➳
He stood there while Madeline sobbed bitterly into his chest. Matthew had seen too many deaths, it almost never affected him anymore. But this time, it was agonizing. He could not imagine how much pain his mate was going through. Madeline had to be ripped away from her brother's body; she was refusing to let go, insisting that he wasn't dead yet. He had never seen someone cry this much in his life. It physically pained him; his heart wrenched with every sob.
Matthew was not used to this; he had no idea how to console her. "If only I had arrived earlier, I could've saved him..." The Alpha never blamed himself for the death of his warriors, since they willingly put their life on the line, but he couldn't help but feel responsible for Nathan's.
"P-protect her, please..." His last words replayed in his head. He looked down at the young girl crying in his arms, then around the house. The smell of death filled the air, and there was pool of blood in the living room, where Nathan had died. This house was too close to the border; an easy target for any invaders. "She's not safe here."
He reached down to easily pick her up, turning towards the door. She offered no resistance, letting him carry her outside. Looking around, he was relieved to see that his Pack was handling the attack pretty well. He could hardly smell any rogues nearby; it won't be long until the war would be over.
"W-where are we going?" Madeline sniffled, finally lifting her head from his chest. He got to a house and unlocked the door, walking in with his mate still in his arms.
"Your house is not safe for you. From now on, you'll be living with me. I'll have someone bring all your belongings later. Stay here, I'll be back in a moment," He said, placing her down on a couch. Her hands reached up to grab his arm.
"Don't leave me, please." She looked up at him with teary eyes. He frowned, prying her small fingers away from his body.
"I promise you'll be fine here. I'm trying to end this war as soon as possible, I have to make sure the others are safe as well." Before Madeline could say anything, he was out the door, making sure to lock it behind him.
-----
"It's over. Good fight, Mystic Moon warriors!"
The Pack sighed in relief, finally able to relax after hours of battle. Loud cheers echoed throughout the crowd. They had won.
"Let us not forget that with this great victory came great sacrifices. 12 warriors lost their lives today." The cheers were replaced by gasps and mournful cries. "Tomorrow, a grand funeral will take place to honor them."
Matthew watched from afar while his Beta gave the speech. He was not at all happy with how much his Pack struggled to fight a simple rogue invasion. He expected much better from them; they were said to be one of the strongest Packs, but he decided to not rain on their parade just yet. They were tired and worn out, his warriors deserved a few days of peace and rest.
The Alpha headed back home, hoping that his mate had stopped crying. Of course, she had not. His sensitive ears could hear weeping from outside the house. She was curled up on the couch, just where he had left her. Walking into the kitchen, he filled up a glass of water, before setting it down in front of her. He sat down, thinking of what to say.
"You have not eaten all day. Should I get you something?"
She shook her head. "I'm not hungry."
"Your brother wouldn't want you starving yourself, don't you think?"
Madeline paused for a bit, thinking about his words. "I'll eat tomorrow. I'm too tired tonight." He did not like the thought of letting his mate go to bed hungry, but chose to not argue with her.
He brought her to his bedroom, where she took a shower and changed out of her bloodied clothes. Matthew could hear her faint sniffling as she washed her brother's blood off herself. After her shower, she washed her face, trying to freshen up her unsightly appearance. Madeline finally came out, wearing her nightgown that was brought back from her house.
"Where will I sleep?"
"Well, there is only one bed in this house," Matthew responded, walking closer to her. She looked over at the huge, king-sized bed in the room.
"I'll sleep on the couch then." She turned towards the door, but was immediately blocked by Matthew stepping in front of her.
"What are you talking about? You're sleeping here."
"Then where will you sleep?"
"We're sleeping in this bed together." Her eyes widened at his contention, but before she could object, she felt him pick her up. He dropped her onto the soft mattress, before getting on the bed from the other side, and turning off the lights. The satin duvet felt like a vast endless ocean beneath Madeline's skin, and the cool, soft pillows gave a refreshing sensation. She was glad that he made her sleep in this bed; she had never felt such a level of comfort.
