Maddox.
I parked my car in front of my parents' house, the familiar sight of my childhood home greeted me. The house was two stories, with a large garden at the side that my mother tended to daily. I had moved out when I became Alpha, but my mother had made it mandatory for me to eat lunch every first day of the new moon with them.
As I stepped out of my car and approached the front door, the scent of home-cooked food filled the air and I smiled knowing my mother was in the kitchen.
“Mad!” a voice rang out, jolting me from my train of thoughts as the door was snatched open and a familiar blonde-haired girl ran into my arms.
I couldn’t help but smile as the ray of sunshine in the family clung to me like a second skin. Diana, at 15, had the same blonde hair as our mother and the same green eyes that were an emblem in our family.
“It's Alpha Maddox to you,” I said as I held her tighter and she looked up at me with admiration.
“Ok, but I’ll stick to Mad.” She grinned before grabbing my hand and leading me through the front door.
“Thank God you’re home. Mom's been killing me in the kitchen,” she said as I smiled at her, closing the door behind me and feeling the familiar scent of family.
“But cooking is a survival skill that everyone should have,” I scolded as she grumbled.
“Always so serious. Why don’t you ever stay on my side?” Diana asked, folding her arms across her chest. I reached for her head, ruffling her hair as she squirmed away from my touch.
“I’m only ever on your side,” I told her just as my mother stepped into the sitting room.
“You better don’t say that anymore in my presence,” she said and I chuckled as Diana blew a raspberry at her before clinging to my left arm.
Diana was like a little version of our mother. The same golden blonde hair and green eyes with a curious spirit. My mother crossed the room and pulled me into a hug.
Behind her, my father walked in with a stoic expression on his face. He was a towering figure of strength and wisdom, his black hair was ruffled around his head like he had been asleep and his green eyes looked around cautiously for any treat.
I saw those green eyes visibly relax at the sight of me. “Maddox, you’re home?” he asked as my mom let go of me and went to stand beside him. Looking at them I could see what the pack saw their previous Alpha and Luna. They complimented each other, while my father was a brutal force my mom was a calming presence and I had learned so much from them.
“Yes, Dad, it is good to see all of you again,” I told them as we headed for the dining table as we sat down to eat.
“Have you been eating well?” my mother asked and I nodded. “But you look so thin.”
“Elaine, let him breathe,” my father said as she nodded excitedly and pushed the plates in my direction.
“It’s beef stew and white rice. Your favorite. I hope Gertrude is cooking well for you?” she asked and I nodded.
“Yeah.”
Gertrude was a dedicated maid who had been in our family for years, she wasn’t just a trusted member but also a friend of my mother’s.
As we began to eat my mother led the conversation asking how I was doing and I answered before I turned to Diana who filled me in on everything that’s been happening in the pack high school.
It didn’t take long before my father cut in. “How’s the search going? Did they find anything?” he asked and I dropped my spoon, giving him an intense stare.
“Yes, a human.”
“A what?!” Diane shouted as mom slapped the back of her head before she asked again in a much lower voice. “A what?”
“A human. When Willis and the others scouted the north, they found a cabin. And there was a woman in it.”
“A woman?” my mother asked, and a sly smile came to her face as she went back to eating when I nodded.
“She’s alone?”
“Yes. Tonight I and some wolves would capture her and bring her here for further investigation. It’s not a coincidence she’s here the same time there’s an illness infecting the wolves and killing them.”
“What if you scare the girl?” my mother asked and I frowned, looking at her like she had grown two heads.
“Scare her? What about the uproar she’s going to cause when the pack knows a human is in our lands. We must take preventive measures and get this under control.” From the corner of my eye, I saw my father beam with pride as he patted my shoulder.
“You’ve grown into the powerful Alpha we know you’ll become.” He said as Diana winked at me.
"Can a wolf's mate be a human?" Diana asked suddenly, causing everyone to stare at her but she kept her green eyes on me.
I couldn't help but giggle at the innocence of her question. It wasn't far from impossible. In the past, there had been some cases where a wolf and a human were mated. The Moon Goddess, they said, had a sense of humor that occasionally led to such unique unions.
I leaned forward and replied, "Well, Diana, it's not common, but it's not impossible either. The Moon Goddess works in mysterious ways, and sometimes, love transcends boundaries and even species. But I do not intend on having a human as a mate. I would rather be mated to my own kind."
Diana's eyes sparkled with wonder, and I knew she wanted to ask more questions when my mother cut in.
The mention of mates brought a sudden shift in the conversation, one that I had been expecting but hoping to avoid. My mother never failed to bring up the conversation at every family gathering.
"Speaking of mates, have you found anyone yet?" she asked, her eyes focused on me.
I frowned, knowing that I couldn't run away from the conversation any longer. My mother had a habit of bringing it up in the presence of my father so he would encourage her on how my father had found her, his mate at the age of 28. She would then proceed to remind me of the importance of finding a mate early, despite my being only 25 years old and having no immediate plans of being mated.
I chose my words carefully, not wanting to worry her or dampen the mood of our family gathering. "I haven't found anyone yet, Mom. But you know, it's a big decision, and I want to make sure it's the right one."
"I'm just saying, it's good to be mated early, to have a partner with you," my mother reiterated, her voice filled with maternal concern. "Your father and I were mated when he was 28, and I was only 26, and we started our family early."
My father, ever the voice of reason, chimed in with a reassuring tone, "Just don't rush into it, Maddox."
I nodded in agreement, appreciating my father's support. "I don't want to be mated anytime soon, anyway," I assured them.
My mother spared a worried glance at my father, her concern for my well-being evident.
Just as my mother was about to say something more on the topic of mates, my phone rang, providing a much-needed distraction. I glanced at the screen and saw Willis's name displayed.
"Alpha," his voice came through, and I furrowed my brow in concern as I answered, "I am having dinner with my family. Can this wait?"
Willis's tone, however, was laced with worry. "No, Alpha, unfortunately, all the wolves who went with me to scout the woman have gone terribly ill. Today when we arrived at the pack house to have lunch, Frederick and Drake fell. At first, we thought they were playing but they didn’t respond and then we saw them struggling to breathe. It didn’t take long for the pack doctor to get here; she took them to the pack hospital. She said they had the same symptoms as the others, weakness, difficulty breathing and increased body temperature.
Both of them fell sick at the same time, except me but I should be feeling the illness soon."
The urgency in my voice was palpable. Whatever had caused the sudden illness among our pack members needed to be addressed swiftly, and the mysterious human in our territory was now at the center of this troubling situation.
I frowned, my concern deepening. "Gather the wolves. We are going to capture the human now."