Madeline's POV
I found myself sitting up suddenly as a gasp left my throat, I had regained my ability to move. The last thing I had to remember was sitting at the table when Demetrius yelled at me to watch out for something. Then I remembered the pain that crept slowly up my neck that caused me to fall unconscious. How long had I been out for?
I studied the room I was in. The decor of dark furniture ranging from different shades of black made it hard for me to distinguish everything, even under the sunlight that struggling to shine in through the long grey drapes adjacent to the bed I was situated in. Wait, a bed? I drew my attention to the sheets, a thick fluffy white duvet had been draped over me as I sat on black sheets, and odd combination in comparison to the rest of the rooms aesthetic. This was not my room at the Coven, nor was it my room back home. Where was I?
"You're awake." I heard Demetrius speak and my head twisted in the direction of a door I hadn't noticed before, he was standing in the doorway in a pair of dark wash blue jeans and a long sleeve black shirt, far more casual than the attire I had seen him in previously. "Calla said you would be out for six hours."
"I've been asleep for six hours?" I exclaimed, disappointed when he shook his head. "Try twelve." He corrected me. I looked down at my lap and rubbed my eyes out of stress, my father will have my head for this I just know it. How could I have fallen asleep? Where was I? I couldn't push myself to move from my place on the unfamiliar bed that smelt only of fresh linen.
"I wasn't sure whether you would have appreciated your clothes to be changed while you were unconscious but there is something a little more comfortable at the foot of the bed if you want to now." He added.
The gesture had my cheeks burn unwillingly, but the overwhelming uncertainty of my location and the events that transpired in the last twelve hours were too much pressure on me to allow myself the satisfaction of thanking Demetrius. It was the bare minimum.
"Where am I?" I asked, I noticed how Demetrius' posture stilled at my question and there was a brief silence that hung between us, as if he was unsure of how to answer my question. He sighed. "You're in my home." He finally admitted. I felt the breath leave my lungs and I visibly choked.
I couldn't possibly be in Demetrius' home, The Nighwalkers Pack was miles away from a the Divine Coven, there was no way I could have ended up here in such a short amount of time, how did I end up here?
Was I the only one here? What would my father think when he hears about this? Did my father even know of my whereabouts? So many questions were running through my mind and I felt myself squeeze the sheets beneath me for support.
"I assure you I'll explain everything but all you need to know as of now is that The Divine Coven was attacked and for your own safety Madeline, I had to bring you here." Demetrius spoke once again.
I bite my lip at the thought of being so far away from my father and older sister, what if they were looking for me? "Alpha Renwi-"
"It's Demetrius to you." He interrupted, his tone affirmative as though it was not an offer, but a statement that it was what he wanted me to refer to him as. I swallowed the lump in my throat. "Demetrius I am so thankful for you for keeping me safe, but I would like to go back to my family you, can't keep me here."
"I'll take you back to your father when it's safe." He debated. "But until I'm told it is safe to do so by either Calla or Cressida, I will be following the advice given to me by Cressida and watch over you for the meantime."
"I am not a cub." I raised my voice. I didn't need to be looked after I knew I could hold my own if I were in danger, I was a werecat our instincts allowed us to be agile in times of danger, even if we were stronger in groups. There was no reason for me to be separated from my family. "I don't need to be watched over by you." I argued.
There was a smirk that graced his lips momentarily and it made goosebumps rise against my arms, he folded his arms over his chest and leant against the doorframe. "Please don't act as though I am your enemy, princess." There was that word again, princess. "Your father isn't around to undermine you, you don't have to put up a front around me."
I sighed as if to bring down my walls, Demetrius was right, I didn't feel as though I was in danger as he stood outside the room I had awoken in. His towering figure in the doorway sent a sensation of safety through my body that I had been trying to fight away from the moment I noticed him standing there. Demetrius wasn't my enemy. I was his soulmate, there was an obligation for him to keep my safe, whether my family would agree to it or not as it wasn't his call to make.
Even if my father cared for my whereabouts, he could assume I was safe with Demetrius, he wasn't just paired to me by the goddess, but he was also the leader of the werewolves.
"How did you know I was awake?" I wondered, Demetrius let out an amused huff of air from his nose. "I've been standing here for the last four hours."
