CHAPTER SEVEN – Center of my world

　　Dimitri’s POV

　　A knock on my office door made me look up from the papers in front of me.

　　The scent told me it was my mother. When did she come back?

　　“Come in,” I said, looking back down at the papers.

　　The door opened and my mother walked inside.

　　“When did you come back?” I asked her, not looking up.

　　“An hour ago,” she said as she sat down on the chair in front of my desk. “I couldn't wait to get out of there.”

　　I looked up at her.

　　“Why?” I asked, furrowing my eyebrows. “Did something happen?”

　　Mike and my mother were nervous before they left. Everyone in Mike’s pack knew that he left his fated mate and they didn’t really like him that much. They were afraid of some harsh reactions.

　　“No,” my mother shrugged. “I just didn’t like it there.”

　　I sighed and looked back down.

　　“Is Madeline here?” I asked as I signed another document.

　　“Unfortunately,” my mother mumbled, making me look back up at her.

　　She had an angry expression on her face.

　　“She is an ungrateful brat,” my mother said. “She refused to come with us.”

　　I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at my mother. She really lacked compassion sometimes.

　　“Her mother just died,” I said, leaning back in my chair. “She is sad and scared. Have some understanding for the girl.”

　　“Oh, she’s not scared,” my mother said, shaking her head. “She was rude and disrespectful toward Mike. She agreed to come here only on her terms.”

　　I raised an eyebrow at my mother.

　　“She said that she will find a job and take care of herself,” my mother scoffed. “She said that she will leave the moment she turns 18.”

　　I furrowed my eyebrows.

　　“Isn’t that a good thing?” I asked. “You didn’t even want her to come here.”

　　“Of course it’s a good thing,” my mother sighed, rolling her eyes. “But the way she said it was rude and disrespectful. I can already see that this is going to be the longest nine months of my life.”

　　I sighed and shook my head.

　　“Suck it up, mom,” I said. “It’s Mike’s daughter. You love him, don’t you?”

　　She nodded.

　　“Do it for him then,” I said as I looked back down at the papers on my desk. “By the sound of it, the girl is pretty independent. You probably won’t even see her much.”

　　“I hope so,” my mother mumbled.

　　I resisted the urge to sigh again. My mother was a good person, but she sometimes lacked understanding toward others.

　　“I came here to ask you to come to meet her,” my mother said. “Maybe her attitude will improve when she sees a Lycan Alpha.”

　　“You want me to scare the girl?” I asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

　　I was a Lycan Alpha and I was naturally bigger and stronger than other wolves and other Alphas. I was 6’4 and my muscles were huge. I didn’t even try to be intimidating.

　　“I want you to show her that we are Lycan,” my mother said. “I want you to show her that she is now in the Lycan kingdom and that she can’t be disrespectful toward us.”

　　I sighed and rolled my eyes.

　　“I want her to feel welcome here,” I said. “She is family.”

　　My mother narrowed her eyes a little.

　　“She will be out of here in nine months,” she said. “She isn’t my family.”

　　I ran my fingers through my hair and stood up.

　　“Where are you going?” my mother asked, looking up at me.

　　“I am going to go meet the girl,” I said. “I want her to know that she is welcome here for as long as she would like to stay.”

　　My mother mumbled something under her breath. I ignored her and walked out of my office.

　　My mother followed me. I could tell that she wasn’t happy, but I couldn't care less. I wasn’t going to intimidate a 17-year-old girl just because my mother wanted me to. If the girl was disrespectful, I would talk to her. If she broke the pack rules, I would talk to her and punish her accordingly. But I wouldn’t be rude just because my mother told me so.

　　Thankfully, the packhouse wasn’t far from my mother’s home and I was walking through the door shortly after I left my office.

　　As soon as I opened the front door, I was welcomed by an amazing smell. Something smelt wonderful. It made my heart skip a beat and it made my whole body relax. The smell was a combination of ocean and coconut. It smelt like summer.

　　What the hell was that?

　　I could hear Mike’s voice coming from the kitchen.

　　I took a deep breath, filling my lungs with that amazing scent. I just couldn't get enough of it.

　　“You don’t have to work, Maddie,” I heard Mike sigh. “I can take care of you. I want to take care of you.”

　　“It’s Madeline, not Maddie,” an angelic voice said. “And I already told you that I can take care of myself, Mike. Thank you for taking me in, but that is all I will accept from you and your wife.”

　　The voice made me shiver. It made Skol stir. It made him tense up.

　　‘Who is that?’ he asked.

　　I didn’t respond. I knew who it was, but why did her voice affect me so much?

　　I finally opened the kitchen door and walked inside.

　　It hit me like a fucking train.

　　The scent and the voice belonged to the perfect little thing sitting on a bar stool at the kitchen island. It belonged to my mate.

　　She was my mate.

　　‘Mine!’ Skol exclaimed, trying to break free.

　　She turned around and I had to use every last bit of strength not to take her into my arms.

　　She was so fucking beautiful.

　　My heart was pounding in my chest. I could hear it in my ears. I could hear my blood pumping through my veins. My mouth was dry and I couldn't even swallow. My palms were sweaty. My muscles hurt from holding back.

　　Her green eyes bore into my own, and I almost melted into a puddle of useless goo.

　　She was mine? She was really mine? The Goddess sent me a gift? She was my gift?

　　“Maddie, this is Alpha Dimitri,” I heard Mike’s voice. “He is Janet’s son.”

　　“Hello, Alpha,” she said, bowing her head a little.

　　She wasn’t the one who was supposed to bow down to me.

　　I was supposed to bow down to her. She just became my queen.

　　She just became the center of my world.