Chapter 58

BOSTON

What. The. F uck. Just. Happened.

Did Hudson really yell at Alexis like that? And for what reason? Not finishing his work?

I blinked a couple of times before realizing that Alexis was still sitting there, staring at the door that Hudson and Lewis went through.

I approached her slowly, trying not to startle her, "Hey. You good?"

She let out a quiet snort and shook her head in disbelief, "I'm just surprised. I never thought he could go off on someone like that."

"Oh, he's gone off on people like that before, but for good reason," I said, sitting beside her and rubbing her back, "I have no idea why he would yell at you like that though. I mean, believe it or not right now, the man literally worships you."

She sighed and started writing again, "You know I'm sure what he was expecting when he gave me all these papers today. It's a miracle I finished as much as I did."

"He gave all of these to you today?" I gaped, staring at the large stack.

"I know," she said, "It's unlike him to take so long to hand paperwork over to someone, but I noticed that they were all sorted so that was probably what took him so long."

That still didn't make sense to me. Hudson was a reasonable person (most of the time) and he knew to apologize when he was in the wrong, which brings me to my next question: why was he yelling at Alexis instead of apologizing for giving her too much work?

"Something's not right here," I shook my head, "Hudson has never done that to anyone. He always gives Matthew and I at least three days to finish important file work."

"Well, when you figure out what's wrong, let me know. I want to finish these and forget about them. They're more trouble than they're worth," she muttered, glaring at the stack.

I got up and glanced at the clock, "I'll go check on Lewis and Hudson. Make sure he's not making beating the crap out of him."

"Do you think you can make me a cup of tea before you go? I don't think I'll sleep tonight," she asked, peeking up at the clock as well.

I frowned, "You know, on second thought, I can help you finish these off. You're pregnant, Alexis. I don't want you staying up too late."

"It's fine, Boston. Besides, I want Hudson to feel guilty if you know what I mean," she said, giving me a tired smile.

I returned the smile tentatively and nodded, "Alright. If that's what you want."

***

I left the house quickly after making Alexis a cup of herbal tea and made my way back to my place for a quick stop.

I slipped into the house and found Gracie asleep on the couch, the TV still on. I turned it off and shook her gently, "Baby, wake up."

She groaned and rubbed her eyes, "What is it, Boston? Isn't it like ten?"

"I'm sorry for waking you, babe. But do you mind staying with Alexis tonight?" I asked, running my fingers through her hair.

She blinked once and sat up, yanking the blanket off, "Is she alright? What happened?"

"It's a long story," I sighed, "But I don't think Hudson will be staying with her tonight."

She frowned in concern and got up, folding the blanket neatly and placing it on the back of the couch, "Did she even eat? Should I bring her some food?"

I pursed my lips. I hadn't thought of that.

Gracie noticed the look on my face and shrugged, "I'll bring her some lasagna. It wouldn't hurt. She's eating for two anyway."

"Good idea," I nodded, leaning in to peck her lips, "I'll see you later."

She kissed my cheek and disappeared into the kitchen.

I left the house once again and made my way to Lewis and Dorothy's place. When I entered the house, the first thing I heard was Lewis yelling.

"I don't care if she blew up your house, you don't yell at a pregnant she-wolf like that," he yelled.

I stepped into the kitchen and took in the scene in front of me. Hudson was sitting at the dining table with his arms crossed while Lewis paced back and forth in front of him.

"Dad, I know," Hudson said, rubbing his face, "I shouldn't have yelled at her. Period. But I was just annoyed that she didn't finish finalizing the papers. I mean, I tried making it as easy as possible for her. All she had to do was go through them and leave some notes to elaborate on what was said."

Lewis sighed, "So maybe Alexis bit off more than she could chew. But instead of yelling her, you could have called someone to help her finish it off. I just–I'm baffled by this. You have faced so many worse situations and some late paperwork ticked you off just like that," he snapped his fingers.

"I think all the stress was getting to me and unfortunately, Alexis became my scapegoat," Hudson muttered, pinching his nose.

Lewis shook his head, "Both of you made mistakes. The biggest mistake you made was starting all of this work too late. I understand that you were excited about your pup but you can't forget your job as an Alpha. If you want to spend more time with Alexis, plan accordingly, but don't push everything for later. You can never procrastinate as Alpha, Hudson. Remember that."

With those final words, Lewis left the kitchen, leaving Hudson to think. I waited by the doorway quietly, waiting for him to say or do something.

"Is she okay?" He asked after a few minutes.

"She seemed fine when I left," I said softly, watching as he raked his fingers through his hair.

