had even confessed my feelings to her last night, but she dismissed it as intoxicated nonsense. And it hurt. It hurt so bad.
"But, you know."
"I'd love to retreat to my room now. Thank you." And with that, I turned and left him standing there. I entered my room, closing the door behind me. I sat on the edge of my bed, my mind racing. 
I felt as if I was stuck in a maze with no way out. From the moment I realised Maddy was my mate, I had been cautious, even wary. But no matter what I did, I always found myself being pulled back to her.
I sighed, running a hand through my hair. Why couldn't things be even simpler? Why did it have to be so complicated? I love Maddy, and the thought of her not feeling the same was like a punch to the gut. It was driving me mad.
And I know she loves Zac. She loves him so much that she was even willing to risk hurting me and her own best friend, who had turned a blind eye to all her flaws countless times. And she did all that for Zac. 
How could I compete with that? Zac, whom she loved so deeply, was willing to sacrifice everyone and everything for him. Including me.
Suddenly, a knock on my door pulled me from my thoughts. What followed was the creaking sound of it opening, and then Draven came in with a serious expression.
"Jason," he started, "I know this is hard. But you have to believe me when I say things have a way of working out."
I scoffed. "Easy for you to say, Draven. You're not in my shoes."
He nodded. "You're right, Jason. I'm not. But I am in love with Olivia, and I only found out she is my true mate after she had been mated to Zac."
I looked at him, my heart heavy. "Thanks, Draven. But I don't think anything can help me now. Besides, we both know Hazelhas feelings for you because she accepted you as her mate. But Maddy has already given her heart away. And to the devil of all people."
He came closer and patted my shoulder. "Don't lose hope, Jason. Remember, we wolves are resilient. We face challenges head-on and come out stronger. You can't be acting human right now."
I just nodded, not really convinced. But deep down, I knew Draven was right. "I know what to do. I'll just have to push her further away from me."
Draven sat on the chair across from me, his eyes piercing into mine. "Jason," he said, "you can't just push Maddy away. You're mates. Being away from each other could make you turn rogue. You know that."
I sighed, rubbing softly at my temples. "I know, Draven. I know. But what good is it to stay close to her when she doesn't feel the same? Isn't that just going to increase the chances of me turning rogue? Especially when she rejects me."