The Alpha's Rebel

Chapter 31

"I'm sorry," is the only thing I can manage to get out. I'm too focused on the gleaming abs in front of me to think of much more.

"I'm sorry too," Maddox says. "I shouldn't have yelled at you the way I did, or said some of things I said."

I force myself to look into his eyes, but it hardly helps my focus. "I shouldn't have kept anything from you."

"No, you shouldn't have." His voice is soft, but I hear it in his voice. He wants me right now just as much as I want him.

Doing my best to keep my voice steady, I explain, "Protecting the people I love is and always has been and always will be my number one priority. I'm not used to sharing that role with anyone else other than my best friends."

"And I knew that. I let my own protective nature cloud my mind to why you did what you did."

"You were right, though. This is our pack, and we need to be a team. No more secrets."

He nods, "No more secrets."

The sexual tension is so thick, but, as I always do, I've made it into a game. No matter how much I'm aching for him between my legs, I refuse to cave first. Instead, I raise a single eyebrow, lean against the doorway, and cross my arms. I know this stance always gets him going. Right now, I'm hoping it's a game over.

Maddox makes no move to get off the bench, only relaxes slightly and raises an eyebrow of his won. It's so fucking sexy, and the only reason I'm able to resist it is because my stubbornness tends to trump all.

I tilt my head to the side, lifting one corner of my mouth into a smirk.

"Fuck. Get over here so I can fuck you on this bench."

Game over. I win.

~~~~

Hours later, we're both sitting in the bathtub with a glass of red wine. My back is against Maddox's, his legs around my own. Who gives a fuck that it's six in the morning? After the night the two of us had, neither of us certainly doesn't.

My head is against Maddox's chest, and I lean to the side so I can look up at him. He was already looking at me, his dark eyes so soft and full of happiness. With a soft smile, I say, "They weren't lying when they said make up sex is the best sex."

He grins, bringing a finger to my chin as he leans down to kiss me. I taste the slightest hint of wine on his lips in the few moments it lasts. We simultaneously pull away from each other, and I face forward again. My free hand is resting on Maddox's knee, my forearm against his leg. The contact is simple and in no way sexual, but I love how it feels. The position feels so natural and relaxing between us.

"My friends are coming today," I murmur, taking a sip of my wine. Maddox has already set his empty glass down on the floor, but I'm taking my time.

Maddox buries his face in my hair and murmurs, "That'll be fun for you. They can stay in the guest rooms here." I nod, a small smile forming on my lips. I lay my head back against his chest and close my eyes.

Maddox presses his lips to my head, and his voice is softer than I've ever heard it when he says, "I love you." The words are muffled by my hair, but it doesn't change the effect it has on me. A shiver runs up and down my spine, and I know Maddox feels it when a chuckle rumbles through his chest. I burrow further into him, the water sloshing around a little bit with the movement.

With the silence that settles between us, my mind drifts to everything that's happened in the last twenty four hours since I found the first arrow. I want to know how to find the hunter so we can get to the bottom of what's going on. The sooner we know and solve the problem, the sooner my pack and my mate are safe.

"Maddox?" I say quietly.

"Yeah baby?"

"How do we find the hunter?"

He sighs, his grip on my thighs tightening in a protective way at the thought of the threat. I know exactly what's running through his mind right now, because it's the same thing running through mine: How do we protect our pack and each other?

Maddox is quiet for a few moments. Eventually, he says, "I don't know."

"I wish we knew more about hunters. That would help us." I take another sip of my wine as I ponder how we could find out more.

"It doesn't help that we just found out they exist yesterday."

"No, it doesn't," I agree, shaking my head against Maddox's chest. An idea pops into my mind, and the words are out right away. "Maybe we could reach out to other alphas and see what information they have."

"That's not a bad idea," Maddox says, "I'll give some of the nearby ones a call tomorrow."

The action is small, but I feel a surge of pride at his response. I made my first real contribution as luna.

"Can I come with you to work until my friends get here?" I ask.

"You never have to ask. It'll be good for you to start learning the inside of running a pack," Maddox responds, and I hear the smile in his voice.

"That's the goal."

"Although, maybe today isn't the best day. It's been a long night for both of us, and I know what you get like when you don't get enough sleep," he teases, but there's a hint of seduction hidden. One hands starts to move up my thigh, and I finish the rest of my wine before I accidentally drop it in the tub. I move out of the position we were in so I can set the glass down on the ground, turning in the process so I'm facing Maddox.

"Care to make it longer?" I smirk, raising an eyebrow.

"I think I could be convinced," Maddox says, his tone deepening. His eyes are roaming over my body with no shame, and I use that to my advantage.

I stand up and step out of the tub, grabbing a towel to dry myself off. "Anything particular that could convince you?" I tease, noticing the way his eyes darken when I wrap the towel around myself, covering the parts he was staring at.

"Losing the towel, for one," he growls, the alpha side coming out.

It turns me on more than I let on, so I say, "Why don't you come and make me," before striding out of the bathroom.

I hear the sloshing of the water, and arms wrap around me from behind before I even make it to the bed. "How about losing that towel now?" he whispers in my ear, his breathe warm. He plants a kiss right behind it.

My knees threaten to give out from under me, but I manage to keep my voice steady as I turn to face him and say, "I told you, you have to make me."

"Game on."

His lips crash to mine with a force so strong, I forget all about holding the towel around my body as I move my arms to loop around his neck.

"I win," Maddox smirks against my lips, proving his point by grabbing my breasts. I let out a moan, letting my head fall back as he moves his lips to my neck. I'm too concerned with the pleasure coursing through my veins to realize how easily my body gave into him. Even if I did realize, I don't think I'd be able to find it in me to care. I wasn't trying to be stubborn and be the last one standing this time, so I don't see it as a loss.

Anyways, it only takes one glance at the man standing in front of me to realize that even when I do give in, it will never be a loss.