MAXINEWhen my father left, I smiled. I was happy that at least now, he recognized what I was doing. He recognized that even without a wolf, I still had value.I went back to my office feeling some kind of way. The rest of my work came easy to me. When I finished, I stopped by Liam's office, ready to say goodbye. I knocked on the door."Hi, good evening," I said as I walked in. Liam looked up from his screen and his eyes softened when he saw me."Evening, Maxine," he replied."I'm about to leave and I wanted to be sure if you needed my help with anything," I told him, still standing by the door.He shook his head. "I'm good. You can go home." He replied.I nodded slowly. "Okay then. Bye." I said, about to turn to leave."Maxine," he called me. I turned. "Come here."I obeyed. I walked towards his desk. He pushed his chair away from it and patted his thighs. My eyes widened slightly. He wanted me to sit on his legs!I swallowed and did as he wanted. He wound his hand around my waist an
MAXINEThe moment I stepped in, I realized that I was alone. I looked around in a panic, not finding anyone. I made to turn back but, I couldn't find the door.My heart raced as I tried to understand what was happening. "I knew you were going to come." A voice spoke up, "You couldn't resist."I grabbed my daggers quickly and turned in the direction where the voice came from."Gerald!" I called out, my voice echoing faintly in the quiet.There was no response, only the feeling of being watched from the shadows. I strained my senses, searching for any sign of movement.Suddenly, a voice spoke from behind me, low and chillingly calm. "Impressive, isn't it?"I spun around, heart racing, to find Gerald standing behind me, his expression unreadable in the dim light. There was a patch of moonlight coming from a window and I could see him with it."What is this place?" I demanded. "Where is everyone else?"Gerald chuckled darkly. "This, my dear Maxine, is where it all begins and ends."I glan
MAXINEI ducked between its legs, slicing its shin. It didn't react to pain and it confirmed my thinking. They couldn't die. They had to be stopped somehow.I looked around for any hints. A statue with a long sword approached me, lifting it above his head. I ducked, hiding behind one of the raised platforms they had been standing on. That was when I caught the writing."To stop the gatekeepers, you have to…" it stopped there. "I have to what?!"Another shorter statue with a club swung at me. I dodged running to the next platform. "...find the points…" this one said.The answer was scattered around their platforms. I was running from one to the other, "...that controls… …how they move… these points are… vital… strike where… it's true…and victory… will be… yours.""How helpful," I said, sarcastically. I was running out of energy and sweat was dripping from my head.I scanned the status for a sign of these points. I spotted one who had a black patch right above the heel of his feet."Her
GEMMAI couldn't describe what kind of creatures they were but the aura they exuded was enough to send a chill down my spine. The warehouse resonated with the sounds of the ancient guardian's footsteps as they surrounded us.Liam and I stood back-to-back, our weapons raised to defend ourselves. Each guardian's eyes gleamed with an unwavering resolve. They were massive, towering over one and a half of a grown man."We can't fight them all," I said over the chaos, my voice strained with urgency.Liam nodded grimly, his eyes darting between the advancing guardians and Gerald, who stood at the other end with a serious look on his face. "We need a plan," he replied.Gerald lifted his brows, catching what Liam said. "There's no reasoning with them," he said out loud. "Their sole purpose is to protect the artifact at any cost. And it's in my possession.""Then we get the artifact," Liam muttered. There was a look on his face and I caught Kris, Varis, and Harold nodding. He mind-linked them.
LIAMThe night air was crisp and cool as we emerged from the warehouse. The faint glow of dawn on the horizon showed that the morning had come.The pack moved with purpose, preparing to head back and transport Gerald so we could make our way back towards our territory.Maxine walked beside me, her whole mannerisms showing that she was exhausted. She probably mirrored how I was feeling."Gerald won't be causing any more trouble," Maxine said quietly, her voice carrying a note of finality. I wondered if she was convincing me or herself.I nodded in agreement, keeping a watchful eye on our new prisoner in the back seat of a truck. "Not for now, at least," I replied, my thoughts already turning to our next step: getting rid of the artifact."You did a great job. You saved our lives." I said in gratitude. "Thank you."I had not expected such fighting from her. Being the Beta's daughter, she must have had personal training to prepare her for days like these.We filed into our trucks, drivin
MAXINE"Very well. Come with me." Dennis said. He turned leading the way down twisting and turning shelves. There were other people here, dusting off objects in front of them, using magnifying glasses, and taking down notes.He worked as a team.Dennis took us to a private room. He glanced out the wide windows before pulling the blinds down and turning on the lights in the room."Okay, where's the artifact?" He asked.I glanced at Liam and he nodded. Gently, I pulled the artifact out of my bag, scared that if I turned it the wrong way, it might sort of turn on again, bringing the guardians back to life."Skies unmake me," Dennis muttered, taking the artifact gingerly from me and holding it to the light."Do you know it?" I asked. He walked over to his desk with it, placing it on the surface with the white linen cloth on it. There was a magnifying glass stand and he pulled it to stare at the artifact."It belonged to the goddess Sarinoa." He said. The tone he spoke sounded like he expe
MAXINEDennis was beyond appalled by Liam's suggestion. "Surely you must be kidding," he stuttered, letting out a nervous chuckle."Do I look like I tell jokes?" Liam replied with all seriousness.The smile left Dennis’ face and he frowned, looking at Liam. I could feel the tension in the air from these two men. I had to step in."Not destroy it, per se," I began, stepping between them. "Just hide it, so no one can ever find it for the rest of eternity."Dennis looked at me. "That's impossible. History can prove that. Whether it be a hundred or thousand years from now, it will still be found." He said."So what do you suggest? You're aware that this can cause chaos if it falls into the wrong hands.""Of course, I do. I would never suggest giving this to the government in the first place. They're always the first to lose something they claimed to have kept under the greatest lock and key," Dennis rolled his eyes and I took that as a good sign that the tension had faded."What do you su
LIAMI watched as the artifact exploded in a burst of bright light and hit Maxine, striking her in the chest. It was too quick and she didn't even have the time to react or scream. It hit her, sending her flying a few meters away and us to the ground.I looked at the center where the artifact once was. Instead of the strange wooden object, there was an ash burn on the grass. I glanced in Maxine's direction to see that she was still lying, sprawled on the ground."Maxine!" I yelled, getting to my feet and hurrying after her. Kris reached her before me and he gave me space as I took her head in my hands. "Maxine," I called shaking her.She trembled in my hands, her eyes closed, her teeth chattering from the impact."Get a healer!" I yelled, shaking her lightly. Varis came to my side, looking down at her. "What's wrong?" He asked."She got hit by that light," Kris supplied. I turned to Alaric, the spell caster."What happened?" I asked, unable to suppress the anger in my voice. He got do
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