The Alpha's Rebel

Chapter 10

Challenge.

Fucking.

Accepted.

"How is it this easy for you to resist the mate bond? It's driving me fucking crazy not being around you," Maddox growls. I narrow my eyes at him, hoping that I'm concealing everything going on in my mind. I do it more for my sake than his.

I want to scream at him that it's not easy, that I fight it every second he's around me, that every time my name leaves his lips I can only think about how my lips would feel against them.

It's not easy, but I don't have another choice. I believe in making my own choice for what I want in life, and having the man I will spend the rest of my life with predetermined for me without my input is not something I condone.

"Maddox," I growl, my voice as sharp as knives.

"Harper," he mocks, and that's the final straw.

"That's it!" I yell, and I launch myself at him. He doesn't see it coming, and I successfully land a very precise punch across his jaw. I reel my arm back to go in for another, but his reflexes are quick. He grabs both my wrists in one of his hands, rubbing his jaw with his other.

Good. I inflicted pain on him. One point for Harper.

"Damn," he mutters. I don't miss his eyes darkening and returning to their normal almost-black color every few seconds. He's fighting down the wolf in him. I know I probably shouldn't be enjoying his struggle to remain in control, but when do I ever follow the basic rules of human nature? "For someone so tiny, you sure can leave a mark."

"Surprise," I snarl, trying to fight my hands free. His grip tightens. When I realize that my default struggling isn't working, I stop. Without the rage fueling the struggle to break free, I become aware of how every nerve in my body is setting off its own private firework show from Maddox's touch. Maddox is touching me.

He is touching me.

His hand is holding both of mine.

His skin is in direct contact with me.

His hands are rough with calluses, but there's an undeniable feeling about them that draws me in. I blame it on the mate bond. I don't want to be feeling this way by something so simple. I shouldn't feel this out of it by him simple holding my hands hostage.

I pretend I don't, but pretending is harder than resisting the urge to punch someone who's pissed me off. I've never been able to hold back a punch.

I remain standing still, my arms out in front of me with Maddox's hand still wrapped around my wrists. He eyes me, still rubbing his jaw from where I hit him. The look he's giving me is full of suspicion. He slowly releases my hands, and I decide to let him think he's safe for a moment. To make it appear as if I'm done, I start rubbing the knuckles on the hand I punched him with. I'm starting to to feel the aftermath on them. I don't regret a thing.

"Harper."

Nope. I feel nothing.

You hear me?

Nothing.

"I don't want this," I threaten. Hearing him say my name yet again has shocked my system. No matter how appealing it is to marry my fist to his face again, I would never get away with it. When I go for it again, it needs to be the only thing on my mind. I can't be distracted and off my game. Until then, I repeat the same exact words to him.

"How can you not want this? How can you not feel the bond between us?" he asks. I don't know him well at all, but I can feel the begging. It's not the way he says those words; it's the emotion he reveals within them. He's desperate for me to accept the mate bond.

No. Not happening.

"I do what I want, and this," I say, gesturing between the two of us with my uninjured hand, "Is not what I want." I ignore the second part, because the truth is I do feel the bond, a lot more than I will ever let on. I don't want to feel it, and I especially don't want it to end up taking over my self control. The best way to ensure that doesn't happen is to pretend it was never there in the first place. It's a lot easier said than done.

Maddox opens his mouth to say something, thinks better of it, and closes his mouth again. In the light from the porch, I can see a bruise starting to form on his jaw. His incredibly sharp, perfectly created jaw.

Nope.

Nope nope nope.

I close my eyes, erase every single thought about Maddox except the hatred I feel for him and the stupid mate bod between us, and take a deep breath. It's like hitting the reset button. My resting bitch face comes to life as I open my eyes, removing any emotion besides the hatred and rage that I let show.

Rule number one in being a fucking badass like me: perfect your resting bitch face. It can and will be used frequently, so make it your best friend.

Maddox sighs, and a few moments later says quietly, "And there's nothing I can do to change your mind?"

I stare at him, hating the way his shoulders slump in defeat and his arms hang limply at his sides. He looks me in the eye, waiting for a response, but they don't hold the same determination I've always seen in them. There's a pang in my heart at the sight. I ignore it.

I don't feel bad. I don't feel bad. I don't feel bad.

"No."

I don't feel bad.

He gives me one last look, a stoic expression suddenly taking over. Any emotion he was letting me see is gone. He turns away, walks down the porch stairs, crosses the yard, then the street, reaching the edge of the woods. I watch his retreating figure the entire time, not being able to tear my eyes away. I just stand there, unable to retreat back inside and rejoin the party.

Maddox turns around and looks directly at me. I can feel the questions he's asking in the air: Are you sure?

I don't move a muscle.

He turns back to the woods and shifts into the biggest wolf I've ever seen. Even in the night, I can see the color of his fur. It's a dark, charcoal gray, appearing black in the places farthest from the light. The wolf takes off into the forest, and I watch until it's completely gone.

A moment later, a howl erupts from within the woods, and I know it's Maddox. The pain is so clear in the sound that I almost find myself questioning me decision.

My body tenses up. I push any doubts of my decision out of my mind, just as quickly as they came on. I won't change my mind. This is what I want.

Thay still hasn't come out with another bottle for us to drink, and I don't want to wait out here anymore after what just happened.

I head back inside, barely registering the pounding music as I make my way through the crowd and into the kitchen. Thay is in an intense game of shot-pong with some guys we graduated with. He's losing horribly.

I force a smirk onto my face as I walk up to him and place a hand on his arm. "Babe, why don't you let the pro have a shot at it?" I tease.

"Harp!" he says happily, looping an arm around my waist and pulling me in for a quick kiss. "Guys! Harp's gonna win this for us!" he says to his two teammates, Dan and Charlie.

I win the game but the rest of the shots anyways, needing to feel the familiarness of alcohol working it's magic. Talking with Maddox sobered me up more than I care to admit.

"Harp that was badass! You did it!" Thay cheers, snaking his arm around my waist and pulling me in for a much longer, much more passionate kiss. Hoots and hollers are thrown in our direction from our surrounding audience.

Once the crowd has dispersed, I grab a the first bottle I see from above the fridge and weave back through the crowd to the front of the house. I take the stairs two at a time and head into Vinnie and Molly's bedroom, closing the door behind me. I can still hear the music thumping from downstairs, but at least I'm alone now.