Xander's POV

"Well, if my favorite brother isn't back from his press tour," Jade announced dramatically as she entered the kitchen, pressing up on her tip-toes to press a chaste kiss to Maximus's lips.

"Scarlett, I keep meaning to come and find you to tell you - I think you're going to need to just create one autograph and then make a ton of copies to save yourself time. Pretty much every woman in the pack wants one at this point. It's all anyone is talking about," Jade laughed with a big smile.

"An autograph for what?" Griffin asked, raising an eyebrow before looking Scarlett's way. She smoothed her hands down the front of her dress, her face not giving away a single emotion.

"Mika was out of line. So I put her back in it," she stated simply. Her words and expression caused all the women in the room to burst into laughter, but Scarlett just shrugged as her demeanor remained the same. "I left a loaf of banana bread in the oven when Jackie dragged me away. I need to go check on it," she spoke softly before quickly leaving the room.

"I better go check on her," Jackie rushed out before kissing Justin quickly and rushing off in the direction Scarlett had left.

"What the hell happened with Mika?" I demanded the second I knew she was out of earshot.

"Oh, just hold on. Someone apparently caught the entire thing on video. They started recording the second they saw Scarlett walking back to the table after Mika sat down in her seat. They knew something was going to happen, but no one knew it was going to be this legendary," Jade shrieked, giddy with excitement as she turned on the massive TV that hung on the wall opposite us before connecting to its screen sharing system. After a few clicks, the video was broadcast and playing.

"From what Elder Adelia told me a few days ago, Alpha Harrington has been running this pack alone for years. There is no reason for you to even think there is a seat at this table that belongs to you. Now, you may remove yourself from my spot and find adequate seating elsewhere. Thank you," Scarlett's voice spoke calmly and clearly. I couldn't see Mika's face from how far away the person was, but I would've paid anything at that moment.

"Excuse me?" Mika replied. Her voice always grated against my nerves. Scarlett took a threatening step forward. You're kidding me. Was this actually happening?

"I did not stutter and I will not repeat myself. You have exactly ten seconds to remove yourself from the seat you knew was reserved for me and me alone before I personally see to your removal. And I can promise I will not be gentle," came Scarlett's voice again. I don't know what it was about hearing her command Mika in such a confident way, but I felt the front of my pants tightening. The pack erupted into whispers in the background of the video. I saw Mika looking around - I knew her well enough to know she was embarrassed that Scarlett was making her look bad - weak - in front of the entire pack. Mika scoffed and crossed her arms over her chest before leaning back in her chair.

"That's cute. Is this some little skit you like to do?" Mika challenged. Scarlett didn't say another word and I watched on with bated breath as she started walking around the table to where Mika was sitting. The noise in the background of the video quieted down to nothing until Scarlett was behind Mika. I watched in absolute awe as Mika gasped in surprise. Griffin, Donovan, Andre, and I released similar sounds of shock. I was glad I didn't blink because if I had I would've missed what happened next. Scarlett smoothly removed her from her seat, taking her down to her knees in seconds as she grasped her neck. 

"Are you playing with me right now?" Donovan laughed in amazement. My eyes were glued to the screen, I couldn't look away. Scarlett jerked Mika's head to the side, forcing her to bear her neck in a show of complete submission - in front of the entire fucking pack.

"It's such a pity you didn't listen. Maybe next time you'll learn to respect those around you?" Scarlett murmured before looking up and scanning the entire room. "From here on out, respect and kindness to others are two key things this pack will keep in mind when interacting with one another. Give it and you shall receive it. If you have a problem with anyone, no matter their ranking - real or perceived - report it and it will be dealt with swiftly and justly," she stated, doing something to Mika that caused her to cry out at the exact moment she mentioned someone's perceived ranking. Holy shit.

The video ended with Scarlett saying, "Now, why don't you go find the adequate seating I mentioned earlier?" to Mika in such a sweet tone I had to laugh.

"Yeah, I want one of those autographs whenever she gets them made," Griffin stated. "Dammit. I'm so pissed I didn't get to see that in person," he grumbled.

"You're being awfully quiet," my mom commented, eyeing me pointedly.

"No one is upset with Scarlett, are they?" I asked. I didn't want that drama on my hands. Not when I already had a hoard of things I needed to deal with. Especially not for Scarlett's sake.

