➳

He stood there while Madeline sobbed bitterly into his chest. Matthew had seen too many deaths, it almost never affected him anymore. But this time, it was agonizing. He could not imagine how much pain his mate was going through. Madeline had to be ripped away from her brother's body; she was refusing to let go, insisting that he wasn't dead yet. He had never seen someone cry this much in his life. It physically pained him; his heart wrenched with every sob.

Matthew was not used to this; he had no idea how to console her. "If only I had arrived earlier, I could've saved him..." The Alpha never blamed himself for the death of his warriors, since they willingly put their life on the line, but he couldn't help but feel responsible for Nathan's.

"P-protect her, please..." His last words replayed in his head. He looked down at the young girl crying in his arms, then around the house. The smell of death filled the air, and there was pool of blood in the living room, where Nathan had died. This house was too close to the border; an easy target for any invaders. "She's not safe here."

He reached down to easily pick her up, turning towards the door. She offered no resistance, letting him carry her outside. Looking around, he was relieved to see that his Pack was handling the attack pretty well. He could hardly smell any rogues nearby; it won't be long until the war would be over.

"W-where are we going?" Madeline sniffled, finally lifting her head from his chest. He got to a house and unlocked the door, walking in with his mate still in his arms.

"Your house is not safe for you. From now on, you'll be living with me. I'll have someone bring all your belongings later. Stay here, I'll be back in a moment," He said, placing her down on a couch. Her hands reached up to grab his arm.

"Don't leave me, please." She looked up at him with teary eyes. He frowned, prying her small fingers away from his body.

"I promise you'll be fine here. I'm trying to end this war as soon as possible, I have to make sure the others are safe as well." Before Madeline could say anything, he was out the door, making sure to lock it behind him.

——————————

"It's over. Good fight, Mystic Moon warriors!"

The Pack sighed in relief, finally able to relax after hours of battle. Loud cheers echoed throughout the crowd. They had won.

"Let us not forget that with this great victory came great sacrifices. 12 warriors lost their lives today." The cheers were replaced by gasps and mournful cries. "Tomorrow, a grand funeral will take place to honor them."

Matthew watched from afar while his Beta gave the speech. He was not at all happy with how much his Pack struggled to fight a simple rogue invasion. He expected much better from them; they were said to be one of the strongest Packs, but he decided to not rain on their parade just yet. They were tired and worn out, his warriors deserved a few days of peace and rest.

The Alpha headed back home, hoping that his mate had stopped crying. Of course, she had not. His sensitive ears could hear weeping from outside the house. She was curled up on the couch, just where he had left her. Walking into the kitchen, he filled up a glass of water, before setting it down in front of her. He sat down, thinking of what to say.

"You have not eaten all day. Should I get you something?"

She shook her head. "I'm not hungry."

"Your brother wouldn't want you starving yourself, don't you think?"

Madeline paused for a bit, thinking about his words. "I'll eat tomorrow. I'm too tired tonight." He did not like the thought of letting his mate go to bed hungry, but chose to not argue with her.

He brought her to his bedroom, where she took a shower and changed out of her bloodied clothes. Matthew could hear her faint sniffling as she washed her brother's blood off herself. After her shower, she washed her face, trying to freshen up her unsightly appearance. Madeline finally came out, wearing her nightgown that was brought back from her house.

"Where will I sleep?"

"Well, there is only one bed in this house," Matthew responded, walking closer to her. She looked over at the huge, king-sized bed in the room.

"I'll sleep on the couch then." She turned towards the door, but was immediately blocked by Matthew stepping in front of her.

"What are you talking about? You're sleeping here."

"Then where will you sleep?"

"We're sleeping in this bed together." Her eyes widened at his contention, but before she could object, she felt him pick her up. He dropped her onto the soft mattress, before getting on the bed from the other side, and turning off the lights. The satin duvet felt like a vast endless ocean beneath Madeline's skin, and the cool, soft pillows gave a refreshing sensation. She was glad that he made her sleep in this bed; she had never felt such a level of comfort.

"Can you leave the lights on?" Madeline requested, pulling the duvet up to her chin.

"Why?"

"I'm scared of the dark."

...

He looked over at her, baffled. Scared of the dark? He almost felt like laughing.

"No."

Madeline frowned. "Please?"

"Learn to face your fears." She huffed at his response.

"You're so mean," She muttered, turning away from him. He stayed quiet. Not long after, she began feeling bad. "I didn't mean that, I'm sorry. You're not mean. I know it's silly to be afraid of the dark, but I can't help it."

She felt his arm reach over to grab her waist, pulling her back till she felt the heat of his body against hers.

"There is nothing to be afraid of. I'll be here to protect you all night," He mumbled, his warm breath tickling her ear.

A slight blush crept onto her face when she realized how close they were. She knew it was considered improper to sleep next to a man like this, but she felt so warm and safe in his arms, she did not want to move away. She suddenly did not mind sleeping in the dark anymore, and sleep began overtaking her.

"Goodnight, Matthew."

"... Goodnight."

——————————

The next day, the funeral took place. Madeline waited until everybody left to approach Nathan's grave. She felt tears pricking her eyes again as she read his name, engraved in the headstone. She slowly kneeled down beside it as a tear ran down her cheek.

"I won't cry again. I know you don't like it when I cry," She murmured, wiping her eyes. "I brought you flowers. They're red, your favorite color." Gently, she placed them down in front of the gravestone.

The young girl talked to the grave for a few hours. Some people walked by, giving her weird stares, but she ignored them. Her brother was her best friend, and not even death would change that.

"The sun is starting to set, I think it's time to leave." Matthew's voice made her flinch in surprise. She looked over at the horizon, watching the sun descend behind it.

"Wow, I must've been talking for hours. I hope I didn't annoy you too much, Nathan," Madeline said, looking back at his gravestone. Matthew found it strange to talk to a grave, but he was glad she wasn't crying anymore. He grabbed her hand to help her stand, catching her when she stumbled.

"You've been sitting for too long," He remarked, placing his hands on her hips to steady her.

She looked up at him with pleading eyes. "Can you carry me again?"

He glanced around. Unlike yesterday, there were many Pack members roaming around the area. They all knew their Alpha was not the type to flirt around with girls for fun. They would easily find out that there is something going on between him and this human girl.

But when he looked back into her adorable, doe-like eyes, he simply couldn't refuse.

"Who cares if they find out? I can't keep it a secret forever," He thought, reaching down to pick his mate up in his arms.