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Sold To The Stongest Alpha 250
MAXINE“Don’t cut yourself,” I warned, watching as he chopped through a carrot. He was more confident now. “I’m not sure how good I am at first aid.”“I’ve handled worse,” he replied. “And besides, I’ve got this under control.”I found myself smiling again. It was nice, seeing him like this. He looked less like a ruling Alpha and more like just a guy trying to impress someone. He looked almost normal.He moved on to the herbs next, picking up a bunch of parsley. He sniffed it before beginning to chop it into bits. I watched as his hands moved and I was struck by the thought of how gentle those same hands could be. The memory of him holding me as I cried was still fresh in my mind. I remembered how his fingers brushed against my skin.I shook the thought away, choosing to focus on now. “You’re doing great,” I said, surprising myself with how much I meant it.He looked up, a genuine smile crossing his face. “Thanks,” he said.He continued to slice, and dice. His attention was fully on t
Sold To The Stongest Alpha 251
MAXINEI thought he was going to kiss me. But then he turned back to the stove and poured the vegetables into the pot. “Thanks,” he murmured.“You’re welcome,” I replied, trying to steady my racing heart. Get a hold of yourself, Maxine!We worked together in silence. I watched as he stirred the contents in the pot, concentrating on that simple task. I felt a surge of affection for him. I hadn’t realized how much I needed this. I needed him to be this way, so normal and human and flawed.Eventually, the meal was ready. Ronan insisted on serving it himself, and I let him. I sat back down at the small kitchen table. He carefully arranged the food on two plates.He brought them over, setting one in front of me with a grin. “Voila,” he said like he was presenting a masterpiece.I laughed softly. “Not bad, Chef.”He took a seat across from me, and for a moment, we just looked at each other. He looked content. We began to eat. The food was surprisingly good considering his cooking skills.I
Sold To The Stongest Alpha 252
LIAMShe stepped back, hurt flashing in her eyes. I refused to look at Ronan. I didn’t want to see whatever look he had. Because whichever expression he wore, it would make me feel nothing but anger.I turned away, refusing to let them see the hurt in my eyes. I wanted to get as far away from them as possible. I could hear Varis and Kris behind me, trying to catch up but I didn’t slow down.I didn’t say a word for the rest of the walk. I kept my head down, my thoughts a mess. I kept replaying Maxine’s laughter and the look on her face, the way Ronan had been watching her. It played over and over like a movie I couldn't turn off.Why had she done it? Why had she chosen him? Was I not enough? Was what we had nothing? Was it because I was locked up and reduced to less of the Alpha that I once was?When we turned the corner back toward the main hall, Varis finally spoke. “Liam, I know this is hard, but—”“Don’t,” I said, cutting him short. “Don’t try to explain it to me, Varis. You don’
Sold To The Stongest Alpha 253
MAXINE“How can you say that? He's your brother.” I said.Ronan’s jaw tightened slightly, but I saw him try to remain calm. “Maxine,” he started, “I think you're thinking too much about this. You needed to eat. We just had a meal and Liam…”He paused and sighed, “I gave him a choice to join me. But, my brother is stubborn. If he's not Alpha he doesn't want to,” Ronan laughed drily. “Liam made his choices.”“Did he?” I asked, my voice rising slightly. I didn't want to yell though. “Or did we make them for him?”Ronan’s eyes narrowed at me. He took a deep breath and nodded slowly. “You’re right. I just came out from nowhere. The villain who came to ruin everything.” he said.“Ronan—”“But what’s done is done.” He cut me off, “We can’t change it now, can we? So, all we can do is move forward and face it.”I wanted to argue and tell him that it wasn’t that simple. We couldn’t just move on as if nothing had happened. But the truth was, I didn’t know how to fix this. I didn’t know how
Sold To The Stongest Alpha 254
RONANI locked the door to her room and walked away. My footsteps echoed down the hallway as I walked away. The moment I was out of earshot of Maxine, I let out a breath. I needed to calm down and think clearly.No more of this. No more weakness or letting my emotions get the best of me.I needed to remember who I was and what I had set out to do. Maxine's reaction to seeing Liam had been like a punch to my face. The way her face had crumpled and the guilt in her eyes, I hated it. I most definitely hated how it had made me feel. I felt like I was losing her all over again.I shook my head. This was stupid. I had let my guard down and let myself get too close. And for what? To see her look at him with those pleading eyes? She looked at him like he was some innocent victim and the monster holding him captive.I had been a fool.I had told myself this was necessary. Caring for her and tending to her needs would build trust and bring her closer. And yet, when she had heard Liam’s voice, a
Sold To The Stongest Alpha 255
MAXINEAfter I couldn't cry anymore, I was left alone with the silence. My mind trailed back to Ronan and how there had been a shift in his mood after he saw how I reacted to Liam. The smile hadn't quite reached his eyes anymore.I noticed but I was swimming in my guilt to even bother about it. He had been different since Liam walked in and his warmth was replaced by a kind of polite distance. He didn't want to show me the extent of how displeased he was.I sat up in the bed. Maybe I was overthinking it. Maybe he was just busy and his responsibilities caught up with him and clouded his mind. But a small voice in the back of my mind wouldn’t stop whispering that it was something more. Ronan's change in mood had to do with me.It had been a few hours since the kitchen. I had replayed the scene in my head over and over. I was trying to understand what I could have done differently. I knew Ronan had noticed my reaction when I saw Liam. How could he not? It had been written all over my fac
Sold To The Stongest Alpha 256
MAXINE“You say that now but what if I can’t be that person for you?” He asked.I took a step closer and reached out to touch his arm. “Then we figure it out together. No more hiding, no more pretending.” I pleaded.He stared at me, his eyes were searching mine for something. Were there answers or maybe forgiveness? I didn’t know. I only knew that I wanted to find it with him.Slowly, he nodded. “I don't know about that but I guess you're right, no more pretending.” He said.He turned to leave, but before he did, he glanced back at me. “I’ll come by later if you want to talk, okay?”“I’d like that,” I replied as he walked out.RONANI stood in front of the wide windows of my office, staring out at the compounds below. The plans with the hospital were finally coming back to life. After months of planning and overseeing renovations, we were ready to reopen.I had too much work to do. There was still so much left to oversee and this reopening was just the beginning. I had to make sure ev
Sold To The Stongest Alpha 257
RONANI hoped she was beginning to understand what I was trying to show her. That there was more to me, than just the conflicts and pain.After a while, we made our way back to the entrance where the opening ceremony was about to start. The staff and a few pack members had gathered. I stepped forward about to address them as formality demanded but before I spoke, I glanced at Maxine.“Today marks a new beginning for our pack,” I began, “This hospital is a symbol of our strength and our willingness to move forward. It’s a place of healing, not just for our bodies but for our spirits. A place where we can come together, no matter our differences and work toward a better future.”I paused, looking out at the crowd. “I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished here. And I’m grateful to every one of you for your dedication and hard work. This is our victory, all of us.”Surprisingly, they began to clap, genuine smiles on their faces. I turned back to Maxine, hoping that maybe, she was beginning t
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