A/N: Omg, 1k reads!! Thanks so so much to all of you, you have no idea how much it means to me. I hope you're really enjoying the story! Sorry for the late updates, it's hell-week at school and now I'm traveling for the holidays. I'll keep trying to update frequently :)) SOOOOOO much love to all of you <<<333
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Matthew made me promise that I would go into his office more often and that I would stop avoiding his class. After our date in the library, he walked me home. Making sure that I felt okay and reassuring me that he would be missing me. Even if it was just for a night. So, he made sure to make me promise that I would go see him. He even told me he set aside a few books he thinks I'll rather enjoy.
I wanted to invite him into my home, but I knew we would probably get carried away and my head was still fuzzy from second base. The whole night I was in bed, smiling like a Cheshire cat while reliving our little fiasco in the library. Thinking of the way it felt to have him touch me and how sexy he looked. I tossed around in bed for hours, already missing his presence and the way he smells.
What's happening? I asked my wolf when I couldn't fall asleep.
We're just growing attached, She explains simply. We might not be mates, but that doesn't mean our instincts go away.
I start to wonder if Matthew feels the same way. If he's tossing and turning in his bed, thinking of me. Goddess, I've become so clingy. It's cringe.
I walk into my lecture, ready to teach my students. Having gotten so little sleep, I wonder how tired I must look to them. "Oh snap!" Evan yells as soon as he walks through the door. "Prof's got a hickey-dickeity!"
His finger instantly points to my collar. I tried so hard this morning to cover the several love bites that Matthew left. The biggest one was unsalvageable, but I did succeed in covering the smaller ones.
"Why do you have to be so rude, Evan!" Ashley gawks loudly. But her gaze turns to me with excitement. She gives me a peppy smile, "Did he like the outfit?"
As to not entertain the subject too much, I shrug my shoulders but give her a suggestive wink. She and Cassidy squeal together, high fiving each other in triumph.
"Tyler just asked me to ask you—" Evan says after mind linking our friend.
I raise my hand in the air to cut him off. "Nope, not in the classroom. Here we're only going to be talking about my class. Not my love-life."
Evan smirks, laying back in his chair. Arms crossing over his chest, "Kind of hard to listen with such a massive hickey on your neck Prof."
I narrow my eyes at him, raising an eyebrow to challenge his little statement. "Don't be so full of yourself Evan, I can see you have one on your neck too."
His eyes widen, hand going to his neck instantly. I point my finger at him, "Gotcha."
"Well played." He shakes his head, face turning slightly red. As I turn my attention to my board, I notice Ashley staring at Evan for a split second before focusing ahead.
Just a minute before my class is supposed to officially start, Jeremy raises his hand. "Tia Mia," He asks with a smile. "Since you're close to the Alpha now, can you convince him to throw a party?"
Evan fist-bumps his friend like it's the most brilliant idea Jeremy has had in a long time. I raise my eyebrows at them but the whole class perks up. Even Ashley looks eager. "Why would I ask him to do that?" I ask.
Jeremy shrugs, "It's always been a dream on campus to have a party at the castle."
"Why?" I chuckle.
"There used to be a ton of parties there," Evan argues. "Like formal balls and themed events. I'm sure if you find a history book at the library, you can see pictures of flapper girls in the castle during the roaring twenties. One of the Alpha Kings can be seen in the pictures."
I cross my arms over my chest, "So why'd they stop having parties?"
"They just died out," Ashley answers. If there's one person I can trust in this class, it's Ashley. I stare at her a few seconds until she answers me honestly. "They aren't lying. Our graduating class has been trying to make a proposal to present to the Alpha, so he'll throw a big party. But I mean...maybe you can convince him."
Evan wiggles his eyebrows at me. I roll my eyes, turning to the board. I'll keep their request in the back of my head but for now, tactics. "Let's analyze the war plans you were all supposed to read for homework."
After class, everyone says their goodbyes to me. I'm excited to pack my things and head over to Matthew's house. The usual nervousness is now replaced with glee. The thought of having him near me makes me more excited than anxious now. Usually, I would head for his class, but luckily today isn't one of his teaching days.
