MAXIMUS I didn’t know how much Starlette meant to me until I almost lost her today. I had always known that I cared about her; she was fated for me anyway. I just hated that she had to be an omega. I thought she wasn’t fit to be Luna and wouldn’t add any value to me. Lauren, on the other hand, was smart and strong. But lately, she seemed to irk me, and I was growing into Starlette. And also lately, Starlette was starting to prove to me that she was smarter than I thought.We got to Pack Square, where we entrapped one of the invisibles by pouring a trail of salt around him, as Starlette had told us. I was surprised that it really did work. He stood there in the circle, the fearless look on his face slightly worrisome. I had expected him to be on his knees, begging for mercy; that way, it would be easier to get information from him in exchange for his life. But that wasn’t the case. I knew at once that he would be a tough one. “Take him to the dungeon; I’ll question him there.” I in
STARLETTE I didn’t even know when I held him. I didn’t want him to go. Tingles jolted through my body in his presence—a satisfactory feeling I wasn’t quite ready to let go of. “Starlette.” He mumbled. “I have to go.” Of, course. I was the only one affected by the mate bond. He didn’t feel the same way. My cheeks burned in embarrassment at that realization. Starlette. What were you thinking? I mentally scolded myself. I cleared my throat. “Iris surfaced for a second. She wanted you to stay. Not me.” He raised a brow. “Iris?” “Yes, that’s my wolf’s name.” “Oh..” He nodded. “My wolf’s name is Nile. And…” He suddenly joined me in bed, laying next to me. “Nile also wants to stay with his mate. So I guess I’ll stay. For their sake.” I gulped down a huge chunk of saliva and nodded. “For their sake.” “We should allow them to run in the woods sometime.” He suggested. “You would trust us to run in the woods?” I asked, surprised. “You can't get away from me. I am so much faster and s
STARLETTEI still couldn’t fathom why and how Maximus suddenly changed. He treated me like a rag when I came to the pack, and now he wouldn’t stop trying to please me. I believed he had an ulterior motive, but that motive I didn’t quite know. The cat would be let out of the bag soon enough. But until then, I wouldn’t fall for his pretence.“Soon enough, you'll get better than me.” Tom teased.“Soon.” I laughed.We were on the training ground, practicing. I had advanced, and we were using real swords now.“How are things with you and the Alpha now? I noticed that he had been giving that crazy head cold shoulders. I’m glad he’s finally seeing the light after being with her for years. I don’t know why he ever liked her anyway.” He scoffed.“You speak as if you don’t like her.” I observed.He made a disgusted face. “Why would anyone like that psychopath?”A laugh escaped my throat. “I know, right?”“So, how are things with you and him?” He asked again.“I don’t know. I don’t trust his sud
STARLETTEA crowd formed within seconds, most of them gazing at Lauren with horror and a couple of them pointing fingers at me.I knew immediately that it was a trap. I was set up, and I fell for it.I was still trying to process everything when Maximus showed up.“What happened here?” He asked no one in particular.A girl pointed at me. “She gave her a cup of lemonade to drink, and she suddenly started foaming. She was poisoned.”Maximus glanced at me, and my heart rate accelerated. Returning his gaze to Lauren, who was still foaming on the floor, convulsing, he ordered his warriors. “Take her to the doctor immediately.”“Yes, Alpha.” Two warriors chorused and immediately carried Lauren in their arms.After they left, Maximus took a second before finally returning his gaze to me. I couldn’t read the expression on his face, and that killed me. Was he angry? Disappointed? Hateful? I just hope he won’t believe the allegations. I could be killed if I was not proven innocent. The thought
LUCIUS Starlette didn’t poison the crazy head, that I know for sure. Why would anyone even believe that? That girl had a pure and innocent heart. I liked her the very first time I interacted with her. And I barely like people. I couldn’t stand watching her get accused for what she didn’t do. Seeing her desperate eyes as she pleaded not guilty, hoping she’d be believed, broke my heart. Her mate, my brother, who was supposed to stand by her and defend her, forsook her. Instead, he ordered for her to be taken back to the dungeon. I wasn’t surprised anyway; it was who he was—a heartless and self-centred beast. After the interrogation had ended, I marched to the hospital, with rage, to interrogate Lauren, since no one seemed to be smart enough to do so. I had to find a way to reveal her scheme. I wouldn’t let Starlette die, no matter what it took. “Lucius.” Lauren flashed the most fake smile I had ever seen at me as I walked towards her bedside. “So kind of you to come check up
