Mated

Meeting Maddox

Chapter Thirty-One "Meeting Maddox"

Kieran revved the engine of his camaro before racing off with Lyric at his side. He promised her that they would go to the mall another day, but that this was much more important. It was his literal duty to see to it that Jett was mated in a timely manner and he was supposed to be the one to present the lucky ladies to Jett, not the other way around. Jett had gone behind the Pack and had found a prospective mate. A human no less. And now it was all on Kieran to introduce and explain things to his father. He raced to his home, taking back roads he knew all too well, and arrived home in just thirty minutes. Lyric hadn't complained about his speed so he had pushed it a little by going seventy.

Once home, he asked Max to garage the camaro and his father's whereabouts. His father was in his study, Max informed him. He nodded and told Lyric to go to their room and wait, that this was a sensitive matter that she couldn't be part of. Not yet anyway. He sucked in a deep breath before going to his father's study and knocking on the door. His father called for entry and he did as he was beckoned.

"I need to talk to you," he said, looking at his father.

"Oh?" Maddox looked up from his newspaper with questioning eyes.

"Not as your son, but as the next Alpha in line," he said, hating sounding so stuffy. "And Jett's best friend," he added, trying to sound less like he had been. His father put aside his newspaper and motioned for Kieran to sit. Once he was sitting, Maddox motioned for him to continue.

"Jett has gone behind our backs and has found himself a prospective mate," he said in a hurry. His father's eyes grew dark. "And to make matters worse, she's human."

"Excuse me?"

"Jett has a girlfriend. A human one." His skin was crawling as his father looked him over. He had seen his father angry before but never like this. This was borderline the effect Stone had on Maddox. "Dad--," he tried to start.

"Don't," Maddox snarled, holding up his hand. "Bring them both to me right now."

Kieran nodded and scurried off to gather the other two. He found them laughing it up with Gram in the kitchen and he could have killed the Beta right there. Breaking another rule. Maddox was to meet the prospective mate first, then Mirabelle, and so on. He grabbed the Beta's arm and gently took Tessa's hand before hauling them both upstairs. He ushered them into the office and closed the door behind them. Maddox made no move to tell them to sit and when Tessa tried to pull a chair out to have a seat, Jett grabbed her arm and shook his head. They were to remain standing in his presence.

"Is it true?" Maddox asked, his eyes wandering over Tessa.

"Yes, sir," Jett answered, hanging his head down.

"How long?"

"Nine months and three days," Tessa said joyfully before also taking cue and looking down. "Sir."

Kieran just stared at the Beta. He had only been mated to Lyric for close to two months now and Jett had been hiding this human for almost a year. He couldn't believe it.

"You have been dating this human since before Kieran had a chance to find a mate," Maddox growled at Jett, standing up and placing his palms on the desk before him. "That breaks Pack law."

"Yes, sir," Jett gulped. His shoulders slumped and Kieran could smell the shame and fear rolling off of him in waves.

"Sir?" Tessa spoke up. Maddox's eyes darted to her and he nodded, silently telling her she could speak. "If I had known about your Pack rule—laws—I never would have continued to be with Jett. I only found out about your species a few months ago."