Chapter 22

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When they reached California, Maddy expected the matefinder to leave but she wordlessly followed them

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When they reached California, Maddy expected the matefinder to leave but she wordlessly followed them. No one questioned her, just adjusted to make space for her. Justin came to pick them up from the airport. This time, he brought a bigger car so the car ride wasn't very congested even though they had an extra passenger.

"You might want to speed up your tracking down of the boss. As I am speaking, he is gathering power," the matefinder said the moment they reached the headquarters.

This spurred everyone into action. In less than five minutes, all the main members in the pack had gathered in the meeting room. Maddy too sat in the meeting room. She didn't even have to have to use the vents! The Alpha surprisingly invited her. Now that Maddy was decidedly a member of the pack, the Alpha seemed to be including her in all the pack activities.

The matefinder strode into the room a minute after the meeting started. Luckily, she had changed out of her ridiculous outfit so Maddy didn't have to squint whenever she turned to the matefinder. Everyone seemed to become quiet down when she came, even Justin. They seemed to be waiting for her advice.

"Well? What are you looking at me for?" the matefinder said as she sat down.

Justin cleared his throat. "Okay. So far, we have gotten a lead thanks to Maddy," Justin said as he nodded to Maddy. "We have two locations that might be of importance. I will be leading one team to one of the locations while the Beta will be leading the other team."

After a second's pause, he continued, "Both the teams will consist of adults only." For some reason that Maddy definitely didn't know, Justin pointedly stared at Maddy and the others while saying that.

Maddy raised her hand to speak up.

Justin smiled with amusement. "You don't need to raise your hand."

"Right," Maddy said sheepishly. "Anyway, I think I know the location of a third safehouse."

"Where is it?"

"When I got kidnapped the second time near the beach, I was cornered in a mansion type of building. It too had endless hallways like the safehouse where Xander and I were locked up. I think that mansion could be another safehouse."

Xander immediately took the opportunity. "We five could go and check it out. Maddy knows where it is and could help us there."

"Absolutely not," Justin said firmly. "I'll have another team check that place out."

"Look, we aren't even sure that if that building is an actual safehouse. Also, this will be good training for me for when I become an Alpha," Xander said convincingly.

Justin seemed to be unsure, but after a moment of indecisiveness, he agreed. "We leave the day after tomorrow in the morning. I'll need you all to be ready. Everyone will be carrying a small bag with essential things only."

Happy that she would be of some help, Maddy nodded to what the Alpha was saying.

The Alpha then proceeded to list all the safety precautions that needed to be taken. Maddy zoned out somewhere between the second and third precaution.

It was only when Leia grabbed Maddy's hand that Maddy came back to reality. Leia dragged Maddy out of the room. "We are having some best friend time," she announced to the others.

"Meet us at the gym in an hour," someone shouted back from behind Maddy.

The moment the two of them exited the room, Maddy turned to her. "What do you want to know?"

Leia had her poker face on. "Can't I just spend time with my best friend?"

Maddy raised an eyebrow. "The only time you call it 'best friend time' is when you want to interrogate me about something."

"I do not!"

"Oh, yes do."

"Absolutely not."

"Fine then," Maddy said with a sly smile as she started walking faster. Leia suspiciously stared at Maddy waiting for the catch. It was a well know fact that Maddy never backed out of a verbal battle before proving her point. Leia hurried along to catch up with Maddy after a moment.

"So, how are you feeling after finding out that you have werewolf genes?"

"I thought this wasn't an interrogation," Maddy said with an amused smile. "In less than a minute, you have managed to ask me two questions."

"This is not an interrogation. I am not tying you up and forcing you to answer."

"Fine. Then I am choosing not to answer."

Leia threw her hands up in the air with frustration. "You are absolutely infuriating, you know? When did you become this annoying?"

"This annoyingness or whatever helped save my life from a certain psycho scientist," Maddy said as she grinned at Leia's I-am-so-done-with-you expression.

"This is an interrogation then. Now answer me. How are you feeling after finding out that you have werewolf genes?"

"By the tone you are using, you would think that I am a prisoner of some sort," Maddy commented dryly.

"You better answer the damn question now or so god help me I will make sure that you never lay your hand on a book again."

"There is something called a kindle, you know? And Wattpad."

Maddy could see it in Leia's face that she was seconds away from tackling Maddy into the tickle war of the century, so Maddy hurriedly continued what she was saying, "I'll answer your questions if you answer some of mine."

"Fine. Get on with it," Leia huffed.

"Pinky promise?"

"Pinky promise."

The moment Leia's words left her mouth, Maddy grinned and shook her head with amusement. "This technique works every single time. I don't know why the movies don't use it more often. If you can annoy your victim to just the right degree, you can get any sort of answers from them. It worked with Krithika and it worked with you too!"

"Are you freaking serious?" Leia said in an are-you-freaking-serious tone. "Sometimes I honestly wonder why I befriended you in the first place."

"Hey! That hurts!" 

"Hey! That hurts!" 

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