I paced the room with my eyes once more. The dark tones of the bedroom I was in fit his appearance perfectly. "Is this your bedroom?" I questioned.
He shook his head. "No, it's yours- well for a little bit."
"Oh?" I taunted, unsure of what he meant. Demetrius must have known from my response I was a little confused, this made him smile the slightest. "I was hoping we could take this opportunity to get to know one another better."
****
After I had gathered the courage to crawl out of bed and change out of my clothes from yesterday, once Demetrius had left of course, I slid into the clothes that he had left at the foot of my bed for me. It was a simple combo, just skinny jeans and a white singlet, it was comfortable just like he said, but not by much.
He had offered to make me something to eat while I got dressed and I agreed eagerly, having not eaten in over a day. I found it hard to believe that Demetrius was the kind of person to cook, half expecting a catered chef in his kitchen when I followed the directions he'd given me to get there, instead I found the Alpha placing a small plate on the kitchen island, a glass of what looked to be orange juice next to the plate and an expectant man behind the counter watching me as I entered.
"I hope the clothes fit, they were donated by one of my companions, his partner is similar to your size." He greeted, I glanced down at my own body. "No it fits really well." I clarified, how nice of them for letting me borrow these, they didn't even know me.
Demetrius cleared his throat and I watched as his his fist closed over his mouth, his gaze fixated at the ground. "I wasn't sure what you liked to eat so I made you a bowl of cereal and a cheese toastie." He choked out.
My eyebrows knitted together in curiosity, was something wrong? "Are you okay?" I asked, I was worried for the well-being of such a large man who's face was turning pink.
"Yes I am, please come eat." He gestured towards the plate that was by the bench as he rounded the counter. "I need to take a shower, I'll be back." He dismissed as he passed me. I caught a whiff of his scent as his shoulder grazed mine. His scent left my legs feeling as though I had been running, threatening to give out in exhaustion underneath me, it was intoxicating. It stayed in the air around me long after his body disappeared out of the room, leaving me alone to bask in it. Demetrius truly smelt the way home felt, it was warm and Inviting, a safe haven.
As I sat down to eat I heard a door slam shut from upstairs and I jumped as the unexpected sound frightened me. I wasn't sure whether Demetrius lived all alone in this large house or whether everyone who did live here were out at the moment. I prayed for the latter, as much as Demetrius' presence made me feel things I didn't know i could feel, the thought of being in these confinement's alone with him sounded dangerous in a way that felt wildly inappropriate. I was attracted to him and there was a certain tension between us that always left me feeling unsatisfied but our interactions, I could never pinpoint how he was feeling.
As I ate I pondered over the many possible scenarios that could transpire while we awaited to hear back from Cressida about the situation back at The Divine Coven. What if we argued? Or found that we had nothing in common, what would we talk about? Would his pack know there was a werecat hidden in their Alpha's home? Or what if we gave in to the bond that the goddesses had placed us both under and did something that made my cheeks flush in such a way that left me feeling flustered in my seat.
I'd never had a boyfriend before, father would never allow it, at least not for my sister and I. My father had this ideology that if we didn't save ourselves for the man we mate with for life then we would 'ruin the experience' as he liked to put it. I knew deep down it was just his way of saying that a man wants the Virgin Mary.
The image of Demetrius and I embracing each other under the modesty of those white bedsheets had me clench the spoon in my hand just before I took another bite from my cereal. I wonder if the warmth I felt when he touched me was something I would be able to feel in all places on my body, I shuddered at the thought.
"What are you thinking about Madeline?" Demetrius' soft voice spoke to me, startling me out of my daze completely, he stood at the end of the kitchen island by my stool, hair slicked back as the ends dripped water, a white shirt replaced the long sleeve he had been wearing previously, the water from his hair leaving a damp patch on his shoulders.
How long had I been daydreaming for?
"I was just thinking about how my stay here is going to go, it is just the two of us in this large house right?" I excused, he didn't need to know of the dirty thoughts that were running through my head.
"Yes it is." He confirmed, bringing his arms up and resting them on the island. "Does that concern you?" He added.
I narrowed my eyes at him. "Does it concern you?" I bit back, he tilted his head to the side as he studied my face, then my hair for a moment.
