Maddox’s POV:

"You know I don't like new people in my pack," I growl at Leonardo, my Beta.

He has been bothering me about letting his daughter join our pack. She lived with a human, so she doesn't know how to fight or anything. She isn't going to help us out, just hold us back.

"She is my daughter, Alpha, and the only living relative she has is me. I can't abandon her, not again," he says with sorrow in his voice.

It takes everything in me not to roll my eyes.

Before he found his mate, he fooled around with some human who ended up pregnant. He was in "love.” Silly him to think he could love somebody who wasn't his mate. When he did find her, he left his daughter and the human without another word.

"Is your daughter human?" I ask, my voice full of disgust at the thought of those weak beings.

"No, she is a werewolf like us. I kept tabs on her when she turned sixteen and shifted. The only thing is that she has no idea other packs exist," he says.

I growl in annoyance. "This is unbelievable, a wolf who doesn't know about packs."

"Please, Alpha, let her join the pack," Beta Leonardo pleads.

"I will meet with her. If I see she has any potential, then she will join. I don't want a weak wolf in my pack," I say harshly.

"Thank you, Alpha." He bows his head and exits my office.

"Mate! We will find her soon. I can feel it," my wolf says, and I scoff. He has been saying that for a while now. At first I believed him, but after two months of hearing the same thing, I came to the conclusion that he was just delusional.

Even though there is a chance that my mate might be dead, I still can't find it in me to be with another she-wolf. So, unlike all of the other hormonal Alphas, I have saved myself for my mate.

Thinking about my mate gets me mad. So to blow off some steam, I go do what I do best.

Torture rogues.

~

Jayda’s POV:

"I'm so sorry for your loss," another person I have never seen before says.

I give her a polite smile and keep walking.

This has been happening throughout the entire funeral. Strangers who didn't even think about visiting my mom while she was sick come and say how much they cared for her.

Please!

Since my dad abandoned us, it had only been my mom and me. After I shifted, our relationship fell apart; she knew I was hiding something, but I couldn't tell her. She would've feared me.

But at least I wasn't alone. On one of my runs, I met my friend Ellie; she is also a wolf. She's helped me control my heightened emotions so I wouldn't shift and kill someone when I got mad or sad.

So if it weren't for her, I would have already killed all the fake people who came to my mother's funeral.

I feel a hand on my shoulder and tense.

"Calm down, Jayda, you are glaring at everyone like you want to bite their heads off," Ellie whispers.

I smirk. "Believe me, I do."

She rolls her eyes.

I start looking around at the people who came to the funeral, and instantly tense when I see my father.

He looks exactly as he did eight years ago.

I speed walk towards him and grab his arm, dragging him outside.

When we are finally outside of the cemetery, I glare at him.

"How dare you! How dare you come here after what you did, what you made us go through!" I yell at him, my eyes flashing black.

"Calm down, Jayda," he says tensely.

I scoff at him. "You have no right to tell me what to do, Leonardo!" I hiss at him.

"You don't want to shift here, Jayda, there are too many humans," he says calmly.

I instantly tensed. "Y-you know?" I stutter.

"Of course I know. I am also a werewolf."

I am surprised, but don't show it. "Hmm, well what do you want?" I ask him.

"Well, you are going to live with me," he says with a smile.

"The hell I am," I hiss.

"You have no choice in the matter," he says coldly, and I raise an eyebrow at him.

"Well, my dear poor excuse of a father, if you haven't done the math, when you left me, I was ten. That was eight years ago, making me eighteen and an adult," I say coldly.

"Yes eighteen, making you a legal adult without a pack. You are choosing to be a rogue, and rogues are killed," he says.

"Pack? Rogue?" I ask.

"A pack is a group of werewolves. They protect each other and have an Alpha, a Beta and a third in command, with the Alpha as the leader. The Beta is the second most important person in the pack, and the TIC is the third most. A rogue is a wolf without a pack; they are ruthless, and if a pack finds one, they will kill it," he says and my eyes widen.

"W-what do I do t-to not be a rogue?" I stutter.

He smiles fondly. "Join my pack."

I narrow my eyes at him. "If I join the pack, do I have to talk to you?"

He looks hurt before he composes himself.

"As a pack member, you are not obliged to talk to me, but as my daughter you are expected to talk to me," he says after a moment.

"Good thing that I will only be pack member to you. You lost the right to call me your daughter eight years ago when you walked out on my mother and me," I say coldly.

He gulps. "Honey, I can explain—”

"Save it," I cut him off. "I am over it! You should have explained it to me eight years ago; now your excuses mean nothing. I will join your pack, but do not expect me to forgive you and start calling you daddy because I won't," I say glaring at him.

He nods. "I understand, Jayda."

"Is there anything else?" I ask.

"You will have to meet the Alpha," my father says.

"When?"

"The sooner the better, so right now." I nod and follow him to his truck.

