Madeline’s POV
I snuggled closer to something warm in my bed.
What was that? Was I hugging a pillow? I sometimes did that. It smelt really nice. Like cocoa with cinnamon. It was my favorite drink.
A small smile spread across my face and I took a deep breath of the wonderful scent. I was still half asleep and nothing made sense, but I didn’t care. I was warm. I was comfortable. I was enjoying the scent of my favorite drink surrounding me. I didn’t want to wake up.
But then I felt someone’s arms tighten around me.
I was awake in a second.
I opened my eyes and gasped.
Oh, no.
No, no, no, no, no.
I wasn’t snuggling a pillow. I was snuggling…
Oh, Goddess.
I tried to move away from him, but he only tightened his hold on me.
“Shh, Maddie,” he mumbled quietly as he lifted his hand and patted my head gently. “Sleep.”
My eyes widened.
“You need to wake up, Alpha,” I said quietly, afraid that Mike or Janet might hear me.
“Five more minutes, Maddie,” he mumbled as he snuggled closer to me.
My heart skipped a beat. What the hell was going on?
This was way out of line. I couldn’t believe that I fell asleep with him in my bed. I couldn’t believe that I had woken up next to him. What would happen when he woke up and realized that he was sleeping next to me? Would he punish me? Would he exile me?
Oh, Goddess.
I caught myself staring at his face. He had high cheekbones and a jaw that could cut through steel. Well, at least it looked like it. His beard made him seem a bit older and more serious, but the relaxed look on his face as he was snuggling closer to me, made him seem carefree.
When a small smile spread across his face, my heart felt like it skipped a million beats.
Suddenly, I was feeling very hot.
I needed to get out of his arms and out of this bed.
“Alpha,” I called him again, my voice trembling. “You need to wake up.”
I was a bit louder this time. I even shook his shoulder a little. My hands were shaking and my palms were sweaty and I hoped that he didn’t notice it.
He grunted a little and opened his eyes. He looked at me, making the nervousness inside me grow.
“What do you have against sleep, Maddie?” he asked as a small smirk spread across his face.
His deep, raspy, morning voice sent shivers down my spine.
He wasn’t angry? Why wasn’t he angry? Why wasn’t he upset? We fell asleep in the same bed. We were hugging. It was inappropriate.
He studied my face for a few moments before he chuckled.
“What’s wrong?” he asked me softly.
I gulped. My throat was completely dry.
“We fell asleep together,” I mumbled quietly, keeping my eyes on his dark ones.
He chuckled and nodded. “We did. Why do you look like you’ve seen a ghost?”
I furrowed my eyebrows. I still couldn’t understand why he wasn’t upset.
“It’s inappropriate, Alpha,” I forced myself to mumble.
His eyes widened and he let me go. I immediately felt cold.
“Oh, Goddess, Maddie,” he mumbled worriedly. “Did I make you uncomfortable? I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to. I fell asleep by accident.”
He sat up, making sure that he wasn’t touching me anymore. Was he really apologizing? I should be to one to apologize, not him.
“I wasn’t uncomfortable, Alpha,” I said as I felt blood rush to my cheeks. “I was just worried because you are the Alpha and I am just a wolf.”
He studied my face for a few moments. He looked like he was in deep thought.
“I am sorry for falling asleep next to you,” I continued. “I shouldn’t have done that. I was just…”
“Goddess, Maddie, don’t apologize,” he interrupted me as a small smile spread across his face. “There is nothing to apologize for. We are friends, right? This stuff happens sometimes.”
I furrowed my eyebrows. He really didn’t look angry.
“I was just afraid that I made you uncomfortable,” he sighed as he ran his fingers through my hair. “I never want to do that, Maddie. I want you to be comfortable around me.”
Well, looking back at the moment I woke up, I was more than comfortable. I was peaceful and I never wanted to leave the warmth that surrounded me.
“It’s okay, Alpha,” I mumbled as I felt blood rush to my cheeks once again. “I wasn’t uncomfortable.”
He smiled brightly and my heart skipped a beat. He was beautiful when he smiled like that.
I forced myself to take a deep breath and I looked away. If I continued to look at him, my cheeks would explode. I was sure that I was already as red as a tomato.
“I am glad to hear that, Maddie,” he said, making me look back at him. “But please stop calling me Alpha. I am Dimitri to you.”
I looked away again because I felt blood rush to my cheeks again. I could swear that the temperature in the room was rising by the second. Why was it so hot in here?
My eyes fell on the clock and I gasped.
“Maddie?” Alpha Dimitri called me worriedly as I jumped out of bed.
“I will be late for work!” I exclaimed as I rushed to my bathroom.
Shit. It was only my second day. What would Seth and his parents think of me?
“You don’t have to work, Maddie,” Alpha Dimitri sighed.
I heard him stand up and walk toward me. He leaned on the door frame and watched as I brushed my teeth. I couldn’t respond and tell him that I wanted to work.
“Your dad can take care of you,” he continued, making me frown.
I spit out the toothpaste and looked up at him.
“I want to work,” I said. “I will need the money to move away once I turn 18.”
Something unfamiliar flashed in his eyes. Was it anger? Was it pain?
“You don’t have to move, Maddie,” he said quietly. “This is your home. This is your pack.”
He was wrong. This wasn’t my home. This wasn’t my pack. I still needed to find that. My home and my pack would feel like waking up in his arms did. My home would be warm and safe. It would smell like cocoa with cinnamon and I would feel loved and accepted.
I wasn’t loved here. Alpha Dimitri’s mother wanted me gone and I would make her wish come true.
