Chapter 4

➳ 

"I am not a werewolf." 

...

Nathan blinked in incredulity. "What?"

The Alpha leaned closer, repeating the assertion. "I am not a werewolf."

"What are you talking about? I've seen you shift, and I can smell-" Nathan paused to sniff the air. "Yes, you smell like a wolf." 

"I am a wolf. Just not a werewolf." 

"What does that even mean?"

"I'm a direwolf." He watched as Nathan's mouth slowly dropped open.

"A d-direwolf? No way! They went extinct thousands of years ago-"

"No, there's still a few of us left. In order to keep our species alive, the Moon Goddess has not only increased our strength, but has paired us with humans, unlike werewolves. We have the ability to turn our human mates into direwolves, though it rarely works. Humans are so weak, they typically end up dying during their transformation."

The thought of his little sister dying made Nathan's muscles rigid. He knew that she was weaker than most humans, meaning if she were to transform, she certainly would not survive.

"You're not turning her into a wolf. Stay away from her," He spoke through gritted teeth. He did not care how powerful the man in front of him was, he was going to protect his sister no matter what.

The Alpha leaned back into his chair nonchalantly."I have no desire to transform her, I think she's quite cute as a human. But... I can't say I'll stay away from her. I believe she's quite fond of me as well."

Nathan sniggered. "She's nice to everyone, don't think you're getting special treatment. No offence, but I highly doubt she's interested in you. Humans can not feel the mate-bond, you have to make her fall in love with you."

"Make her fall in love? How would I do that?"

"I don't know, talk to her, buy her gifts, impress her... Wait- Why am I helping you woo my sister?"

The Alpha thought for a bit, ignoring the last part of his sentence. "I'm one of the strongest Alphas in the world. Is that not impressive enough?"

"She doesn't care much about strength. Believe it or not, she has actually never heard of you before. I guess that's a good thing, because if she knew how many men you've killed, she would never be able to love you," Nathan commented, briefly making the Alpha's eyes widen. 

"Well, make sure you don't tell her about that then. If she doesn't care about strength, how am I supposed to impress her?" 

"I guess be kind and thoughtful-"

"You have to be kidding me. Kind and thoughtful?"

Nathan threw his head in laughter. "Yeah, you're the complete opposite of someone she'd fall in love with. I really suggest you leave her alone and go find another human-"

A loud growl interrupted him.

"She's destined to be mine, do not try to keep us apart. I'll kill anyone who comes between us, even if it's you, understood?" The young man felt his blood freeze as Alpha Blade's threatening stare pierced through his skull.

"... Yes, Alpha."

"Good. Now, tell me, what kind of gifts should I buy her?"

Nathan let out a breath as the tension left the air. "I don't know, flowers maybe? She's really not a materialistic person, anything would make her happy."

"Hmm... Her name is Maddie, correct?"

"That's her nickname, but yes, you can call her that."

The Alpha stared at him blankly. "I asked for her name, not nickname."

"Madeline."

"Madeline." He tested her name on his tongue. "How lovely. What else is there to know about her?"

The two spent awhile talking about the young girl. Nathan was not too happy with the fact that one of the most dangerous men in the world was mated to his sister, but in his heart, he knew he'd take good care of her. Being a human in a werewolf pack can be lonely, especially when it comes to romance, since werewolves cannot really feel attraction to humans. Despite her striking beauty and kindness, Madeline had not once been in a relationship or even on a date. Deep down, her brother was glad that someone would finally love her in that way.

-----

"The Alpha's coming to have dinner here tonight, if that's alright with you," Nathan said to his sister, who was helping the maid cook dinner in the kitchen. She hummed in agreement, not paying much attention. 

"The Alpha's coming?" The maid asked, perplexed. "The food should be as good as possible then. Darling, will you please knead this dough to make the pasta?" She requested, turning to Madeline.

"Sure, I love touching dough," She beamed, plopping the yellow ball onto the clean counter and working it in.