He drives for about twenty minutes until we reach the forest, and then he drives through it for about forty-five more minutes, when he parks in the middle of nowhere.

"We have to shift and run from here since the cars won’t go any farther," he says, and I nod.

I go hide behind a tree and strip out of my clothes, which were all black, because I was at a funeral before coming here.

After stripping, I call out to my wolf.

I feel her taking over, and soon feel my bones rearranging and fur covering my body. Unlike the first time I shifted, it doesn’t hurt; it actually feels good.

My dad—I mean Leonardo—looks at my wolf in awe.

Not to be cocky or anything, but my wolf is very beautiful. She has soft blonde fur and golden eyes.

"Your wolf is beautiful," he says with a smile, and goes to touch my fur. I instantly tense and jerk away.

He looks sad at my reaction but goes behind a tree to start stripping.

He shifts and his wolf is very beautiful too. It has brown fur, but the tip of his tail and paws have a little bit of black.

I thought my wolf was big, but he was way bigger than me and really intimidating, if I do say so myself.

He nods for me to follow him and sprints through the forest.

I grab my clothes with my teeth and follow him. Surprisingly, I can keep up with him.

We finally stop and I look up to see a village—it has lots of houses, stores, and even some restaurants. Everything was really pretty, but what caught my eye was the really big house in the middle.

I shift back and quickly get dressed.

"I am pretty sure that you will not want to live with Karen and I, so I will arrange for you to have your own house in the pack village."

I nod stiffly at him.

We keep walking, and as we enter the village, I feel everyone's eyes on me and my muscles tense.

"Calm down, sweetie," he says with a smile.

I huff and walk faster.

We enter the really big house and dad turns to look at me.

"Wait in the living room while I go talk to Alpha," he says and then leaves.

I sigh and sit down in the comfy couch.

Maddox’s POV:

I sigh while getting out of the shower. Those filthy rogues ruined my clothes with their blood.

"We will find her soon! I can feel it!" My wolf says again.

I growl in frustration and push him to the back of my mind. I already have a headache because of him.

I get dressed and go to my office to start working, to get my mind off things.

I hear a knock on the door and my Beta walks in.

"Alpha, my daughter is here," he says politely.

"Bring her in, I want to talk to her. Alone," I say, and he nods walking away.

Soon the most beautiful girl I have ever seen walks in: she has dirty blonde hair, pale skin, and light freckles on her cheeks.

She doesn't look me in the eye, though. I sigh and look down at my work. I feel my wolf trying to tell me something, but I ignore him.

"I just want to say that I am only allowing you to join my pack because you are Beta Leonardo's daughter, so stay out of my way! You are dismissed," I say raising my voice, my anger seeping through. I wasn't mad at her, just at my wolf who kept trying to break down the barrier I had put up.

I hear a whimper and finally look up. Her eyes are wide and red with unshed tears.

It all happens at once. I meet her baby blue eyes and my wolf finally breaks down the barrier. What he says has me frozen.

"Mate! Go get mate!"

At that same moment, she runs out the room.

I stare at the spot where she was just a few seconds ago in shock.

I have a mate! My mate is alive!

Then reality sets in. I told her to stay away. She must think I will reject her! She ran!

I quickly stand up and run after her. I smell her delicious scent and see that she ran out of the village. I shift in midair into my black wolf and sprint towards my mate's scent.

Jayda’s POV:

(Before the meeting)

"The Alpha will see you now," my dad says.

He walks me to a door, and I walk in.

The most breathtaking guy is sitting behind a big mahogany desk.

He looks up at me for a second then looks back at his work. I hear my wolf say something over and over again, and when I finally understand what she is saying, my mouth turns into a face splitting smile.

"MATE, we found mate!" my wolf says.

My smile soon falls when I hear what he says.

"I just want to say that I am only allowing you to join my pack because you are Beta Leonardo's daughter, so stay out of my way! You are dismissed," he says.

I can't believe this. Ever since Ellie explained to me what mates were, I couldn't wait to find mine. But he doesn't want me. I am not good enough.

I feel tears sting my eyes, but I refuse to let them fall. A whimper escapes my lips, and he finally looks up.

He stares at me, his mouth slightly open.

I can't take the pain anymore, so I bolt out the room and leave the house. I quickly shift into my wolf, not caring that my clothes will shred.

I sprint though the woods, wanting to get away from the heart-wrenching pain I am feeling, but the farther I get, the more it hurts.

I let out a pain-filled howl and stumble to the floor.

I don't even try to stand. I just lay down, whimpering.

I then hear a twig snap and I look up. I hoped that my mate had come after me to say that he really wanted me, but I knew they were absurd thoughts. My thoughts were confirmed when a dark brown wolf started walking towards me. This wolf did not look friendly; it looked feral and deadly.

I just stared at it. Ellie said that your mate was the most important thing for a wolf and mine didn't want me, so I really didn't care if I lived or not.