"No one besides Mika's little group of minions. And some moms were a little peeved that she was so aggressive in front of their kids, but they liked her takeaway message. And they dislike Mika enough that the pros outweighed the cons," Jade said. I nodded.

"I'm gonna go unpack my stuff and take a shower. You guys want to meet in about an hour and a half to go over some of the paperwork from this past week?" I asked the guys.

"Actually, son, I'm going to do that. Why don't you spend the day with Scarlett?" my dad suggested with a look that said it was less of a suggestion and more of an order. I raised both my eyebrows and took a deep breath in before nodding and releasing it.

"O-kay. I'll see you guys later then. Let me know if you need anything," I grunted before walking off. Coming to the door that connected my living quarters to the pack house, I noticed there was a door sign and a welcome mat on the floor. Those are new. So was the woman positioned outside the door clearly keeping guard.

"Alpha Harrington," she nodded respectfully before moving aside so I could enter. I just nodded back with a confused look before going to twist the knob to enter. "Uh, Alpha. I know it's your house, but...um, maybe...maybe knock....first?" the woman suggested awkwardly with an apologetic expression. Dammit! How did I forget that one too? I nodded before wrapping my knuckles against the wood three times and pushing the door open.

I stopped and turned around, checking to make sure I was actually at the correct wing of the house before entering the place again. Yeah, this is definitely the right wing, but this looks absolutely nothing like my house...I gazed around the place in confusion. Jackie, who I'd gathered was probably Scarlett's best friend, saw me enter and whispered that she would be upstairs in the guest bedroom watching TV if she needed her before quickly disappearing.

"I decorated a bit," Scarlett remarked from the kitchen where she was dumping another bowl of batter into a freshly greased loaf pan. Her eyes watched me closely as I edged my way towards her. I took a deep inhale, the smell around us making my mouth profusely water. Was this what it was like to actually have a good mate? Your place was clean, nicely decorated, and smelled like freshly baked banana bread?

Man, I really have been missing out.

By the look in her eyes, she was waiting for my reaction to the new look. Her entire body was coiled tightly, the tension in her shoulders obvious. "A bit?" I chuckled, coming to stand across from her at the kitchen counter, staring down at the loaf of banana bread that looked like it'd just come out of the oven. My tongue came out to wet my lips as the smell wafted up into my nose. Pure heaven. My reaction seemed to catch her off guard for the briefest of seconds before she masked her surprise.

"Would you like a piece?" she asked after putting the other pan in the oven and setting a timer.

"Yes, please," I replied, probably a little too quickly based on the slight upward curving of the edge of her lips. She pulled out a knife before carefully cutting a thick slice and setting it on a small plate. I expected her to hand it over, but she ventured over to the fridge to pull out a tub of butter. Smearing a thick layer that instantly melted over the bread, I greedily took the plate from her as she handed it over and dug in. I consumed about half the slice in one single bite.

"Holy shit," I groaned before finishing the rest of the piece in record time.

"Would you like more?" she asked. I looked up and scanned her face, trying to get a reading on what the hell she was thinking but there wasn't a single emotion there for me to go off of.

"Depends. Am I allowed to eat the entire thing without you getting mad at me?" I asked, giving her a cheeky smile - one I knew had my dimples popping. I figured it wouldn't hurt to try and flirt a little. I hadn't been laid in....I didn't even know how long - at least four years? - so I was severely out of practice. It was unbecoming of an Alpha to sleep around and I just didn't have the time these days to try and pursue Mika. Nor was I willing to stoop to that level of self-deprecation. Sex wasn't worth that to me. 

However, if Scarlette and I only had until the end of the next three weeks to make this thing official, I needed to work on my charm a bit. Her eyes darted down to check the dimples out before shrugging. I'd be lying if I said my ego wasn't bruised.

"I sorta baked it for you. If you want to eat it all right now, then you're more than welcome to," she responded evenly. "But if you're hungry, I could make you a proper breakfast. I went grocery shopping earlier this week," she continued, breaking our eye contact to finish cleaning the bowl from the bread she'd made. I couldn't remember the last time someone besides myself cooked me breakfast.

