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"Do I seriously have to fight a female?" The Beta asked derisively, holding up a punching bag while Matthew repeatedly hit it. The two stood at the fighting grounds, waiting for the Beta female. Since she was taking rather long to show up, they took this time to do some physical training.

"She won't leave me alone until I let you fight her. I doubt she's strong enough to hurt you, just hold her down or something," Matthew replied, his attention focused on the punching bag.

A feminine voice echoed through the room. "I am strong enough to hurt him. Don't go easy on me."

The two males turned their heads towards the entrance to look at her.

"Finally, you're here. I don't have much time, so start whenever you're ready," Matthew spoke in an uninterested tone. He glanced back at his Beta, only to see him gawking at the woman with wide eyes and a gaping mouth.

"Mate."

The Alpha stared back and forth between the two, unsure of what to say. This woman was his mate? The woman who hated his guts and wanted to fight him for his position?

"... Well then, I'll let you two sort it by yourselves. I'll be in my office if you want to tell me your decision," He announced, leaving the two alone in the training room.

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The Beta female knocked on his office door. "Alpha? May I come in?"

"You may." Matthew was doing his paperwork at the desk. The calming sound of rain pattering against the window resonated throughout the room. She quietly walked inside, closing the door behind her. "So, did you fight him?"

"He did not want to fight me. But, since we're mates, we decided to split the job and both work as your Beta."

"I only need one Beta," He stated, not bothering to look up at her.

"Well, that's too bad. Anyway, why do I smell a human in this house?" She inquired, sniffing the air.

"That's none of your concern."

"Her scent is all over you as well." The Beta female walked closer to the Alpha to further inspect the smell. "Do you sleep with her?"

Matthew pressed his lips together, visibly annoyed. "I said it's none of your concern."

"Of course it is, I'm your Beta now, I should know everything about you. "

"There is nothing to know about me."

"Really? I think there's a lot to know about you. For starters, I'd like to know what species you are."

He felt his heart stop for a second. His eyes slowly slanted towards the mirthful curve of her lips, then to her narrowed eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, come on. There's no way a werewolf can be this strong. You beat my Alpha in a fight without any injuries. He scratched you badly on your chest, and you healed almost instantly." She walked over and swiftly grabbed his shirt, pulling it up to reveal his bare torso. Her other hand ran over his chest. "See? Not a single scar. A werewolf can not heal like that. So, what are you?"

Matthew blinked at her, staggered. Was his secret this obvious to everyone else?

Before he could answer, he heard the door opening, and the sweet scent of his mate wafted through the air.

"Matthew, can I please-" Madeline stopped in her tracks when she saw another woman in his office, pulling up his shirt and stroking his bare skin. Her heart dropped to her stomach.

The three stood there, frozen.

"I'm sorry if I interrupted anything," The human murmured, spinning on her heels to scramble out the room.

"Madeline, wait." Matthew stepped away from the Beta, quickly pulling down his shirt and rushing to follow his mate.

The young girl ran through the hallways, trying to hold back her tears. "Don't cry over this, you stupid girl, of course he'll pick a werewolf over you." A whirlwind of emotions swept through her head; envy, sorrow, anguish, despair... She wondered how long Matthew had been seeing that woman.

"Where are you going?" Two familiar hands grabbed her by the waist, pulling her into a hard, built chest. She looked down, not wanting him to see her teary eyes.

"I was going- Well, I wanted to ask you if I could go to Nathan's grave." She fiddled with her fingers, waiting for Matthew's answer.

"It's raining outside, you'll get sick. You can go tomorrow."

"But I have to go today. It's his birthday. Please?"

His hand reached to tilt her chin, compelling her to look up at him. He could see the tears brimming her eyes, but assumed it was simply because she was really missing her brother today.

"Alright, I'll come with you." Taking her wrist, he guided her towards the door.

"But what about that woman you were with?"

"Don't mind her." He grabbed an umbrella, pulling Madeline close so it would cover both of them.

"... Was that why I'm not allowed to come in your office? You could've just told me if you had a girlfriend."

He glanced down at her, confused. "What? She's not my girlfriend. I usually never let others into my office, they distract me from work."

"Then why did you let her in?" There was something withdrawn and tense in her voice. She almost sounded... jealous?

"She's my new Beta, and she needed to speak with me." Madeline's frown deepened after hearing that. If that woman was a Beta, she must be very strong, and she would also be seeing Matthew quite often...

"Okay..." She mumbled in a gloomy tone. He couldn't understand why she seemed so dismal.

Arriving at the grave, Madeline placed down her flowers and sang Happy Birthday to her brother. Matthew intently enjoyed the sound of her singing, though it only lasted a few seconds. The rain had gotten heavier; the two decided to return to the house shortly thereafter.

"I'd like to hear you sing more often," Matthew professed along the way.

"Really?"

"You have the voice of an angel." As always, she felt her cheeks heat up at his compliment.

"Thank you. And thank you for coming with me."

"Anything for you."

His words left her flustered. Why did he keep being so affectionate to her? His compliments only intensified her feelings, and as much as she loved them, she wished he would stop. Her emotions obfuscated her so much, she felt like she'd explode soon if she kept it all to herself.

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Matthew grumbled in annoyance when he walked into his office and was met with both Betas. He glared at the female. "You're still here?"

"I'm not leaving until you tell me what you are," She replied, leaning back in her chair. "Your mate is quite cute. Madeline, is that her name?"

"... My mate?"

"The way you looked at her made it so obvious. Your mood instantly changed when she walked in."

A sinking feeling formed in the pit of his stomach; all his deepest secrets were being divulged before him, and he couldn't stop it. "She's a smart one." Her brains must be why the Pack had chosen her as their second in command. His eyes turned to the Beta male, who had not said anything since.

"Your mate is quite observant, isn't she?"

"I'm sorry if she's troubling you, Alpha. I told her to just leave you be-" He was cut off by his mate elbowing him in the stomach.

"I'm not troubling him, it's important for us to know these things so we can serve him better. I don't understand how you worked for him for so many years without knowing a single thing about him."

A deep sigh left Matthew's lips, realizing there was no getting himself out of this. "You're right. I shouldn't be keeping these things from you."

The two Betas leaned forward, eager to hear his answers.

"Well, I am a direwolf. No, we're not extinct, and no, we're not trying to take over and kill all werewolves. And yes, that human girl is my mate. Any other questions?"

The room fell still for a moment while the two pondered over his confession.

His Beta male broke the silence. "I'm glad you found your mate, Alpha."

"We know you're a very secretive person, but you can trust us, alright? You don't have to keep everything to yourself," The female added.

"Yeah yeah, now get out of here, I have work to do." The Betas scampered out the room, grinning triumphantly.

Although Matthew wanted to keep his identity a secret, the relief he felt when he finally told them was immense. He was aware that many would be against him if they found out. Among werewolves, there were a lot of negative perceptions of direwolves, but he did not care anymore; it felt gratifying to no longer be so bottled up.