I practically skip my way to the castle. The guards smiling at me as soon as they see me. Funnily enough, I've gotten to know them. I wave at Joel, one of the warriors on guard. "Hi Joel," I say with a smile. "How's your mate doing? Is the pregnancy hard on her?"
He kindly smiles, "She's better. The pack doctor gave us some herbs that should alleviate her nausea. This pup better be cute or she's never going to want another one."
I chuckle softly along with him before I walk into the house. It feels like my home at this point which is super weird and totally incorrect. But Matthew even gave me a key so I can come in whenever I want. Not that he ever locks the doors anyways. He has an open-door policy with his house which is probably why he always has it guarded.
I walk up the stairs towards his office. Knocking on the door and opening it hesitantly. Matthew is sitting behind his desk, plucking a few chords of his electric guitar while Sage is updating him on some Alpha news.
"Hey," I say shyly. Matthew's face instantly snapping up to me with a smile. "I can wait downstairs if you guys are busy."
A low growl of disapproval rumbles in his chest. He sets his guitar down to the side, "You better come in here."
Sage rolls her eyes in a friendly manner at Matthew's reaction. I slide into the room, closing the door behind me and making my way to the sofa in the corner. "As I was saying," Sage smirks. "We've got news about Rebellion movements in the south."
Sage keeps informing Matthew, but his eyes are completely focused on me. Intense and unmoving as always. "Mia," Matthew breathes in deeply. I look up at him from one of the bookshelves I was glancing at.
He cocks his head to the side, asking me to move closer to him. I walk over and as soon as I'm within arm's reach he pulls me into his body. Sitting me on his lap, arms squeezing me closely. He uses his spare hand to grip my chin and pull my lips down to his. I can't help reciprocating the affection, kissing him slowly until we're both satisfied with the tingles of electricity that ring through our bodies.
I want to say that I'm embarrassed showcasing public affection in front of Sage. But I'm totally not. Knowing Matthew is comfortable and almost excited for PDA is not only heartwarming but a total turn-on. It makes me feel like he's not ashamed of me or afraid of what others might think.
"I can see you're both close," Sage chokes a laugh. "Shall I leave you two to your sexual desires?"
Matthew's eyes are still trained on my face. Without even a beat or hesitation he says, "Yes."
I think both Sage and I are shocked. She ends up laughing as she walks out of the office space. I narrow my gaze at Matthew playfully, "You know people are going to start talking."
"Let them talk." His hands gripping my waist tightly. I place one arm around him to steady myself on his lap. "As long as everyone knows you're off limits."
"Oh really?" I grin foolishly. "Your possessive Alpha side is really starting to show, you know."
"Don't lie." He smirks, leaning forward to get better access to my neck. He starts laying kisses along my sensitive skin. "It turns you on."
I let him get a few kisses in. Letting his lips cause my hair to stand. Just as he's moving upwards towards my face, I press my finger against his lips. His eyes meeting mine. "I came here to read, Alpha." I tease him with a smirk. A quick flash of lust sparking behind his gaze.
"Oh, I'm sure." The gleam in his eyes absolute mischief as he takes my finger, putting it in his mouth to give it a suck and twirl with this tongue. A blush creeping up my neck that I know he notices.
Matthew chuckles softly, letting go of my finger while opening one of the drawers of his desk. I notice a few old pictures. Particularly of him when he's younger. And one of a band playing on a stage. Before I can hover too much over it, he pulls out a key from the very back of the drawer. Standing up and leading me to the cabinet where his sacred collection is.
"That's not exactly a safe, you know." I tell him as he opens up the cabinet.
He shrugs, "If anyone so much as steps into this room I'm sure I'll be able to pick up their scent. I wouldn't exactly say I feel threatened."
He waits for me to pick one of the Royal books. I settle for finishing the book on the Moon Goddess, pulling it to my chest before walking over to the sofa. I wave my hand at him as I plop down, opening the book. "You can get back to your Alpha duties," I say playfully.
Matthew chuckles softly, sitting back behind his desk. Instead of pulling out paperwork, he picks up his electric guitar. I don't realize it until he plucks a chord that his amplifier is in the corner of the room. He sets the volume lower so that his music becomes background noise. Once he's comfortable, he sits back in his chair, surprisingly lifting his feet so they're lying on his desk. Without even looking at the guitar, he just throws his head back, eyes closed while he plucks a few single chords.