The brown wolf growled at me, but I didn't even flinch.

He snapped his jaw at me, but I stayed emotionless.

He then started attacking me, his teeth sinking into my flesh. When the pain got too much, I shifted against my own will.

The physical and emotional pain was just too much.

When I shifted, the brown wolf stopped attacking me.

He looked at me over and his eyes turned black with lust.

He shifted into human form and was standing in front of me in all his naked glory.

He was actually good looking; I think all werewolves are good looking really.

He had brown hair, and I couldn't see his real eye color since his eyes were pitch black, but he stared at me hungrily.

"Aren't I lucky? I found such a yummy looking female all for myself," he says with a sardonic smile.

I feel disgusted at his words. Even though my mate didn't want me, I couldn't imagine myself with anybody else.

At lightning speed, he had me pinned between a tree and his body.

He runs his nose up and down my neck.

"I may even mark you," he says kissing my neck. I instantly tense.

"Should I mark you?" he asks with a smirk.

I start struggling. "No! Let me go! Please, I just want to leave," I whimper.

He kisses my neck and starts groping my body.

"I can't leave you without getting at least a little taste first," he says sardonically while licking my neck.

"I want you too badly, I'll just mark you and keep you," he says, his canines extending and grazing the spot where my neck and shoulder meet.

"Please stop!" I plead while sobbing.

When he is about to plunge his teeth into my neck, he is ripped off me.

I try to see, but my eyes are too blurry with tears. I wipe them away and see a black wolf attacking the guy who was about to mark me against my will. He kept throwing him against trees and sinking his teeth into his flesh and taking chunks of flesh out. The look on the black wolf's face is scary. He looks feral like he is out for blood, and not just any blood, but my attacker's blood.

After ripping my attacker apart, he turns to me, his eyes immediately soften, probably because of my tear-stained face and scared look.

He shifts back, and I see that he is my mate.

In that moment, I forget that we both are naked and run towards him, hugging him like my life depended on it.

After a moment of calming down, I realize my mistake. I am hugging the guy that told me to stay away, my Alpha. If he wanted to, he could kick me out of the pack, and I would instantly become a rogue.

I tense. "I am so sorry, Alpha, I promise it won't happen again and I will stay out of your way," I say, starting to pull away and bowing my head but not completely so I don't look at his member.

He growls and I pull away completely. "Please forgive me, Alpha," I whimper, tears streaming down my face.

I am scared shitless right now.

My mate pulls me back, burying his face in the crook of my neck, inhaling my scent.

"I am sorry," he says.

"Alpha, you have nothing to be sorry about. I was out of line, sir," I say in a small voice.

"Please stop," he says in a pained voice.

"Stop what, Alpha?" I ask.

"That!" he exclaims. "I don't want you to call me Alpha or sir! I want you to hug me whenever you want to. I don't want you to be scared of me, and I sure as hell don't want you to stay out of my way!" he says with pleading eyes.

"But you said—" I start.

"Forget what I said! I didn't know you were my mate, baby. I have been looking for you since I turned sixteen," he says, his voice full of pain, making me whimper.

He cups my cheek. "Please tell me you accept me because now that I found you, I can't bear the thought of not having you in my life! Our pack needs a Luna, and I need my mate."

I pull him close and hug his waist. "I thought you didn't want me," I cry into his chest since he is too tall for me to reach his shoulder.

"Baby, how could I not want you? You are perfect! You are everything I ever wanted in a mate and more," he says hugging me tighter.

We keep hugging each other for I don't know how long until I start to pull away, finally noticing our nakedness.

I blush and look at anywhere but my mate's face.

He chuckles at my embarrassment and starts looking for something in a tree; a few seconds later he comes back and hands me an oversized shirt while putting on some basketball shorts.

"Umm, what’s your name?" I ask in a small voice.

"Maddox, what's yours?"

"Jayda," I tell him with a smile.

"A beautiful name for my beautiful mate." He smiles back and I swear my heart stops.

He thinks I am beautiful, and his smile is breathtaking.

We start walking for a while until we get to the village. I follow Maddox to the big house that I have learned is the Alpha house.

I can feel all eyes on us. Some hungry stares from the unmated wolves. Looks like I am not the only one who notices that they were staring at me since Maddox stops abruptly and pulls me close to him.

"MINE!" he growls loudly, and I can hear everyone gasp.

"If I see any unmated males trying anything with her, they will be severely punished! Nobody tries to take what is mine!" he growls and drags me inside.

He slams the door shut, and I just stand there looking at him awkwardly while playing with my fingers.

"Jayda, baby, are you hungry?" he asks me softly.

"A little." I shrug.

He grabs hold of my hand and tugs on it softly, so I follow him. We enter a huge kitchen: the microwave, stove oven, and refrigerator are stainless steel, and the island is made of black marvel, same as the counters.

He sits me down on the island, then starts looking through the refrigerator.

