Maeve really did put Jake to work, making him collect, flatten and dispose of all the unused cardboard and lift every heavy box she could find, but to my surprise he didn’t so much as shrug his shoulders with each command she threw his way. I was tasked with stocking and organising the bar, a role I volunteered for considering I would be helping serve the drinks to guests. It was almost therapeutic to work at my own pace, polishing glasses and bottles as chaos ensued around me. With all the ‘volunteers’ Maeve had recruited, the place was ready within hours. I marveled at how quickly it had come together, and how beautifully it had been designed. Maeve’s family had spared no expense, decking out the dining areas with travertine tables and lining the floors with tiles that resembled the white sand of Greece’s beaches. The bar was made of rose quartz which dazzled underneath the dim lighting, surrounded by rows and rows of mirrored shelves consisting of more luxurious bottles of liquor
Julius POV“ROGUES!” Maia’s scream rang through my mind, her panic seeping into my bones as I instinctively looked around the room for her, only to find she wasn’t here, she hadn’t been since I’d returned downstairs. Without hesitation I excused myself from the conversation I was having, something about town planning which I’d only been half paying attention to anyway, and stormed to the front of the room. “Everyone, I need your attention.” I announced. “We are under attack by a pack of rogues. Anyone who can fight, follow me. For those of you who cannot, remain here for now, you will receive updates via mind-link.” I didn’t pause to register the worried glances exchanged by those around me, I didn’t need to. I could feel their fear as if it were my own, fear that we were about to lose everything all over again. “I’ve checked in with patrols, they’re all fine, none of them even had anything to report.” Dean was by my side in an instant as I practically ripped the front door off h
Julius POV“Can I come in or is someone naked” Dean called from the hallway. I rolled my eyes and yanked the door open before returning to Maia’s side, briefly admiring the blush that stained her cheeks as our eyes met for just a second. “What was so urgent that you had to come here at three in the morning?” I sighed, folding my arms across my chest. “Clearly you were up, so it’s-“ he paused, scrunching his nose. “Oh, I was interrupting. My bad.” I pinched the bridge of my nose and let out a sharp breath, my patience far too thin to deal with his lack of self-awareness. “Get to the fucking point, Dean.” “Okay, okay, sorry.” He said, putting his hands up in surrender as he slumped on the armchair facing us. “So when I got back from the… disposal… of that last rogue, I reached out to the neighbouring packs to see if they had had any similar attacks. Obviously I expected that I’d hear back in the morning, but surprisingly Marco got back to me straight away.” “Alpha Marco of the Cr
Maia POV“Come on, is there a bicep muscle where your brain should be? Just let me in!” A familiar loud, sassy voice whined from the front door. Dean and I had been in the lounge for the better part of the morning, abiding by our house arrest as we watched every serial killer documentary our local streaming service offered, when an unrelenting sequence of loud knocks had come from the entrance to the pack house. I looked over to Dean, who looked completely oblivious to the outside world as he watched the latest Jeffrey Dahmer series with nothing but pure worship in his eyes. Honestly, I wouldn’t have been surprised if the next documentary that came on was about him. “So?” I finally asked as I stared at him incredulously. “So what?” He replied, not so much as sparing me a glance as his eyes remained glued to the screen. “Are you going to answer the door?” “Why? They’re not allowed in.” He said bluntly. “Fine, guess I’m going then.” I huffed, standing from the couch. He let out
Maia POVI awoke from my involuntary slumber to the sensation of gravel digging into my skin through the fabric of my cotton pyjamas. The telltale smells of damp earth and shit lingering in the air told me I was being held in some kind of dungeon, but as my eyes fluttered open all I could see was darkness. The room was completely void of light and sound, and as the hours dragged on I almost began to feel as though I was floating in another realm altogether, unable to see myself or hear the outside world. The only indication that I hadn’t died and moved on to the afterlife was the searing pain radiating through my skull from where it had been smashed against the doorframe. Surely the Goddess wouldn’t be so cruel as to make you feel pain after death, right? After what could have been hours or days later, the sound of a door opening pulled me from my existential crisis. I jumped to my feet, ignoring the ache in my stiff muscles as I tried to prepare myself for whatever Adrian had planne
**TW: sexual abuse Maia POVSomehow I had thought that this place would have simply been swallowed up by time, ceasing to exist in all realms except my memory, however as I looked around at the plywood walls and stained, crusty carpet that sat beneath the fold-out bed I was currently chained to, I realised it had been wishful thinking. Wes’ trailer looked almost exactly as it had when I left, only covered in an added layer of grime and filth that seemed to indicate that he, or at least someone, was still living in it. I waited for my heart rate to spike, for the anxiety to creep into my gut at the thought of seeing him again, but surprisingly, it never did. Instead, a feeling of anticipation washed over me, an eagerness for conflict that was completely foreign yet oddly exhilarating. “Home, sweet home.” I murmured to myself as I inspected the silver cuffs restraining me to the bed. As expected, they looked impossible to break and each one needed it’s own unique key. On the plus sid
Julius POVHer agonising screams pierced the forest air, tearing at my insides as unbridled rage threatened to overwhelm me. I locked eyes with Dean, who stood to my left, his expression mirroring my own as we tried to discern what direction Maia’s screams were coming from. He had been blaming himself for her disappearance ever since I found him barely conscious on the floor of the spare bedroom, fighting the effects of the wolfsbane that had been injected into his bloodstream. I had left the Crimson Pack with little explanation given to Alpha Marco, just a reassurance that I would touch base soon and an apology for the mess I’d made in his basement, before I jumped in the jeep and sped home. I’d made record time, but it didn’t matter, I knew she was gone the second I stepped into the packhouse, her scent and warmth quickly fading as I reached our bedroom. The splintered doorframe was the first thing I noticed, the coppery scent of her blood the next, sending me into a fit of rage at
Maia POV “Mate” his baritone voice growled. Disbelief coursed through me coupled with an overwhelming sense of relief as I felt Celeste awaken within my mind. She raised her head and howled, long and deep as she felt Thanatos calling to her through the mate-bond. How was this real? Doubt crept into my mind as tears began effortlessly falling down my cheeks. This was something I had never allowed myself to even consider to be a possibility, because I knew that if I were to either be rejected, or if something were to happen to the mate bond, the damage would be irreparable. I had endured a lot of pain in my life, more than the average person, but that…that would destroy me. And here I was, faced with my salvation and my destruction on a knifes edge. My feet failed to move as I watched Julius stalk towards me, wearing nothing but a pair of black shorts, his muscular body glistening with sweat in the summer heat. How could I be worthy of him? “The Goddess doesn’t make mistakes.”