"That would be nice. I can help if you want," I offered. She dropped the bowl she'd been washing, the sound of it banging startling her a second time before she looked up at me in shock. It was the first real emotion I'd seen her show since we'd been alone. That seemed like a win in my book.

"What?" she finally asked, slightly breathless.

"I said I can help cook breakfast if you'd like," I repeated, pushing off of the chair I was on to stand. She craned her neck to look up at me, making me aware of our severe height difference. She had to be at least a foot shorter than me. And besides all her curves, she was much smaller than I was. Feminine in a way that had my wolf licking his lips appreciatively in my head. If I wanted to, I could pull her into my chest and completely wrap her in my embrace. The thought alone had my mind wandering to how nice all those soft, thick curves would feel pressed up against me. Nicer than Mika's unfaithful bony body that's for damn sure. Some men are into that kind of thing, and that's cool. But I know what I like and it was staring right at me.

She cleared her throat, her eyes holding a glare when I finally came back to reality. I scratched the back of my neck awkwardly when I realized my wolf had flooded the room with mating pheromones - the fucking jerk. I might as well have just been sporting a full-on boner and said, "hey, I'm thinking about banging you right now!" because that would've been just as discreet.

"I got a few things out while you were...thinking," she commented with a pointed look. I chuckled and rounded the counter, mindful to leave a few feet of space between us. Looking at everything she got out, I noticed she'd apparently planned on making pancakes, eggs, bacon, and...potatoes? I'm not sure what she had in mind for those.

"What can I do?" I asked before resting my hands on my hips. She hesitated for a second before sliding the potatoes over to me and handing me a peeler.

"Could you peel these for me, please?" she asked. I nodded and immediately got to work. We worked in comfortable silence, me peeling and her creating the batter for the pancakes.

"What next?" I asked. She didn't say anything as she grabbed a big bowl and filled it with water, before handing both it and what looked like a cheese grater to me. The corner of her mouth curled upwards for half of a second as it did earlier, but this time in reaction to my utterly confused face.

"I always grate the hashbrowns into water so that the potatoes don't oxidize while I'm grating them," she explained. Picking up a potato, she proceeded to show me exactly what she meant before stepping out of the way so I could continue.

"What happens if the potato oxidizes?" I asked while grating away. She furrowed her brows at me like I was crazy for asking. Maybe that was a stupid question, what did I know? I don't cook meals like this often. I did just the bare minimum.

"Nothing, really. It just doesn't look as appetizing," she mumbled softly before getting a big griddle out - one that I knew for a fact I didn't own before she moved in here - and turning it on. Once I had all the potatoes shredded I looked to her for my next direction.

"I know you said it makes them look more appetizing, but this looks gross," I commented as my nose scrunched up while peering into the bowl of foamy and milky water with shredded potatoes. This time the corner of her mouth did pull up in a smile before disappearing. Score.

She pulled out a strainer and handed it to me before pointing to the sink.

"Now you use cold water to rinse the potatoes until the water runs completely clear and there's no more starch clinging to the potatoes," she explained.

"How come you don't want the starch?" I asked absentmindedly as I began rinsing them.

"Because that's what causes issues when you're cooking them. It can stick to the pan and cause them to burn," she explained. Once I was done rinsing the potatoes, she walked me through the process of thoroughly drying the potatoes to make sure they weren't too wet - she assured me if they had too much moisture in them that, too, would prevent them from cooking properly.

I watched her in awe as she poured a copious amount of vegetable oil and slapped two large slices of butter into a skillet pan before dumping a huge mound of the potato shreds into it and covering it to cook. "Not good for the heart, but it's good for the soul," she murmured so softly to herself with a laugh that I don't think she meant for me to hear it.

"Something someone used to say to you?" I asked. Her eyes snapped up to me before she pushed a lock of hair behind her ear in a bashful manner.

"I lived with a pack in Georgia for three months when I was fourteen..." she stopped, looking conflicted about how much she wanted to say. She flipped the pancakes and bacon that were cooking on the griddle. I assumed to give her something to occupy her time while she contemplated what to say to me.

"The orphanage was way overcrowded. Since I was one of the oldest girls I was expected to help care for the littles-"

"You were an orphan?" I interrupted, immediately regretting the move when she eyed me pointedly and continued her story.

