I awoke harshly as the sound of something slamming against my door echoed in the room, ripping me away from my sleep. I was about to sit up when another arm that was not my own shot out in front of me, not wanting me to get up out of bed.
I followed the arm to the large torso of my mate, who had already risen up out of bed and was stanced warily on his knees next to me, eyes and ears trained on my bedroom door of Cressida's house.
"Madeline? Are you decent? Calla wanted me to come wake you." I heard the voice of Elowen call out from behind the door. Demetrius retraced his arm and crawled off my bed, finding his garments on the floor.
I'd forgotten Demetrius had crashed in my bed last night.
After my underwear incident he tried to fire up the mood once again but I wasn't having any of it. Instead we laid in my bed and watched a movie on the television that had been provided on the dresser, I'd fallen asleep long before the movie ended, that was why I didn't remember Demetrius ever leaving.
"Sorry I just woke up." I called back.
There was a long pause and I half expected Elowen to have left, turning my vision over to the werewolf standing at the foot of my bed, catching him as he pulled his shirt over his head.
"Is Alpha Renwick in there with you?" I heard her call once more, I winced under the high pitch of her voice startling me. "Because I can come back later." She added.
Instead of answering, I watched as Demetrius walked calmly towards the door, opening it enough for me to see her face. She smiled brightly at Demetrius. "Give her 10 minutes and she'll be down with her things." He greeted her, she simply nodded and turned on her heel and walked away.
"Next time you want to sleep over, ask." I deadpanned, he smiled at me in response as his eyes gazed over me sitting up in bed. "It didn't seem to be an issue when you clung to me in the middle of the night." He teased.
I gasped and reached for my pillow, but he exited my room and shut the door behind him by the time the pillow reached its destination in the air, hitting my door with a loud thud sound as the hinges bashed together.
Today is the day we all travelled to the werecat territory, my father's pride, my home. I was anxious to say the least, no only was I returning back to the comfort of my own home and bed after all that had transpired the last few days, Demetrius was joining me.
Would I have to tell my mother? Would Demetrius stay in our house?
I shook my head, those thought were ridiculous, there was no way father would allow the werewolf alpha in our home, mate or not. Knowing father he'll have Demetrius accommodated furthest from our home.
Our climate in our clan was always warm and sunny, only threatening a downpour after dark when the moon came out, we never had to stress over snow or significant fluctuations in the temperature throughout the year, we thrived in the heat, but I wasn't so sure the other leader's could too.
As Demetrius promised, I was dragging my two suitcases down the staircase within enough time to watch as the other clambered in and out of the entry way doors with their own belongings.
I'd only changed into sweatpants and a cropped shirt, preparing myself for the climate to change as we cross the boarder. It was a smart decision on my part.
Scanning my eyes across the room I caught sight of my father speaking quietly with Calla, my sister hauling the last of father's belongings out the front door, Zaros propping up an umbrella for Mavis, and then my eyes fell on Elowen, who's hand rested comfortably on Demetrius' forearm as she giggled.
I pursed my lips as my eyes stayed glued on them both, he chuckled lightly in response to her's before his nose twitched and his head shot up to face me, all expression dispersing from his face. Elowen followed his gaze and dropped her hand, sending me a friendly smile as she rolled on her toes like she had yesterday, portraying an innocent demeanour.
Demetrius took a step towards me and I looked away, finishing my descent down the stairs with my suitcases. I was not going to be the kind of partner that made every situation out to be something it wasn't. They were just having a conversation, it's none of my business.
But deep down, I knew it bothered me to see his usual stiff demeanours break for her like it does for me, it was just a laugh, but Demetrius never laughs.
"Let me help." He murmured, coming to stand beside me as I reached the last step, grabbing a hold quickly of the suitcase in my left hand. I cocked and eyebrows as I watched him lift it out of my grasp like it weighed nothing. "You and Elowen get along." I teased.
He shot me a look as he rolled his shoulders back and we began walking through the foyer and towards the front door. "You're not upset about us chatting are you?" He reiterated.
I scoffed as we exited through the front door and out onto the porch, there was six cars lined up in the driveway, all unlocked and open to be packed with everyone's belongings. "Of course not, I don't like the way she was touching you."
"Seriously?" He bit back. I followed his pace in the direction of the third car, which I noticed had both my fathers and my sister's suitcases already in the boot, so I wasn't going to be riding with him? Was taking his own car? "I didn't take you to be the jealous type, Madeline. Elowen is just overbearing."
"I'm not jealous." I argued. Demetrius opened the door and chucked my suit case in, I went to follow suit but he stood in front of it and stared down at me, an amused grin on his face. "I'm not." I added, glaring up at him. Did he find this amusing? Was it funny to him to see me upset over another girl?
"Good, because it would be weird if you were jealous of a girl who looks and acts like a child." He teased.
I looked away embarrassed.