His whole body seems to have relaxed, and I can't help but feel warm inside. I settle comfortably on the sofa, reading a chapter while Matthew plays his guitar in the background. Every so often he'll riff a chord that snaps my attention from my book back to him. But he doesn't move and he hardly looks down at his guitar. It's all so natural to him, I can only imagine how well he must have played before he took a break from music.
There are so many sides to him. The aura he emits holding so much power, but the kindness he shows in unwavering. He showed me how romantic he can be, yet so unbelievably sexy at the same time. There's a seriousness around him but somehow, I manage to find his playfulness too.
I catch myself staring at him. His beautiful cheekbones and sloppy dark hair. My eyes wander down his throat where I can see his Adam's apple. Lower to his tattooed arm and the way his hands glide on the neck of the guitar. He's just so sexy I can hardly contain myself. My wolf purring in my head.
Matthew's eyes flutter open, instantly falling on me with a haphazard smile. "I can feel you staring," He says lowly.
"No, you can't." I retort despite knowing very well I can always feel when he's staring at me.
He smirks, "Well I can definitely smell you're turned on."
"Just a little." I wink at him. Keeping my hand in my book, I sit up on the sofa, leaning towards him slightly. "You never talk about your band."
"It was when I was younger. When my friends and I were all teenagers." He chuckles at the memories.
"No groupies?" I raise my eyebrow.
Matthew let's out a full-hearted laugh, "No. No groupies."
"Was Sage in your band?" I ask innocently. With that buzz cut hair and biker persona, I wouldn't be surprised if she was.
"No," Matthew takes his feet off of the desk. He reaches into the drawer from earlier, pulling out one picture. Walking over to me, he sits by my side, pulling me until I'm just under his arm. I feel him kiss the side of my head as soon as I snuggle into him causing me to smile.
"That's me. The lead guitarist." He points at his younger self playing the guitar. It's an old picture and the lighting isn't necessarily great. He's off to the left with a cherry red electric guitar. Another guy in the middle holding onto a black guitar and singing into a microphone. To the right someone on the bass, and a drummer to the far back.
"You look adorable," I can't help but coo at the image of Matthew's younger self. He looks the same but more baby. His cheeks aren't refined and there's a glow of youth. I point at the lead singer, "Who's that?"
"That's Alpha Alexander," He says with smile. "You might have heard of him."
"You mean Alpha Alexander from the Sierra?" I can't help it and look at the picture closely. Alpha Alexander lives in the mountain ranges in the north. We call his pack the Sierra pack. It's one of the few packs in this part of the world that lives in such a high altitude. There are plenty of jokes we all make about how cold and distant they are because of the constant snow they experience there.
"Yeah," Matthew chuckles. "Alex has a killer voice. We made him the lead singer and he was quite the flirt with it."
He points at the guy to the right with the bass, "That's Alpha Wayan."
Alpha Wayan from the Port. His pack surrounds the Royal Island. The only real way to get onto the Royal Island is by taking a ferry from his pack. It's the hub for all supernatural commerce and trade. A modern Ellis Island for us wolves and other creatures.
There's a girl standing behind the keys. Her blonde hair gorgeous as it cascades down her shoulders. Blue eyes fixated on Alpha Wayan as a bright smile captures her lips.
"Luna Kole," Matthew tells me when I point at her. A smirk takes over his lips, "I guess she was a bit of a groupie."
"What was this?" I ask with a small laugh, "Alpha summer camp?"
"Sort of," Matthew smiles fondly at the memory. "Some packs retain the tradition of sending your prospective Alpha to the Royal City at some point in their life to learn and pledge their allegiance to the King. For a year I got to live in the Royal Palace with other Alpha's. It's supposed to also help with maintaining relationships between packs."
I nod in understanding, remembering how Bren had to leave the pack for two weeks when he was given his title of Alpha. He had to go to the Royal Palace and pledge himself to upstand the ways of the King.
"I'm assuming you're really good friends with them," I say. "Which means if anything happens you'll go defend them."
"Of course," Matthew gets more comfortable on the sofa, leaning all the way back until his body is relaxed against the cushions. "I would expect them to come and defend my pack and I as well. Alliances are far from small."
