Chapter 3

➳ 

"Maddie? Wake up, we're here," Nathan whispered, trying to shake her awake. He grabbed their belongings in the trunk, before going back to wake her up again. "Jeez, you're such a deep sleeper," He mumbled, looking at her peaceful sleeping face.

"I'll carry her inside." Alpha Blade stepped out of the driver's seat and walked over to her, effortlessly picking her up bridal style. For a second, he froze as he felt the sparks flowing from touching his mate for the first time, but managed to conceal his shock.

Nathan was startled by his action, but kept quiet. They closed the car door and walked into his new house.

Similarly to his old Pack, members of the Mystic Moon Pack preferred to live in separate houses scattered all across the territory, instead of in one big house like most werewolf packs do. Alpha Blade really appreciated this; he had always been very closed off and secretive. Sharing a house with an entire Pack would've been a nightmare for him.

While Nathan unpacked their stuff, the Alpha walked upstairs to place Madeline in her new bed. Once she was tucked in, he brushed her hair away from her face to admire her. For the past week, he couldn't get his mind off this girl. Her angelic beauty, her sweet vanilla scent, her bubbly personality... He never thought he'd be the type to obsess over a girl, but everything about her completely captivated him.

"Uh, Alpha?" Nathan stood in the doorway, eyeing him suspiciously. He didn't trust any man to be alone in a bedroom with his sister, especially not with the way he was staring at her.

The Alpha quickly tried to defend himself. "Excuse me for acting strange. I've rarely ever seen any humans in my life, I'm just very interested with how you manage to live with one."

"Humans aren't that different from us. Just think of her as a werewolf who hasn't shifted yet."

"... Right. Anyway, I'll send a maid over to cook for you tonight. You may take this day to rest, but your training starts tomorrow. Be at the training grounds by 8 AM."

Nathan followed him as he walked to the door to leave the house. "Yes, Alpha. Goodbye."

-----

Throughout the next couple days, Nathan had been very busy, leaving early in the morning and getting back home very late. Madeline would try wait for him every day, but often ended up falling asleep on the couch, and he would have to carry her to bed when he returned.

She kept herself company by talking to the maid who cooked for them every evening and did other basic chores. Her name was Edith, and although she was more or less terrified to see a human in the Pack at first, she quickly learned to love her cheerful character and kindness.

Today, Madeline wanted to surprise her brother with some cupcakes. She was very excited to be able to bake again; she waited days to get all the essential supplies. After filling her piping bag with frosting, she began to carefully frost the cupcakes. The sound of door opening brought a smile to her face; she really hoped Nathan would like her little treats.

She turned to the entrance, her smile slightly faltering when she saw Alpha Blade standing there instead of her brother. His eyes quickly ran across her body; she was wearing a light blue apron decorated with little daisies. He usually never had thoughts like these, but she looked adorable in this outfit.

"Hello," She said unsurely. The way she so casually spoke to him amazed him. Even his closest friends would bow and regularly address him as 'Alpha' while talking to him. He certainly wasn't used to someone treating him like this, but found her friendliness quite comforting. "Nathan isn't back yet, if that's who you're looking for." Madeline turned back around to continue frosting her cupcakes.

"He isn't? I sent him home a while ago. Well, he should be here soon, I'll wait," He responded, walking into the kitchen. The Alpha stared with interest while she created perfect little swirls on each cupcake.

"Do you want one?" She asked, looking back at him.

He shook his head. "I'm fine, thank you. Though you seem very skilled in baking." She smiled at his compliment, and he felt his knees go weak for a second.

"It's not that hard, you want to come try it?" Ambivalently, he moved closer to the young girl. 

Positioning himself behind her, he placed his hands on hers, squeezing the piping bag. She guided their hands to create a swirl. He could feel his heart beating faster; he almost never got nervous, but this was the closest he's ever been to her. Her back was pressed against his chest as they both leaned over the counter to get better control over the frosting.

"Ta-da!" She exclaimed as they finished. It came out sloppier than the rest, but still looked nice. There was only one cupcake left to frost. "Now let's do that last one." 

The two were so focused on the cupcakes, they did not notice Nathan walking through the entrance.

"Hey Maddie, I got you some-" He stopped mid-sentence when he saw his little sister bent over on the kitchen counter, with the Alpha on top of her. Madeline smiled at him and quickly slipped under the Alpha's arm, running to her brother.

"Hi! Oh, you got me some strawberries? Thank you!" She grabbed the pack of berries from his hands.

"I was waiting for you," The Alpha stated, stepping out of the kitchen.

"It looked like you were doing something else..." Nathan muttered under his breath. He had a feeling his new Alpha was fond of Madeline, and this incident further confirmed his assumptions.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing. I apologize for being late, I would've came earlier if I knew you were here."

"Not to worry. Let's go to my office, I have important things to discuss with you." 

Nathan followed him closely as they walked to the Alpha's house. It was a lot bigger than most houses in the Pack, understandably, since he held the highest rank. 

"There have been rogue sightings in the North-East border of our territory. My strongest warriors will be sent there, so starting tomorrow, you will be patrolling that area, understood?" 

"Yes, Alpha."

"It's likely that they might try to attack you. Be prepared at all times." Nathan nodded understandingly, but his mind was somewhere else. He was itching to ask him about what he witnessed in the kitchen a few moments ago.

He decided he could not wait any longer. "Alpha, may I ask you something?"

"Go ahead." He was staring at his papers, not paying much attention to Nathan.

"Are you into my sister?"

The silence in the room was deafening. The Alpha kept staring at his papers for a while, before finally setting them down, his eyes boring straight into Nathan's soul.

"... What makes you think that?"

"Well, you kept insisting she moved to your pack, you carried her to bed when she came here, you're always staring at her when she's around, and today, I come home to see you bending her over on the counter! And who knows what else you've done to her while I wasn't home-"

"Mind your business." He cut off, going back to reading the documents on his desk.

"This is my business!" Nathan insisted, pushing his papers away. "Maddie is my sister, and she's very young. She's only sixteen, you know?" The Alpha pondered upon her age for a while. Indeed, she was younger than he preferred. Nonetheless, it's not like he had any control over this. If she was destined to meet him at sixteen, then so be it.

"Stay in your place. You have no authority to be ordering me around."

Nathan sighed in exasperation. "I just want to know why. Why do you want anything to do with her? She's just a human. I'm sure you can get any woman you want, please leave her alone."

Alpha Blade thought for a bit. Could he really trust this man with his secret? He knew he couldn't hide it for long.

"I would leave her alone, but the mate-bond won't allow me to do that."

Nathan's eyes widened when he processed his words. "Mate-bond? You're- She's your mate?"

"Don't go around telling anyone. Not even her. I'm trusting you with this."

"But- How is that even possible? Werewolves and humans cannot be mates."

The Alpha sighed. Now, he had no choice but to disclose his true identity. He prayed he was not making a mistake by trusting Nathan with this information.

"I'm about to tell you something no one else knows about me, and I need to you make sure it stays a secret..."