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last update Last Updated: 2024-12-07 19:11:57

Flashback

Eight Years Ago

The Day Before the Mating Ceremony

7:30 p.m.

"How long do we have to keep doing this, Mave?" Alec asked as they slipped away from the bustling party at his house.

He had just managed to secure an agreement with a rival pack on behalf of the Moonlight Pack, and his family had decided to throw a massive celebration in his honor. They had made it through the main events, and now, Alec and Maverick were sneaking off unnoticed—so far, at least.

"Just till tomorrow. Hold on till tomorrow," Maverick replied, his strides hurried as he led the way.

"Are you not nervous about tomorrow at all? A lot is happening—it's the full moon, you'll be Alpha-in-training, and you might meet your mate at the mating ceremony," Alec said, running a hand through his cropped black hair as they entered the woods.

"Nervous? Why would I be? Tomorrow will be the best day of my life. I've always wanted to lead the pack; you know how passionate I am about it," Maverick said confidently, headi
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    “What the hell are you talking about?” Aurora demanded.“It’s Maverick! He’s the one who set your pack ablaze,” Phoebe exclaimed, her voice ringing with certainty. She knew her claim made no sense, but her sources were strong. “You can ask Stephanie and Alec about it. They know, and it seems like they planned it together!”“What…” Aurora trailed off in a small voice, turning to look at Maverick. He said nothing, neither denying nor agreeing, and Aurora didn’t want to think about what his silence might mean.She had known him well enough to recognize that when he was accused and fell utterly silent, it often signified agreement.But still, she didn’t want to believe it. She told herself repeatedly that she didn’t know him as well anymore—that maybe his silence wasn’t confirmation but contradiction.It didn’t make sense. Why would Maverick burn her pack, then give her people a comfortable place to stay, form an alliance with them, and save her—their leader—countless times? Why would he

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    “Alec!” Stephanie yelled at the man, her face contorted in rage.“Wow, wait, what?” Ferix was the first person to speak, his voice laced with shock.“Say that again, asshole!” Easton roared at Alec, grabbing him by the collar and glaring at him with bloodthirsty red eyes.“Yes, you heard me right. Maverick is the one who burned the Night Pack,” Alec confirmed, his voice unwavering, even as his words caused chaos. The statement earned him a punch to the face from Easton.Layla instinctively stepped away from Sadie, Hilda, and Stephanie. Hilton, who had been standing in front of the house, moved back as well. Their mistrust was written plainly across their faces.“Hilton…” Anabella whispered, but Hilton continued to stare at her as if she were a stranger.“Why… why the hell did you do that?” Aurora screamed at Stephanie, her voice filled with betrayal.Aurora knew the fire that destroyed her pack had been caused by an element—a power only a witch could conjure.“Why the fuck are you ask

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    Easton declared, “I have no reason to banter words with someone as ignorant as yourself!” He turned and walked away without waiting for a response.Before Hilda could blink, Kael’s hand was around her throat. He stared murderously into her eyes while Sadie stood frozen, her wide eyes locked on the scene.“Kael, you need to calm down!” Sadie exclaimed, glancing nervously at her assistant, now choking in his grip.Kael snarled, “I can listen to and tolerate all kinds of insults against her, but there’s no way I’m going to let you call her a cheater!” Hilda merely scoffed, even as her lungs burned from the lack of air.“And she said it,” Crystabelle muttered under her breath before turning to Kael. “Hey! Fur-for-brains, you might want to release her—for your own sake.”Kael shot her a glare. “Do I look like I care, bitch? She’s slandering Aurora!”Crystabelle rolled her eyes, irritation evident in her voice. “Ugh, why are you even doing this for a woman you have no chance with? You, fur-

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  • TANGLED TAILS AND HEARTS    104

    Ferix had run into the man he had come to this side of the city for, and the man had delayed him with talks that Ferix had paid absolutely no attention to. He just wanted to get away.Telling Aurora how he felt hadn’t been a good idea, and he was aware of that, but he couldn’t help it.At that moment, with her eyes lightened up and the laugh he knew he had caused, he had just blurted it out. Nothing good was going to come from it, because even though they were not particularly lovers, it didn’t excuse the fact that they were still mates.“The look on your face tells me that you’ve done something stupid,” he heard and raised his head to see Carly standing off to the side, almost blending with the shadows.“I haven’t done anything stupid!” he snapped at her, and she scoffed.“You’ve definitely done something stupid, so tell me what it was that you did.”“I didn’t do anything. So what the fuck are you doing here?” Ferix asked, walking to where he had parked his car, and Carly tailed afte

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    “Then I would contact you later,” Maverick said into the phone before he disconnected the call.“Maverick?!” Someone called his name with a loud shrill, and he was forced to turn in the direction of the person who was screaming so loudly in the hospital.“OMG! It’s really you!” she exclaimed as she moved toward him. Maverick was surprised to see the receptionist from the hotel at Eastwood Pack in his pack, but he hid his surprise quite well.“Hi, Carly,” Maverick said, and her eyes brightened when she discovered that the man recognized her.“It’s so nice to see you again!” she exclaimed, and Maverick was almost forced to tell her to calm down, but he held it down.“What are you doing here?” he asked.“I’m here to visit my cousin and have been here for quite some time, but I didn’t have any hope of seeing you since you’re the Alpha and all, but here you are! In the fucking plain sight!” she continued in her shrill voice, already wrapping her arms around Maverick’s and pushing herself c