I try to think of the alliances we had with Sparta. Not too many. If anything, war between packs hasn't been a big issue for ages. If there's ever a squabble, the Alpha King gets involved and rectifies it as fast as possible. His word is law after all.
"So which Alpha is that?" I point at the drummer in the back of the picture. It's quite blurry and even if it wasn't I doubt I would be able to know who it is. We don't exactly carry pictures of alpha's around, most of what we hear is word of mouth.
Matthew hesitates. It's the first time I see his voice catch in the back of his throat. His eyes meet mine with reluctance, "That's Aiden."
My eyes practically bulge out of my head. I look back at the picture and again at Matthew. "That's—" My thoughts running a million miles a minute. "You were in a band with—You mean to tell me that—"
I compose myself enough to manage one sentence. I meant for it to come out as a simple question, but my voice slowly elevated to the point where I was almost yelling, "You played in a band with Alpha King Aiden?"
Matthew doesn't say anything until I'm able to wrap my head around it. I take the picture from him, staring at it intently. "Alpha King plays the drums?"
This makes Matthew laugh softly, "Yeah. The four of us were quite the group of friends."
"That's so cool." I tell him honestly. I've never heard of the Alpha King having any friends other than his Beta. I can't imagine what kind power the Alpha King has and thinking of Matthew being around him is both scary and intriguing.
Matthew is so badass, My wolf smirks. I love it. I want to keep him.
"What was it like?" I ask excitedly. "Being in the Royal City and in the Royal Palace?"
Matthew brushes the side of my face with the back of his finger. Smiling brightly, "I'll take you one day, gorgeous. A little couple's getaway."
The thought of it makes me flutter. I press my lips softly against his, cupping his cheek to give him gentle pecks. Every time he tries to kiss me deeper, I pull away, only peppering him with light kisses. He wants more but before he can get carried away, I place my hand on his chest.
"I wanted to ask you for something," I say against his lips.
"Anything." He breathes out. Eyes meeting mine with a little twinkle.
"Well since we're speaking of music," I tell him slowly. "A lot of my students and just the university in general was wondering if you would be willing to host a party."
Matthew raises his eyebrow, "A party?"
"I want to help plan it." I nod enthusiastically. As soon as Jeremy and Ashley mentioned it in class my mind was already thinking of how I could throw together a party. I've never had a full-scale party before, which only makes me more excited to host one.
I can't help but start to ramble, "We can have some of the restaurants in town cater for them because they're all students and I know how hard it is for them to buy food already. I was thinking we could open the windows in your living room so that it's an open floor plan and students can be outside or inside. One of my friends in my training group is a DJ. I also think Eli would be totally willing to sponsor us with some free kegs."
The more I speak, the brighter Matthew's smile becomes. He licks his lip slowly, "You want to host a party here? In the castle?"
"A final summer bash," I grin at the idea.
Matthew places a quick kiss on my lips. He pulls away to mind link someone and in just a few seconds, Sage walks into the office. Her eyes falling on us, a playful grin trying not to taint her composure.
"You needed me?" Sage asks.
"Mia wants to throw a party." Matthew tells her, "Here."
Sage eyes light up, "Really?"
"I'm going to go speak to a few members," Matthew grins while standing up. His eyes on Sage, "Can you help her out with solidifying some details and making a plan to guarantee these rowdy college kids don't break the artifacts and antiques?"
Matthew winks at me before exiting the room. His mind already linking several people as he walks out. I feel so giddy and even Sage looks enthusiastic.
"I didn't think he'd go for it." I tell Sage very honestly. She gives me a kind smile, walking over to me and taking a seat by my side.
"I'm quite sure he's thrilled you want to host a party."
"Why's that?"
Sage shrugs, "It's a very Luna thing to do."
My heart starts to beat in my chest. My wolf purring at the sound of being referred to as a Luna. I hadn't thought of it that way. I wonder if parties haven't been thrown here for years because there was no Luna to host it. A small tinge of anxiety and panic hits me. I've been so caught up in just...adoring Matthew that it hadn't occurred to me the role I would be playing if we continue with our relationship.
Sensing my stress, Sage reaches over and reassuringly squeezes my hand. "Relax," She says calmly. "Let's just plan the party. We're going to make it sick."