"What do you want to eat, baby?" he asks looking at me with a small smile.

"A sandwich," I say smiling back at him.

"You sure? I can make you whatever you want, my love."

I blush when he calls me his love. "I am sure, Maddox, don't worry about it," I say walking up to him and kissing his cheek.

When I am about to pull back, he smiles, pulling me back and leaving a sloppy kiss on my cheek.

I giggle and then we just stare at each other with goofy grins on our faces.

"I am so glad I found you," he says with truthfulness on his voice.

"Me too."

"What kind of sandwich do you want?"

"Ham and cheese," I say.

"One ham and cheese sandwich coming right up," he says with a cheeky grin, and I grin back.

He quickly makes a sandwich and hands it to me.

I eat it quickly and turn to him.

"Thanks for the sandwich, I need to go—” I start, but a loud growl cuts me off.

"MINE! You can't leave me! MINE!" he growls pulling me closer and burying his face in the crook of my neck.

I just stare at him dumbfounded.

He pulls away slightly; his eyes are a charcoal black, and they look at me with pain deep inside of them.

"Why do you want to leave me?" he whispers brokenly.

"No! I don't want to leave; I just have to go get my stuff," I tell him reassuringly.

"Just send an Omega to get them—”

"No, I want to get my stuff," I say sternly.

He nods and pulls away.

"I'll see you later." I smile and he smiles back, kissing my forehead.

He nods. Giving him one last hug, I walk out the door.

I start looking for my dad when I find him with some lady. Must be the tramp he left my mother and me for.

"Beta Leonardo."

He turns around and looks nervously at me. "Did you talk to the Alpha? Did he let you stay?" he asks, and I nod.

I don't tell him that Maddox is my mate since it’s not really his problem.

The woman looks at me nervously.

"Sorry for interrupting you and your... wife," I say, distaste clear in my voice.

"No, it’s okay. What do you need?"

"Well, I need you to drive me back to the cemetery to get my car, and while I am there, you can look for any papers I will need to sign to be able to move into one of the houses in the pack village," I say in an emotionless tone.

He nods. "Okay, the houses are already furnished." He turns back and looks like he is going to say goodbye to the homewrecker but hesitates.

I roll my eyes and start walking out of the village.

Dad drops me off at the cemetery, and I drive to my house.

It was a cozy one-story house. When my dad left, we had financial issues, since he was the main provider. My mom started working as a nurse but had to quit when she got cancer, and since I was the only one working, we had to move to a 2-bedroom, 1-bathroom house.

The first thing I did when I got home was take a quick shower and change into some denim shorts, a blue tank top, and blue flip flops.

I sighed and started packing. Maybe this will be good, a fresh start.

While I was packing, I dialed Ellie's number multiple times, but she never picked up.

I wanted to tell her that I found my mate and that packs existed and I joined one, but I guess that will have to wait.

Two hours later, my clothes and personal belongings were all packed.

I called Ellie again, but like before it went to voice mail.

I was getting worried; she always picked up when I called her.

I sighed for what felt like the hundredth time today and started loading my suitcases in the trunk of my old car.

When I got to the pack village, I quickly mind-linked my dad to tell him to come.

"The house is ready, all you need is to sign these papers." He hands me a bunch of papers. "Then we take them to the Alpha, and once he signs them, then you can go ahead and get settled in your new house," Father says with a small smile.

I nod politely and sit on a bench to start signing the papers.

Once I was done, my dad took the papers and told me to follow him towards the Alpha's office so he could sign the papers.

Dad knocked on an office door and we heard a "come in."

When Maddox saw me, he smiled brightly.

My dad seemed taken back by Maddox's smile. He also looked a little freaked out. I really don't know why though; my mate's smile was perfect.

Maybe he doesn't smile much.

"Beta," he says in acknowledgement. "Jayda, how are you?" he asks, looking at me lovingly.

My dad looks at me confused.

"I am good, Maddox," I say smiling at him.

My dad tenses as soon as I say his name. He looks like if he is about to have a heart attack.

Maddox just seems amused at my father's reaction.

"Forgive my daughter's disrespect, she is new to the pack life. She didn't know she can't call you by your name Alpha. We just needed you to sign these papers to give her permission to live in the house next to mine in the pack village, then we'll be in our way," my dad says politely, bowing his head.

"What?" he roars. "My mate will live with me in this house, Beta!"

My dad gasps and gets as pale as a ghost.

"M-mate?" my dad stutters.

"Yes! Jayda is my mate," Maddox says glaring at dad.

Dad gulps. "I am so very sorry, Alpha. Jayda had not informed me that she was your mate."

"Why not?" Maddox asks, looking hurt.

"Well, it's not really his business," I state simply.

Maddox looks confused. "He is your father, Jayda," he states, and I roll my eyes.