"The house mother's name was Jacinda, but she had us all call her Momma J. She was..." she trailed off, a genuine smile pulling at her lips that had my mouth going dry and my heart beating just a little faster. "So funny. And the sweetest woman. She cared so much about all of us kids. She taught me all I know about how to cook, especially soul food. That's what she always used to say to me, though. 'It's not good for the heart, but it sure is good for the soul'," she said with another laugh before her expression turned somber.

"How come you were only there for three months?" I asked while reaching forward to lift the lid to check on the hashbrowns. She abruptly smacked my hand away with a harsh, don't! before her entire body seized up with tension. Every muscle looked coiled and ready to spring into action at the drop of a dime.

"Sorry," I muttered weakly, taking a step back to hopefully appear like less of a threat. "Is there a reason you have to leave the lid on?" I asked, carefully pointing towards the pan that she'd just smacked my hand away from. I knew she was expecting me to lash out, but I wasn't sure how long I was going to have to stand here like a dumbass before she realized I wasn't going to behave like some kind of barbarian. There was a slight tremor in her arms before she took a slow step back and quickly took the pancakes and bacon off the griddle, never once turning her back to me or taking her eyes off of me for more than a couple of seconds.

My earlier question remained unanswered as she took the lid off the potatoes to flip the hashbrowns. They cooked for a few more minutes as we remained in tense silence while she finished up the scrambled eggs.

The tension in her body remained as she piled the food onto a plate, surprising the hell out of me as she handed it over to me with her eyes downcast and her head slightly tilted in submission.

"Thank you," I said before making my way to the new dining table. I resisted the intense urge to dive in and stuff my face as I waited for her to join me with a plate of her own. Thankfully, I didn't have to wait too long. I was surprised when she chose to sit in the seat to my immediate left instead of directly across from me like I figured she would to put some distance between us.

"This smells amazing," I commented, hoping to try and bring back the light mood from earlier. She nodded her thanks as she moved her hands to rest them in her lap. I didn't realize what she was doing until after I'd taken my first bite. Only then did she reach up to grab her fork and cut a piece off of her pancake.

"You don't need to do that here," I stated after I swallowed my food - my tone probably harsher than it should've been due to the way she slightly jumped, but I'd already showcased what an idiot I was around this woman.

"Do what?" she asked with narrowed eyes. The statement seemed like a challenge. Whatever I said and did from here was a test it felt like. If only I'd studied.

"Wait for me to take the first bite. I get it's some...respect thing in front of the pack, but not when we're in our own home. Or at any informal gathering, for that matter. We're equals," I insisted while looking directly at her, making sure I kept eye contact the entire time I spoke. She looked like I'd just spoken a foreign language, but I chose to leave it and continued eating. We didn't say another word to one another until I was almost done with my food. It was almost easy to forget the uncomfortable silence because of how good the food truly was. I need to thank this Jacinda woman personally.

"I got transferred," she abruptly spoke, catching me off guard. I furrowed my brows in confusion. "I was only with Mama J for three months because they transferred me. It wasn't by choice - it rarely was - but that was the one time I actually wanted to stay. It wasn't because I had caused trouble. I liked it there, but they didn't have room for me. And since I was the oldest, I was costing the most money to feed. Therefore, I got the boot," she explained. I wasn't sure why she was suddenly opening up, but I wasn't going to question it.

"Have you ever tried to reach out to her again? Mama J?" I asked.

"Last I heard she was still running that same orphanage. I always wanted to try and travel back to that pack when I turned eighteen to see her, but...I never got the opportunity," she husked out, a haunted look in her eyes before she looked down at her plate to avoid my gaze.

"Maybe we can look into that after the mating. The busiest time for pack business is just about over, so we should be free to travel here soon for small periods at a time," I offered before scooping up my last bite of food.

"You'd take me all the way across the country just to visit an old orphanage house mother?" she rasped out quizzically, looking so unsure I thought I might've said something wrong.

"Yes...? Unless that's not what you wanted," I spoke quickly, afraid I might have misinterpreted her words. Trying to understand her was like trying to put together a 1000-piece puzzle that had no picture and was just a solid color.

"Can you excuse me, please?" she asked, looking like she was ready to bolt. I furrowed my brows but just nodded my head. I threw my hands up, completely lost when she did make a run for it the second I conceded.

What in the world had I done wrong?