Demetrius made a good point. Elowen was cute but only in the aspect of child-like innocence, only a mad man would find it attractive and I should have known better than to question my mate on his loyalty to the bond that I knew he felt, if he couldn't feel the bond he wouldn't have known I was even standing there.
"It would be weirder if you were attracted to it." I blurted, letting my thoughts spill out from my mouth before I could stop it. Of course Demetrius wasn't attracted to Elowen, the mate-ship wouldn't allow him to be.
Demetrius chuckled and I felt as he planted a hard kiss on the top of my head. "If your father wasn't approaching us right now I swear I could rip that piece of fabric you call a shirt right off you, you're that attractive." He murmured and I felt my body tense, unsure of which shocked me more, the fact he was sending off pheromones in waves right in front of me or the fact my father was indeed approaching us.
I guess that answered my question though, Demetrius was attracted to me and I blushed as he cleared his throat and stood out the way of the car door, allowing me to chuck the last suitcase in as my father reached us.
"I don't know if you got the memo, mutt. But you won't be riding with us." My father interjected harshly, I winced and turned to fact the both of them.
Demetrius remained composed considering the comment he'd just made about my shirt, I was still beet red over it. Instead of replying, he simply ignored my father and turned to look at me, there was a knowing flash that danced across his eyes in reference to his comment that made my heart jump a little, he was still thinking about it. "It's probably for the better, right Madeline?"
"Y-Yeah, I'll see you when we get to my pride, Alpha Renwick." I stammered, before looking down at the floor and walking to the passenger seat. There was so much tension in the way he acted, and it excited me in way that terrified my very being.
Part of me wanted him to rip my shirt off like he said he would, but the more rational side of me knew that if he did I would just choke up and get embarrassed. Not because it would have been public, but because no ones ever seen my body before, besides other women.
In our pride, the women aid each other in raising the children, I shared baths with many other girls in my clan, shifted into my lioness with many other women, to us it was normal. But for a man to see it, meant something entirely different.
****
I awoke as the car came to a sudden halt, causing me to lurch forward in my seat. If it wasn't for the seatbelt I would have hit the back of the driver's seat with how forceful the stop was.
Mika had forced me to sit in the backseat again with the luggage, while she and father took turns driving. We couldn't take the helicopter this time because we were leading all the others to our clan. This meant we were on a twelve hour road trip.
Twelve hours stuck in a car with my father and sister who ignored my existence, checking the time on the dash board momentarily I saw I'd been asleep for six hours, it was still light outside but the sun hung low and could barely be seen over the tips of the trees.
"Why'd we stop?" I muttered, sitting back comfortably in my seat, or as comfortably as I could be with the luggage taking up most of the room.
Mika turned in her seat to face me as my father unbuckled his seatbelt and left the car from the passenger side door, disappearing from view as he walked away. "We're going to see if the other's want to make a pit stop for some food."
"And father agreed to this?" I queried, surely father would have preferred to be back home before he ate.
"No, but I'm the one behind the wheel."
Before I could get a word out there was a light bang on the roof of the car as and outstretched arm sprouted from a figure that leaned into the car from the passenger side, who's door was left open by my father when he left.
"Miss Falkov, I apologise if this sounds insensitive because we're all hungry, but there's only another four hours until we reach your clan." Zaros stated. "Surely you can hold off for another few hours." He added, his eyes pleaded with Mika who wore an irritated expression on her lips. I too was hungry and wouldn't mind stopping to get something to eat, but Zaros was right, if we kept driving we could be home by eight o'clock, it would give us enough time to settle everyone in and provide food.
Mika grunted and looked away. "That's easy for you to say, blood bat."
I gasped as my hand clamped over my mouth. I never knew Mika to be so discriminatory, surely it was just her hunger getting the best of her, but it shocked me nonetheless. "Mika!" I hissed, Zaros turned to look at me in the back seat, sending me a small but grateful smile. "I don't take it personally." He defended.
With his hand on the roof of the car and tapped it before standing back up straight and huffed. "The choice is yours of course, miss Falkov. But if you decide to stay behind to eat, your father will have to join us as we push ahead."
"I'll just wait." Mika gritted out through a clenched jaw. My sister has always been high strung, but when she was hungry she could never contain her emotions, she was angry.
Zaros stepped away from the car to allow my father to hop back in, he bowed his head respectfully before walking away back to his own vehicle as my father slammed the car door shut. "Watch your tone Mika." He spoke lowly, hinting towards her behaviour being unacceptable.
My father never put his foot down about Mika, all the time she bullied me and made snide comments about me, he didn't care. He probably didn't care all too much about her behaviour now, but felt as though he should make a comment as to not tarnish his own reputation, not that he had much of a positive one after what transpired the last few days. At least in my mind.
As promised we arrived on the clan boarder four a little over four hours later, the sun had set and the large fire torches that aligned either side of the dirt road ignited and sense of excitement within me as I realised I was home.
The guards bowed as Mika drove past the torches, signifying that we were now in Werecat territory, the other cars following suit.
