Chapter 6

NADINE.

“I was wondering if I could be inducted into your pack.” I asked, my eyes meeting Alpha Maddox’s gaze. 

His brows hiked up, and it felt like forever as I waited for his reply. I held my breath, but the moment a wicked smile tugged on his mouth, I felt I stood a chance that he would take me into his pack. “Does Xander know about this?”

I shook my head. “I decided for myself, Alpha. I don’t think Xander will claim me anyway. But I have nowhere to go, and I don’t have money to look for a new place. But if you give me a room here, I can work in the packhouse or anywhere I might be needed.”

“Sounds interesting. Maybe you can work for me, and I can keep you under my wing.”

“For you? What work will that be?” I asked, my eyes rounding. 

Let the games begin. 

“Will it matter? I’m sure I can find a good place for you.” He leaned forward and rested his arms on the table. “How old are you?”

“Twenty-one, Alpha.”

“Interesting. You look younger.”

I swallowed before I smiled at him. “Will you let me join your pack?”

“Yes.” He said slowly before he stood up from his chair and opened his drawer. I saw him pick up a dagger, and it made me swallow harder. I knew the dagger was needed to draw blood, but I reminded myself to be wary and observant. 

He rounded his table and leaned back on it as he stood in front of me. “Start with your pledge.”

“Yes, Alpha.” I smiled at him while trying my best to control my wolf. She didn’t like Maddox. I didn’t either, but this needed to be done. “I, Nadine Benjamin, swear my allegiance to you, Alpha Maddox Trevino, as my Alpha, and Dark Forest Pack as my pack.”

When I was sixteen, I dropped the last name Montrell for the exact same reason I was here. They didn’t need to know I was a Montrell and that I was here to reclaim the pack they took away from us. 

I lost focus on my first few hours here because of Xander, but I was back on track, and I would not let him distract me again. 

I watched as Alpha Maddox cut his forearm with his dagger before our eyes met. “I want you to drink from me.”

My eyes widened, and if I were not able to get hold of myself, disgust would have shown on my face. “I don’t think that’s the right process, Alpha.”

“Who are you to tell me what’s the right thing to do?” He snapped at me. “Do as you are told.”

I shook my head and roamed my eyes around the room. I made my way to an empty glass, picked it up, and then handed it to the Alpha. “I can drink from the glass. I have never drunk from anyone. I’m sorry.”

“Are you trying to defy me? I can prevent you from becoming a member of this pack. And I won’t even care about that.” A smug smirk tugged on his mouth as he extended his arm. “You’re wasting my blood, Miss Benjamin.”

I was still thinking of what to do next when the door opened, and Xander came in. “What’s going on here?” He asked, and from the tone of his voice, I was sure he didn’t like what he was seeing: Maddox’s cut forearm was in front of my face.

“You always arrived at the fucking wrong time,” Maddox growled. His words sounded like he was joking, but his expression was not. 

My head was tilted, and my gaze was locked with Xander. Anger boiled in my body, and I didn’t have time to ponder my next move. I turned my head back to face Maddox and grabbed his arm, but before I could lean my head down to his wrist, Xander grabbed my elbow and pulled me toward him. 

My body swiveled at the unexpected pull and collided with his chest while loud growls rang in the air.

My hand landed on his hard torso as sparks exploded everywhere in my body. I slowly raised my head up and looked at my mate, and I was taken aback by his expression. His eyes were dilating, and his face turned more animalistic as he kept staring at his brother while rumbles reverberated from his chest.

“Do not make me remind you who the Alpha is!” Maddox snapped at him. 

“Play your games with someone else, but spare my mate from them.”

“Your mate? From what I heard from her sinful lips, you have no plans to claim her.”

“Can you stop fucking sensualizing Nadine?” He growled. 

My hands on his chest clutched his shirt tightly. I had prepared to fight my own battles, but Xander’s possessiveness and protectiveness of me made my knees weak. 

‘Isn’t this what you want?’ Star mocked me, annoyed at my actions, when I almost drank Maddox’s blood. Of course, she would never understand my end goal. She was more focused on our mate.

“I can claim and mark her in front of you, Maddox, if I want to, but I would rather do it privately. Do the procedure correctly, or Nadine will have to go.”

“Then she can fuck off,” Maddox answered as he laughed wickedly.

“Of course, she will!” Xander spat at him, his arm around me tightened as he spun our bodies around and guided me to walk away.

My eyes widened. I wanted him to be this possessive, but I didn’t want to leave this pack. But even before I could raise my protest, Alpha Maddox began speaking. 

“I, Alpha Maddox Trevino, accept you, Lady Nadine Benjamin, as a member of the Dark Forest Forest Pack.” He began.

Xander and I stopped walking and slowly turned around. He said more words about allegiance and expectations of loyalty in exchange for protection, making me want to cringe, knowing he was not capable of the last part, but I held my silence as I watched him cut his wrist again. 

He then raised his arm, his gaze directed at me. “Your choice, Nadine. Finish the process...”

I kept staring at him, and I could feel Xander’s body stiffening. If I wanted to punish my mate, I could easily do so and drink directly from Maddox’s wrist. But drinking Maddox’s blood was already repulsive, and doing it in close contact would be worse.

Without taking my eyes off the Alpha, I slowly raised my hand, which was still holding the glass of whiskey. Xander saw it and, without warning, took it from my hand and closed the distance between him and his brother. 

Maddox’s eyes dilated as he threw me a furious look as if I had betrayed him, but he didn’t say anything as Xander held his arm and caught his dripping blood in the glass. Xander returned to me and handed me the glass with his blood.

“You don’t need to drink it all.” He said in a cold tone, and I wanted to roll my eyes at him, but I didn’t. At least he helped me today. 

I sipped the blood in the glass and did my best not to puke, and it didn’t take long before a pack link connected within me, making my body jolt a bit. 

‘Can you hear me?’ Xander’s voice rang in my head.