"He abandoned me! When he left eight years ago, he lost all of the rights to be called my dad and to have anything to do with my life. He preferred some tramp over my mom and I—" My dad growls at me for calling his wife a tramp. But as soon as he growls at me, Maddox stands up and at lightning speed is in a protective stance in front of me. "We were both heartbroken, but I got over it! Sadly, my mom didn't," I say coldly.

"I found my mate!" my dad explains, and I roll my eyes at his excuse.

"As soon as I found out about mates, I stopped dating," Maddox cuts me off with a growl, probably because of the thought of me dating another guy. "You grew up knowing about mates, but you still made my mom fall for you and married her! Then one day you just left, and she had to get the divorce papers through the mail! You knew she was human and that one day you would find your mate, but you didn't care because you were a selfish bastard, and for that I hate you." I am yelling now. "I hate you so fucking much! You ruined my mom, and thanks to you, she lived her final years being miserable." When I am done, I have tears in my eyes.

"Beta, leave," Maddox booms.

Dad nods and leaves.

Maddox pulls me closer.

I start crying in his chest. I am glad that I got that out of my system. Every time my mom asked me how I felt, I told her I was fine, bottling all my feelings towards my dad in, and that’s why my hate for him kept growing.

Maddox picks me up and brings me to what I think is his room, because it has his scent all over it, and lays me down on the soft silk sheets. He strips out of his shirt and jeans, staying in his black boxers. He takes off my flip flops and lays down next to me, wrapping a protective arm around me. I curl into his side, and before falling asleep, I whisper, "Thank you." He kisses my forehead and for the first time, I feel something I hadn't felt for many years: I feel content.

I feel happy.

Jayda's POV:

I feel something hard yet soft under me.

I start running my hands over the unknown surface, and tense.

I am laying on top of a male.

I softly open my eyes and when I do, I smile, yesterday’s events coming to mind.

I try to get off him, but his arms tighten around waist.

After a while of just laying down, I get bored and try to get out again.

And like before, his hands tighten around me, not enough that it hurts, but enough for me not to be able to leave.

I sigh and start tracing his muscles with my finger.

He really is hot.

With his slightly tan skin, blue-green eyes, black hair and toned body, he is the hottest guy I've ever seen.

I keep running my fingers over his muscles when I hear somebody clear their throat and I freeze. Looking where the sound came from, I come face to face with a really amused Maddox.

I blush beet red. "Hmm, I wasn't—hmm yeah." I blush harder at my word vomit, and Maddox bursts out laughing.

"It’s okay baby, I am yours, so you can touch whenever you want." He winks and I cover my face with my hands.

He takes my hands off of my face.

"Don't cover yourself from me, you are mine, so I want to see every aspect of you. Including that beautiful blush," he says sternly.

I nod and he smiles.

"Hmm, Maddox. I need to brush my teeth..." I trail off.

"Go ahead," he says, but he doesn't let go.

"Well, your arms are still wrapped around me," I say awkwardly.

"Oh, yeah sorry," he says sheepishly while unwrapping his arms from around my waist.

I walk towards the bathroom. It had dark blue walls, granite tops, and a his-and-hers closet. It had a shower and a jacuzzi.

I start looking for a toothbrush in the cabinets, but I don't find one.

"Maddox," I call out, still looking through the cabinet.

"Yeah baby?" Maddox whispers in my ear making me jump. He had put on some pajama pants.

I get up from my crouched position. Maddox hugs me from behind and rests him head on my shoulder.

"Maddox, I can't find a toothbrush," I whine.

"Over here," he says, getting a packet full of new toothbrushes from a little closet behind us.

He hands me the packet, and I pick a neon green toothbrush.

Maddox grabs his blue toothbrush from the toothbrush holder.

When we are done brushing our teeth I turn to Maddox.

"Hey, Maddox can I make you breakfast?" I ask blushing.

He smiles. "If you want, but you don't have to."

"I want to," I assure him.

He shows me the kitchen and sits on one of the tools.

"What do you want to eat?" I ask him.

"What can you make?" Maddox asks.

"Whatever you want me to baby," I reply with a smile.

"Surprise me," he winks and I smirk. "I will, now get out of the kitchen."

"But I want to stay here with you," he whines, and I laugh.

"It will just take a bit, now leave so I can cook."

He pouts adorably while I push him out of the kitchen.

Now, what should I make? I want to make a good impression, and I want my mate to know I can take care of him.

I decide to make scrambled eggs with sausage and bacon. Some pancakes, oatmeal, and two breakfast burritos.

I grab the ingredients, and after one hour and a half, I am done.

I grab two glasses and fill them with orange juice.

I grab a tray and pile everything in it. If I were a human, then I wouldn't be able to hold the tray but with the werewolf strength than I am able to do it effortlessly.

I go up the stairs as fast as I can, then open the door.

Maddox was sitting in the bed, with the remote in his hand channel surfing.

