Chapter 7


    Alpha Maximus


    I have spent thest few weeks travelling through every pack house on the map. I let out a heavy


    sigh.


    ‘What''s the name of the next pack?’ I ask Nathan.


    ‘ckwood. We will be there soon. Tomorrow night is a full moon though, so I suggest you stay the


    extra night there to keep Chaos contained,’ Nathan exins.


    ‘It''s the safest thing to do,’ I agree.


    There is a dark and eerie feeling in the ckwood territory. There are a lot of dead trees and a


    storm is brewing.


    ‘This ce looks terrible,’ Nathan says.


    ‘Yep. And we’re here for two nights,’ I remind him.


    We are approached and greeted by Alpha Tate, and strangely he seems very happy to have us


    there. He walks us through the pack house and into his office. A man walks in with a tray of sses


    and a bottle of whisky.


    ‘This is my Beta, Sam,’ Alpha Tate says, introducing us.


    We shake hands and I sit back down.


    ‘Drink?’ Sam asks, half filling the four sses, and passing us all a ss.


    ‘We’re thrilled to be hosting a lycan in our pack house,’ Alpha Tate says.


    ‘I''m pretty sure you declined to offer me the hospitality here, at first,’ I say, and Alpha Tate


    chuckles.


    ‘I''ll be honest. At first, I was a little concerned about the whole idea. You can''t me an alpha for


    wanting to keep his pack safe. What kind of alpha would that make me, if I refused to host one of the


    ‘Yes, well, speaking of hospitality, tomorrow night is a full moon. I’d appreciate the use of your


    dungeon for the night, so you won''t have to worry about the safety of your pack,’ I exin.


    ‘Of course, of course. We have plenty of cells to choose from. Make yourself at home while you’re


    here, I insist,’ he says, pouring himself another whisky.


    ‘Thank you, Alpha Tate. I have to ask: do you have any unmated she-wolves?’ I ask.


    ‘We have one unmated she-wolf. Ava. You’ll meet her tomorrow,’ he says.


    ‘Your mate and Luna is not here?’ I ask. Alpha Tate almost chokes on his whisky, and sits up


    straight.


    Alpha Tate and Sam give each other a strange look; mind-linking.


    ‘My mate, believe it or not, only turned eighteen a month ago, so I only recently found her,’ he


    exins.


    ‘I’d love to meet her’ I say, watching Alpha Tate adjust his cor and tie, clearly ufortable.


    ‘I''m sure you’ll meet her at some point. She is currently indisposed’. He exins, assuring himself


    more than me.


    We have another round of whisky, and Alpha Tate asks to hear about my journey. I give him only


    the basics: I can''t be bothered with the details.


    A pack memberes in and says dinner will be ready shortly, and we make our way downstairs.


    ‘I think your cook has made something with apples for dessert,’ I observe.


    ‘What makes you say that?’ Alpha Tate asks.


    ‘Ever since I arrived, I''ve been able to smell warm apples and caramel. Whatever it is, I''m looking


    forward to it,’ I say.


    Alpha Tate chuckles.


    ‘Yes. I have some of the best cooks here,’ he says, and Nathan sniffs the air.


    ‘I can''t smell it,’ he says, shrugging.


    It’s quite the feast and the pack speak happily to me and ask questions. It’s quite refreshing to feel


    included and not be in a room full of people who are terrified of me. We drink plenty of wine, and tell


    many dumb jokes and stories, and have plenty ofughs at the table.


    I’m excited and distracted when dessert is brought out, but it isn''t the caramel apple or apple pie I


    thought it would be. It’s banana fritters with cream.


    It’s strange I’m so disappointed about dessert. Normally, I wouldn''t care.


    My frustration and anger builds, so I quickly mind-link Nathan; Chaos might make an appearance.


    I excuse myself, needing the bathroom as the reason, but go outside and hop into the limo.


    I’m fighting Chaos for control. Chaos! Stop trying to take over! You’ll have all tomorrow night! I


    growl at him.


    Nathan opens the car door and hops in.


    ‘Do you need some wolfsbane?’ He asks.


    ‘I think I''m okay. I got angry over dessert, of all things,’ I chuckle, and Nathanughs.


    ‘Well, it was overcooked and sloppy,’ he says,ughing. Before going back into the house, I inhale


    the air.


    ‘That smell of hot apples and caramel is so calming,’ I say.


    ‘The only thing I smell is the fart I just released,’ Nathan says,ughing, and I shove him yfully.


    ‘Gross, man. Right in front of me too!’ I say.


    Alpha Tate insists we join him for drinks before we call it a night, and he takes us into a gaming


    room where we y poker and drink whisky.


    The next morning, I get myself dressed and bang on Nathan''s door.


    ‘You ready?’ I ask.


    ‘Just a little more sleep,’ he says.


    I open the door and let myself in; he is still in bed.


    ‘Come on. Get up. We’re going to meet... what’s her name? Ava? Ava.’


    Nathan sits up holding his head. I fill his ss with water from a jug on his bedside table and hand


    it to him.


    ‘Drink this, shithead,’ I say,ughing.


    ‘I''m not a shithead,’ Nathan retorts.


    ‘You were twice as drunk as mest night and were shitfaced, so, yeah,’ I say, shrugging my


    shoulders. Nathan skulls the water.


    ‘Go have a shower. I’ll wait for you,’ I say, walking over to a bookshelf and picking a book to read.


    Sitting on the couch, flicking through the pages, I throw the book aside. I get up and wander up the


    hall.


    The smell of cooked apples and warm caramel hits my nose again; the scent bing stronger


    as I head in this direction. I stop in front of an old staircase below an attic.


    Walking up the rotten and damp stairs, I turn the door handle and push the door open. The door


    creaks, and I step into the room. There’s a really old thin mattress in the corner, a broken chair in the


    other corner and a full-length mirror missing half its ss.


    It’s so cold up here, I exhale fog. Has someone been sleeping in here? I suddenly feel


    overwhelmed with sadness. The onlyfort is the sweet smell.


    ‘Alpha Max,’ Sam says, behind me.


    ‘What are you doing up here?’ He asks.


    ‘Sorry, I got lost. I was heading to the dining room,’ I exin, innocently.


    ‘Yeah. It’s a big ce. I got lost a few times when I first moved in,’ he exins, leading me out of


    the attic.


    ‘Can I ask you something?’ I ask.


    ‘Sure,’ he says.


    ‘Does someone sleep in there?’


    ‘No. That would be barbaric and cruel. That room is used for storage,’ he exins.


    Funny, since there’s nothing stored in it. He has lied.


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    Nathan is in the hallway, waiting for me.


    ‘Alpha. You said you’d wait for me,’ he says.


    ‘Yeah, sorry,’ I say.


    ‘Shall we head downstairs and meet Ava?’ Sam asks. I nod and follow him.


    A woman with dark, brown, shoulder-length hair, and dark brown eyes, stands waiting in therge


    dining room.


    She isn''t too bad-looking but I don''t like her scent. She smiles and winks. I’ve never had a woman


    wink at me before...


    ‘You must be the famous Lycan Prince, Alpha Max,’ she says, bowing her head. ‘I''m Ava. Happy to


    help you in any way you need,’ she says, seductively, and I give a nervousugh.


    ‘Thank you, Ava.’ I feel nothing for her. Nathan coughs.


    She isn''t my mate. I tell him.


    Well at least she hasn''t run off screaming. He replies.


    Jerk. I add.


    ‘Alpha Tate won''t be having breakfast with us this morning. He has matters that need attending to,’


    Sam exins, and we nod and sit down for breakfast.