He shook his head slowly and stood up, "I'm going to stay here tonight. I've got my own stack of paperwork to finish anyway."

I opened my mouth to protest but he disappeared before I could stop him.

I pursed my lips and looked at the moon warily.

She was definitely playing games with them tonight.

***

HUDSON

I fell asleep at around four in the morning and woke up at seven. I probably could have slept longer, but obviously, I had a hard time falling asleep without Alexis beside me.

My wolf was pissed and had cut off communication with me, but that didn't stop him from wreaking havoc in my head with his howls and hisses.

I showered and got dressed in a suit that Matthew had dropped off, and just as I was tying my tie my mother walked in.

She raised an eyebrow at my attire and said, "Are you planning on leaving without talking to Alexis?"

Clearly, my dad had told her about what had happened.

I sighed and picked up my suit jacket and duffel bag, "I'll see, mom."

She looked furious for a moment, but I didn't give her the chance to lecture me. I walked past her and headed out the door, ignoring my dad's surprised look as he chewed on his waffles.

When I got outside, Matthew and Boston were already waiting for me with their things. They stared at me expectantly as I looked in the direction of our house.

Where Alexis was.

There was no way I could leave without seeing Alexis. I couldn't leave without at least kissing her goodbye, regardless of how pissed she was at me.

"I'll be there soon. Drop my stuff at the car," I said, dropping my duffel bag by Matthew's feet and placing my suit jacket neatly on top. They exchanged a lot and nodded slowly. I made my way back to the house with my heart sprinting in my chest.

What would Alexis do when she saw me? Would she even talk to me?

I entered the house quietly and felt a lump in my throat at what I found.

Alexis was asleep, her arms folded on the island and her head resting on top of them. There was a couple of pens and a few sticky notes scattered around her along with a cup that had the sting of a tea bag hanging out.

I pursed my lips and stepped towards her softly, making sure not to wake her. I reached for her face and pulled a few loose strands of hair away.

There were bags under her eyes, and she looked like she had been working all night.

If I didn't feel guilty before, I definitely did now. My heart ached at her appearance and the thought that I was the cause of this.

Why did I have to be such an a sshole sometimes? I needed to learn to keep my anger in check.

I gently wrapped my arms around her and picked her so I could her move her upstairs. She leaned her head into the crook of my neck and snuggled closer, unaware of what was happening. I carefully climbed the stairs and placed her on top of the bed, making sure not to jostle her too much.

A sigh escaped my lips as I stared down at her, "I'm sorry, baby. I screwed up and there's no excuse," I whispered, rubbing her cheek with my thumb.

I leaned down and kissed her lips as I mumbled, "I'll make it up to you. I promise."

My hand traveled down to her stomach, and rubbed the soft skin, "Daddy was an a sshole, wasn't he? He doesn't deserve Mommy at all. I let both of you down last night. I'm sorry, pup."

I kissed her stomach before staring at her one last time.

"I love you. Nothing will ever change that," I said.

She was obviously in deep sleep because she didn't move once so I pecked her lips one last time and turned around to leave.

When I was out of the house, I took a deep breath and started back the way I came when I heard someone yell and a loud growl.

I frowned and picked up the pace until I was back at my parent's house. However, the sight before me caught me off guard.

Boston had Max's arms behind his back as Matthew gripped his throat.

I could not catch a break, could I?

HUDSON

"What's going on here?" I asked warily, watching Matthew's hand loosen around Max's throat. Boston growled and shoved Max to the ground with his arms behind his back.

Matthew glared at Max but addressed me by saying, "Guess who was trying to sabotage your relationship with Alexis?"

"Max, the f uck is he talking about?" I snapped, feeling my frustration rise again. Max didn't reply and decided to facepalm the ground with a grunt.

As I stared down at him, my head was swarming with so many thoughts, ones that made my temper reach levels I didn't even know were possible. I felt myself trembling as realization dawned on me.

"Would you take these to Alexis and let her know that these have to be finished in three days?"

"Is that enough time?"

"It should be. I believe in her."

I didn't think about it before, but Max never really liked Alexis. He ignored her and whenever she said something to him, he wouldn't take her seriously or he would give a half-hearted reply.

This a sshole probably gave her the papers yesterday and pretended like I wanted her to do them in one day. And of course, it worked out perfectly for him because I blew up on her when she wasn't even at fault – she was just at the wrong place at the wrong time, which again worked in his favor.

"Shit, Hudson. Hudson! Hudson, not here."

Matthew's voice didn't even register in my brain as I found myself shaking with rage.