As soon as I open the door, his eyes snap to me and a smile overcomes his face.

He starts standing up, but I stop him. "What the hell are you doing?" I hiss stopping him in mid-walk.

"Hmm, walking towards my mate so I can help her carry the food," he says.

I smile. "Well don't, I want to bring my man breakfast in bed."

He smiles while nodding and going back to the bed.

I walk towards the bed and sit on it. Maddox looks at the tray of food, and his face lights up like a kid on Christmas.

"Wow baby, this looks delicious," he compliments and I smile.

"Try it and then you tell me," I tell him.

He takes a bite of the scrambled eggs with the bacon and sausage, and he closes his eyes and moans dramatically, making me roll my eyes.

"Jesus, babe this tastes fantastic," he exclaims and I smile.

"Thanks, when mom got sick, I went to take cooking classes, so that I could make her something good, so I pretty much know how to make everything," I say with a smile.

He kisses my cheek. "Thank you, baby."

I blush. "You’re welcome"

"Open wide," he says as he holds up a spoonful of food for me.

I open my mouth and he feeds me.

The next hour is spent with us feeding each other and talking about stupid things.

"I am so full!" I groan and he laughs.

"What? You ate less than I did," he says making me laugh.

"That’s because you eat like a pig," I say with a laugh and he gasps.

"Oh my God! No, you didn't," Maddox says in a falsetto voice while snapping his fingers, making me burst out laughing.

"Oh yes I did, you eat like a pig," I say sticking my tongue out at him.

"Take it back babe, or else," he warns.

"What are you going to do Alpha?" I challenge and he smirks.

"This," he simply says and starts tickling me senseless.

"M-M-add-ox sto-p i-t or y-ou will p-ay," I say between laughs, and his smirk widens.

"Baby, you are only making this harder for yourself," he says in amusement, still tickling me.

I don't want to give in, but I can't let him keep tickling me, or else I am going to have a heart attack.

I have tears in my eyes and can't stop laughing.

"S-top," I say.

"Take it back and I will," he says in a sing-song voice.

I roll my eyes but give in. "Ok-ay oka-y! I t-ta-ke it BA-ck," I say in between gasps and Maddox immediately stops.

"See? That wasn't so hard, was it?" He asks in a mocking tone.

I glare at him and then get an idea.

I smile mischievously at him, and he raises an eyebrow.

I crawl my way towards him, then without a warning, I start tickling him.

I tickle him with all I have, but he still doesn't laugh or squirm.

I tickle him harder and nothing.

"You aren't ticklish, are you?" I ask defeated.

He smirks. "Nope, but you can keep doing what you are doing. I quite enjoy your hands on my body," he winks.

"Oh God," I groan, hiding under the covers.

I hear his booming laugh and I blush harder.

He pulls the covers from over me and tries to stifle his laugh.

"I'm not laughing," he says, but the tip of his mouth goes up and he starts laughing like a hyena again.

I pout, crossing my arms over my chest looking away from him.

When he sees me do that, he finally sobers up.

"I am sorry baby, it’s just too funny to see you embarrassed," he explains.

I glare at him and start getting out of the bed, but his arms stop me.

He wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me back against him, burying his face in the crook of my neck.

"I'm sorry baby," he says against my neck, making me shiver.

I huff and try to get out of his arms, but that only makes him tighten his hold.

I am not mad, but of course, he doesn't need to know that.

"Leave me alone, Maddox."

"Never, I am sorry for upsetting you. It wasn't my intention baby," he says apologetically.

I sigh. "I am not mad, I was just messing with you." I say with a smile.

He playfully glares at me. "You are so mean."

I nod. "That I am."

He kisses my cheek, then smiles lovingly.

"What are we going to do today?" His smile instantly falls.

"I am sorry baby, but I need to work today," he says frowning.

"Oh," I say, disappointment clear in my voice.

"How about you go visit my sister? You can hang out with her until I am done," he says while hugging me.

"Sure,” I say hugging him back.

"Well, we should get ready," Maddox says pulling away. "Where are my clothes?" I ask him.

"An Omega left your suitcases in the living room. I'll go get it," he says kissing my cheek and walking out the room.

A minute later he enters the room with my suitcase.

"I will take a shower in the guest room; you take one here," he says, grabbing some clothes and exiting the room.

I open my suitcase and look at the contents.

I take out my strawberry scented shampoo, conditioner, and body wash.

I turn on the shower, get in and scrub my body and wash my hair.

After about 30 minutes, I am out of the shower.

I wrap a towel around myself and start looking for something to wear in my suitcase.

After a while, I decide on wearing a black half-shirt with some overall shorts and black combat boots. I put my hair in a waterfall braid.

I decide to call Ellie again; I was getting really worried that she wasn't picking up my calls.

I called her three times, and not once did she pick up.

I send her a text message, telling her to call me, walk out the room, down the stairs, and see Maddox waiting in the living room.

