Chapter Three

Maddox's POV

Shadow, my wolf, spotted her first. A tiny, scrawny girl with no curves or femine features, racing towards the Cedar Wood pack house. Her stringy, pale brown hair in a messy pile on top of her head. It was only because of her hair you could tell she was female. She wore mens clothes, at least three sizes too big for her skeletal frame and she had no figure to speak of. She may as well be a teenage boy with a body like that.

"Mine," Shadow growled, racing in circles inside my head. His panting grew louder the closer we got to her. "Mine, my mate," he snarled. 

"Uh uh, buddy," I told him shaking my head. "Not her. No way. You're wrong."

She struggled to open the heavy security door as she reached it. Too shy to even look us in the face she stepped aside, pushing the door open with her back. Shadow inhaled, savouring her scent. She smelled of crisp fresh linen on a warm summers night. She smelled like home. 

"Mine."

Shadow might be drawn to her but I wasn't, at least not as strongly as he was. I had to admit there was something alluring about her, something drawing me towards her. A wolf will know his true mate when their eyes meet but this teeny thing wouldn't even lift her head.  And when I tried holding the door for her her beat so hard I could hear it thumping against her rib cage.

Her behaviour declined once she got inside. Tasked with serving drinks, I guessed from her outfit because she was broke and needed the extra cash, she kinda danced around the room in an akward Tango, twisting and turning like a spinning top, side scuttling like a confused crab.All the while her eyes locked on the floor.

"Strange one, ain't she?" Blake, my Gamma, said following my gaze to her tiny frame weaving between guests.

"Shadow wants her," I sighed.

"Really? Her?"

"My thoughts exactly, dude," I sighed. Shadow growled. I shook my head, scanning the room. My head tilted, my eyes narrowed. The entire Cedar Wood pack acted oddly. The Omegas were lined against the wall, laughing and joking with each other while never looking at each other. Their eyes, like Shadow's fixation, remained on the floor. The warriors, Gamma and Beta all carried out the same bizzare dance as my alleged future mate. All of them spent most of their time with their eyes fixed to the floor.

"Is it just me or is Cedar Wood kinda odd?" I asked Blake. 

"It's not just you," he laughed, "but really, with Patrick Gibson as their Alpha do you blame them? The dude is unhinged."

I scanned the room. Shadow's mate was still dancing around, spinning and ducking. Her head was still down. It didn't take me long to spot Patrick Gibson. He, his Luna and his son were the only members of the Cedar Wood pack not partaking in the ridiculous dance. Instead, he stood loud and proud in the centre of the room guffawing like a demented hyena. 

I cast my eyes down his silver-white silk suit and blood-red shirt. Against a backdrop of understated, quality suits and classic cocktail dresses he stood out like a sore thumb. Garret, the Alpha of Black River pack, the second largest pack in the region shook his head as he walked past. Sara, his Luna pursed her lips, scooting away as Patrick attempted to engage her in an ear shatteringly loud conversation about wolf hierarchy. He didn't appear to notice the massive empty space surrounding his obnoxious family. 

"An Alpha needs to command the respect of his pack," Garret said as he strolled over to me. "As Regent it's your job to lead."

"I'll have a word with him," I sighed pinching the bridge of my nose, "just not tonight. It's his pup's coming of age. If he wants to impersonate Fat Elvis, let him."

"Mate, mate, mate," Shadow whined, begging me to turn my attention back to his shy, broken bird. When not distracted Shadow would be rearing to pin Patrick to the ground and teach him respect. Shadow was the leader, not me. I was a warrior, a soldier and then my father went missing, victim to the rogue Alpha, and I inherited my place as Alpha Regal way before I was ready, putting an end to my military career. I manage my pack, I earned my respect as a young pup but other packs? Dealing with other packs never failed to give me migraine. 

Shadow flipped. Screeching and whining, clawing inside my head and a strange calm warmth washed over my body.

"Her? You're sure?" Lena, Blake's mate, my Gamma female asked turning gaze from Blake to myself.

"That's what Shadow seems to think," I said. Despite his screeching the odd warmth enveloping me brought a sense of calm, allowing me to think over the top of his desperate pleas. "I admit, I was surprised too. I mean, look at her? I'm sure she's sweet and all but she's timid as a mouse. She's not Luna material. The poor thing would probably keel over in fear if I spoke to her."

"Drink, Master," a tiny voice behind me squeaked. Blake's mouth twisted into a shit-eating grin, Lena dropped her head, her shoulders shaking under a burst of suppressed laughter.

"Quiet as a mouse too," Blake laughed, "Didn't even hear her coming, did ya?"

"Fuck you, Blake," I said, pursing my lips to bite back a smile. Shadow calmed, his panting faded and I swear I heard him licking his lips.

"And she called you Master, kinky!" Lena teased between giggles. Her face was puce now from holding back her giggles.

"Enough," I warned with a low growl. "You're upsetting her." The tiny woman visibly shrank in front of us, hunching her shoulders, dipping her chin close to her chest. Her arms shook under the weight of the drinks tray and the jug of wine she held in the other hand had to weigh almost as much as she did.

"I'm sorry," Lena said softly, dipping down to peer at the girl's face. Waves of sadness and fear washed off her. Shadow was begging me to grab her in my arms and hold her until she stopped quivering in fear and if he could sense her fear Lena's wolf could too. "I mean no offence."

The more we spoke the tighter she curled her shoulders.

"Get Lena away. She's terrifying our mate," Shadow warned. Much like dogs wolves were way better at reading body language than humans but I didn't need Shadow to tell me the poor creature in front of me was a nervous wreck.

"Maddox Mason," I said quietly offering my hand. If she touched me and Shadow was right, the spark would be instant, overwhelming and then I'd claim as my own and Patrick could kiss my muddy biker boots if he thought the future Luna Regal would spend the night serving drinks like a slave girl.

She inched back, holding the drinks tray our further. Her biceps stood out against her bony arms. My stomach growled just looking at how thin she was. I've met fatter famine victims. 

"Kill him," Shadow snarled. "Kill her Alpha."

I was tempted to let Shadow out to do just that.

"Uh uh, buddy," I told him. "Killing another Alpha without all the facts, without a trial would be a death sentence and then where would our mate be?" 

"And your name?" I asked her. Her head shook so hard I was kinda worried she was gonna snap her neck. Her pale brown hair whipped across her face. I caught a flash of her face. Pale, teary but not hard to look at. Fatten her up a bit, teach her to stand with her shoulders back and head high like a Luna should and she'd make a decent mate.

"Pay her no mind," Patrick snivelled, grabbing a drink from the tray and thrusting it into my hand. "She's not all there if you get me?"

I clenched my fists, driving my thumbs nails into my palms. It took everything I had to keep Shadow contained. Lena raised an arched brow at my drink and looked down at her own empty hand shaking her head. My mate vanished into a sea of half-drunk wolves.