MAISIEAfter my long conversation with Kodiak, he kindly escorted me to his house and offered me a comfortable room for the night. Despite my exhaustion, I found it difficult to fall asleep, and as the hours passed and dawn approached, I was finally on the verge of drifting off when a sudden knock shattered the silence.A muffled voice came from the other side of the door, "Mrs. Cardinal, Kodiak wishes to see you. You have ten minutes to join him."Struggling to sound composed, I replied, "I'll be there in ten minutes!"I got out of bed and immediately showered before I went down to see him. Kodiak was not the first person I wished to see today but I knew I had no choice. Although there were a lot of things still left unsettled between me and his brother, those grievances seemed nothing compared to the current state he was in. He raised his head the moment I descended from the stairs but remained quiet until I entered the room. Different aromas from the food served on the table drift
MAISIEAfter I left Kodiak's study, I was greeted by Anna, who was elegantly dressed in a vibrant yellow floral dress and red stilettos. Her face lit up with a beaming smile as she walked towards me. “I'm here to pick you up, Sis. There are so many people I can't wait to introduce you to now that you'll be settling here.”“Sis?” I was slightly taken aback by her endearment but there was something else that bothered me, “Wait, I want to meet Zayn first. And I need you to help me send a private message to the Light Dawn pack.”Anna's enthusiastic expression waned slightly after she heard my request, “I don't think Kodiak would be happy about this...”“Please, Anna,” I pleaded, “If I don't send that message asking Felix to release Alexei to them, things would get very messy over that. I just don't want innocent people to get hurt.”She fixed me with a perceptive gaze, her eyes searching mine. "Are you truly concerned about the welfare of the pack members, or is it more about the alpha, F
MAISIEI knew it was a risky move but I desperately wanted to save him no matter what. That was why I was prepared to use the mate bond to try and prolong his life. Apart from the motion that he was the only one who could overthrow Xavier and take back his pack, I just couldn't imagine a world without his presence now. So I took his hand and tried to enter his psyche, hoping to check on the situation first. I hoped I wouldn't be forced to use my last resort and that the pack priestess would be able to treat him before then but I kept having a bad premonition that things wouldn't go the way I wanted. After a few moments, I shut my eyes and then fluttered them open, hoping to focus and achieve a certain outcome, but to no avail. Previously, it seemed as though an impenetrable barrier had been erected in our mental connection, although I could still perceive his existence on the other side.But now, there was nothing. No sound, no breath. It felt like he was truly dead. When Anna ca
MAISIE As the clock struck 9 pm, we finally reached the location that Kodiak had texted us about. To my surprise, it was a hidden cave deep in the heart of the pack's territory, forcing us to travel in our wolf forms to get there.With the cave in sight, Anna handed me a set of clothes to wear upon our arrival, reminding me, "Remember what I said, Maisie. You must keep your composure, no matter what you see in there."Her words left me feeling uneasy, but I nodded solemnly in response. "Yes, I will," I affirmed.Upon entering the cave, I was confronted with a chilling sight. A thin, lean woman was pouring my mate's blood into a large wooden bowl. The scene sent shivers down my spine, and before I could fully comprehend what I was seeing, my legs propelled me forward.Before I could react further, Kodiak intercepted me, easily overpowering me with his strength. He turned to Anna and remarked, "Now you can see why I didn't want you to bring her along.""What are they doing to him?" I e
ZAYN"Wait, so let me get this straight... that woman over there is supposedly my wife, and I have a son?" I questioned my identical twin, studying his every move while he, in turn, observed me with great intensity.The atmosphere in the room was heavy with silence, tension, and an unidentifiable quality that seemed to hang in the air. It felt as though everyone else in the room was privy to a secret, and the most troubling aspect was that the secret seemed to directly concern me.“Yes, she is,” Kodiak reaffirmed as he ran his fingers through his hair, “Look, I understand what you are thinking but you know that I won't lie to you about something like this...”“No, you won't,” I cut him with a firm voice. It wasn't only because I trusted my twin completely but also because he knew the consequences of playing such a dangerous trick on me. I dismissed him, “You can go now.”Kodiak looked like he wanted to say something but at the end, he simply nodded, “Alright, we will go. Have a good r
MAISIEI was absolutely furious this time. Kodiak had just left the room after trying to explain things to me and Anna when I sensed it. The once bright, pulsating bond was fading away, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't stop it. I even attempted to reach out to the other end, only to find an impenetrable wall standing between us.That's when I knew he was the one behind this mess. My body started moving before I could even stop it, ignoring Anna and Kodiak's voices speaking to me as I barged into the room I had seen them come out a few seconds ago. My eyes immediately located Zayn who was sitting on the bed, with his head buried between his hands. He had barely raised his head when I slapped him across the face. My rage was boiling in my veins as I stood in front of him and demanded, “What the hell do you think you are doing? Open the bond right now!”Zayn's wolf eyes hardened as soon as he recovered from the slap, sending a cold chill down my back. But that feeling of fe
