LIAMThe cold in the darkness of the van seeped into my body. I tried to move and to shift into a more comfortable position. But, every muscle screamed in protest.The giant's beating had left me battered and with a couple of broken bones. Each breath I tried to take sent sharp stabs of pain through my body. My vision was still blurry as my left eye was starting to heal.I was fighting to stay conscious, trying to listen to the sounds around me to know where they were taking me. But, the ringing in my ears made it difficult to focus on anything other than the pain.The van moved forward as it sped down the rough road. Despite the ringing, I heard the tires crunching over gravel and dirt. It meant we were off the main roads.The only other sounds were the engine and the occasional movement of feet. I tried to hear what someone was saying in front but I couldn't make it out.I tried to take stock of my injuries. I wanted to mentally check each part of my body. It would help me decide wh
MAXINEThere was something about spending our last day off in Conrad's house. Maybe it was because it was him, or it was because our lives were finally looking up.But it was so lighthearted. I had been searching for so long—for something I didn't quite know what it was and it held me down. But here, with Conrad and the others, I was starting to feel like maybe I didn’t have to search anymore. I had everything."Oh?" I teased, letting go of him to look at his face. He flipped the pancakes in the pan."I have so much more to show you but, you're going to have to stay long enough to find out." He said."Don’t worry,” I replied. “I’m not going anywhere. I'm right here."But even as I said the words with all my heart, a part of me said that it was a lie. It surprised me. Conrad smiled.After a while, he stacked pancakes on a plate while I removed sausages from a pan. We took them to the kitchen island where there were three stools.I called Peter and Zel and they came to take their seats.
LIAMI couldn't breathe, I couldn't think. I stared at the man standing before me. Brother echoes in my mind. I hadn’t heard that voice in years. Never seen that face in almost a decade.Truth be told, I had hoped I would never hear it again. But, here he was, like a ghost from my past. I’d never expected to see him again, let alone under these circumstances.“Ronan,” I let out in the shock of seeing him."In flesh and blood," He smirked. I had seen that same smirk a thousand times when we were younger. It has always made my stomach turn."Surprised to see me, Liam? Did you think you could escape from me?” He asked, his voice lifting in mockery."Ronan," I said again, repeating the name. I was in disbelief.My older brother, the one who had disappeared years ago without a trace, was right in front of me. The same one who had always lived in my shadow. The one who was jealous of the position I held as the heir to our pack. The one who had tried to kill me.“What the hell are you doing
MAXINEThat strange feeling settled in again. It was stronger this time. So strong that I couldn’t ignore it. Something wasn’t right.“Wait,” I said, pulling back slightly. My breath was coming out in gasps, and my heart still racing from what was about to happen.Conrad froze, his hands still on my waist. His blue eyes searched mine. “What’s wrong? Did I do something wrong?"How was I going to explain this? I was going to hurt his feelings and I was going to be the bad person. What did this make me? I still loved Liam and I wanted to be with Conrad. Did that make me a cheater like Liam?I didn't realize I was crying until I saw the worry in Conrad's eyes. "Hey, hey, hey," he said, coming up to cup my cheeks. "It's okay. It's okay. You don't have to do anything you don't want to."I nodded sniffling. "I want to," I let out, "I just…""Tell me, Anna." He whispered."I don’t know," I admitted, my voice shaky. "I just… I have a weird feeling."He frowned, concern furrowing his eyebrows s
LIAMThe darkness was suffocating. But I think it was the silence that did it. It was so quiet down here. I could hear the sound of my blood rushing through my veins.I couldn't tell how long I had been down here. The hours seemed to have blended that I had lost count. I was healing but the cuffs around my wrist kept a steady pump of wolfsbane.It wouldn't be long before I died in this place. I could pick out faint sounds of footsteps but they were never for long. My heartbeat was the constant sound in the room.Not only were the metal cuffs poisoning me but it was cutting off circulation. My hands were always having a dull, constant pain. My muscles ached from the cold. I couldn't even kneel. I was left standing or hanging by my chains. My mouth was dry and even my saliva couldn't fix that.I’d been in bad situations before, but this was different. Those were when I was younger. Before I made a name for myself.And this one wasn’t just about me. This was about my pack, my family, eve
MAXINEThat weird feeling had only grown stronger since that day at Conrad’s house. I couldn’t shake it off, no matter how hard I tried to distract myself. It ate at me, whispering that something was wrong, terribly wrong.It wasn't until the eye of the ancients appeared to me in a dream. "You need to go back," the masked spirit said."Why? Go where?" I knew the answer but I needed to be sure."Liam's pack. He needs you," that was all he said before the dream ended.I spent the next few days trying to act normal. I pretended that everything was fine as I tried to return to our routine at Gray Lodge. But the more I tried to ignore it, the more it caused me to worry.Conrad noticed it, of course. He always notices. He would find me staring off into the distance, lost in thought. He would ask if I was okay. Of course, I would lie. I would tell him I was just tired. Everything was fine.But I could see that he didn't believe me. I couldn't tell him the truth. It meant that I had to tell h
LIAMMy mind was racing. I didn't know if it was because of the wolfsbane or because Ronan had threatened me with Maxine but, my mind felt like it was on fire.I couldn't think straight. The only thing running through my mind was Maxine. Maxine, Maxine, Maxine. Was she safe? Did Ronan know where to find her? Was she well hidden? Did her new identity keep him safe from her?All these questions were eating me up and it didn't help that I was slowly being poisoned. I didn't know how long Ronan had been gone. Briefly, a guard had come to give me water and I had bitten clean into his hand.Ronan had showed up and the giant had held my chin, forcing water down my throat. "It's not time for you to die just yet, Liam. There's so much more I want to show you. So much more you have to see burn to ashes."I spat at him and he had given me the hardest backhanded slap I had ever received. His ring had bitten into my cheek as well."Foolish boy," he had snapped before he left angrily.The metallic
LIAM"In flesh and blood!" Ronan laughed but then he caught himself. "Well, not really. But I'm sure you get what I mean, brother.""Let her go," I said, sounding too calm to myself. My ears were starting to ring.Ronan watched me closely. “You know, she was on her way to find you. How sweet. She must care about you to walk into my trap so willingly. It was almost too easy. She doesn't even have a wolf."My wolf howled in my chest. I lunged at Ronan but the chains held me back. It pulled me back but the sounds of the metal straining echoed in the room. I couldn't do anything but growl."Don’t worry, brother. You’ll be seeing her very soon. I’ve arranged a little… reunion. If we can call it that. It will be like old times. You and me, with the woman we love."I looked at him in disbelief. He was talking about Sandra. We both loved Sandra. That was years ago. She had chosen me and not him. In the end, she died. And he blamed me for it."Don't you dare hurt her!" I yelled.He ignored me
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