Chapter 3

While Maddox was the pack’s Alpha, Finn was the Beta. Alphas led the pack, made the important decisions, created the rules, and enforced them. Betas were second-in-command— lower ranking than the Alpha and his mate or Luna but held more authority than the other wolves. The last thing he needed was both of the pack’s top leaders being horny over some human.

The rest of the pack stared at him, waiting for a response.

He didn’t give them any. With a pack, sometimes an Alpha’s silence said enough. He scanned the old diner instead.

Several feet away an old woman who put a coin in the jukebox. A rock song played. She coughed into her hands. Maddox could smell the cancer thick inside of her lungs. In a few months, the old lady would be gone.

The woman turned around, a sad look glazed over her eyes. She gazed at the little boy at one table. When the woman walked over to the table and sat down, Maddox realized the boy must’ve been her grandson.

The boy looked up at her and smiled.

The woman grinned and when the boy turned back to the page he was coloring, the old lady's expression shifted to sadness.

She knew she had cancer. Life comes and goes so fast for these humans.

“Maddox?” Finn spoke.

He shifted his attention to his Beta. “What?”

“If the waitress—”

“We don’t mate with humans. That’s my number one law. You knew this before joining my pack. They’re too weak and don’t live that long.”

“Some do, after mating with us.”

“Some, but not all.” He leaned his head to the side.

“Are you sure you want to roll the dice on something like that?”

Finn closed his mouth.

He should have never come in here. He knew it would be a problem.

Before walking into this diner, he felt the waitress’s presence. It was strange, making jim think he was going crazy or experiencing a mental hallucination.

Feminine warmth taunted and whispered for him to come inside. When he opened the diner’s door, heard Camille's words as she talked to the older man.

That Clary sage and ginger scent started the seduction. Then, that beautiful voice finished it.

It made him dizzy. By the time Maddox realized what was happening, he rushed the waitress’s way and stopped in front of her. The human's scent clouded his senses. His body ached and longed for her.

He should have turned around.

As if disagreeing, his wolf delivered erotic images to his head as if trying to convince him. A movie played in his mind. The human's curvy body was beneath him, and it was pliable and yielding.

No, Dire. Stop.

His wolf ceased with the erotic film.

There were so many reasons to say no. The waitress was already young in human terms. She was too young for him. He just reached a hundred years old.

Why was this little human having an influence on him?

“I don’t know what’s going on.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “Either way, we don’t return here.”

The rest of the pack nodded. However, Finn’s beast whined, sounding like a beaten dog. A few people at the table next to them glanced their way, probably wondering who’d brought their pet into the diner.

Maddox didn’t like that Finn wanted her too.

“Because she’s ours,” Dire grumbled.

“No. We’re not coming back here.” His words came out as a growl. “Get control of yourself, Finn.”

“Come on, Mads,” Finn said, using his nickname.

He lowered his voice to lethal. “Do not call me that here.”

“I’m sorry.” Finn made sure not to give him direct eye contact, showing his submission. “I want to return. I love this diner and the steaks.”

On the right of him, Aiden laughed. “Yeah. I bet you just want to come back for the steaks.”

Aiden was the Delta in the pack—a werewolf in training for Beta position. He organized large hunts and scouted out towns before we arrived. He also served as Maddox's protector, keeping him out of harm’s way and having his back when necessary.

“We don’t come back.” He left it at that, not needing to push the topic further.

Jake exchanged looks with the others— Gerald and Derrick. All four of them clearly found Finn and Maddox reaction to the waitress amusing.

“Go ahead. Have your laughs.” Maddox kept his view on his Delta, instead of scanning the diner for the lovely waitress. He would’ve rather gazed at her all day, but Alphas had to make sacrifices. Besides, he was the one to make the rule that werewolves couldn’t mate with humans.