"Just a little bit." He spoke softly. "You're very appealing to look at." He admitted. He didn't look away from me once and I had to be the one to break the contact and drew my attention to my almost empty bowl of cereal. "Could prove to be a distraction from my work." He added, pushing himself up from the kitchen counter and walking out of my line of view from the corner of my eye.
"Work?" I questioned, looking back up at him.
"I'll have to work from the house while you're here, I don't want to leave you unattended until we hear back from Cressida. I am the Alpha." He reminded me, a tight smirk crept his way to his face as he spoke of his title, like he knew that he was superior to me in that aspect. Almost taunting me to challenge it.
"Is there anything I could help you with?" I found myself asking before I could stop myself. I wanted to feel needed by this man in way that felt odd to me, I usually found myself seeking the validation from my father, and Demetrius was not the same kind of man my father is.
"Don't wear that shirt again, the straps look as though they could rip any second." He grunted. "It won't." I tried to reassure, although I agreed the shirt was clearly not the right size for my proportions, my bust pushed out in a noticeable way that I surprisingly didn't feel ashamed of in front of Demetrius, it was the only other shirt I had besides the one from yesterday.
"But it might end up ripped." Was all he said through gritted teeth. I was quick to catch onto the hidden meaning behind it, it wasn't a matter of whether the stress would cause a tear, it was a matter of whether or not he would cause a tear.
I quickly became flustered as this new knowledge gathered my attention, so he felt the tension also, it was almost refreshing to me to know that he desired me without me having to do anything for it.
I decided, on a whim, what might happen if I challenged this man. As an alpha his composure was something that could be set at a high standard, and I was willing to test it. "I could just go shirtless if that makes you feel better." I shrugged. The entire room felt as though it shook when Demetrius' hand came crashing down into the kitchen island, clenched tightly in a fist and remained still in the corner of my eye. "Enough, I know what you're doing." He snarled, this startled me and the amused grin on my face as I teased him flew away in a second, I realised how wrong it was of me to behave this way. "This isn't some kind of joke Madeline, I'd rather explore your mind before I explore your body, and I want you to only give me it when you believe I'm deserving enough of it. This mate-ship is relying on the possibility that you will fall in love with me on your own terms, the bond doesn't affect you the way it affects me."
"How does it affect you?" I looked up at him, hoping to see some kind of indication on his face as to how he was feeling in this moment. I got what I wanted. His eyes were a much darker hue than the striking blue I always saw as his lips were pursed shut in irritation, he sighed and ran his hand through his wet hair.
"Too much for such a short period of time. I never expected it to feel this way when I thought of meeting my soulmate, meeting you." He explained, taking my now empty bowl and bringing it to the sink, he flicked the tap and water shot out, hitting the spoon that was still anchored in the bowl causing the water to splatter up and into Demetrius' face. Within a second he had the tap turned back off and stood there with his face sipping wet, he closed his eyes slowly to calm himself.
"Oh gosh!" I exclaimed. "And you just showered too."
He turned to face me in my seat, my eyes were pulled down to the wet patch on the front of his shirt that now acted as window to the rugged body that was concealed underneath the fabric, it clung to his chest, defining his muscles. I gulped, he was in great physical shape and I felt the strong urge to trace my finger over the prominent lining of his muscles, including the rather nasty looking scar that draped from his collar come to the bottom of his bicep at an angle, but I fought it. If I gave in I knew I would lose all the remaining common sense I had left in me since we met.
But it was hard, I felt a tingle overcome my own chest, undoubtedly my own tips had ripened eagerly through my shirt.
Demetrius' nose twitched and his head shot up and looked directly at me, I knew my body was sending off pheromones to indicate my arousal, this was embarrassing. "Please Princess, control yourself." He pleaded, I didn't miss the strain in his voice.
I simply nodded my head submissively, the tension was only growing the longer we stared at each other, so I turned away. "I apologise for staring."
"I'm going to go get changed." He strained out once more, walking back around the kitchen island in a matter that was much quicker than he had when he arrived, the desperation to leave the room was evident no matter how much he tried to hide it, but I didn't blame him.
The image of his torso was burned into the back of my mind and I imagine what it would feel like to be pressed up against my own chest, I felt the goosebumps raise on my skin.
The bond doesn't affect you the way it affects me, his voice replayed inside my head. Oh Alpha Renwick, you couldn't be more wrong
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