MAXINE“It wasn’t easy,” I started, acting broken. “I had to play along and make Ronan think I was loyal to him. He’s been watching me constantly. He's trying to break me down. But I never gave up hope. The moment I found my opportunity, I knew I had to find a way out and warn you all before it was too late."A murmur passed through the group of rebels. Some of them nodded as if they wanted to believe me. But the woman with the braid wasn’t convinced.“And what makes us think you’re not here to betray us right now?” she asked. “How do we know you’re not still working for Ronan and you're lying to us?”I met her gaze. “Because Liam has been captured and tortured and I can't save him on my own," I said. I knew a thing or two about lies. If you wanted them to work, you had to add truths."I’ve seen what Ronan is capable of, I’ve seen the lengths he’ll go to, seen the lives he’s destroyed. He’s taken everything. I’m not here to betray you. I’m here because I want to stop him, just like yo
MAXINEI should have pulled away. I should have slapped his hand aside but I just couldn’t. I was stunned and confused by the way he was looking at me. It wasn’t the look of a predator stalking up to his prey.It wasn't the cold and calculating look I had come to see every time with him. This was different. I was so enthralled and I couldn't tear my eyes away from him.I looked into his black eyes and he kept his eyes on me. His hand stayed on my cheek, his thumb brushing over my skin. It was in slow and deliberate strokes. And by the goddess, it felt delicious. The touch was so intimate that it made my heart skip a beat.I didn’t understand what was happening. Why was he acting this way? Why was I reacting this way as well? It was as if the Ronan I knew was gone, replaced by someone else entirely.“Why are you doing this?” I whispered, unable to talk any louder. In this vulnerable moment, I was fragile. The space between us didn't seem like it was enough. “Why are you being so kind t
MAXINEAs the days passed, Ronan kept making his presence in my life known. At first, I thought it was part of his twisted game, a way to keep me under control. I thought it was a way to manipulate me into doing his bidding.But as the days turned into weeks, something unexpected happened, and I found myself talking to him. Talking. It started innocently.He’d stop by my room in the evening. It was always unannounced. He would sit in the chair, making sure that he was facing me where I sat in my bed. He never came with any agenda or demands anymore. He just simply wanted to talk.It was strange, seeing this side of him. He laughed freely now and even made jokes. But he seemed genuinely interested in whatever I had to say. The first time I caught myself laughing, I felt guilty.Everyone else was trapped and I was laughing. At first, I was careful with my words. I was always expecting a trap that I was sure he was laying for me. But the more we talked, the more I found myself lowering m
MAXINEEvery time he visited, Ronan came with more books. And sometimes, he came with nothing at all. He was starting to know when I would have finished the books he brought. He was always with a book when I was almost through reading the last one he brought.Soon, he brought fewer and fewer books because he was visiting almost every day. It was like he was spreading the pile of books so he had an excuse to come talk to me.We talked about everything and nothing. I was careful not to bring up Liam and ruin anything. We talked about stories we liked and places we’d been. I asked him how the weather was outside and he promised to take me out for a walk.I found myself looking forward to his visits. I looked forward to the way he made me laugh. Our conversations were easy and natural. It scared me more than anything.It was terrifying because I knew it was wrong. I knew I shouldn’t be letting myself get so close to him. But I couldn’t help it. Ronan was like a puzzle, one that I couldn’t
LIAMDarkness. That’s all I know now. I had no idea how long it had been since I was brought back here after seeing Maxine. The room seemed to be growing smaller and smaller with each passing day. I had lost count of the days. Maybe it was even weeks since I last saw the sky.I hadn't felt the wind on my face. Hadn't seen the woman I had come to love.I was broken. My mind had dulled to a numbness. It kept me from feeling the gravity of my situation too much. When the guards brought me food, I ate without tasting its flavor. When they left me in the dark, I slept without dreams.I felt like I was a shell of who I once was. A shadow of the alpha I’d been. I wasn't the strongest anymore. I was far from that.On some days, Ronan would visit me. He'd refuse to tell me what day it was. He’d stand just at the edge of my cell looking in with a smile that made my skin crawl. I never responded.I had nothing left to say. His voice was just another noise in the endless void that had become my e
MAXINEI was getting painfully used to Ronan.I almost started to look forward to his footsteps outside my door. It was different than the others. He wasn't loud but his steps were confident. He wore boots, almost all the time.I anticipated the door unlocking and the soft shuffle of boots against the stone floor as he slipped inside my room. This time was no different, so I thought. I heard the familiar sounds. But when he stepped inside, I knew something was off.Ronan didn’t greet me with his usual smirk or even a sarcastic comment. His eyes were dull. It didn't have the sharp glint of malice that was usually dancing in his eyes. Instead of the easy swagger, his movements were slower, almost hesitant.I couldn't recognize the man standing before me. This looked like a shadow of him. “Ronan?” I called carefully. I didn’t dare take a step closer. Not until I knew what mood he was in.He didn’t answer right away. His eyes wandered around the room. It was as if he’d never seen it befor
MAXINEI caught myself. I can't be kind to him. I'm going to kill him. "Just rest,” I suggested.He nodded and his body relaxed completely. A few moments later, his breathing evened out. It shocked me. I realized he had fallen asleep on my lap, like a child. This villain had fallen asleep… on my lap.He had let his guard down enough to fall asleep. I sat there, my fingers still gently stroking his hair. My mind was racing. I was between the pity I felt for the man he had been and the anger for the man he had become.He had done so much harm to me, to Zel, to Liam, to so many others. But here he was, vulnerable and broken, exposing his wounds to me in a way that no one else had ever seen. Or would ever see.I looked down at him. His face is peaceful in sleep. It was hard to believe that he was capable of so much pain and suffering. Yet, here he was, seeking comfort from me, his enemy. He was trusting me enough to let his guard down completely.My eyes drifted to my hands that were re
MAXINEThe door creaked softly as I pushed it open. I held my breath in anticipation as I stepped inside. My eyes swept across the room.I stood there frozen in place. This wasn't what I expected. I expected to see a bed, and some bedroom furniture but, this wasn’t a bedroom. It was something else entirely.It was a really large and dimly lit space. In the center, taking most of the space was a bath. It was sunken, in the ground. Steam rose and filled the room in soft and curling waves. They were coming from the water. It was like stepping into another world, one that was thick with warmth and heat.And there, in the center of it all, was Ronan.He was half in the water. His head was resting against the edge of the bath. He closed his eyes as though he was lost in thought. The water lapped gently at his broad shoulders. The steam surrounded his muscular frame. He almost seemed, otherworldlyHis face was relaxed but there was a tension in his body that I hadn’t noticed from him before.