➳

Over the next week, Matthew had been very busy with the merging of the two Packs. At first, the majority of the other Pack was against this, but they slowly realized this new integration would mean more strength and better protection. They all began warming up to their new Alpha... especially the females.

Their previous Alpha was nowhere near as attractive as Matthew. They all drooled over him, secretly hoping he'd claim one of them as his mate. Whenever he'd train with his new Pack members, he would sense a crowd of females peeking through the windows, gawking at his shirtless, muscular body.

He never paid much attention to other women. Sure, he had slept around with some, but he never held any deeper feelings towards them; except for Madeline, of course. His lips twitched into a tiny smile as his cute little mate entered his mind.

Despite everything that's been going on, he always found himself thinking of her. Each morning and night, he craved the feeling of holding her in his arms. He wondered if she was missing him as well. She hadn't called him the entire time, which made him a bit unhappy, but he convinced himself that perhaps she was simply to shy to ask his Beta for his phone.

Speaking of Betas, he had to figure out what to do with the other Pack's Beta. Unlike most Packs, this one was a female. He had originally planned to have her quit her position and let his own Beta take over, but she was not a fan of that proposal.

"Let me be your Beta. I swear I'll do a much better job then he will," She insisted, crossing her arms.

Matthew narrowed his eyes at her. "Do not argue with me. He will stay my Beta, and that is final." He turned to leave, but she quickly ran in front of him, blocking the door.

"Let me fight him. If I win, he quits his position."

The Alpha raised a brow, slightly amused. "I don't think he'd be interested in fighting a puny female," He quipped, pushing past her to leave. She followed him, visibly annoyed by his retort.

"I don't care. I deserve a chance to prove myself."

Matthew let out a loud sigh, realizing that this woman was not going to leave him alone anytime soon. "Fine. I'm heading back to my side of the Pack tonight. You can come see us in tomorrow, maybe he'll accept to fight you." A bright smile formed on her face.

"Yes! Thank you, Alpha."

He was curious on how this frail-looking female planned on fighting his Beta, but he settled to not judge a book by it's cover. After all, there must be a reason why this Pack had chosen her to be their Beta.

——————————

Madeline cried softly beneath her blankets. These past few days have made her feel extremely homesick. The thought of going back had been on her mind for a while now. At her old Pack, everyone loved and cherished her. Here, she felt ignored and completely alienated. Plus, if she kept living with Matthew, her silly feelings for him would only grow stronger.

Moreover, she began feeling as though she was bad luck. Although Nathan had told her to not blame herself for his death, she couldn't help but feel guilty. "If I hadn't come to this Pack in the first place, he wouldn't have gotten killed trying to protect me." Her adoptive parents also died the same way, adding to her guilt.

Who would be next? Matthew? More tears poured down her face at the thought of him dying as well. She would rather be killed herself than have someone else die for her. It already happened twice, she could not let it happen again. No matter how much she liked Matthew, leaving him would be best.

She was so immersed in her thoughts, she did not notice Matthew walking in and sitting on the bed. He had heard her soft cries from all the way downstairs, creasing lines of worry on his forehead.

"Why is my doll crying like this?"

She froze when she heard his voice right behind her. He gently grabbed her small shoulders and turned her around so she was facing him, frowning at her tear-stained face.

"Y-you're back?" She sniffled, sitting up and hastily wiping away her tears.

"What happened?"

"Nothing, I'm fine."

He studied her face, discerning the clear signs of sorrow. "Don't lie to me. What happened?"

"Nothing really happened, I just... I want to go back home," She uttered, looking down to avoid his bleak stare.

"This is your home."

"... I meant my old Pack." Matthew could feel his wolf getting infuriated at the idea of his mate leaving him.

"Look at me," He demanded softly, yet sternly. Her sapphire blue eyes slowly met his deep brown ones. "Your brother told me to protect you, didn't he? How will I do that if you're not here?"

"I don't want you to protect me. Everyone who tries to protect me ends up dying. It's like I'm bad luck. I'm just a stupid human anyway, who cares if I die."

A low, threatening growl emitted from Matthew's throat. His eyes had now turned black, his hold on her considerably tighter.

"Do not ever say that again. And you're not leaving me. You're mine, understood?"

Madeline felt her body turn cold as his angry eyes gazed into hers. His fingers were now painfully digging into her shoulders, but she was far too scared to say anything. She had never seen him angry before; suddenly, it was apparent to her why everyone else seemed so afraid of him.

Her fear was so potent, it was almost tangible. He could hear her heart hammering loudly in her chest. Matthew never wanted his mate to face his wrath. Usually, the mere sight of her would be enough to calm him down, but how could he be calm when she was trying to leave him?

As he relaxed his tense muscles, his hands left her shoulders, dropping down to her waist.

"I didn't mean to scare you. But I can't let you leave. There's no need to worry about me dying, I've never even been close to losing a fight." He leaned closer, until their foreheads lightly brushed together. "And don't you ever think no one cares about your life. You mean the world to me, Madeline."

The young girl blinked in confusion, trying to process everything. "You're mine, understood?" "You mean the world to me, Madeline." His words resonated in her head. Why did he keep saying these things to her? It's almost like he was playing with her heart, whispering sweet nothings in her ear even though there was no way a werewolf could ever love a human.

"I don't mean the world to you. You only want me here because Nathan said to protect me."

Matthew slowly closed his eyes, contemplating if he should tell her the truth. As much as he wanted to be honest and let her know his true intentions, he couldn't just yet. He did not want to scare her off, knowing that she can not feel the mate-bond between them. He was ignorant to the fact that she had developed romantic feelings for him on her own.

"You do mean the world to me. I'm aware you don't know much about my life, but believe me, it was nothing but solitude and despair. I can't even remember the last time I smiled before I met you. But the moment you came into my life... Words can't explain how much my world changed. You were a ray of sunshine in the midst of darkness. Your brother's words did not change anything, I've always wanted to protect you, no matter what."

A wave of guilt washed over him for forcing her to stay. It was selfish of him, he knew that he would corrupt her innocent mind and deprave her pure heart, but he did not care. She belonged to him, and nothing could change that.

His eyes flew open when he felt Madeline's arms wrap around his neck, hugging him tightly. He instinctively encircled her waist, pulling her onto his lap while she rested her head on his shoulder. His wolf purred with delight at the feeling of holding his mate in his arms after so long.

"... I'm sorry for making you mad," She mumbled, after a moment of silence. He sighed at her guileless nature; he was keeping her against her will and she was apologizing to him?

"I should be the one apologizing for getting mad."

She lifted her head to look into his eyes again. "You should also apologize for leaving without even telling me. Do you know how sad I was?" His lips curved up into a smile; she did miss him. Madeline couldn't help but think of how handsome he looked while smiling.

"I'm very sorry about that, it was a spontaneous trip. I'll be sure to let you know next time." She returned the smile, slowly removing her arms from around his neck.

"I forgive you. Are you coming to sleep?"

He gently moved her off his lap, nodding. "I'll get changed and be right here." She watched as he walked into the bathroom, before falling back on the bed with a loud exhale.

Deep down, she was glad he wanted her to stay with him. He made her feel things no one else did; all of these emotions were so foreign to her. She longed to tell Matthew about her infatuating sentiment for him, but she knew he would never see her in the same light. "At least I get to have him as a friend," She mused, closing her eyes to let sleep prevail.