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 turned the page of my book, nearing the end. The sunlight filtered through the from the small window but I was using the warm glow from the reading lamp Ronan had got me. It was one of the things that came with the flowers.I sat by the table next to the vase of flowers. They had begun to wilt. Their petals curled as they dried. Even their colours were faded and the air smelt of decay.I had been meaning to throw them out but I hadn't had the heart to do so. They were a gift, after all. Especially when said person hadn't been to my room since. It felt weird throwing them out when he hadn't seen that I kept them in the first place.There was a knock on the door. I quickly set the book down and turned towards the door. I wasn’t expecting anyone but there was only one person who would knock on my door unannounced. When it wasn't dinner, breakfast, or lunch.Ronan. I hadn't even heard his footsteps."Come in," I called.The door opened and Ronan walked in. He had one hand behind
MAXINEIt wasn't that no one could escape Ronan. But, I don't think anyone was brave enough to try.But then again, as I watched the town go by, I realized. They didn't want to escape Ronan. What if Ronan wasn't as bad as I thought? What if it was because we were on the other side of his plan that we thought that way?What if Ronan was the best thing to happen to the pack?I shook my head. That thinking wouldn't get me far. I had to keep my head in the game and focus on escaping from him.Ronan was taking me to see the progress in the hospital. That was all. He just needed someone to accompany him. I knew better than to let my guard down. This wasn’t a gesture of goodwill. It was a reminder of who held the power.And he was going to show everyone. I was going to be by his side, acting along like he doesn't keep me locked up in his mansion.When we arrived at the hospital, I got out of the car and stared at the tall building. It seemed to loom over us. It wasn't like before. Major reno
MAXINEThe heat of the afternoon sun pressed down on my neck as Ronan and I made our way back to where the car was parked. I couldn't get my mind off of the fact that this was the first time I’d been out in public since Ronan had taken control of the pack.And he was being surprisingly civil during this outing. Aside from the stares here and there, no one was glaring daggers at him. This wasn't what I was expecting.As we neared the car and the door was opened, my thoughts were interrupted by the sound of someone calling my name. At first, I thought it was just my imagination. But then I heard it again. It was clearer and louder this time.“Maxine!”I turned, scanning the crowd that was passing on the sidewalk. My heart skipped a beat when I saw her. It was Ella. She was running toward me, her hand on her swollen belly.“Ella!” I shouted back. I tried to go towards her but the two guards blocked my path. "Ella!" I shouted again, pushing against the guards who were blocking me.Panic r
RONAN The next day seemed to start early. The sunlight crept through the blinds. I got out of bed and went out to take a bath. For some reason, Maxine's move yesterday plagued my mind.I hadn't expected her friend to show up, and I hadn’t expected to see Maxine’s face light up the way it had when she’d seen her. That kind of happiness was genuine. And it felt foreign to me. But as quickly as it appeared, it had vanished the moment we left.I told myself I didn't care. I shouldn't care. But here I was dressing earlier than usual, preparing to visit her. It had become a routine for me to check on her before I got swept away with my problems.I’d made it seem like it was just to make sure she didn't try to escape. Like I was trying to keep her under my watch. But, deep down, I knew better. I wanted her to smile, like she had with her friend, to me. I wanted to be the cause of it.By the time I made my way to her room, I had already decided on today’s plan. I knocked once. And then let
MAXINE A bit of the morning sun got into my room through the small window as I dressed. I hadn’t slept well. I’d tossed and turned, and I'd dreamt that something terrible had happened to Ella and I couldn't help her.I repeated yesterday’s short reunion with Ella in my mind. She seemed fine, she was okay. Nothing was going to happen to her. Then, I replayed my conversation with Ronan.I kept replaying everything in my head. What I had said and how he’d reacted. He had felt so desperate. But I didn't know for what reason. I’d never seen that side of him before. It left me feeling off balance.I ran a comb through my hair as I sat by the desk. There was a knock on the door as it unlocked. "Who is it?" I called out.“It’s me,” It was Ronan. There was a strange sound of excitement in his voice that I hadn’t heard before. I only heard it when he talked about his plans to destroy everything his brother built. What was he up to now?"Well, come in," I said. He didn't. I stood to my feet an
MAXINE"I'm sorry to interrupt," he began walking. "I hope you ladies had a nice time together."I nodded, stifling. "We did. Thank you." I said quietly."I'm sorry but it's time for Ella to leave," Ronan said."Why?" Ella asked, the word slipping out of her mouth before she could stop herself."Because I said so, darling. And, I don't want people knowing Maxine's location," he replied, sounding too kind that it got on my nerves."But, I won't tell a soul!" Ella countered."Except your husband. And maybe a few other friends?" Ronan asked. Ella shut her mouth. "I thought so.""Don't talk to her like that," I said, standing to my feet.Ronan faltered, clearly not expecting me to react like that. He cleared his throat and adjusted the collar of his shirt. "My apologies, then. But, she must leave, now." He replied.Ella grabbed my hand. "It's okay. I'll go. We’ll see each other again soon?”I nodded. “I’ll be waiting,” I whispered to her.As she walked to the door, I felt that feeling of
MAXINE"Just for a little while.” He added when I didn't say anything.I raised an eyebrow. “A normal conversation between two people on a date?” I repeated.He nodded. “Yes. We'll not talk about what’s happened. Just talk.” He said.I hesitated. “Okay. But it's not a fdate. What do you want to talk about?” I agreed.Ronan relaxed just a bit. “I don’t know. What do people usually talk about at breakfast?” he stressed breakfast because this wasn't a date.I found myself smiling. “The weather?” I offered.Ronan grinned. “Alright. Then we talk about the weather it is. How are you finding it?” I asked.“It’s really warm,” I replied. We chuckled.We continued like that for a while, talking about mundane things. It was small talk and it was meaningless. It was also the most relaxed I had felt in a long time.Ronan even managed to make a joke. It was something about how the birds seemed to be better off than us. I couldn’t help but laugh. It was a brief moment but it was good.For the first
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