I hold on to Megan's hand as she sits beside me, staring out the window. I feel so sad for her. I know none of us asked for this, but I'm taking her away from her family.
I wanted to suggest they join our pack, but first, I must see what awaits us there. I can not protect everyone, but I know they will be reasonably safe with Alpha Leo.
"So you're an amplifier?"
Max asks suddenly and I look up at him,
"But you can also take powers?"
I nod before explaining the mess that is my power,
"Yes, but I'm not as strong as the actual wielder. Take, for instance, last night, it was better to amplify the healers and my old Alpha's powers,"
I see the corner of his mouth tilt up and I know it's because I called Leo my old Alpha,
"But with my father, it was better to take his power and use it against him."
Max nods as he looks at me intensely. Like I'm a puzzle he is trying to solve.
He studies me for a moment longer before he asks me,
"So, alphas, we don't intimidate you?"
"noPe,"
I say as I pop the 'p',
"And we can not order you to do something?"
I get a small smile as I shake my head,
"But Leo ordered you to tame your wolf?"
I sigh as I think about how I will word this so it makes sense to him,
"He did not order me, no. He called for me to come forth. If he ordered me, I would have ripped his head off,"
I bite the corner of my bottom lip before I continue,
"I don't do well with being ordered around. You can ask me to do something, but when you order me, we will have some problems."
He nods, and it seems like he is deep in thought. It's quiet for a moment and I take the opportunity to change the subject,
"So who is thing1 and thing2?"
He burst out laughing and the driver swerved the Suv again,
"Maybe the twitchy one shouldn't be driving,"
I say through clenched teeth. I noticed I gripped his leg and quickly released my grip on him,
"Thing1 is Adam,"
He pointed to the driver,
"Thing 2 is Toney,"
And he pointed to the other twin. They both have red hair and freckles with bright green eyes,
"I still think my selection of names fit better, but okay,"
His shoulders shake as he tries to keep his laugh in.
"So tell me about your pack,"
He sighs deeply and runs his hand over his face,
"We're just like any other pack. There is nothing special about us."
I snort, like hell they were just like any other pack,
"So I guess I just have to find out for myself then,"
One corner of his mouth tilted up and I could not help but find this male attractive. He is gorgeous, and now he will be my mate, and I have no idea how I feel about that.
I decided it was better to have this very sensitive conversation before we arrived,
"I will have my own quarters. Megan will be right next to mine and preferably far away from your room."
His head snapped to mine, and I could see his knuckles turning white as he fists his hands on his lap. Please order me. Please! I beg in my mind while he struggles to find his words.
"The Luna's place is next to the Alpha. They share a room and a bed. It's best for the pack if we keep to tradition and show a united front. Also, Megan can have a room next to us."
I glare up at him. The bloody bastard is too clever for his own good. He smirks, and I just know we are going to have so much fun ripping each other apart.
"So why don't you have a scent?"
His question caught me so off guard that my mouth popped open. I expect him to make a snarky remark, but he just stares at me. He is expecting an answer, and I decide to answer him truthfully, in my own way,
"Because I don't want a mate. So I drank something to take my scent away."
He looks deep into my eyes before he asks his next question,
"Is it because you have been rejected three times?"
"That is part of it, Yes, but also because of all the other things."
He looks out of the window and the car falls silent again. I watch the trees thicken beside us and wonder where my family is right now. Will my parents ever really know I'm gone? Will they even care that I'm not there anymore?
"Will you stop drinking it after the mating ceremony?"
I jump as he speaks again and pulls me out of my thoughts. I shake my head and his jaw works,
"I will not drink it anymore. It should be out of my system completely in a week or less."
My words seem to put his mind at ease and his shoulders relax.
I want to ask him why it seems to bother him that I'm taking something to mask my scent. It's not a big deal. He has me either way, but before I can hear Adam shouting,
"What the fuck?"
"Oh, yes. I forgot, I need two more rooms. One for my gamma and his mate and one for my enforcer and her mate."
I wave to my sister, brother, and their mates as the bikes pull up next to the window. They wave back, two fall back, and the other two take their places in front of the SUV.
To say that Max was shocked would be the understatement of the year,
"Did you really think I would walk into a snake pit without my own snakes? Did you really think I would take Megan to the most dangerous pack in the area without backup?"
As he looks down at me, he looks like he is about to burst,
"I knew the moment I heard your name who your pack was, Max, and I knew because I trained some of your warriors on the border. They were some of my best men, but like me, they were brutal."
I look him up and down before I continue,
"I just did not expect the head honcho, Alpha Max, to be so hot, but there you were. Sitting in a chair two sizes too small for you is not 10 feet from me."
I sigh deeply,
"I thought I was going to amplify your power or something stupid like that, but no… I had the misfortune of being your mate,"
I fold my arms over my chest as he glares down at me,
"You know what they say about you, right?"
He doesn't say a damn thing. He just keeps looking at me,
"And now I will forever be yours… forever. I don't know what you were thinking, Max."
"Did you know that you are the first person, outside of my pack, who willingly spoke to me? You even made jokes with me. You're the first person that made me laugh in over 10 years. So no, I don't think it's ridiculous to want you for my mate. I don't scare you, I don't intimidate you, and you are fucking breathtakingly beautiful."
I rolled my eyes at him,
"I could have fixed that all with two things max, a funny movie and a photo."
He burst out laughing and Megan shot up, startled. A low growl rumbles through me, but he doesn't care the least bit.