He looked good. He was wearing a black V-neck and dark blue jeans that hung low on his hips.

"Hey," I say softly. His eyes quickly snap to mine.

"Hey babe," he says with a lazy grin.

Smiling at him I ask, "You ready?"

"Yeah, you?" He asks.

I nod.

"Then let's go," he says standing up and grabbing my hand in his.

We walk hand in hand through the pack village until we are in front of a cute yellow two-story house.

We get to the door and Maddox knocks on it. "Nikki! Open the door."

About 15 seconds later the door opens.

A girl with brown eyes and brown hair with a caramel-colored ombre opens the door.

She is wearing a bright blue tank top with a white bandeau, high-waisted denim shorts, and white toms.

"What do you want Maddox?" She snaps. He smiles, not even caring about how she talked to him.

"Well, I just wanted to inform my awesome sister that I found my mate," Maddox says, kissing my cheek.

My mate's sister's eyes snap to me, and her eyes widen as if she hadn't noticed me.

"Hi," I squeak, managing a little wave.

She rolls her eyes and brings me in for a hug. "I am so happy he finally found you! I thought you were dead," she says bluntly, making Maddox growl.

"Umm, thank you?" I say a little confused.

"You’re welcome, now what's your name?" she asks.

"Jayda," I say playing with my fingers.

This girl is intimidating.

"Well, my name is Nicole, but people call me Nikki. Now goodbye Maddox, go torture whoever you need to torture, I want to have bonding time with your mate,” she says making my eyes widen.

Did she really mean that? Does Maddox...torture people?

Maddox glares at Nikki and her confident face falls a little.

"Hmm, let’s go Jayda, we have lots to talk about," she says quickly and drags me inside.

"So, when did you meet my brother?" Nicole asks me as soon as the door is closed.

"We met when I was going to join the pack" I say, smiling at the thought of Maddox.

"Aw so cute. How was it? Did he see you and started growling 'MINE' like my mate did, or did just run up to you and kiss the life out of you?" she asks with a grin.

My smile falters at the thought of how I met my mate—it wasn't the way I imagined I would meet my mate, that’s for sure.

She saw that my smile had fallen. "What’s wrong? What did my stupid brother do?" She asks with concern on her delicate features.

I debate on whether I should tell her or not. I mean I just met her, but I need to talk to someone, and Ellie hasn't been picking up my calls, so I decide on telling her.

I told her how my dad and his Beta left me when I was ten, how my mom got sick and later died, and how my dad came to the funeral to tell me that I needed to join the pack, or I would become rogue. And finally, I told her how when I first came into his office, he told me to stay away from him, and I ran away, only to come across some crazy werewolf who wanted to mark me.

When I was done explaining everything, Nikki was looking at me with wide eyes.

"Wow, of course my brother would do that! I am so sorry he made you go through that. He was really grumpy when he thought you were dead. All he really did was kill rogues and lead the pack," she said with a frown.

"K-kill?" I stutter.

"That’s what Alphas do, Jayda. They kill rogues. Maddox takes it more personal since a rogue killed our parents, but that’s just how things are done, rogues are bad, careless killers that will hurt you any chance they get," Nicole says.

I just stare at her, not knowing what to say.

"So...want to know how I met my mate Luke?" she asks, changing the topic.

I smile at her. "Yes, I do, how did you?" I ask happily.

"Well, we met at the mall. We were both with our friends when we smelled each other. He ran up to me and we started making out in the middle of the mall. Then he invited me to his house, and we completed the mating process, if you know what I mean, " she says wiggling her eyebrows, and I blush.

"You have no shame, Nikki," I say shaking my head.

She shrugs. "Not really"

I laugh "So, how does it feel to be marked?" I ask her eagerly.

She laughs at my excitement. "Hmm, who would've thought. It’s always the quiet ones," she says with humor in her voice, making me laugh and stick my tongue at her.

"Okay, I'll tell you. So it hurts like a bitch—" she says making my eyes widen. "Let me finish!" she scolds and I nod. "So it hurts a lot, but just for a few seconds then all you feel is pleasure," she explains dreamily.

"That’s cool," I say blushing.

"The best part is that every time your mate touches your mark it tingles," she says with a smile.

"Can I–hmm can I see your mark?" I ask shyly.

"Of course you can, silly," she says, moving her hair out of her neck to show me what looked like a tattoo. It had two wolves howling at the moon and the words "Luke Samuel" under it.

"This," she says pointing at the grey and black wolf, "Is my wolf."

"This one,” she says pointing to the brown wolf, "Is Luke, my mate's wolf," she says with a smile.

"Your mark is beautiful, are all the marks like that?" I ask.

"Well, the marks always have yours and your mate's wolves, and your mate's name under it."

"That is so cool, I can't wait to have—never mind." I say quickly.

"Oh my God! You want to be marked! Just tell him, and he will gladly do it," she says with a knowing smile.

