Page 51 of Defiant
I turn to see Matthew's eyebrows high and surprised but he gives a stiff nod, just like he always does to my requests. "Yes sir, not a problem."
I tromp down the stairs past him. "Oh, and I want it done by tomorrow night."
"That might be a bit of a problem."
"Make sure it's not."
"Yes, Alpha Maddox."
I grin. Once Elena sees the nest I’m going to give her, she'll be saying, 'yes Alpha Maddox' too. I can't wait.
18
Jonah
I arriveat Alpha Maddox's mansion early in the morning, nerves giving me goosebumps.Is she here? Am I gonna have to see her make doe-eyes at him?
The hollow pit in my chest expands and it feels like my ribs might break. My tongue turns sour.
I try to tell myself to grow the fuck up, but it’s Elena, so that argument doesn’t really work. She’s not something I can sweep under the rug.
Best I can do is tell myself I’m not a pussy-whipped idiot.
It’s a lie.
But it’s the best I can do.
I have to somehow give back her phone and her bag. I wonder if that’s why I was summoned here in the first place. I hope not. I can only imagine having to hand everything over in front of Black.
God, am I still gonna have to see her in class? Fuck. Maybe I need a semester off. I can’t imagine her coming to class, wearing his sweatshirts, trying to joke with me.
Nope.
I’m definitely unenrolling. Don’t need a degree anyway to be a mechanic. I just wanted some business classes so I can set up my own shop, but I’ll just wing it.
I walk up the steps to Maddox's big brick house, this fancy-ass place that makes me self-conscious of the black grease beneath my fingernails and the fact that I ate a Hot Pocket for breakfast. I pick at my wrinkled Pearl Jam t-shirt and wonder if I was supposed to dress up. The elite who texted me just said to show up and “no sandals.” That was literally my only guideline. No sandals.
The door’s opened for me by one of the shifters my age who looks just as lost as I feel.
“Hey. Know what this is about?” I ask with a friendly grin.
“No clue. Hopefully not hazing.”
“Yeah. Hope not,” I respond as enter a fancy entry room, nodding to a couple other beta guys around my age that I know from the howls. I don’t remember their names, they live on the other side of town. One wears a collared shirt and slacks and I can’t tell if he’s the dumbest or the smartest of us.
My hand goes into my jeans pocket and I fiddle with Elena’s phone, which is still in there, literally burning a hole, waiting for me to do something with it.
I study the big staircase rising in front of me and then splitting off to the right and the left like this is a castle. On the ground floor, the room I'm in seems like some kind of hub. Hallways shoot off in different directions from it.
I sniff the air delicately, trying to scent Elena, but I can’t over the giant bouquet in a vase sitting on the front table.
An older guy in a penguin suit comes out of one of those halls and for a second, I feel like I’m in a Batman movie.
“Good morning, gentlemen. I’m Matthew.”
Thank goodness. If he’d have said Alfred, I would have given an awkward laugh and made everyone look at me like I’m stupid.
Matthew raises a wrinkled hand. “Please follow me. Alpha Black thought you’d be more comfortable in the kitchen.”
