MAXINEI shook my head. "You helped them. Mark had bribed Judge Alistar to rule in his favor. Because you put in a good word, Alistar did the right thing." I said."Without you, we would have probably lost the case," I admitted, looking at him with grateful eyes. "Thank you," I said genuinely.He leaned back on the couch, uncrossing his legs and relaxing. "What are you going to do to prove that you're thankful?" He asked.He wanted me to please him. That was why he was here and that was why he was telling me. I did promise to do anything if he helped me.I didn't know where this boldness was coming from but I wasn't going to do what he expected. I was done with following his rules. He had me for pleasure but I was a person and I deserved to do whatever I wanted.Even if it was for a moment.I threw caution to the wind and put my cup down. I stood to my feet and walked over to him. I stood in front of him, between the space in his legs.When I didn't do anything, he quirked his eyebrow
MAXINE"Good morning," I beamed as I walked into the packed hospital lobby. A few nurses were behind the desk, handing clipboards to doctors and informing them about the progress of some of the patients."Somebody is in a great mood," Nadia commented as she walked over to where I was with a clipboard in her hand. She smiled and gave the clipboard to a nurse by the counter."It's a good day," I said, planning to shrug but I couldn't help the big grin that spread on my face this time.The secret to the lift in my mood lately was very simple: Liam. He came again that night, and the night after that. It felt like we were developing a routine. He wasn't ordering me and telling me what to do. Instead, he let me take the reins.It was exciting. I had control over what we did. I had control over a man, the literal alpha of the pack. It was such a weird feeling. Some sort of switch. It was almost unreal.We were having lots of sex. Lots of good sex, to be honest. I didn't truly know what was g
MAXINEThe day at work ended up with many patients, carrying simple blood test results back and forth, dressing or redressing wounds, and assisting the doctors and nurses.I was exhausted to my bones and I just wanted to get back home, hop on my bed, and have the best sleep of my life. My bed was the one thing that kept me going even as my legs hurt. I would finally be able to rest.On my way back from work, I was stopped by a charming woman. She was very familiar. When she saw me, her eyes lit up and she grabbed my hands."Maxine!" She exclaimed. "I've been searching all over for you!" I realized that she used to buy herbs from me before I had moved."Oh, hi, I'm so sorry. I moved out of that place a while ago and I haven't been able to find a lot of you to tell you how you can be getting herbs." I explained to her. "But, how are you? Are you good?"She nodded and then I saw that glint in her eyes. I knew what was coming before she even said it. "I'm pregnant," she told me, touching
LIAMI didn't have the connection yet but I knew he was the one. He was pissed that I had taken away his position and given it to Harold. He sent his people to try to kill me."Are you sure?" Maxine asked. I could see the doubt written all over her face."Well, no. But new information will be coming in tomorrow. So, hopefully, they found the culprit and can bring him to book." I said.She nodded. "Okay." She replied. She stretched, yawning. "About Nick…" she began."No," I replied, not bothering to hear what she had to say. Knowing Maxine, she was about to ask for a favor. She probably wanted me to release Nick. But I wasn't done with him. I needed to find the rest of his people."You didn't even hear what I had to say," she complained.I quirked my brows at her. She caught herself and straightened. We were not that casual. She was acting too comfortable.I frowned. This was the problem. I forgot about who she was to me. I stood to my feet, surprising her."Lock your doors," I said he
MAXINE I thought Tobias claimed that he wasn't cheating. What is he doing so intimately with another woman? And she looked rich and fancy. I watched as the car drove away taking them with it and I wondered if I should tell Ella about it. I decided that I was going to approach Tobias instead and find out about it. I couldn't get it off my mind even after I had entered my apartment and taken a shower. It had somehow managed to push Nick out of my mind. Tobias cheating on Ella was one of the most shocking things of the century. The next day, unable to resist the urge, I went to Ella and Tobias’ house real early. I wanted to catch him right as he was going to work. I waited in front of his neighbors for him to come out. I didn't want him to see me before I wanted him to. I hide in the bush, crouching and waiting quietly. The moment he stepped out of his house and walked past where I was hiding, I jumped him and grabbed his arm. "Yikes, Maxine, you startled me," he said, jumpi
MAXINEAs I reached the packed hospital, I saw a crowd gathered in front. I slowed down, grabbing the handle of my bag tightly as I approached.People were murmuring. There were lines of police tape in front of the building, blocking the entrance. There were two barricades in front, preventing people from pressing forward."What's happening?" I asked, in confusion. Most of the people outside were workers at the hospital. Where were the patients?"The mayor shut down the hospital. All the patients have been transferred to another hospital." A stranger said."What?" I asked. "Why? They can't just close the hospital."My old friends, Nancy and Katelyn spotted me and they waved me over. I pushed through the crowd going to them."Why are they closing the hospital?" I asked, hoping that one of them could give me more information on it."I heard that they want to demolish it to build a theme park on the land. The mayor approved the demolition." Nancy replied."They would destroy a hospital f
