MAXINEAfter crying in bed after the walk yesterday, my mind was somewhat clear. I decided to focus on the things I could control.Getting each of us out of this mess.I had spent the rest of the days trying to think up ways I could succeed on my own. Trying to win Ronan's trust was dangerous for me. I could end up falling for my enemy.That was the stupidest of the most stupid moves made in battle. And I wasn't stupid enough to make it. I needed to make a safer plan because this one was going to set me off on fire in the end.I haven't seen Zel since then. I didn't know if she was still alive. I wondered if there was a way to reach out to Liam's allies and ask for help.I was sure that the reason they chose not to attack was because no one had heard from Liam. They probably assumed he was dead. If he was dead, fighting against Ronan would be pointless unless they wanted to take over. And Ronan did have the right to be Alpha.I was still thinking of how I could reach my father, Alpha
MAXINEI didn't say a word.He was flirting with me, no doubt. The bigger problem was that I didn't know whether he was lying."Well," I began, "I can't talk all day, can I?"It earned a smile from him. "You have a lovely voice, Maxine. I completely enjoyed listening to that.” He said, going for another compliment.I managed to give him a small smile in return “I’m glad you liked it." I replied."You know," he continued as he stood to his feet. He unfolded his hands from across his chest. "I think after listening to that, you deserve a reward.""A reward? What would you give me?" I asked, looking up at him with curious eyes. I hadn't expected him to want to give me anything.He walked over to the door with so much grace and stopped in front of it. “What would you like?” he asked.I paused, hesitant. "Anything?"He nodded. "Anything," he replied."Let me go," I replied without missing a beat. I saw the slight change in his expression and I realized I had ruined everything."I can't do
MAXINE“Zel!” I rushed forward.The moment she stood up, I enveloped her in a tight hug. I held her close, feeling tears prick at the corners of my eyes.“I’ve missed you so much,” I whispered, as I pulled away to get a good look at her.She was wearing a simple dress. And she looked thinner. I felt a pang of guilt. My fault. Her eyes were bright and they were full of life. She hadn't given up hope yet.“I missed you too,” Zel replied. “I thought, I wasn’t sure if I’d ever see you again. Or at least, It would take a while to see you.”I gripped her arm. “I’m here now. We’re together.”Zel nodded, but there was a shadow in her eyes that I couldn’t ignore. It only added to my guilt. “How are you? How have they been treating you?”“I’m okay,” I said, though the truth was far more complicated. “How are you? Did he torture you? Let me see your wrists."I grabbed her hands and inspected the binds stopping her from doing magic. "Does it still make you sick?" I asked. I searched her face for
MAXINEIt was small but it was there. "You can use your magic?" I asked, unable to hide my shock.She slapped her palm over my mouth and looked over my shoulder at the door. "Keep your voice down." She chided.I nodded and she let go of me. "How is that possible?" I asked."I've been trying to push through the constraints. It's hard and some days, I just end up sleeping all day." She replied, showing me the binds. "I think I might be able to break them or better still, cause them to be ineffective."I pulled my lips into a straight line, serious. "Find a way to make the latter work. It would be in your favor. It would give you time to plan an escape without them realizing it."She nodded, getting up and going to pick up the notebook she had been scribbling in. "I'm working to see how I can use my magic to leave this room without using the door." She said."Like, teleporting?" I asked, my eyes widening even more."Yes," She said. "I think I'm almost close to perfecting it. I tried it w
MAXINEThe door was unlocked and I stepped out. I was careful to keep my face neutral. Ronan was waiting. His eyes swept over me. I kept my head down, hoping he hadn’t noticed the tears I had blinked away.“Ready to go back?” Ronan asked, gently. As if he didn't give me five more minutes. As if I wasn’t his captive and anything he said wants, goes.I nodded. “Yes.”He didn’t move immediately, just watched me with those eyes. I could feel him studying me. It was like he was searching for a break of emotion in my face. My skin prickled under his gaze. I resisted the urge to shift uncomfortably. I couldn’t let him see any more than he already had.“Okay. Let's head back, Maxine,” he said quietly.I nodded and focused on the sound of our footsteps as he led me back to my cell. Each step pulled me away from Zel but at least, there was hope. We had hope.When we reached the door to my cell, Ronan stopped and turned to face me. He just stood there. Then slowly, he reached towards me and brus
MAXINEI shook my head, trying to clear the confusion. This was exactly what he wanted, wasn’t it? But what if he was telling the truth and this was how he felt? What if he did see that I was beautiful? What would that mean?I crushed the note in my hand once again, feeling angry. This was a waste of my time. There were better things to do. I didn’t want to believe him. Everything was so confusing.I stared at the flowers on the desk and repeated the words in my head until it was like I couldn't forget them. The note was still in one hand and I gripped the flowers in the other.I wished there was a window I could throw these flowers out of. But then I froze as puzzle pieces fell in my head. I put the flower back on the table and unwrapped the note again. I placed it next to the flower and stared at it.A smile graced my lips as I sat down on the chair and admired the flowers I had gotten. This wasn't mockery or loss. No, I smiled. This was my win.Because even though Ronan had given m
LIAMI scoffed. He was a damned liar."You just made things difficult for me, very difficult. But, hate? No, I wouldn’t say that.”I met his gaze, keeping none of the anger or hate I had for him away from my eyes. “You could have fooled anyone with that, but not me.”“You’re angry,” he said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “I understand that. But anger won’t help you, Liam. It’ll only eat you alive. From the inside out, until you're a hollowed-out shell of yourself.”I clenched my jaw and refused to look at him. “Maybe that’s what I want. Maybe it will save me from this misery.""That's a cowardly move to make, Liam." He said. I didn't reply.Ronan let out a sigh. It sounded like he almost pitied me. “You always were stubborn. But you’ll come around, Liam. You’ll see that I’m right.”“Right?” I repeated. “Right about what? Faking your death? Destroying our pack? Betraying your own family? Stealing everything that mattered to me?”I saw the cold and ruthless side of R
LIAM“Good,” Ronan replied. He flexed his arm briefly. “Now, what news do you have for me?”Varis straightened. He went back to business mode, just as he used to be when he worked with me. “The demolition of the pack hospital has been stopped, as per your orders. The construction team was already on site but I managed to stop them before they did any irreversible damage. The building’s structure is still intact and renovations can commence to bring it back to shape.”"You're bringing the hospital back?" I asked.The hospital was one of the last remnants of our father’s legacy. When I couldn't stop its destruction, I had to swallow my pride and look past it. I was working towards stopping it but everything with Maxine and then this had distracted me.But hearing that Varis and Ronan were walking on getting it back? I silently thanked them for intervening. But, I knew better than to think Ronan had done this because he felt some sort of newfound sense of compassion towards the pack.“Go
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