MAISIE After our disagreement, I found myself actively avoiding Zayn even though we were living in the same house. It seemed as though Kodiak didn't need to intervene to keep me away from him, as I had no desire to cling to Zayn as I had in the past. I made an effort to occupy myself with activities such as shopping and discovering new places around the pack.I tried to convince myself that I didn't need to be concerned about him anymore but I was constantly reminded of him each time I saw Kodiak so....“You decided to avoid him too?!” Anna's eyes creased with amusement before she doubled over, laughing heartily.I sent her a sharp look, which didn't seem to affect her at all, and redirected my attention to my painting. This activity was an attempt to fulfill my promise to my son who was arriving at the pack in the afternoon. “It's nothing personal, Maisie,” I dropped the brush and sighed, “I just want some space too. If he still doesn't remember us, then...”Anna sensed my hesitati
MAISIE I didn't want to obey him at all. Especially since he dared to add his alpha aura along with that command, my first instinct was to tell him to go to hell but he seemed to read my mind already. Zayn walked in a slow, deliberate pace and grabbed my arm, pulling me over to his side. “You must be Mr. Kincaid,” he spoke first. His eyes were as sharp as icicles when they settled on my friend. “Thank you for taking care of my son.”A cough involuntarily escaped from my throat as soon as his words reached my ears. Despite his outward expression of gratitude, the undertone of his voice conveyed a subtle sense of disregard for his benefactor. It was clear that only he and his brother possessed an arrogant demeanor, regarding their enemies with disdain, regardless of their strength or influence.“There is no need for you to thank me,” Felix remained unfazed by his hostility. He tucked his hands in his pocket and added, “I only did it because Maisie asked me to. Plus, I had lots of fu
ZAYN As the sun descended the horizon, the garden was enveloped in a golden glow, casting a warm and enchanting aura around us. We found ourselves standing beneath a beautifully adorned gazebo, its delicate white flowers and twinkling fairy lights creating a magical scene. The tall oak trees surrounding the area rustled softly in the gentle breeze, adding a soothing and melodic whisper to the tranquil atmosphere.My wife looked absolutely radiant in her flowing green dress, perfectly complementing her emerald eyes. I gently tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear as she ran her hands over my crisp navy suit, exchanging joyful smiles with each other.As we exchanged the rings, I said my vows to her with sincerity. “The truth is I have never believed the moon goddess existed from the day I was born.” I lowered my gaze as I heard certain murmurs among the crowd of people gathered for the special occasion. “I mean, I had heard stories about her but I refused to acknowledge her existe
MAISIE We sprinted through the dense forest, desperately following Zayn's fading scent as it lingered in the air. Despite the mounting exhaustion and pain throbbing through my body, I was resolute in my determination to reunite with Zayn.Upon reaching our destination, Zayn gently guided me out of our haste and into the weathered stone building. Pausing for a moment, he looked into my eyes and said, "We need to trust him, Maisie. This is where we wait.""I know," I murmured hoarsely, my gaze fixated on the thick fog encircling the temple ahead of us. I immediately opened the mate bond between us, only to discover that it was blocked by my mate from the other end. Fuck. Zayn had likely decided to shield our mate bond from the pain, but I couldn't find appreciation for his considerate action in this instance. Waiting for him in that state felt like an unbearable torment had materialized on Earth, but I held onto the hope that he would emerge soon.That hope shattered when the bond ab
MAISIEXavier's eyes widened in terror when he discovered that Zayn was standing right behind him. He instantly turned around, swinging his fist at his opponent, but Zayn shifted to the side to avoid it before planting another punch in his stomach. Xavier immediately doubled over holding his stomach as blood gushed right from his mouth. Another man suddenly appeared from behind my husband, causing my eyes to widen. I warned my mate, “Zayn, watch out!”As soon as the man tried to sneak up on my mate, Zayn ducked down onto the ground and swiped his right leg in a circular motion, hitting the man's limbs. The man instantly lost his footing and fell to the ground, allowing Zayn to land several punches on the man until he finally went unconscious. The sight motivated me to resume cutting the rough, tight ropes that dug into my wrists. Although my heart had calmed down slightly, I was still worried that more of Xavier's men could come so I wanted to help watch my husband's back while he f
MAISIEThe air suddenly became heavy, causing Xavier's smile to vanish as his gaze wandered from mine to the man beside me. It was then I realized that everyone in the room seemed affected by his wolf's dominance, except me. The guards had already crouched in pain while Felix and Xavier tried their best to resist him. However, it was not entirely possible. Despite his injury, his wolf seemed to have more than enough strength to show his commanding aura. His red orbs glowed eerily in the dark and the sight of the dried blood at the corner of his lips only seemed to make him more frightening than ever. With slow and deliberate movements, he turned to Xavier, “You dare to hurt my woman?”Xavier clamped down on his lower lip, the pressure evident in the tightening of his jaw. His hands gradually came to a standstill in the tangled mess of my hair. I saw fear dance in his eyes for several seconds but despite this, he still challenged, “So what if I did? What the hell are you going to do?
