The Alpha's Rebel

Chapter 24

We pull up to Maddox's house right at sunset. I'm on edge, my walls already put up long ago at the prospect of being in a foreign pack. I know nothing about these people. How could I not have me defenses at the ready?

Maddox's house is more of a mansion than a house. I'm not surprised, since many alpha's and higher ranks in the pack do live in mansions. Most pack members have pretty big and nice houses as well. You still have the smaller houses for people who prefer simplicity and for when guests come, like Maddox staying in our pack for a week.

Maddox's mansion stuns me, and I step out of the car with my jaw on the ground, forgetting about the tension that's been building up at moving to his pack.

The alpha's mansion back home was a simple red brick. It was beautiful inside and out, but not on the level of the building in front of me. The walls are a light grey brick, the shutters and windows a simple white. It looks like a cross between a castle and a family home.

I love it.

Maddox comes up to me and turns me towards him. The small touch of his hand is enough to calm me down, and a small smile forms on my lips. His moves his hand to my face and presses his lips to mine. "Welcome home, baby," he murmurs against them, and I throw my arms around his neck in response.

"So what first? Bringing my stuff in or finishing this?" I whisper, pulling back just enough so our foreheads are still pressed together.

"Do you even need to ask?" Maddox asks. It's not really a question at all, and was mine. He pulls away from me and smiles, taking my hand and leading me up the walkway.

From the parts of the house that I do see, it's extremely well decorated and keeps the castle-homey feel going. I'm too preoccupied with the need to feel Maddox's naked body against mine that focusing on anything else isn't in the cards right now. Tomorrow, I'll take the time to explore the house.

But right now, the only thing on my mind is Maddox.

~~~~

With clothes back on our bodies an hour later, Maddox and I start unloading the car with goofy grins on our face.

"I mind linked Damien to come and help us unload," Maddox tells me, and I feel my walls shoot all the way up. Maddox somehow knows that this will be my reaction, because in a soft voice, he explains, "I know you've been worried about meeting the pack and them not accepting you. We'll start introducing slowly so you don't get overwhelmed with all of it. Damien is my beta. He's the only person you'll meet tonight."

I'm overwhelmed with my love for Maddox for how intuitive he already is to me. The way he knows how I react to situations so soon after meeting me is insane in the best way possible, and I want him to know how much I appreciate him respecting how I'm feeling. I stop rolling my suit case along the floor and he stops a few steps in front of me. I approach him as he sets the boxes down and kiss him. It's a short and sweet kiss, but the amount of passion is enough to send a zing of electricity to the very tips of my fingers and toes. 

I pull away, looking into his dark eyes and seeing all the emotions flickering through them. "I love you," I say softly, bringing a hand up to his cheek. "Thank you."

I don't need to tell him what I'm thanking him for. He knows. All the unspoken words in the air are clear for both of us. 

Maddox smiles, nods, and lets his lips linger on my forehead for a few seconds. I close my eyes and bask in the simple feeling of his lips against my skin in the most innocent way possible. I'm so content in the moment that I don't hear someone walk in through the wide open front door.

The man clears his throat and smiles at Maddox and I standing next to the stairs. He's not obvious about it, but he seems the teeniest bit surprised at the sight of me. I honestly don't blame him. Who would ever think that I would be a luna with my wild red hair, dark eyes, and a resting bitch face.