Chapter 81: Royal Bunch

MADDOX

The ride to the Blue Moon Pack had been a sight to behold. The landscape was beautiful.

The wind blowing in my hair, the freedom to do what and ~who ~I wanted without my parents breathing down my neck had been welcomed appreciatively.

The guards on the border had let me in with no problems. I rode toward the pack house, leaving a dirt trail behind me as the wheels of my bike cut up the road.

I came to a stop at the bottom of the steps and looked up at two beautiful she-wolves staring down at me.

~It’s showtime.~

Hopping off my bike, I flashed them a dazzling smile. The black-haired beauty took a defensive stance, her bright blue eyes dancing with fury.

But she wasn’t the one who had my attention. The stunning white-haired one behind her captured me completely, her hazel eyes taking me in before hardening slightly.

“I am Prince Maddox of the Lunar Pack. My father sends his best wishes to you, Alpha.” I put my hand out to the black-haired girl, semi-bowing to show respect on her land.

She snarled at me. I took a step back, unsure of what to do.

“I am not the alpha,” she snapped, tilting her head back. “She is.”

“My apologies. It was bold of me to assume. Please forgive me.”

I bowed again, and the white-haired girl tilted her head in response. I breathed a sigh of relief.

I appeared to have pissed off Diego Gray’s daughter in a matter of seconds. I was lucky to still have my throat.

“I am Reign. This is my cousin, Milly. She is my beta for the time being. Although I’m considering making it permanent.” There was a hint of humor in her voice

“Come, Maddox, you must be tired after your long journey. You’ll be in need of some rest.” Milly stepped aside and motioned for me to follow Reign.

“You know your heart beats faster when you panic? It’s funny,” Milly muttered in my ear, laughing.

Reign laughed, still continuing to lead the way further into the pack house. I walked behind her in awe.

~Is she unmated?~

I chanced a sneaky sniff. A guttural snarl behind me told me it wasn’t very sneaky.

“Watch it, Prince,” she warned.

Reign opened the door to a suite. “This will be your room for your stay. I trust you will find it satisfactory?”

I nodded as I followed her in. It wasn’t bad for a suite in a pack house. Had a large king-sized bed and an ensuite. It would suffice for my stay.

“Yes, it’s good, thank you.”

She nodded in reply. “Once you’ve settled, meet me in my office. We have much to discuss during your time here. I’m down the stairs, first door on the left.”

She motioned for Milly to leave the room, closing the door behind them. I sighed, heading for the showers, a strange feeling building in the pit of my stomach.

After I had showered and changed, I followed Reign’s instructions to her office. I knocked softly and waited for her to respond before entering.

She sat behind a big mahogany desk, her hair pulled into a bun on her head. She smiled, motioning for me to sit down.

“I do apologize for Milly. She’s quite protective. It hasn’t been easy stepping into this position, as I’m sure you can imagine, being female and all.”

“That’s quite all right. If I was in your position, having taken over the role in the way you did, I’d find it difficult too.”

I shrugged, looking around her office. Very masculine decor. This must’ve been her father’s office.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she snapped,

I looked at her slowly. “Well, fighting for the position to the death hasn’t been heard of in centuries, and for a woman to beat a male, that’s quite extraordinary.

“I’m sorry if I insulted you. It wasn’t my intention.”

She stood up, her aura shining bright with fury. “Well, you did. And if this is how you’re going to be, then I would like you to leave my pack. ~Now~.”

I winced at her words. ~Oh, she’s got power, all right. ~“I meant no harm. I apologize. If it’s any consolation, people think I’m a total idiot anyway.”

I held my hands up. She softened, sitting down. “It’s fine,” she snapped.

I shuffled in my seat. “My father sent me here to show support to you as the first female alpha in history. Looks like I’ve mucked it up already.”

“A small bit, yes, but nothing we can’t come back from.”

My heart did a little flutter at her words. I looked at her again, our eyes locking in for the first time since we had met, now with no distractions in the way we saw each other.

“Mate,” we both whispered together.

Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. She brushed her hand across her face. “I have lots I need to achieve today. I trust you will be able to find your way around?“

I stared at her dumbfounded. “But we just? Don’t you want to talk about what just happened?”

She stood up, her expression ice-cold. “No, I do not. I am the alpha here. I do not need a mate who will insist on taking my title because society deems it. Therefore I don’t need you.

“You may go. I will see you at dinner.”

She strode across the office and held the door open for me. I got up reluctantly and left, still not really sure about what had just happened.

~Was I mated? Or had I just been rejected and was still single?~

I couldn’t get drunk and fuck someone now. She could feel it if I did. We might not have marked each other, but when two royal wolves mate, their connection is instant.

The marking makes it stronger and final.

I sighed heavily. ~Guess I’ll find a bar around somewhere to drown my sorrows.~

I wandered into the nearest town, finding the first bar I could to get something to drink.

I sat at the bar, staring into my glass of whiskey.

“What’s on your mind, sugar?” The bar lady leaned down to talk to me, her plump breasts practically in my face.

Before I’d met Reign, I would’ve been fucking this girl on the back tables by now, and yet now I felt nothing.

“Had a tough day,” I muttered, downing my glass and holding it up for a refill. Clearly sensing that I didn’t want to talk, the lady left me alone, thankfully.

I cursed my father for sending me here. My life was perfectly fine before I met that alpha. That powerful, beautiful woman.

…Ready to face a backward pack as the first female alpha in history, and to sacrifice her mate to ensure she held that position.

I couldn’t go back now, not knowing that she was here, but I wasn’t sure I could be someone’s bitch either, which is what I would have been with an alpha for a mate.

I downed the whiskey again. Leaving some cash on the bar, I got up and wandered out.

My feet led me back to the pack house. I didn’t speak to anyone as I walked past them or acknowledge the women flirting in my direction. Instead, I just made my way to my room.

Falling onto my bed fully clothed, I drifted off into sleep, dreaming of Reign.