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"You're the cutest thing I've ever seen, you know that?" Madeline stared with adoration as she gently rocked the baby in her arms. "Oh, and I got you a new toy!" She reached into her bag and grabbed a pink rattle, shaking it around. The newborn giggled joyfully, her tiny fingers reaching for the object. "Do you like it? It even has your name on it, see?"

"You spoil my daughter more than I do," The Beta female laughed, watching the two from the doorway.

The young girl simply smiled in response. "It's not my fault she's so adorable."

"You know Maddie, I think you'd make a great mother someday."

She blinked, clearly taken aback by the Beta's words. "... Really?"

"Of course, kids love you."

Effervescent feelings bloomed inside of her at the thought of becoming a mother. She shook her head, reminding herself that she was not even eighteen yet. "Thank you, but I'm still to young for that."

"Mhmm, take your time. Anyway, are you excited for tonight?"

"What's happening tonight?"

The Beta tilted her head in bemusement. "You don't know? Alpha is finally coming back from his meeting with the council."

Madeline's jaw slowly dropped open. Matthew had been away for the past couple weeks; a grand meeting was called once the council found out the strongest Alpha in the land was a direwolf. They sought to improve relations between werewolves and direwolves, though it had taken much longer than expected.

Although she had tried to distract herself in his absence, Madeline missed her mate immensely.

"Thank you for looking after my daughter today. I'll take her away now, you probably want to prepare for his return."

She nodded, handing the baby to her mother. Once they left, the young girl squealed with anticipation, unable to suppress her excitement to see Matthew again.

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The council hall was a large, dome-shaped structure filled with rows of seats that form a circle around the inner perimeter. The ruler of the council, a five-hundred-year-old lycan, sat in the centre, while Matthew, along with numerous Alphas, were seated in front of him.

"We hereby declare peace between the werewolves and the direwolves. Direwolf hunting is now strictly prohibited in all Packs. We shall no longer see them as threats, but as our brothers, like the Moon Goddess intended us to be!"

The audience erupted in cheers and howls of joy at the statement.

Standing up from his seat, the ruler dismissed the council members. "This meeting is officially over. Alphas, you may now return home."

The hall slowly cleared out as the wolves began to leave. Matthew stood up from his seat with a sigh; he had been longing to go home for the past few weeks, craving to see his little mate and to hold her in his arms.

As he made his way to the exit, a disquieting sentiment grew in his heart. People were watching him. He disregarded their stares, but his ears could not ignore their whispers.

"Didn't he kill hundreds of werewolves? How did the council allow this monster to remain an Alpha?"

"I don't care what anyone says, direwolves will always be demons."

"I can't believe the council wants us to treat beasts like him as our equals."

He pressed his lips together in contempt as he walked through the exit. It was evident that a mere council statement would not erase the centuries of persecution direwolves went through, and the stigma which surrounded their species, though it was one step in the right direction.

Still, Matthew could not get those words out of his head. Monster. Demon. Beast.

They were right; no matter how much he tried to hide his past, it would always come back to haunt him. The hate he endured in his childhood pushed him to do terrible things. His reputation would forever remain as a cruel, merciless barbarian.

Quite a contrast from the angel who awaited him back home.

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Madeline hummed cheerily as she frosted her cake; baking had always been her love language. She was aware that her mate was not the biggest fan of cakes, so she settled to make it small and minimalist.

Stepping back from the counter, she admired her work. "It's so cute." She hoped Matthew would appreciate it, as well as the dinner she had prepared for him.

The sound of the garage door opening caught her attention. She had not heard that sound in weeks.

A bright smile spread on her face; he was back.

Not even bothering to take off her baking apron, she ran to the garage door entrance. Matthew had barely made it into the house before she leaped onto him, engulfing him in a hug. She wrapped her legs around his waist, his hands swiftly reaching down to grab under her thighs and hold her in place.

They stayed in this position for a few minutes, rejoicing in the feeling of being in each other's arms after so long. Neither of them spoke; the only sound they heard was their hearts faintly beating against each other.

"Welcome back," Madeline finally whispered, pulling her head away from his shoulder to look at him.

Matthew stared at her face, taking in all her lovely features. "God, you have no idea how much I missed you." His face dug into her neck, breathing in her sweet vanilla scent as he walked further into the house, still holding her in his arms.

"Are you hungry? I made dinner for us."

He nodded, smiling at how caring she was. "Thank you, princess."

The couple ate together, talking about how the past weeks have been. Matthew ended up enjoying his cake very much, because he knew how much love his mate had put into it.

The night fell quickly. By the time they had finished their meal, it was late. While his mate was taking a shower, Matthew laid on the bed wistfully.

Monster. Demon. Beast.

The words refused to leave his mind. Placing his head in his hands, he slowly rubbed his temples, trying to quell the bad thoughts.

Madeline walked into the bedroom, her head tilting curiously at his distressed state. "Are you okay, Matthew?"

His head lifted up to look at her. She wore a thin, white nightgown that reached her mid-thighs. He studied her small figure from head to toe, before his stare landed on her beautiful, visibly worried face. "How can she look so innocent, yet so tempting?"

"Come." He patted the mattress. Eagerly, Madeline climbed onto the bed; after all these weeks alone, she desperately craved the feeling of laying next to her mate. His strong arms pulled her on top of him, while he reached to the side to off the lights.

Despite his obvious joy from being reunited with his mate, Madeline could sense that something was off. She frowned, readjusting herself so they were facing each other.

"Is something bothering you?"

His hand reached up to cup her small face, brushing his thumb over her cheek. "I'm just... thinking."

"Thinking about what?"

"About how I don't deserve to be with an angel like you."

She blinked, her eyebrows creasing in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm not a good person, Madeline. I've done terrible things in my life. Things that you would hate me for."

"No, I would never hate you. I don't care about your past, you're a good person now, and that's all that matters."

The corners of his lips curved up in a smirk. "See? Such an angel, you'll forgive anything. You're too kind, too pure for me."

She shook her head. "Stop saying that. I love you, and I want to be with you forever."

"So do I, doll."

"Exactly. So don't ever think about that again."

He chuckled. "As you wish, my princess." Deep down, he knew she was right. Though they seemed to be complete opposites, they were perfect together. She brought him the light and joy he had constantly been missing in his life, and he vowed to keep her safe and take care of all her needs. They were made for each other.

His gaze flickered down to lips. "How long had it been since I had last kissed her? Way too long."

Matthew sat up against the headboard, his mate straddling his lap. Their lips connected in an intense, fervent kiss, her hands gripping his hair while his found their way around her waist, pulling her even closer.

Ever since Madeline had been turned into a wolf, their kisses had felt so much more... passionate. The sensation overwhelmed her, leaving her wanting more.

But she did not even know what more meant.

A small whimper of frustration escaped her as she subconsciously grinded her hips against his. He groaned, pulling away from the kiss.

"Don't do that, my love." His voice was distinctly deeper, clouded with lust.

She pouted, staring into his darkened eyes. "I want more."

"More kisses?"

"No." She swallowed thickly, trying to find the right words. "... Is there something we can do, more than kissing?"

He arched a brow, another smirk creeping onto his face. "There's a lot of things we can do, but I'm not sure if you're ready for that."

She shivered as his nose trailed down her neck, before he planted a kiss right where he had marked her. "I'm ready."

Matthew could smell her desire, though he knew she probably had no idea what she was feeling. His hands moved down to her thighs, slowly slipping under her nightgown. "If you want me to stop, just tell me, alright?"

"Please don't stop." She leaned closer, brushing her lips against his. "I want this."

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