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
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
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’
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
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
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
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
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
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