"Can you leave the lights on?" Madeline requested, pulling the duvet up to her chin.
"Why?"
"I'm scared of the dark."
...
He looked over at her, baffled. Scared of the dark? He almost felt like laughing.
"No."
Madeline frowned. "Please?"
"Learn to face your fears." She huffed at his response.
"You're so mean," She muttered, turning away from him. He stayed quiet. Not long after, she began feeling bad. "I didn't mean that, I'm sorry. You're not mean. I know it's silly to be afraid of the dark, but I can't help it."
She felt his arm reach over to grab her waist, pulling her back till she felt the heat of his body against hers.
"There is nothing to be afraid of. I'll be here to protect you all night," He mumbled, his warm breath tickling her ear.
A slight blush crept onto her face when she realized how close they were. She knew it was considered improper to sleep next to a man like this, but she felt so warm and safe in his arms, she did not want to move away. She suddenly did not mind sleeping in the dark anymore, and sleep began overtaking her.
"Goodnight, Matthew."
"... Goodnight."
-----
The next day, the funeral took place. Madeline waited until everybody left to approach Nathan's grave. She felt tears pricking her eyes again as she read his name, engraved in the headstone. She slowly kneeled down beside it as a tear ran down her cheek.
"I won't cry again. I know you don't like it when I cry," She murmured, wiping her eyes. "I brought you flowers. They're red, your favorite color." Gently, she placed them down in front of the gravestone.
The young girl talked to the grave for a few hours. Some people walked by, giving her weird stares, but she ignored them. Her brother was her best friend, and not even death would change that.
"The sun is starting to set, I think it's time to leave." Matthew's voice made her flinch in surprise. She looked over at the horizon, watching the sun descend behind it.
"Wow, I must've been talking for hours. I hope I didn't annoy you too much, Nathan," Madeline said, looking back at his gravestone. Matthew found it strange to talk to a grave, but he was glad she wasn't crying anymore. He grabbed her hand to help her stand, catching her when she stumbled.
"You've been sitting for too long," He remarked, placing his hands on her hips to steady her.
She looked up at him with pleading eyes. "Can you carry me again?"
He glanced around. Unlike yesterday, there were many Pack members roaming around the area. They all knew their Alpha was not the type to flirt around with girls for fun. They would easily find out that there is something going on between him and this human girl.
But when he looked back into her adorable, doe-like eyes, he simply couldn't refuse.
"Who cares if they find out? I can't keep it a secret forever," He thought, reaching down to pick his mate up in his arms.
➳Matthew woke up, feeling a light weight top of him. Raising his head, he looked down to see his little materesting her head on his chest, still asleep. He mentally smiled as his handbrushed her chestnut-brown hair away from her face, revealing her pretty features. No matter how many times he hadseen her, herbeauty always took his breath away.His smile diminished when he saw traces of dried tears on her face. She almost never cried in front of him anymore, but he would sometimes hear her sniffling during the night or whenever she was alone. It was clear that she missed her brother deeply. As much as he wanted to help her, he knew only time would heal her wounds.He gentlyplaced her head on the pillow so he could get up. As usual, he had a busy day of work ahead of him today, starting with a meeting with his Beta...."Good morning, Alpha." The Beta bowed his head slightly, before entering his offi
➳As the weeks went by, Matthew became increasingly impatient. His lovefor his mate grew strongerevery day;he beganto find it hard to control his ardent desires. Each timeshetalked to him, he wanted to taste her lips, and whenever they wouldlayin bed together, he felt like running his hands all over her body.Madeline, on the other hand, was still painfully oblivious tohis feelings. She constantly mistook his displays of affection for friendship. A strange sensation would growin her heart every time he'd hold her close, compliment her, or give her gifts, but she could notunderstand what it was.A smile formed on her lips as she remembered theconversation they had this morning...."Do you like this dress?" She asked, twirling around in his office. Matthew was busy doingpaperwork at his desk."I told you you're not allowed to come in