After cutting the pasta into long, wide sheets and boiling it in salted water, the maid began assembling the lasagna. She slid the dish into the oven, then cleaned up the kitchen.

"I have to go now, alright darling? Take it out in about 45 minutes, make sure it doesn't burn!" She instructed, before shutting the door behind her. Madeline busied herself by decorating the dinner table, changing out the tablecloth, and placing glass candles on top. 

"Hmm... It's missing something..." She wandered to the living room and grabbed a white vase, setting it back down on the dining table. "Much better. If only I had flowers to put in it-" Her thoughts were interrupted by the doorbell ringing.

"I'll get it!" She hurried to the door and opened it. The Alpha stood there, holding a bouquet of flowers. A small gasp escaped her lips at the sight of the beautiful plants.

"Those are so pretty! You know, I was just thinking about getting flowers to put in that vase." She turned to point at the empty vase on the table.

He handed them to her. "I brought them for you."

"Really? I can have them? Thank you!" She smiled, taking them from his hands. Nathan watched the scene amusedly. His sister was terrible at taking hints. It was clear that she failed to see the romantic intention behind the flowers.

"I just remembered I have something to do. You both can eat dinner together, I'll be back in an hour," Nathan announced, heading to the door. The Alpha firmly grabbed him by the arm, stopping him.

"What do you think you're doing?" He whispered, narrowing his eyes at him. Nathan smirked playfully.

"I'm leaving so you two can be alone."

"Eat before you go, Nathan," Madeline pleaded. "Or you'll starve."

"I'll eat later, I'm not too hungry right now. See ya!" He slipped out of the Alpha's grip and disappeared out the door. His sister frowned as she watched him leave, before turning her attention to the guest.

"Are you going to leave too?"

He blinked at her, confused. "Do you want me to?"

"No. But you came to see Nathan, right? And now he left. Still, please stay. I hate eating alone."

He was glad that she wanted him to linger. "As you wish." 

The young girl took the lasagna out of the oven, pleased to see the slightly browned edges and melted cheese. It came out perfect. She cut in into squares and put two pieces on the plates, giving him a bigger piece. Alpha Blade was distracted looking at the liquor rack in the dining room.

"Do you drink?" He asked her, examining the bottles.

"No, those are for Nathan. I'm not allowed to drink."

"Why not?"

"Because I'll get drunk. But werewolves don't get drunk, so you can drink some."

"One drink won't hurt you."

She shook her head. "Nathan will get really mad at me. Anyway, dinner's ready!" She set the plates and utensils on the table, before sitting down. He sat across from her, and they began to eat. The silence in the room disturbed her. He seemed completely uninterested in speaking to her, but she was very talkative.

"My name is Maddie. I don't know if I ever introduced myself."

"I know. Your brother mentions you often."

"Oh."

She waited for him to introduce himself, but he simply stayed quiet. 

"... Can I know what your name is?"

The Alpha gazed at her, the corner of his lip twitching in amusement. "I'm an Alpha, you know?" 

Her head tilted in confusion. "But I thought 'Alpha' is your job, not your name."

"You're right. But it is considered disrespectful to call an Alpha by his name."

Madeline peered at him through her lashes, pushing her bottom lip forward slightly to form a pout. "But I thought we were friends."

He froze for a second. Friends? "No way I'm letting my mate friend-zone me." But if permitting her to call him by his name would make her feel closer to him, he decided to allow it. Plus, she looked too cute while pouting, he couldn't refuse.

"My name is Matthew."

Her eyes instantly lit up, a grateful smile spreading across her face.

"Thank you for eating with me today, Matthew." He was not used to being called by his name, but he loved the sound of it coming out of her mouth. Her voice was euphonious, sweeter than honey.

"Only you are allowed to call me that. Anyway, I have to leave now. Take care."

"Goodbye." She watched contentedly as Matthew left, before turning her attention to the flowers sitting in the vase. "Pink and blue, how did he know those are my favorite colors?"