MAXINEI stood at the kitchen counter, chopping carrots for the soup I was making when Liam made the announcement, immediately drawing my attention."What did you just say?" I asked, the knife hovering above the cutting board as I paused."You need a job. I'm telling you I can give you one at the pack house." He repeated.The offer was unexpected, but not entirely surprising given our peculiar relationship. He was the alpha of the pack, and I worked as a nurse's assistant at the hospital that was now facing closure."The hospital..." I began, unsure how to start. I wanted to come up with some excuse why I couldn't. But I needed a new job."Okay. I guess I could use a change." I agreed.Liam's expression softened, and he nodded. "Good. You can start anytime. I'll finalize everything tomorrow." He saidI found myself nodding. "Okay. I'll do it," I replied, trying to sound more confident than I felt.***It took two more days before I got the courage to leave my house and go to the pack
MAXINEAfter the chaos yesterday, I was exhausted and I went home to rest. The next day, I knocked lightly on Lindsey's door, a tray of freshly baked cookies balanced carefully in my hands. It was my off day and I decided to spend it playing with Marie.The door opened, revealing Lindsey's bright smile as she greeted me warmly. "Hey Maxine, come on in!" Lindsey said, stepping aside to let me enter."Hi, Lindsey. I thought I'd drop by with some treats. It's my day off, and I thought I could keep you and Marie company," I explained, holding up the tray of cookies.Lindsey's expression lit up with gratitude. "That's so kind of you. Marie will be thrilled. She's been talking about you since the last time she saw you."I followed Lindsey into the cozy living room where Marie was playing with her toys. Marie's eyes widened with excitement as she spotted me."Maxine!" Marie exclaimed, running over and wrapping her arms around my legs."Hey there, Marie. How are you today?" I asked, smiling d
MAXINEI got a job working at the pack hospital again. This time, I signed up to be a real medical practitioner. I was going to become a midwife. There were a few familiar faces at the hospital and lots of new ones.Still, I was grateful to Ronan for giving them this opportunity again.That evening, I walked back into my apartment. The dead herbs were still in a box on the floor in the kitchen. I wondered if I would go back. I used to pick herbs and sell them to women who wanted to get pregnant.It felt like eons ago. Times were simpler. Back then, I saved lives not help take them. That was a time when I didn’t have blood on my hands.I sighed, running my fingers through my hair. I wanted my simple life again. It was simple but everything made sense. I didn't have to try to untangle myself from this mess that was my reality.A knock on the door brought me back. Zel was back from work. She worked as a bartender a little while from our apartment. Zel had gotten the job. After the manag
MAXINEI nodded, not trusting myself to speak without crying. Ella was right. I needed to let myself grieve. The love I once had for Ronan still occupied my heart.Lindsey reached out and held my hand. "We’re here for you, Maxine."I squeezed her hand, grateful for their support. They were right. I didn’t have to go through this alone. I had them.Maybe it wasn't so bad after all.***Going back to my old life felt like stepping into a strange place. There was the feeling of losing something. My apartment felt like a place from a faraway memory. Zel was gone and I was feeling so sad.I was back from saying goodbye. I unlocked the door and stepped inside. The space was just as I’d left it. There was still dust over everything. At least, I had something to do with my time.I took a deep breath. I hadn't lost everything. I was still okay.I began to clean up slowly. Lindsey stopped by to help me out and together, we covered a lot. As I was cleaning, I heard a knock on the door.“Are you
MAXINEI wanted to believe her that everything would be okay but deep down, I felt guilt and grief. This was my fault. I pulled back from her and wiped my eyes. I gave her a shaky smile. “It doesn’t feel like it.”She cupped my cheek. “Everything isn't always as it seems, my dear. But, I can tell you one thing I know for sure.” She said.“What's that?”“It's not your fault. I'm sure you don't know where to go from here, what to do, or where you belong. You want to come with me, you want to continue your life back at the place where you and Zel liked and you want to go back to how things were in this pack.” Cinder explained.“But, I see you staying here. This is where your strength lies, where hope lives, where you have friends and support.” She lowered her eyes and winked. “It's where you have a future.”“And, we'll always be here for you to fall back on, regardless of what happens. We're your home away from home.” The Luna Queen said, putting her hand on my shoulder. “I'm very proud.