➳Over the next week, Matthew had been very busy with the merging of the two Packs. At first, the majority ofthe other Pack wasagainst this, but theyslowly realized this new integration would mean morestrengthand 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 heldany deeper feelingstowards 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 fo
➳"Do I seriously have to fight a female?" The Beta asked derisively, holding up a punching bag whileMatthew repeatedly hit it. The twostood at the fighting grounds, waiting for the Beta female. Since she was taking rather long to show up, they took this time to do some physical training."She won't leave me alone until I letyou fight her. I doubt she's strong enough to hurt you, just hold her down or something," Matthew replied, his attention focused on the punching bag.A feminine voice echoed through the room. "I am strong enough to hurt him. Don't go easy on me."The two males turned their heads towards the entrance to look at her."Finally, you're here. I don't have much time, so start whenever you're ready," Matthew spoke in an uninterested tone. He glancedback athis Beta, only to see him gawking at the woman with wide eyes and a gaping mouth."Mate."The Alpha sta
➳Matthew glanced at his watch impatiently."Is sheready yet?"A ball wastakingplace this day to celebrate the integration of the two Packs and bring them closer. He was not fond of such large parties, but being the Alpha, he was obliged to attend."Sorry for making you wait, Alpha." The stylist hurriedly pushed Madeline out the bedroom, giving some final touches to her hair.His jaw almost dropped when caught a glimpse of her. She wore a stunning, strapless blue gown, her hair styledin an elegant up-do. She warmlythanked the stylist, before steppingdown the stairs, being careful to not trip over the gown. Matthew kept his eyes on her the entire time, not blinking as she approached him.She lookeddown at her gown, smoothing it with her hands."Do you like it? I've never worn a dress this pretty before."Taking a step closer, he softly tipped up her chin, locking their ga
➳Madeline froze in place, her eyes wide, as Matthew gently moved his lips against hers. Her headache disappeared right away,replaced by euphoric sensations all across her mind. Her entire body tingled with the intensity ofthe feeling.She wasn't kissing back at all; her senses had gone numb, she couldn't even breathe.He could hear her heart thundering in her chest, andrealized she had stopped breathing. Although he didn't want to, he finally pulled away from the kiss, letting her get some air.A myriad of emotions soared through her head;joy, love, shock, fear, confusion, and... Resentment."Stop messing with me like this!" She tried to push him away, but her strength could noteven budge him. His brows furrowed in bemusementwhenhe saw tears welling up in her eyes."Why are you upset? I thought you liked me.""You keep being so romantic, it's only making my fe
➳"Just kill usalready, you monster."Matthew's lips curved into a smirk, whilehe slowly paced around his victims. "But that wouldn't be any fun for me, would it?""You're horrible. This is why direwolves must be eradicated and-" He was interrupted by a loud crack. A howl of pain echoed through the room as Matthew pulled back the whip.The Alpha felt a rush of pleasure at theircries. He knew it was sadistic, but torturing his captivesfilled him with unbearable satisfaction. All of his confined emotions were taken out on them;it was a thrilling experience for him."I'm horrible? Yet you are the ones who had my entire family killed." Rage flowed through his body like lava as he remembered what happened to his kin."Direwolves are demons. They all deserved to die, and you'll be next-"Crack."I suffer every single day because of you," Crack."Thi
➳"Why are you here?"He could feel her trembling as he staredinto her ocean eyes. Thosesame eyes that previously looked at him with love were now filled with nothing but fear. He glanced down atthe cat in her arms, then back at her face.His jaw clenched in anger. She haddisobeyed him three times thisnight; going outside without his permission, bringing that damncat in his house, and comingdown to the basement.Madeline hesitantly opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She was far too terrified. Was this really who Matthew was? He hid he fact that he was a direwolf, he hidthe fact that he was a cruel torturer who kept men chained up in his basement, what other secrets is he keeping from her?"Answer me." His gaze was menacing. She began scolding herself for coming down here. "Youshould've just stayed in bed, you idiot. Everything would've been fine."