I placed my hand over Maisie’s, trying to offer some comfort. I could feel her trembling under my touch, her fear and sorrow almost palpable.“We did escape together. We were chased. We ran together,” Maisie began, her voice slow, like she was trying to piece together what happened, but it was hard. “Then, what went wrong? Luca was ordered to protect you. He would never abandon the post,” Xavier’s voice broke through, filled with a mix of confusion and concern.“For a couple of days, everything was quiet. We were staying at one of your safe houses up North. And then, one night he left to get some firewood.” Maisie paused, her face tightening, like she was reliving that moment. She took a shaky breath before continuing, “He never came back.”“What do you mean, he never came back? Did you go looking for him? Where did he go?” Xavier pressed, his voice more insistent now.“I waited for him until dawn,” Maisie replied, her eyes looking distant. “I swear I have no idea where he went or why
Narrator's POVZoe and Xavier listened to the detailed account of events that Maisie had gone through with full attention. Zoe worried about her friend and pitied everything Maisie had to go through. Zoe blamed herself for pulling Maisie into her problems. After all, Maisie had to give up such a grave secret in front of so many people because Zoe's father's life was on the line. Xavier, on the other, was worried about his friend just as much as he was worried about Maisie. At least, Maisie had made it. Xavier had often checked with Jacob (his secretary) about Luca and nobody had heard anything since Maisie and Luca had escaped from the Werewolf Council Headquarters after Mr. Simmons' case."Maze. How did you get away from them?" Zoe asked softly. Maisie sighed and didn't meet the eyes of her friend. It was hard enough thinking about that. But talking about it all made it more real and unbearable."I'm not exactly sure what happened next. I swear, I just closed my eyes for a second.
"I thought you were taking me out of this jungle. Did you just bring me to your home? Or the center of the jungle?" Maisie asked confused but stepped closer nonetheless.The roots of the huge tree were spread on the forest floor. The moment Maisie accidentally stepped on a protruding root and slipped, falling face-first to the forest floor. She tried to hold something in vain. There was nothing to stop her from falling as she saw the ground get closer. Again, she closed her eyes but tried not to scream. Screaming had brought her problems so far.She fell, but instead of hard and moist ground, she felt a soft, dry, furry rug on her face. It still hurt but not as much as falling into the insect-infested forest floor might have.Confuzzled, Maisie opened her eyes and quickly got up only to stop stunned.She was now in a different location. The open jungle had vanished and she now stood in a cozy cottage that looked very normal at first glance.Then, she noticed the brown bird that had l
Zoe's POV"Oh god, MJ—" I lunged forward, wrapping my arms around my trembling friend. Xavier stayed back, giving us space. His jaw worked silently as he processed Maisie's story.Something felt off as I held her. The Maisie I knew would have been sobbing uncontrollably after reliving such trauma. But her breathing was steady, her posture stiff. Too controlled. Like she'd built walls around whatever emotions should have been there.Xavier cleared his throat. "Maybe we should continue this somewhere... cleaner." His nose wrinkled at the dusty, cluttered space.Maisie pulled back with a small smile. "AlphaXS34, huh?""Cornhead24," Xavier shot back.I blinked between them. "What?""Your boyfriend here contacted me on the dark web," Maisie explained. "Cornhead24 was my username. Twenty-four's my age."Xavier crossed his arms. "AlphaXS was perfectly discreet.""Except when you're flirting with a girl twelve years your junior," Maisie teased."I'm not that old!" Xavier's indignant protest m
I didn’t know how to change the subject, so Xavier just blurted it out: "We need to find a way to get into a human-only club. Can you do that?"Maisie and I exchanged a look, like, Seriously? Now? But Xavier didn’t seem to notice. He just raised his hands in surrender. "Sorry."I almost snorted. Yeah, like an apology fixes anything."You're right, Zoe," Spike’s voice echoed in my mind. "Anyone would feel abandoned. You left her in our hands, and look what happened."I bit back a sigh. "What do you want now?" Xavier muttered under his breath.Spike didn’t hold back. You know I’m right. Zoe left her behind, and now we’re paying for it.Maisie had turned her back to us again, fiddling with random things on a shelf, clearly trying to ignore the tension in the room."Maisie," I started softly, "we are really sorry for what happened to you." I nudged Xavier to continue, "And we want to make things right. No matter how hard it is."Xavier added, his voice quieter now, "It starts with you com