"I can't do that. I want him to mark me when he wants to, not because I told him to." I say with a frown and she smirks.

"Honey, I bet he fights his wolf every day because he thinks you aren't ready to be marked," she says knowingly.

"Or he just doesn't want to mark me, I mean he is so perfect and I am just...me,” I say sadly, finally realizing how bummed Maddox must be to have a mate like me.

"Jayda, my brother is not perfect and neither are you, but you know what? You are perfect for each other. The moon goddess chose you to be his other half because you guys are meant to be,” she says, making my eyes get teary.

"Oh gosh no, please don't cry! C’mon, I get awkward when people cry," she whines.

I laugh through the tears. "I am not crying because I am sad. I am just so happy I found someone like him."

She visually relaxes. "Oh, thank the heavens! I actually thought I would have to comfort you, and I really hate that because I get all awkward, and don't know how to calm the person," she says sheepishly.

"Wow," I say with a laugh, wiping my tears away.

"Yeah, but lucky me, you stopped crying. Anyways I really like you. I am glad my brother has you as a mate,” she says truthfully.

I smile at her. "Aw thanks, I like you too. And I am also glad I have him as a mate."

"It's kind of weird though, the ruthless Alpha male is mated with the innocent she-wolf," she says thoughtfully.

"Maddox is not ruthless, he is the sweetest guy I have ever met," I point out.

"Maddox? Sweet?" She bursts out laughing.

I stare at her weirdly.

"Oh. You're serious, aren't you?"

"Of course."

"Honey, he is only sweet to you—and to me sometimes—but to the rest of the world, he is a scary killing machine."

I was about to answer when a knock on the door stops me.

Nikki holds up her finger and starts walking towards the door. "Hold that thought."

I nod and wait.

She lazily starts walking towards the door. As soon as she opens it, Maddox comes into view.

"Hello little sister," he says pinching her cheek, making her swat his hand away.

"Where is my beautiful mate?" he asks looking around the room. I noticed that he had changed his clothes.

"Why are you back so early? It’s only been two hours? Go away," Nikki whines walking towards me and giving me a side hug.

"I missed her," he states simply.

"Aw that is so cute! You are so whipped," she says jumping up and down excitedly.

"Yes, I am extremely whipped." Throughout this whole conversation I am blushing like crazy.

"Now give me my mate Nikki," he says, making Nikki pout.

"Bye Nikki, see you later," I say hugging her and walking towards Maddox, who as soon as I was within reach, wrapped his arms around me.

I give him a kiss in the cheek.

"By the way, Jayda wants you to mark her," Nicole says in a sing-song voice, making my eyes widen and Maddox's darken.

I give Nikki my meanest glare, making her wink at me.

"I hate you," I mouth at her.

"No, you don't, now off you go."

Maddox says his goodbyes, practically dragging me towards the Alpha house.

When we enter Maddox's bedroom, he sits us on the bed and turns to me.

"Do you want me to mark you?" He asks, his eyes changing from his natural blue-green color to a deep black.

"Maddox, I don't want you to mark me because I forced you to. I want you to do it because you want to," I say softly.

He blinks. "Babe, I have wanted to mark you since the moment I found out you were my mate. I haven't done it because I didn't know if you were ready. You do realize the responsibilities that will come with me marking you right?" He asks.

"Responsibilities?" I ask.

"Yes, by me marking you, you will become the Luna of this pack."

"What’s a Luna?" I ask curiously.

"A Luna is like the Alpha female. You are my equal. You are the like mother of the pack. You take care of the pack."

"Can I do that?" I ask nervously.

"Of course; also when you are Luna, you will become more understanding and loving. That happens because Lunas are made to balance a pack. While Alphas discipline the pack by being hard on them, the Lunas care for the pack," he explains while moving his hands to make the point.

I nod slowly. "What else?"

"You will have to know everything about the pack and also train with them."

"I think I can do that," I say with a small smile.

His eyes light up. "Really?"

"Yes really."

"So just to be clear, you are giving me permission to mark you right?" He asks.

I giggle. "Yes silly," I say and kiss him.

As soon as my lips touch his, his eyes darken.

The kiss becomes heated fast, and soon enough we are making out, his mouth trails down my jay then my neck where he leaves a trail of wet kisses.

When he gets to the spot where my neck and shoulder meet, he starts sucking and nibbling. I feel his canines graze my flesh for a second then he plunges them into my neck.

I can see why Nikki said that this hurts like a bitch. It’s a pain I have never felt before, his canines sink deeper into my skin, making me hiss and try to pull away, but he holds my arms so I don't pull away.

After a few more seconds I feel him pull his canines out and lick the place where my mark was, so it would seal our bond. I arch my back and let out a loud moan. I have never felt that kind of pleasure.

He pulls away, and I start to lose consciousness.

Before I pass out, I hear him say:

"You are now mine and only mine, Luna."