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"What's happening here?" Matthew asked, his voice menacingly low.

A flash of fear flickered in the boy's eyes. "Good evening, Alpha," He uttered, bowing before him.

Madeline smiled at him, unfazed by his sudden appearance. "We were tasting my cake, you want to try it?" She felt the boy nudge her softly, staring at her with wide eyes.

"What are you doing? He's the Alpha, bow to him," He whispered.

She looked back at Matthew. "I have to bow too? Okay." She bent at her waist, lowering her head. The Alpha watched in bemusement as she clumsily bowed. This was the first time she had ever showed any sign of submission to him as the other Pack members do.

His attention turned back to the young-looking boy. "Since when did they let children work as cooks?"

"... Children? I'm almost eighteen, Alpha."

"Really? I couldn't tell," He replied condescendingly. "I assume the food's done, so you may leave now."

"Can he eat with us? He hasn't even tasted his main course yet," Madeline intervened. His eyebrows furrowed, a look of vexation sweeping across his face. Why would his mate want to eat with another male?

The boy could feel the anger radiating from the Alpha, which Madeline was oblivious to. It was clear that he did not want him to stay in this house any longer.

"It's alright, I'll leave. See you next time, Maddie." Before she could stop him, he was already out of the kitchen. A few moments later, they heard the front door close as he left.

Madeline crossed her arms and turned to Matthew, visibly upset. "Why'd you make him leave? He was so nice-"

"I'm not letting a child take my mate from me. I'll have someone else come cook for us from now on."

"What, why? And what do you mean, take me away from you?"

"Don't be ignorant, he was clearly flirting with you."

"He wasn't. And why do you call him a child, you know he's older than me? That must mean you think I'm a child too." She subconsciously moved back as Matthew walked closer to her, till her back was pressing against the kitchen counter.

"You're my mate. That's different."

"No, I'm still a child. And you're an old man," She teased.

He placed both his arms on the counter behind her, trapping her in place. "Is that so? Would you rather be with him?"

"... You know I was just kidding. Stop saying things like that. Now move please, I want to eat dinner."

Instead of moving out of her way, he reached down to lift her up and sit her on the counter. At this height, their faces were at the same level. His hands found their way to her waist as he stepped between her legs, getting closer to her in a way that made her stomach flip.

His eyes fell to her delicate lips. They resembled pink, tender rose petals. He found it hard to control his ardent desires.

Madeline could tell what he wanted to do. Although they did kiss before, for some reason she did not want to do it again. The new sensations he gave her were very unfamiliar, and she was unsure how to feel about them.

Her love for him was pure, soft, and gentle; she was content with simply holding his hand or hugging him. Whereas his love was lustful, protective, and possessive.

Matthew's self-control withered away as he leaned in, yearning to taste her. The young girl looked around nervously, before picking up the plate of cake beside her and holding a spoonful up to his lips, obstructing him from doing what he so badly wanted to do.

"Try it, it's really good!" She insisted, nudging the spoon to his lips. He stared at it in slight irritation, before reluctantly opening his mouth, tasting the cake. Madeline managed to slip under his arm and get down from the counter, picking up two plates to serve their food.

The couple ate together. Matthew hated to admit it, but that boy was an excellent cook. The food tasted incredible, he almost felt bad for kicking him out. Almost.

He eyed the bottle of red wine on the table, then looked over at Madeline. "Do you want a drink?" He inquired, grabbing two glasses and setting them down on the table.

She shook her head. "Not alcohol. That made my head hurt so bad last time, I don't know how you drink that."

"A little sip won't hurt. It's better to drink on a full stomach, and you just ate, so it's the perfect time." It didn't take much to convince her to have a taste. And once she did, she was pleasantly surprised.

"Mmh... It's sweet. Can I have more?" He raised a brow, but did not further comment as he poured the dark red liquid into her glass.

...

Half an hour later, the wine had already taken effect on her. As Matthew predicted, she was a lot more affectionate when she was drunk. Madeline was on his lap, her arms tightly wrapped around his chest, refusing to let go. They sat in his office as he finished up his work for the day.

He cursed his hyperopia while he tried to read his papers, seeing a blurred disarray instead of words. Opening his drawers, he pulled out a pair of glasses.

His mate emitted a tiny snicker from below. Looking down, he saw her smiling up at him. She reached up to cup his face with her small dainty hands.

"I didn't know you wear glasses. You look so cute with them."

Matthew blinked incredulously. Cute? Never in his life has anyone called him that. He felt her fingers grab his cheeks, lightly pinching them and pulling them apart as she gazed at him in adoration.

Rather offended by her actions, he grabbed her wrists and pulled them away from his face. "Enough. I'm trying to work."

Madeline frowned at his admonishment, but was too tired to argue back. Instead, she leaned onto his chest, feeling his steady heart beating against her temple. "I'm tired," She murmured after a while, her eyelids growing heavy.

Matthew glanced at the clock in the room, before slowly taking off his glasses and setting his papers down. He had been working for far longer than he planned. "Right, we'll go to sleep now."

The girl got up from his lap, stumbling a bit due to the alcohol in her system. He caught her in his arms, keeping her balanced while they made their way to the bedroom.

"I love you so much," Madeline purred, snuggling up to him once they were in bed. A low growl emitted from his throat as he rolled over, hovering his body above hers.

"You're making it very hard for me to not kiss you," He murmured, their faces only centimetres apart.

"Then kiss me, Matthew."

Hearing his name coming from that pretty little mouth was the last straw. His self-control snapped like a twig and before she could even blink, his lips captured hers.

Unlike their first kiss, he was not being gentle. It was rough and fiery, releasing all of his built-up desires. Trapped under him, she was completely helpless while he savored her taste. Occasionally, he'd pull away, giving her a chance to catch her breath before diving back in to resume the act.

A part of him felt bad for taking advantage of her drunken state, but the sensation was pure bliss, he could not stop himself, especially when he felt her kissing back. Seconds drifted to minutes before he finally pulled away, feeling somewhat satiated. He admired her swollen lips and flushed face, knowing she also felt pleasure from it.

Matthew pressed a final kiss to her forehead and laid down beside her. "I love you too, doll."