Xavier came back after two hours, but something was off."Okay, someone catch me up," he said, his eyes scanning the scene. "That's not how I left you girls."He stopped in his tracks, confusion clearly written on his face as he looked us over.Maisie and I were sitting on the floor, which was surprising in itself since we’d somehow cleared a little space despite the clutter. I didn’t know why, but for some reason, I was dressed in rags that looked a lot like the ones Maisie had on. My hands were resting over a large bronze bowl, filled with some weird, unfamiliar ingredients.Maisie was holding a ceremonial blade with a rune carved into its handle. She was about to start chanting when Xavier’s voice interrupted her."Where have you been for the past two hours?" Maisie asked, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow at him."I asked first," Xavier shot back, still eyeing everything suspiciously."We’re doing the ritual that you came for," Maisie said in a tone that made it sound like
"I hope you're not planning to wear that." Xavier walked out of the bathroom, dressed in a sleek, expensive clubbing outfit, ready to go, while I was still in my sweats, trying to finish my makeup."What’s it to you?" I replied awkwardly, stretching my mouth to put mascara on my curled lashes."Why are you making that face?" He asked, stepping closer with a mix of curiosity and amusement."Again, what’s it to you?" I rolled my eyes, cursing under my breath when the mascara smeared across my eyelid from the movement.Xavier laughed, and I shot him a glare. We were like an old married couple, even if we hadn’t realized it yet."Why are you here? You ready?" I asked, annoyed."What’s that supposed to mean?" Xavier twirled around in his outfit, flipping his coat with a smirk, clearly offended that I didn’t think he was ready."What’s gotten into you?" I asked, confused by his carefree behavior."What do you mean? I'm going clubbing with my mate for the first time." Xavier said it like we
Xavier and I stepped out of the car, handed the keys to the valet, and walked toward the entrance. There was no line. If you were a member, you walked in. If not, you had to buy an expensive ticket, hoping they’d let you in.Xavier had secured two VIP tickets under fake names. We were directed to a non-member lobby. The receptionist asked us to wait while they confirmed our identities.I opened a mind-link. “What if they find out?” I wasn’t ready to give myself away yet.Xavier was surprised. He looked at me and I yelled in his head, “Look ahead!”He flinched but replied, “They can’t hear us. Don’t yell at me in my head.”“Sorry,” I whispered, feeling awkward.“You don’t need to whisper either,” he said with a smile.I rolled my eyes. “Stop smiling and stop being my teacher.” Then I asked seriously, “What if they find us out?”“They won’t,” Xavier said, but his voice wavered. He didn’t know, but he was trying to stay calm.I repeated, “What if?”“Then they can’t do anything to a Werew
Xavier's POV I felt Zoe's hand tighten its grip on my arm as Alyssa made way to us, her eyes holding barely controlled rage. "Why was I not made aware of my sister's return?" I asked Jacob curtly through the mind-link. "Alpha, it is as much of a surprise for us as it is for you." He replied. I kn
Zoe's POVI spent hours at the salon. Jacob was insistent that I be taken care of. He had strict orders from Xavier to make sure I was ready for the formal dinner tonight. I got waxed, polished, and painted like a priceless wooden table.By quarter to eight, my hair was shinier and straighter than i
Zoe's POVThe next morning, I woke up alone. Xavier's side of the bed had a note that said, 'Early Meeting. See you at Lunch. Jacok is yours for the day.'I sighed and stretched. This was not how I wanted to wake up the first day in my new home. But I guess it came with being mates with an Alpha. I
Zoe's POV"This is good," I complimented, taking another bite of the lobster sandwich."Mr. Malarkey is among the best chefs in this hemisphere. He comes from a long line of chefs loyal to Blood Crescent for generations." The way Xavier spoke about the chef made me feel like he was the kind of Alpha
Zoe's POVXavier and I spent the rest of the day packing up and getting ready to leave the cabin. We took a quick lunch break and then loaded up Xavier's car.The hours we spent on the road going to the pack center where the Shaw Mansion stood in all its glory, felt nostalgic. It hadn't been very lo
Zoe's POVXavier was looking at me expectantly. He was waiting for an answer. And at that moment, I loved him so much that I would follow him anywhere if he held my hands the way he was holding them. He had so many problems and wasn't afraid to make me his knowing how many problems were on my tail.
Xavier's POVI knew I should've told Zone about not keeping Claire in the dungeons. It had been a momentary decision because she was still dear to me and I was so shocked at her betrayal. And then, everything else happened and I couldn't move her or expose her yet. It was not like I was hiding the
Zoe's POVBy the time we reached the cabin, a light sprinkle had started. I liked this light summer rain. It made everything look cleaner and fresher as if breathing new life into nature. I loved the smell of wet soil. I also liked how pleasant the weather became after the rain. It was the thunders
Zoe's POVAfter yesterday's activities, Xavier and I slept in each other's arms. For the first time in a long time, I didn't have any nightmares. I slept like a log and woke up with a smile on my face. And it was all thanks to my mate, my Alpha. Xavier's face was tranquil. I had missed seeing this