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,
MAXINE"Not yet," I yelled, running back to them. I felt the artifact's energy in me. "Hold hands!"Together, we formed a circle around the curse. Mr. Grayson activated his amulet and formed a protection around us from the attacking shadows. Zel continued the chant along with Peter as the curse tried to push through us.“Hold on tight, we can’t let it break!” I yelled. "This is our last chance."Zel’s chanting became faster and the symbols on the puzzle pieces glowed so brightly, that they were almost blinding me.The curse exploded outward and I was thrown back. My breath was knocked from my lungs as I hit the ground. Everything seemed to slow down. For a moment, I was sure we had failed, that the curse had won.But then, I heard Zel’s voice. “Get up. We’re not done yet!”I pushed myself to my feet, my legs shaking under me. I hurried towards Zel and held her hand, squinting as the curse continued to twirl like the wind.Regina and Peter were already up, helping Mr. Grayson to his fe
MAXINEThe next day, the sun was shining high in the sky, bathing the Gray Lodge in its golden light. I exhaled loudly, lifting my chin towards the sun and smiling. Peace, this was what true peace was. No one tells you that you can only know what peace is until you know what real trouble is.This was the kind of day that would make me just want to stretch out and soak up the sun, feeling the gentle breeze. The wind carried with it the scent of pine and water. The lodge seemed almost like a different place. The atmosphere was lighter and more welcoming. The feeling of that oppressive curse was gone.I wonder if I could find a way to get rid of the old rumor of it being haunted. For the first time in a while, we were all able to relax. Mr. Grayson gave us the rest of the week off and this was only Thursday.I found Zel and Peter in the garden. Zel was working to plant some new flowers and she was showing something to Peter. They were laughing so close together that their heads almost to
MAXINE"You’ve earned it, Anna. You both have. This place wouldn’t be what it is now without your help." Peter replied.His words made my heart swell. “Thank you, Peter. That means a lot.”After a while, I decided to leave them alone. I found myself walking towards the pool. I hadn't gotten a glimpse of Conrad since our last kiss. I figured that since it was still afternoon, he would be there.I was wrong, of course. He wasn't there so I sat on one of the lounge chairs, basking in the warmth of the sun. A while later, I couldn't feel the warmth anymore. I opened my eyes, confused, and saw Conrad standing and leaning over to stare at me. He was blocking the sun from my face."Hey," he said. The sun caught in his hair and made it look more golden than blond and goddess, was he beautiful."Hey," I replied, suddenly feeling breathless."Mind if I join you?" he asked. I nodded. He took the next lounge chair and sat down. I didn't know if I should mirror him and sit up. Instead, I stayed ly
MAXINE"But I’ve always seen it as a kind of hidden gem. It's like a home away from home," he said to me.I chuckled, relieved. The less people that knew what happened here, the better. “Yeah, you could say that.”"Anna, there’s something special about this place. But I think what makes it special is the people here. People like you.” he bumped shoulders with me lightly."Conrad…”“I mean it,” he said, stepping even closer that our bodies were almost literally pressed together. "Ever since I came here, I’ve felt like I’ve been searching for something without knowing what it was. Then I met you. And I think it might be fate that brought me and you here."I opened my mouth to reply, but I couldn't find any words. The sincerity in his voice and the way his gaze held mine left me trapped in this moment. But in the best possible way.He reached up, gently tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. “Anna, you’ve made me look forward to working in this place. I don't have family and this work i
LIAMBut this, this was something entirely different. I didn't even know the girl.I walked towards the exit of the building pushing open the heavy wooden doors. It was biting cold when I stepped outside and cold bit into my skin. I needed to clear my head and think about the next move. The pack leaders of the northern pack were giving me a tough choice.As I approached my car, Kris pushed off the pillar where he was leaning on. He had a coat on and he stuck his hands into it."A second later and I would have frozen my ass off in this place," he muttered as I unlocked the car and started the engine, the heater turning on.I said nothing even though I was wrong for forgetting to drop the keys with him. I didn't drive. I left the car in park, listening to the thrum of the engine.Kris turned to look at me, his brow lifted. "What happened in there?" He asked, noticing my mood.I hit my hand against the steering wheel, the horn blowing loudly. "The fcking turned this on me." I snapped, gr
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