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    “I can take care of it here,” Aurora said, but Maverick didn’t pay any attention to her as he continued walking towards the car, her hand in his as he dragged her along.“Seriously, it’s nothing huge, just a bit of cotton, bandages, and a couple of pain relief pills would help,” Aurora insisted, but he just opened the car and sat her down.“You have to recognize the fact that I’m a werewolf too, I have healing abilities too!” she exclaimed.“Healing abilities that are very slow, you forget that part,” Maverick finally replied as he sat behind the wheel. “Just look at yourself in the mirror. Only heaven knows how many bones you’ve broken, your face is all bruised up, and I’m sure your arm is aching from the amount of shooting you’ve done today.”“It’s not as bad as it looks,”“I believe the decision is up to me,” he said. “Now, you’ll sit still like a good girl and let me drive you to the hospital so that Sadie can check you up. I don’t want to hear what you think.”Aurora glared at hi

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    “You weren’t nice,” Aurora commented, and the woman smirked.“I thought I told you, you were the one who wasn’t taking me seriously,” she replied nonchalantly, taking pride in Aurora’s busted lips.“Then, pardon me for being rude too,” Aurora replied as the woman moved towards her. This time, both of them were merciless. They hit each other fast and hard, barely giving the other a chance to recover before delivering the next blow, but Aurora seemed to be on the winning side, while the other woman was getting tired.Aurora delivered a blow to her jaw, adding another bruise to her already bruised face. She grabbed the woman, who was still sputtering, and flipped her over her shoulder, throwing her on the floor hard. The sound of bones breaking made some of the werewolves on the field cringe. They watched as Aurora cleaned the blood on her lips and face with the back of her hands before groaning when she remembered that she must have dirtied it more because her knuckles were all bruised

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    Aurora stared at the numerous werewolves scattered across the part of the field that had been designated as the training ground. Many of them were warming up, while others chatted amongst themselves. The Night Pack members stood apart from the members of the Moonlight Pack, none of them willing to familiarize themselves with the others just yet.The Night Pack wouldn’t make the first move, especially since the members of the other pack didn’t show the standard amount of respect for their leader. While they didn’t openly disrespect Aurora, they also didn’t hold her in high regard. Many of them believed that without her spells, she wouldn’t stand a chance against them. Her reliance on magic was something the men, whose pride lay in their strength, found hard to respect.“Good morning,” Maverick’s voice rang out across the field, commanding immediate attention. Even Aurora turned to glance at him.His tone was nothing like the one he used when speaking to her. This voice was authoritativ

  • TANGLED TAILS AND HEARTS    99

    Aurora walked into the playroom after searching the entire mansion for her assistant and almost groaned when she saw Layla and Zach making out intensely on the couch. They were so lost in each other that neither of them noticed her presence. Tilting her head to the side, she observed them for a moment, shook her head, and then loudly cleared her throat.They finally broke apart. Zach tried to move away from his mate to face Aurora properly, but Layla pinned him down with her body, glaring at Aurora.“Can’t you just go on your way without interrupting us?” Layla snapped.“Can’t you just find somewhere else to do your dirty deeds? Thank god there are no kids here. They’d be blinded by your antics,” Aurora said, sitting on the couch opposite them. Layla’s scowl deepened.“What do you want?” Layla asked begrudgingly. Aurora scoffed at her grumpiness before reaching for the box she had brought. She placed it on the table, opened it, and watched as Layla leaned forward to examine its conten

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    Aurora halted when she saw Phoebe sitting in front of her, hands draped on her waist. The woman wore a spaghetti strap top and a tight skirt that accentuated her figure.“I have absolutely no idea what the hell you are on about,” Aurora said casually. She was at a restaurant, trying to tail Jerry’s movements. Anabella had informed them during the meeting that a mail had arrived for Jerry two days ago. She had checked it and found only a cryptic note:It will get delivered at Jay Restaurant and Pub at three o’clock, eastside.Aurora had arrived just in time to witness a man—likely a spy from one of the many packs—drop a small container into the trash bin. She retrieved it and discovered shiny, vibrant red rubies inside. Pocketing them, she quickly used her power to create a replica before returning to her table to eat.“Maverick and you are back together, aren’t you? You went on a date,” Phoebe said, interrupting Aurora’s thoughts.Aurora snickered. “So that’s what you’re talking about

  • TANGLED TAILS AND HEARTS    97

    Ferix sighed as he placed the glass cup on the counter once again. He pushed the bottle toward the bartender, who refilled it with one of the strong cocktails Ferix had absentmindedly picked when he arrived at the bar.His head was clearly not in the right place, and the lively bar continued on without him as if he weren’t even there. His mind wandered far away, no matter how much he tried to steer his thoughts elsewhere. He always ended up back to the same thing: Aurora. Specifically, the image of Maverick and Aurora sharing a quiet moment on the balcony and the kiss they’d shared in the car later that night.He’d been waiting for Aurora at the pack house, ready to leave when she didn’t show. But just as he was about to head home, the sight of them in the car caught him off guard. They were so lost in each other that neither of them noticed him standing there.He had asked himself countless times why he still liked Aurora despite knowing she had a mate. Back when they weren’t on good

  • TANGLED TAILS AND HEARTS    96

    “Why does it always have to be that man ruining our date at the park?” Aurora grumbled, her tone sharp as she crossed her arms. Maverick kept his focus on the road, his hands steady on the steering wheel.“At least now we know why he’s there now and possibly why he was there back then,” Maverick replied, his voice calm but thoughtful.“He came to meet with a member of the Blood Moon Pack eight years ago too?” Aurora asked, raising an eyebrow.“I can’t be certain it was the Blood Moon Pack back then, but I’m sure this park has been his meeting spot for a while. It’s lively, there’s often a crowd. A man his age walking into a trampoline park might seem odd, but not strange enough to attract real attention,” Maverick explained. Aurora nodded in agreement, her mind piecing things together.“That makes a lot of sense,” she admitted, placing a thoughtful hand under her chin.“You don’t seem that concerned about him being alive,” Maverick observed, glancing at her briefly.“I’m not,” she rep

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