My lungs were burning as my breath escaped in shorts rasps and growls. My heart was beating at a pace that would send humans to the hospital. My claws were already out and digging into my palms, drawing blood as the rage coiled inside of me.

I wanted blood. My wolf wanted blood. And we wanted Max's blood.

BOSTON

Max. Was. Screwed. And he knew it too.

The fear was clear as day on his face as he watched Hudson's reaction.

I didn't know why he would try to hurt their relationship, but whatever the reason may be, it was not good enough. There was never a good reason to hurt a couple like Hudson and Alexis.

She was the yin to his yang. She was the water that doused his fire. She was his gravity when he soared too high.

The Moon Goddess struck gold when she paired the two of them together because there was no she-wolf in the world that could ever keep up with Hudson and keep him in line.

This wasn't even an opinion. It was a fact – one that everyone knew except for Max.

He caused problems, now he was going to pay. Dearly.

Hudson was trembling like a volcano about to erupt and when he did, no one should try to stand in his path. It would be a death wish. His jaw was ticking like a time bomb, and I knew it was a matter of seconds before he exploded.

I nodded at Matthew and we inched away from Max slowly, preparing ourselves to pull Hudson off of him after he got a few punches in.

The moment we moved out of the way, Hudson let out the loudest roar I had ever heard in my life.

It was a roar that shook the ground we stood on and caused the windows of nearby houses to rattle at the intensity. It was like a mini earthquake. Pack members flew out of their houses, scared out of their minds, as they rushed to the scene to see what made their Alpha so furious.

They were there just in time to see Hudson launch himself at Max.

"Oh shit," I muttered, watching his fists fly.

Seconds had barely passed, and Max already had a bloody nose.

"We got a stop him. He can't do this in front of the pack," Matthew said quietly, watching Hudson worriedly.

We circled around and gripped Hudson's shoulders, trying to pull him back but it was impossible. He wouldn't budge at all, and it didn't seem like he even noticed that we were trying to pull him back.

Suddenly, a hand clenched my shoulder and I turned around, wondering who would try to disturb us at this critical moment.

"What the–" I stopped when I realized it was Alexis.

She was staring at Hudson's back, wincing as he let out another growl and continued to pummel Max's face. I stepped back and she quickly moved forward, wrapping her arms around his back.

"Come on, Hudson. Stop this," she snapped loudly over all his grunts and Max's groans.

Hudson slowed down as Alexis's touch calmed him down slightly. He was still shaking and growling but not as much as before.

"Hudson, let him go. You're scaring everyone. You're scaring me," she said gently, trailing her hands up to his shoulders.

He immediately straightened, nearly lifting Alexis off the ground with him.The thought that his mate was afraid of him didn't sit right with him and the rage on his face was fading as he turned and stared down at her.

Then, he enveloped her in his arms, burying his face in her hair as he continued to tremble a little in his half-shifted form.

I knew Alexis was still upset about what had happened but she didn't hesitate to comfort him, knowing that it wasn't just for his sake but for the pack's sake, who were still looking on with fear.

She buried her hands in his hair and massaged his scalp before nodding a little at us.

Matthew mind-linked the pack members, telling them to return to their regular routine silently to not set Hudson off again. As the crowd dispersed, Maisie ran towards us, staring at her nearly unconscious twin.

"Max, you idiot," she said, crouching beside him, "Why would you do this?"

He didn't reply obviously, and she turned to us, "Do you think you could carry him to the pack hospital?"

Matthew and I went over and picked him up carefully, making sure not to touch the cuts and swollen areas.

***

"He did this for me."

I froze in my spot as Maisie's words registered in my head.

"What do you mean?" Matthew asked, straightening from his place against the wall.

Maisie sighed and held her brother's hand, "I was in love with Hudson and he knew that."

"You're in love with Hudson?" I asked incredulously.

She never showed a sign of being in love with him. She acted like he was an older brother, not a crush.

"Was," she corrected, "I gave it up a while ago.."

"That doesn't explain why Max would purposely cause problems in their relationship," Matthew stated, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

"I didn't find out about Alexis until I got here. Max knew about it but he hid it from me because he knew I would be heartbroken, which I was. I cried about it for days because I was hoping to tell Hudson that I loved him and that he would reciprocate the feelings. Max probably wanted to hurt them so they would feel the pain I felt as I watched them celebrate the milestones in their relationship."

Maisie looked uncomfortable as she explained her thoughts on the situation. However, I wasn't satisfied with her answer.

"Are you sure you didn't have anything to do with this? Like you didn't ask him to do this?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow.

She shook her head, "I would never try to ruin a mateship and Max knows that. I don't know the whole reason as to why he did this, but I know he did it for me."