MAXINEI didn't feel anything. No pain from a stab whatsoever. I looked between us and that's when Ronan smiled. His lips were close to my ear and he whispered, “I would never hurt you on purpose, love.”I didn't know when I screamed.Ronan collapsed into my arms, taking the both of us down to the ground with him. I tried my best to hold his head up on my lap. My eyes traveled down to the blood pouring down the stab wound in his belly.“Ronan,” I called, tears filling my eyes and rolling down my cheeks. He had stabbed himself.My hand shook as it hovered over the wound. I didn't know what to do. The dagger was in his chest.Ronan had chosen death. Death over a life without me.“Maxine…” he called, his voice unnaturally calm for someone who was dying. He reached up to touch me and I guided his hand to my cheek.“I'm here, I'm here,” I cried. “I'm sorry,” I whispered the last part. My hands shook as I held him. I never wanted this. I didn’t want him to die.Ronan gasped. He looked up
MAXINEI held my breath as Ronan kept his eyes on mine. When he was close enough, he stopped. Neither of us said a word. The battle continued around us but I couldn't get myself to make the first move.He didn't either. I wondered if it was hard for him to see me. I wondered if he thought he could fight me. I also wondered if he thought that he could kill me.I spoke up first. “Ronan,” I called. My voice was sounding more longing than I wanted.I missed him, to be honest. I missed sitting down in the quiet and reading books. Strangely, I missed making his cinnamon coffee.Ronan didn't say anything. Instead, he took a step closer. “You don’t have to do this,” he said.There was no hurt, no anger in his voice, just nothing but kindness. I wished he would yell. I wished he would curse me and call me evil for everything I've done.“Come with me.” He said, softly. I heard it regardless of the noise. “We can fix this, Maxine. We'll leave everything behind together.”It sounded so good. But,
MAXINEHe caught me off guard. It meant that he still cared about me. I didn't focus on that though. “I won’t, I promise,” I replied.We stood there in silence for a while, neither of us knowing what to say. I could feel it though. I could feel it. The unspoken feelings and questions we didn't have the time to ask.Or we didn't dare to ask, I guess.After everything that had happened, I still wasn’t sure where we stood. I said I was okay with him hating me but, I didn't know anymore. The lines between us were confusing now. I didn't know how to fix that.But now wasn’t the time to focus on that. We had a mission and that was a priority. Every other thing could come after. We would cross that bridge later.For some reason, Liam stepped closer and I held my breath. “Regardless of what has happened between us, out there?” He said, “No matter what happens, we’ll get through this together. Do you understand?”I nodded. “Together,” I repeated.Before I could say anything else, Zel appeared
MAXINECinder gave me and Zel a brief of the plans that night when she showed us a bedroom. She and the Luna Queen were sharing the one right next to us. They told us to come to them if we faced any issues.Sleep didn't come easy because my mind was entirely on Ronan. I didn't know how I was going to face him again after betraying his trust. But, I knew I couldn't sit out of this fight.The sun had not even risen when I was woken up by the sound of Liam's voice. He was given instructions and I heard more footsteps around the house than the number of people I had seen the previous day.It meant that Liam was already up and gathering the troops. I could hear him giving commands like it hadn't been two months since he was last in power. He was a natural-born leader. He carried this air of authority around him.He was giving orders, explaining ranks and positions for this fight. Every single detail was important to winning.Zel was still asleep, of course. She wasn't a wolf so she wouldn'
MAXINEI chuckled bitterly. “What about now?” I asked. “Will you take me back now that I have a wolf? Isn't that what you've always wanted?”His eyes widened slightly but he kept himself composed. “That would be unfair to you. It would be wrong. If you want to come back to me, I will take you but the choice is yours now. You have a choice and I see now that I was wrong. I’m so sorry, Maxine. I hope you can forgive me.”Tears welled up in my eyes. I hadn't thought about this but I let the anger roll away from me. He was still family. He was my father. “I forgive you. You're my father, whether you abandon me or not.” I said.“Thank you, Maxine.” He said. He reached for me hesitantly. I would have settled for a handshake but he wrapped his hands around me. For the first time in what I knew was forever, my father hugged me.I didn't know what to feel about that.LIAMAfter Maxine spoke to her father, they returned to the living room. However, she moved toward the far end of the room, away
LIAMDespite everything that was unfolding in front of me, my thoughts were stuck on one thing.Maxine had a wolf.I couldn't wrap my head around it. After everything that had happened to her, it didn’t make sense. I glanced at her. The strange white-haired girl was sitting between us.Maxine was staring out of the window. The white-haired girl squeezed her hand. Maxine turned to look at her and offered her a small smile. That was when she caught me staring. She looked away, taking her eyes back to the window.It left me confused. Was she pissed at me? I was the one who had the right to be mad at her. She had chosen him over me. Well, the distance between us was necessary.I didn't know what I would say or do if I were sitting next to her. Kris took a sharp turn, causing Maxine to grab the handle of the car door. I opened my mouth to say something but I stopped myself. There would be time for questions later.“You alright back there?” Varis asked.“We’re fine,” I said. I didn't know i