Soon enough the dirt road shifted to that of cement as we turned onto the main road in the direction of our town, in the distance it grew brighter with streetlights and small buildings. We drove past the school and I wondered whether my friends had saved any notes from class like they promised me they would.
It was my final year of schooling and it's not like my future mattered all that much, especially now that I met Demetrius. Being the Alpha's daughter no one questioned when I wouldn't attend school and the teachers didn't hackle me about the work requirements. If I didn't feel alienated enough at home, I had school to deal with also.
But this wasn't the direction of our home as I realised we made a right turn instead of a left, in the direction of the town centre instead of home. "Where are we going?" I wondered.
Father grunted in the front seat as if I'd asked a stupid question. "Your mother wanted to properly welcome the other leaders into the land." He clarified.
"Like a party?" I edged on, the last time all the leaders were gathered together in celebration I met Demetrius, I smiled to myself in the backseat as I recalled the moment I met him. My clumsiness was the reason we met, the only beneficial result I'd ever received for my clumsiness.
"No Madeline, like a greeting. There'll be food and music and an opportunity for the leaders to settle in properly for the short period of time they'll be here."
I went to speak but Mika cleared her throat and spoke up instead. "You won't be attending, Maddie. This is strictly for leader's. I'm dropping father off to meet with mother and then I'm taking us home to unpack." She clarified, my heart dropped. That sounds entirely ridiculous to me, why was I not allowed to take part in this event? Did mother agree with this?
As we parked at the town centre I caught sight of my mother, smiling expectantly at our car with her hands clasped together in front of her. She seemed excited to have us home and I smiled as I watched her. "Stay in the car, Madeline." My father ordered as Mika cut the engine. "I want to say hi to mother." I argued, furrowing my eyebrows together in annoyance.
My father ignored me and exited the car, Mika following suit and I watched as my mother paced quickly towards the both of them, enveloping my sister in a tight hug, releasing we after a few seconds to embrace my father and peck his lips lightly. Having missed us this last few days. And I wondered, did mother know about the fairies?
When she broke away from my father her eyebrows knitted together as she glanced between him and Mika, searching for a missing person, me.
My father said something to her that might her look directly at the car I was still seated in, a worrisome expression now plastered on her face. Stepping towards me my father caught her hand as if to tell her not to approached the car, instead of obeying my father she pulled her arm away and began pacing quickly towards the car. My smile grew, my mother was the only person who appreciated me, made me feel valued in the family.
I smiled and unbuckled my seatbelt, I didn't care about my father's order for me to stay in the car, I knew my mother would defend my actions if I got out. Pushing open the car door I stepped out.
"Helena." I heard my father warn but she ignored him as she continued to advance towards me. I stepped out of the car and my mother halted in place, her nose twitched and my smile dropped, was something wrong?
"Mum?" I called. Stepping towards her, she was merely a two feet away from me, her smiled faltered a little bit but she composed herself enough to not let whatever she was thinking he expressed on her face.
"Madeline, my kitten." She cooed as she finished her walk towards me, this time more cautiously before pulling me in for a tight hug. I relaxed in her touch, the stress instantly leaving my body. "You need a good shower, you smell like - well you smell like."
"Like a mutt." My father interrupted, finishing her sentence for her. I awaited for that familiar canine snarl that Demetrius often emitted but there was silent, when my mother pulled away from me I took the opportunity to glance around the open space of the town centre, maybe he was still in his car? "Alpha Renwick has grown an obsession for our daughter." He added, my mother gasped.
"Please Darren, explain it properly." Came calla's voice as he joined us on the brick flooring of the town centre, he accompanied with Elowen who stood at his side a few steps behind him, her cloak draped over her shoulders mysteriously.
My father cleared his throat and took my mother's hand in his comfortingly. "It's been discovered that our daughter is the soulmate of Alpha Renwick." He admitted. "Now I know that will come as a shock, personally I think-"
"No, I don't want to know what you think." My mother interrupted, raising her hand out of my fathers grasp to shush him, he fell silent as bewilderment overtook his expression. "Knowing you it'll just be a comment that degrades both your daughter and our ally. Mate-ship is celebrated in our pride, regardless of who it is. I think this is wonderful news." She finished as she looked directly at me, her smile was that of pride, my mother felt proud of me.
"My love, this is barbaric. Our daughter is just a child-" My father stammered but was cut off once more.
"Only because you continue to treat her as one. Now, I would like to hear someone else's opinion on the matter, someone unbiased." She bit.
Calla cleared his throat and in unison, we turned to face him. "It seems as though they do have a strong connection to one another. If you can look past the contradicting fact that they're of two different species, you'll see that they do compliment each other quite nicely." He explained.
That was enough for my mother to hear as she clapped her hands together momentarily. "Well, I don't know why the rest of you are so high strung, this is supposed to be a fun night. Prejudices aside and Madeline's news out of the way, how about some dinner?"
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