MAXINEI was being an overprotective big sister and I knew it but, they looked like they were slowly falling in love with each other. I could allow that. It made me realize that I missed talking to my blue-eyed boy.I haven't seen Conrad in four days. Since the last time we kissed that is. I was painfully aware of the fact that I didn't have a phone anymore. Who knew? We would have been able to talk to each other daily.It was like I had somehow managed to manifest this into existence because Mr. Grayson walked into the cabin, a white bag in his hand.He placed it on the table in front of me. "We need a way to communicate," Mr. Grayson said. "Especially when we're far apart."I quirked a brow curiously and made to open the polyethylene bag. There were phones in them! Four phones."They're not the best but they'll do the job." Mr. Grayson said, rubbing the back of his neck as we checked out the phones.Zel and I were more excited. We turned the phones on and grinned. "They're perfect,
MAXINEMy wolf's first fight completely shifted. My claws were extended and I slashed through fur and muscle. The wolf I had struck howled, falling to the floor. I paid no attention. I had to fight off the others.Mr. Grayson and Regina didn't run. Instead, he thrust his amulet forward. A sphere of light formed around the both of them, protecting them and forcing the wolves to keep their distance.Now, I could focus on the fight. As I tried to fight off two, one of them bit into my back. I growled and shook it off.It let go of me and fell. I used that opportunity to bite into its neck hard. The rest of the fight was a blur. That was when the wolf with the scarlet out a loud howl.The other wolves growled in response and began to back away from me. The big wolf came closer and I realized that it was here for a fight. It was their leader. Their Alpha.It bounded towards me and I ran towards it. We each swung with our claws, finding purchase. I let out a growl. We began to circle each o
MAXINERegina and Mr. Grayson exchanged a tense glance. Peter and Zel hadn't given us a call that they were coming. So, who could be out here? It was so far into the woods for just anybody to show up.We stared at the trees. "Get in the car, Mr. Grayson. If it's an enemy, you need to be ready to get us out of here." I said, my voice low but loud enough for him to catch it.He got into the car quietly as the footsteps approached. There was a rustle, followed by a grunt before the first person emerged. They turned and held out their hand, helping the next person out.I exhaled in relief. "Zel.." I said, resting my head back against the seat and shutting my eyes. I sagged into the seat.They got to the car and Zel climbed in. I opened my eyes. Regina got down for her so Zel would sit next to me."Skies, are you okay? What happened to you?" Zel asked, resting a hand on my arm. Peter got into the front passenger seat and looked back at me."We ran into some trouble while we were at the und
MAXINE“Tell us what?” Mr. Grayson asked, looking between Zel and Peter. "What are you hiding from us?""It's nothing," Peter insisted. He moved to leave the room but Mr. Grayson blocked his path. "Dad, get out of my way.""Talk to me, Peter. I'm your father." Mr. Grayson tried to convince him."I said it's nothing!" Peter yelled, swinging his arm across. Purple energy exploded from his fingers and hit the lamp on the table.I gasped, looking at Zel. Peter had an ability that was so much like hers. Mr. Grayson was also shocked."I'm sorry, I just got mad." Peter apologized."How is this possible?" Mr. Grayson asked.Peter gave him a small smile. "That's just how it is. I came back to the physical realm and found out that I had…" he held out his hand, "...this."That wasn't all. I stepped forward. "It's more than that. It also affects your memory, doesn't it?" I asked. I saw a look cross Peter's face. "That's why you were confused earlier. You forgot who Zel and I were."Mr. Grayson lo
MAXINEPeter and Zel stood up and came closer. "I didn’t even know this was here" Mr. Grayson admitted.“What does it say?” I asked, leaning closer.Mr. Grayson's eyes scanned the pages. “It’s mostly records of the family’s history with the lodge and its secrets. But here,” he paused, pointing. “It mentions a ritual—one that was supposed to be the key to ending the curse.”"Is it related to the same ritual your wife did?” Regina asked.“No,” Mr. Grayson shook his head. “This one’s different. It requires three elements: blood, magic, and spirit. If performed correctly, it could sever any curse’s hold completely.”Zel looked up curious. “Blood, magic, and spirit. This might be something we could work with." She said."But we still need to find the pieces," I said, looking at her.She nodded. "We have the magic. But, what about the blood and spirit?”“Blood could be anything symbolic. It might not mean literal blood." Mr. Grayson replied. "But, in this case, I think it could be about fam
MAXINEThe last piece of this puzzle had been hidden in the very place the curse had first been born. The beginning of the problem would also be the end.Mr. Grayson was the first to break the silence that had stretched between us. "If the last piece is at Gray Lodge, then we need to find it quickly. The curse will fight back once it realizes that we're close to breaking it."Peter nodded. “We’ll need to move fast. And be ready for anything.”“Should we split up?” Regina asked. “We can cover more ground that way?”I shook my head, thinking about the wolves, the snake, and whatever it was Zel and Peter faced while trying to find the other pieces.“No. We’ll be better off staying together. We can’t risk splitting up when we're going against the curse.”“Anna is right." Mr. Grayson agreed. “We’ll cover the lodge together as a unit. We'll go room by room if we have to.”We packed up and left the cabin, piling into Mr. Grayson's car. I sat next to Zel as usual and I leaned close to ask her
MAXINEWe moved carefully through the lodge. Mr. Grayson kept leading the way. We left the basement and climbed up the broad staircase to the second floor. Zel walked beside me, her magic still glowing faintly. She was ready to fight.Peter and Regina were behind us, their eyes scanning every corner. Peter's fingers glowed just a bit. He was also at the ready.We reached the top of the stairs. Mr. Grayson paused, turning to face us. “The piece has to be somewhere in this part of the lodge,” he said keeping his voice down. “We’ll search every room at the edge of this floor. It can’t be that far.”I nodded, swallowing hard. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. The curse was aware of us now. It was only a matter of time before it came to fight back."We need to stick together," I reminded everyone. "No one goes off alone, no matter what." I need to resound it now, more than ever. They nodded agreeing with me.We began our search, moving from room to room. We checked every nook
MAXINEWe made our way to the old oak tree near the lake. The moon was hanging low in the sky. It cast a pale glow on the water. I could see the massive oak tree in the distance, its branches twisting like fingers.This was where it was all going to end.We reached the base of the tree. The ground beneath our feet is uneven and covered in fallen leaves. Mr. Grayson pulled out the scroll from the small box containing the last piece. He brought the other pieces from his bag one after the other.“Here,” Mr. Grayson said, kneeling on the ground and spreading the pieces out like a puzzle. "This is where we put it all together."I knelt beside him, helping to arrange the pieces. They were fragile, the edges folding and crumbling. We managed to fit them together. Zel stood to the side, her magic ready.Peter stood nearby, his eyes closed. He was humming and I suspected he was connecting with the spirits. He was the connection that the old journal spoke about.“We have to be quick,” Zel said,
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