➳

As the weeks went by, Matthew became increasingly impatient. His love for his mate grew stronger every day; he began to find it hard to control his ardent desires. Each time she talked to him, he wanted to taste her lips, and whenever they would lay in bed together, he felt like running his hands all over her body.

Madeline, on the other hand, was still painfully oblivious to his feelings. She constantly mistook his displays of affection for friendship. A strange sensation would grow in her heart every time he'd hold her close, compliment her, or give her gifts, but she could not understand what it was.

A smile formed on her lips as she remembered the conversation they had this morning.

...

"Do you like this dress?" She asked, twirling around in his office. Matthew was busy doing paperwork at his desk.

"I told you you're not allowed to come in here while I'm working," He responded, not even glancing at her.

She sulked, walking in front of him. "But why? I'm so bored, and I haven't seen you all day."

He finally looked up at her. His eyes immediately darkened as they raked her petite figure, taking in every detail. He could hear his wolf howling in his head, clouding his mind with racy thoughts. His eyes reached her face to see that cute little smile that melted his heart every time.

"Is it nice? I made it myself." Madeline wasn't sure what he was thinking; his face was completely emotionless, but something in his eyes seemed different.

He studied her from head-to-toe one more time, before finally answering:

"You are a doll."

"A doll?" She did not quite understand what he meant. "Why?"

"When I first saw you, I almost couldn't believe you were real. You're just too pretty."

She felt her face flame up when her mind processed his words. Madeline wasn't the type to ever get shy and awkward, but his compliment got her flustered. This was the first time he's ever called her pretty. She opened her mouth to speak, but did not know how to respond. Her heart started beating faster when he got up from his chair, approaching her.

"I-I'm distracting you from your work aren't I? I should leave," She stammered, turning around to dash out of his office. He did not try to stop her, but a small smile crept on his face seeing her reaction to his compliment as he watched her run out.

...

Madeline buried her face in her pillow to hide her smile. "He thinks I'm pretty," She sighed dreamily. She had been called pretty many times before, but it felt so different coming from Matthew. Once she finally got over herself, she strolled downstairs to see Edith.

"So, what's there to do today?"

"Nothing, really. I just finished packing Alpha's suitcase and he left for his trip."

"What trip?"

"He didn't tell you? He's leaving for a week." Madeline blinked, her eyebrows creasing in disbelief. Matthew was going away for a week and he didn't even tell her?

"... What?"

"He has an important meeting with another Alpha. I don't really know the details, but I won't be having much work to do here for the next week."

"Oh... Okay, thank you." Madeline forced a smile, making her way back up the stairs and flopping down on the bed. She was shattered that he'd just leave like that, even if it was only for a week. Silent tears trailed down her cheeks. She knew it was foolish to cry over this, but then again, she always cried over foolish things. Shortly afterwards, she fell asleep with the lights still on, feeling particularly cold without Matthew's touch.

——————————

"I'm so mad at him. He didn't even tell me he was leaving," Madeline spoke, playing with the grass. She was sitting in front of Nathan's grave again, sharing the news with him.

Talking to her brother always comforted her, even if she knew he wasn't ever going to respond. She felt as if he could hear her and enjoyed her company. Besides, she had almost no one else to speak with. Everyone in this Pack was very busy, working all day, or simply had no interest in speaking with a human.

"I'm not actually mad, I'm just... sad. I can't really describe how I feel about Matthew. Sometimes he makes me really nervous, but I like being around him. Especially when he holds me, it feels so nice and safe. And when he compliments me, I think about it for hours. He reminds me of you a lot, except... it's different. I don't understand-"

She paused to look up at the sky. It was a beautiful blend of pink and purple, given that the sun was setting. Above her head, she noticed a heart-shaped cloud. Her eyes widened as the realization hit her.

"... Nathan, I think I have a crush on him."

She hid her face in her hands, shaking her head.

"I know it's stupid. I'm a human, I'm not supposed to feel this way about werewolves. He'll never feel the same about me. You'd probably be laughing right now if you were here... But, I really like him," She mumbled against her hands.

"Excuse me, Miss." A voice behind her made her jump. She turned around to see the Pack's Beta standing a few feet away.

"Me?" She asked, pointing to herself.

"Alpha ordered me to keep you inside after sunset."

"Oh... But he's not here right now. Let me stay here longer, he won't know."

The Beta rose his brow, intrigued. "You know I can't do that."

"Why?"

"If he ever found out I disobeyed him, he'll kill me. Now follow me back inside."

Madeline hesitantly stood up and began following him. She was rather confused by his claim. "I feel like you're exaggerating. He won't ever kill anyone like that."

He kept walking, not bothering to respond. The young girl decided to keep quiet; it was clear that he didn't want to speak to her. When they arrived to Matthew's house, he opened the door for her.

"Thank you," She uttered, stepping inside. Before he left, he handed her a letter.

"This is from Alpha." And with that, he closed the door, locking it from outside..

She stared at the letter curiously, before opening it:

"I will be gone for the next week, or maybe longer. My Beta is in charge of keeping you safe, so be good and listen to him. If you ever need to talk to me, you can ask him to call me. Take care, doll.

Also, do not go down to the basement, under any circumstances."

The last sentence piqued her curiosity. Madeline did not even know where the basement was, and now, she was itching to find out.

She scolded herself for having these rebellious thoughts: "Don't break his trust, if he doesn't want to you to go there, then don't go." A wave of languor immersed her, so she began preparing for bed, smiling at how he had called her 'doll' in his letter.

——————————

Matthew watched as his opponent collapsed on the ground, panting from exhaustion. The two Alphas were discussing territorial disputes, and he had challenged him to a fight, which Matthew was quick to accept.

"That's all you've got? I was hoping this fight would be somewhat challenging, but I guess not," He scoffed, while the spectators gaped in awe. Their Alpha was at least ten years older than Alpha Blade, and had far more fighting experience. How could he possibly be losing?

"I think that's enough. Alpha Blade may have all the territory he wants," The Pack's Beta intervened, rushing to help her leader.

"No! I must keep fighting. That was purely luck on his part, but this time, I won't hold back," The Alpha scowled, getting up to face his rival again. Matthew mentally smirked, shaking his head while he sensed him running closer.

As the Alpha raised his fist to hit him, Matthew grabbed it and wrapped his free hand around his neck, turning around to choke him against the wall. His movements were so quick, the crowd could not even register what had happened.

"If I kill you, all of your territory along with your entire pack will belong to me," Matthew growled, tightening his grip on his neck and crushing his windpipe. His opponent's face had turned red from the lack of air as he spluttered, flailing around helplessly. The members of the Pack observed in horror, but none were brave enough to intervene.

This was not the first time he killed an Alpha to take over their territory. According to many rumors, Alpha Blade used to be a rogue. At the age of sixteen, he had challenged the Mystic Moon Pack's Alpha to a fight, and killed him within seconds, effectively taking his position as Alpha. His incredible strength had everyone doubting the rumor; how can a meager rogue be so powerful? He was impossibly strong, even for an Alpha.

Matthew let go of the body and took a step back. Everyone watched as their Alpha lifelessly fell to the ground. He then turned to the crowd, who stared back at him with terror-struck eyes.

"From now on, I am your Alpha."