"Uhhh, Hi Alpha Odin. Luna Eira. It's nice to meet you," I say to them meekly.

I cross my arms over my chest, suddenly hyper-aware of the way my nipples are straining against the wet silk of my slip.

I could start a fire with the heat rising to my cheeks at being caught like this. Maddox's mom smiles at me, but it doesn't reach her eyes.

"Poppy... how lovely to see you're finally awake," She says.

Her voice is warm and melodic and I instantly want her approval. I smile brightly at her in response, hoping it will ease some of the tension in her expression. Maddox and his dad seem to be having a serious conversation through their mind link- I can't hear it because we haven't fully mated- but from the way Maddox squares his shoulders and his jaw tenses, I'd say he's getting scolded.

I just stand there awkwardly, anxious from the uncomfortable silence that pierces the room, and hope it's not my fault for bringing him outside. After what feels like forever, they break eye contact and with nothing more than a curt nod in my direction, Alpha Odin leaves the room.

Luna Eira walks up to us and she places a soft hand on my cheek.

"I apologize for such an abrupt introduction. We'll have dinner soon so we can properly meet. Welcome to the family, darling."

The pet name reminds me instantly of my mother and I'm surprised to find my eyes brimming with tears. I miss her so much already.

"Thank you. I'm glad to be part of it," I respond earnestly.

Even though I miss my family terribly, I lucked out with this one. I'm grateful they're even willing to include me, and more so that they're willing to allow my family to visit soon.

She turns to place kisses on both of Maddox's cheeks and follows his dad out the same door. When they're both gone, Maddox rubs his palms against his eyes and lets out a deep sigh of frustration.

"I'm sorry about that," he says sheepishly. "I was hoping your first time meeting them would be, well, not that. My dad can be... a little intense sometimes."

I shrug and brush it off. I didn't want to add to Maddox's stress by letting him know that I was, in fact, incredibly intimidated by the Alpha.

"It's no big deal. Your mom seems really nice."

"That woman is a saint," he smiles a full, genuine smile.

He walks over to our plates and starts hand washing them in the sink.

"I can help."

"Don't worry, it's just a couple of plates. I won't put you to work just yet," he turns his head to wink at me as he dries them.

After he puts them away in their rightful spot, he walks over to me and places his hands on my shoulders. I scrunch my nose when I realize they're still damp from the dish water.

"Although you look cute when you do that, what's the stink face for?" he smirks.

I ignore the fluttering in my stomach at the compliment and respond, "Your hands are wet."

"Our whole bodies are wet, we were just outside in a thunderstorm."

He quirks an eyebrow at me and tilts his head to the side. He looks like an adorably lost puppy.

"But your hands are covered in dirty dish water," I explain.

"So you're cool with me pelting mud at you, but dish water is a no-go? Duly noted."

"Thank you," I respond with mock sincerity.

His eyes scan my face and the smirk grows wider as he shakes his head at me.

"Such an odd one," he says under his breath.

We head back upstairs to his room and Maddox hands me a towel and one of his t-shirts to change into. Even though I have plenty of clothes in my duffle bag, I accept the shirt, secretly pleased that he offered it to me. He leaves to shower in one of the guest bathrooms and allows me to use his private bathroom once again.

With glee, I realize this is the perfect opportunity to use the tub that's been calling my name since I woke up. As the hot water fills up, I pour in some of the oils and bubbles I found in a basket next to the tub. The room quickly fills with the scent of lavender and a note of something more woodsy.

It's a comforting scent and I find myself closing my eyes as I sink further into the bubbles. I don't even realize how long I've been sitting here, but a soft knock at the door brings me back to reality.

"Poppy, you okay in there?"

"Oh. Shit. Yeah, you can come in," I call to him.

The bubbles still cover everything I need them to, but it still feels a little wanton letting him in here when I'm naked. I lift my pruny hand above the surface and mindlessly poke at the bubbles as he walks in, his hand over his eyes.

I giggle at him, but the gesture is kind of sweet. He really is trying his best to give me my space.

"You don't have to do that, you know. I'm decent," I tell him.

He pulls his hand away but still doesn't look in my direction.

"Listen, I hate to do this, but there's some pack business I have to deal with. I'm going to have to leave you alone for a few hours."

Dammit. I definitely couldn't fall back asleep just yet, but it feels weird wandering around the pack house without him.

"You're more than welcome to take a look around. I wanted to give you a real tour of the place in the morning, but duty calls," he continues, echoing my thoughts.

"I guess I can do a little exploring. Anything off limits?"

"Just the fourth floor, it belongs to my parents. The floor we're on now houses some of our pack guards, so try not to disturb them, but everything else is open for you."

I nod and he leaves before my bubbles disappear completely.

His shirt is way too big on me, more like a dress, but I love it. I'm already plotting ways to steal more without him noticing as I head down the hallway. I feel bad thinking this Alpha business has to do with him getting in trouble for going outside with me. I hope his dad isn't that much of an ass, but he definitely didn't seem like a ray of sunshine by any means.

There's a bunch of doors on either side of the hall, so I do my best to tiptoe to the end of it, not wanting to wake anyone up. The door to my left creaks open- I'm convinced I must be hallucinating, that I must still be asleep, when I see a familiar mop of curls attached to a girl wrapped in nothing but a bed sheet.

"Lennon!" I squeal.