The Alpha's Rebel

Chapter 38

My head is pounding the next morning, and the nausea swimming in my stomach creates the first thing on my to-do list.

Making it to the bathroom is not easy nor fun, but the cold tile feels good against my bare legs. Footsteps come behind me, and my wild hair is pulled back into a ponytail as I vomit the pasta, alcohol, and pizza we consumed last night. A hand rubs my back, soothing the hangover in a way it has never been soothed before.

This mate bond is more powerful than I ever could have imagined.

The porcelain feels cold against my cheek as I wait for anything else to come up, a cold relief that I welcome. It's rare that I wake up this rough in the mornings, but it's not unheard of. Last night was a full night of letting loose and saying fuck you to the world.

I did not hold back.

When I know my stomach is empty and the puking is no more, I sit up from the toilet and turn around, scooting back so I'm leaning against the wall. Maddox is squatting behind where I previously was slumped, and he moves to sit down right in front of me. He just stares at me, no words. No words are necessary. Everything he would say is clear on his face.

"Thank you," I say softly.

"Even after all of that, you're still the most beautiful girl I've ever laid eyes on."

I bust out laughing, and Maddox pulls me into his lap, holding me in his arms like every word he just said is true. I curl into his bare chest and close my eyes, his skin warm and smooth and exactly the comfort I need.

With my lips against his chest, I sigh, "I love you."

A low growl emits from his lips, and I feel the vibration in his chest. With an evil thought in mind, I begin to plant little sweet kisses along his chest.

"Harper," Maddox whispers, a seductive warning tone I've grown to love coming out.

"Yes?" I ask innocently, looking up and batting my eyelashes.

His eyes darken. "You know what you're doing."

"What do you mean?" I pout for good measure, enjoying the way his grip tightens around me.

"Harper."

"I want pancakes." I smile at him as sweet as can be and stand up, heading to the bathroom counter to brush my teeth. Maddox reaches an arm out for me, brushing my thigh. A frustrated groan emits, and I laugh.

"That was mean," Maddox complains, standing up and joining me. He grabs his toothbrush and the toothpaste, copying my actions. Since my words wouldn't be understandable with a toothbrush in my mouth, I shrug my shoulders and grin in response. He rolls his eyes but smiles anyways.

When we're done, I wash the remaining makeup off of my face and try to tame my rats nest into a braid. When I quickly become frustrated, Maddox takes over, having an easier time doing my hair when it's right in front of him than me trying to maneuver my arms behind my head to do it. His fingers running through my hair and braiding it has every part of my body sinking in relaxation. When it's secured, I lean back into him and his arms snake around my waist. I close my eyes and enjoy the moment.

If only there wasn't a major threat looming over our heads.

"Come on," I say softly, stepping out of his hold and grabbing one of his hands. I pull him along behind me and lead him downstairs.

Molly is the only one awake, sitting on the couch with a cup of coffee in one hand and a book in the other. She looks up at the sound of us approaching and smiles, "Good morning, you two."

"Morning Molls," I respond, wrapping my arms around her neck for a hug. I take the coffee out of her hand and take a sip. It's two sweet for my liking, but Molly likes her coffee with much more creamer than I do.

"How are you feeling?" she asks, bookmarking her book and setting it down on the couch beside her.

"Exactly how you imagine." I hand her back her coffee and head into the kitchen. Maddox is already pulling ingredients out for pancakes, and I pour us each a cup of coffee. A little bit of creamer in mine, and straight black for Maddox.

Molly sits down at the island, and I join her with my coffee. She asks, "What can I help with?", but Maddox waves her off with a smile and gesture of his hand. I know it's going to bother her that she's not helping, but I also love watching Maddox move around the kitchen.

"Is anybody else awake?"

Molly shakes her head. "They were all still deceased when I checked on them. I'm surprised you're the first one awake."

"The toilet was calling my name," I groan, burying my head in my arms. I feel a hand on my back, immediately knowing it's Maddox. I look up and see him holding out two Ibuprofens. I take them and use my coffee to swallow them, silently begging they kick in as soon as possible.

Maddox resumes making pancakes, and Molly and I sip our coffee in silence. My eyes don't leave my mate, watching his each and every move around the kitchen. The ease in which he navigates making our breakfast is doing things to me that I never thought would happen from watching my man in a kitchen. It's sexy as hell.

Vinnie is the next person up, nodding in good morning and wrapping his arms around Molly from behind. He kisses the top of her head before resting his chin on it, and she happily leans back into his hold on her with a hum of satisfaction. She offers him her coffee, and he moves to take a sip.

"Harp, what's the plan for the day?" he asks, softly swinging from side to side with Molly still firmly in his grasp.

"Figuring out how to hide our scents."

Vinnie nods, removing his arms from around Molly and heading in the direction of the coffee pot. He helps himself to a mug, adds more creamer than I do but not quite as much as Molly, and returns to his previous spot.

The first batch of pancakes goes to Molly, but Vinnie beats her to the first bite. "Hey!" she gasps. "If you wanted some, all you had to do was ask!" He looks sheepish but pleased with himself. Typical Vinnie.

Kaitlyn and Thay trickle into the kitchen within the next hour, a stack of pancakes handed to them immediately. Kaitlyn looks at Maddox like she's going to cry from relief. The dark bags under her eyes and messy bun are all I need to see to know she's in a similar position as me.

"After breakfast, we're heading over to the library to start researching how we can cover our scents. Hopefully we can at least figure it out today," I say, bringing my plate to the sink and starting on the pile of dishes. The ibuprofen has kicked in, and the caffeine from the coffee is also helping a ton. As long as I keep drinking water throughout the day, I shouldn't start feeling any worse.

Molly jumps up to start helping with dishes, eager to be of help in any way she can. Maddox finishes with the finally batch of pancakes and sits down to eat, his job done for the morning. Vinnie starts wiping down the counters, Kaitlyn puts away any ingredients and toppings still sitting out, and Thay starts putting away the dry dishes Molly has towel dried. It's yet another routine our group has perfected over the years. There's a role for each of us, and we step into it like it's a second skin.

After breakfast is cleaned up, we all go our separate ways to get ready for the day, and before long we're on our way to the pack house's library.

I send up a prayer to the moon goddess that we find what we're looking for.