MAISIEDuring the moments of my capture, I drifted in and out of consciousness. It was a result of the relentless agony caused by my inner wolf and the unbearable pain coursing through my body. My skin felt like it was burning, and I was acutely aware of the fever that had taken hold of me, pushing me to the brink of death. I didn't need a healer's diagnosis to know that whatever Xavier had shot me with contained a trace of silver, a substance that was very lethal to wolves. That meant I had very little time left. When I finally woke up again, I discovered that I was being carried by someone into a dark place. The air was stale with sweat, blood, and death. I forced myself to remain still so I could fool my capturers and escape but I knew it was only a matter of time before they would try to take my life again. If they weren't doing it now, it only meant that Xavier had plans for me and I guessed it had something to do with luring Zayn out. It felt like an eternity waiting for the
MAISIEThe air between us was thick with tension as we faced each other one last time. Odette assumed a defensive position, her dark attire mirroring my own. A tightly braided ponytail of blonde hair rested on the side of her neck, and her intense gaze bore into mine with unwavering determination.Our movements were slow and deliberate as we circled each other, each waiting for the other to make the first move and attack. I tried my best to remain calm even when I could hear my heart beating wildly in my chest. There was no need for me to feel scared since I was sure I dispatched everyone who had come with her. It was just the two of us now, and I wasn't going to rest until I made her suffer for all the things she had done to me and my loved ones.Odessa drew out her claws and lunged at me, meeting me for a series of punches and kicks. The wood underneath us creaked from the weight as we exchanged blows, each strike precise and powerful. Odessa's moves were filled with experience as
MAISIEMy heart raced as I lay in bed, trying to shake off the adrenaline from my encounter with the wolf, but sleep eluded me. Despite the fatigue weighing down my body, my mind raced with thoughts and fears, keeping me wide awake. I ate and took a long, relaxing shower to wash away the grimness of the arduous day but I couldn't stop thinking about my fight with Odette. Finally, I decided to take a walk to clear my head. As I put on my clothes and stepped out of my room, an eerie feeling crept over me, and I couldn't shake the sensation that something was amiss.Each step I took seemed to amplify the silence around me, and I could hear the thudding of my own heart as I cautiously made my way to the living room. My senses were heightened in the darkness, and every tiny sound made me jump. Navigating the room, I felt a surge of fear, my eyes struggling to adjust to the deep shadows that enveloped me.It wasn't until I safely arrived that I finally released a soft breath of relief. I th
MAISIEAfter my conversation with Madam Aurora, we left her office and encountered a group of women scurrying back to their positions as if they hadn't been eavesdropping on us. I couldn't help but notice a flicker of irritation on Aurora's face, but she calmly strode past them and instructed her secretary."I need you to arrange a private room upstairs for this woman and ensure that she gets some food," she said. As I cleared my throat, she turned slightly and added, "And make certain that nobody is aware of her presence or disturbs her in any way. Anyone who goes against my instructions will be immediately thrown out of this establishment. Is that clear?"The ladies who were pretending to be busy suddenly dropped their important work and chorused meekly, “Yes, Madame!”“Good,” The woman wore her glasses before she walked away, leaving me behind with her secretary as she climbed down the stairs. I knew she would try to even the score with me one day but since today was not it, I deci
MAISIE After she summoned me to her office, I found her observing me intently, so I met her gaze without hesitation. As time ticked by, I held my head high, taking in the subtle sound of her manicured nails tapping the wooden table. The Madam was undeniably beautiful, with fair skin and a toned physique earned through rigorous exercise. Her sleek bun and fashionable attire complemented her blonde locks, adding to her allure."Tell me, what brings the Luna of the pack to grace me with her presence?" Aurora inquired, her eyes fixed on me. "Is your mate still among the living? Where is he?""You need not concern yourself with my partner. We will handle this matter ourselves," I replied, leaning back in my chair and intertwining my fingers. I knew that the woman before me operated based on profit, but I needed to ensure she wouldn't cross me as she had my mother.The woman rose from her seat and stood by the window, deep in contemplation, careful not to misstep in this delicate situation