STARLETTEMy whole life was crumbling, with no one coming to save me. What did I do to deserve such a fate? First, I was hated by my own father and maltreated before he sold me to the Alpha King as though I were an item.I had hoped life would be better for me here when I realised the alpha king was my mate, only to have that hope crushed to pieces when he threatened to reject me after giving birth to his pups. I thought that was the worst fate; little did I know that I had something worse coming for me—An accusation I couldn’t save myself from despite being innocent. “I am sorry. I am truly, truly sorry.” I apologized to Iris for the umpteenth time. “I’ve told you several times to stop apologising.” She was as broken and scared as I was. “I have to. I brought this upon us. I should have been smarter.” “It is not your fault. It’s all Lauren’s fault. She’s the reason we are going through this, not you.”“I know. But—but—“ Reality overwhelmed me again, and I couldn’t hold back the h
MAXIMUS I knew Starlette didn’t poison Lauren, but what was even more frustrating was that I didn’t know how to prove her innocence. It hurt me that I had to order her to be taken to the dungeon, but I only did what I had to do. She was being accused of poisoning Lauren, and it didn’t matter if I believed or not; it was just the right thing to do at the moment. It was the pack’s rules, mate or not.Although I was beyond glad that her innocence had been proven, I hated that it had to be Lucius who proved it. She liked him now, and she hated me. She wouldn’t even talk to me; she wouldn’t allow me to explain myself to her, and that was frustrating. I paced back and forth in front of the room, banging on the door at regular intervals, with frustration pulling at my chest, hoping she would finally open the door and allow me to speak to her. She was driving me crazy; thoughts of her were driving me crazy, and I didn’t know what to do with all these feelings. “Nile, do you think she wou
MAXIMUSI woke up early the following morning and got dressed, about to start my day. I had a lot of things on my plate for that day—the escape of the invisible wolf and Lauren’s trial being the most important. I flicked my gaze at Starlette, who was still sleeping, as she had been since I came back to the room last night—or pretending to be.I inched closer to her and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “I’m going out now. Take care of yourself.”She kept on with the pretence, not making even the slightest movement.“I know you are awake, Starlette. You held your breath, and your heart rate accelerated when I came close to you. It takes only a conscious person to do that.” I bluntly pointed out. Slowly, she finally opened her eyes and casted her gaze at me as she stretched. “I was meditating.”“Meditating.” I repeated, an amused smile touching my lips.“Yes.” She replied and quickly shut her eyes closed again.I stood there for a few seconds, staring at her as I contemplated whether to ask
AMELIAMy heart ached for Starlette, feeling so sad that her father was killed, even though he deserved it. She was one of the strongest people I knew. She always stood strong, despite everything she had had to endure. And for that, I admired her.After undoing the spell on the circle where the invisibles had been kept, Lucius and I returned to his treehouse. We spent most of our time there whenever I was at Royal Crest because wandering around the pack as a witch could cause unnecessary tension. Even so, I loved it here. It was quiet, serene, and allowed Lucius and me to enjoy uninterrupted moments together.Right now, we were sitting by the stream, basking in the tranquility of the flowing water.“Do you think it is finally over? Do you think Silas will stop attacking with the invisibles now that his cover has been blown?” I asked Lucius as I turned to look at him.“I don’t know.” He shook his head. “But Silas isn’t one to back down easily. Even if he gives up on Starlette, he would
Hi, everyone! There are only three chapters left until the end of this book, and I’m thrilled to announce that there will be a sequel to the story! The sequel will be a high school romance featuring some fascinating characters. Can you guess whose story it will be? You won’t need to search anywhere else for the continuation—the sequel will be added right here as soon as Maximus and Starlette’s story concludes. And the first three chapters will be free! Thank you all for your support and for reading this story. I appreciate every single one of you!
STARLETTEI hadn’t expected Maximus to agree easily to raising Lauren’s daughter, but he did—without hesitation, even. Now, the daughter of my enemy would grow up calling me mother. And I promised myself that I would never make her feel alone or unloved. I would love her as though she were my own, and she would be called ‘Indie’.Last night, I had fallen asleep in Maximus’ arms, crying from all the recent overwhelming events. Despite the ill-fated relationship I had with my father, I wept for him.I had just woken up, my eyes heavy, and I felt too lazy to open them or even get out of bed. I was tempted to remain in bed when Maximus’ deep voice suddenly broke through the stillness.“Awake? Sleeping beauty?”A smile curled on my lips as I opened my eyes and turned to the side to look at him. He was seated on the bed, his shirt unbuttoned three down, looking as hot as ever.I was about to speak when I caught sight of the platter of food resting on the bed in front of him. The aroma hit m
MAXIMUSAfter Starlette left, I mind-linked Tom and Kade to meet me at the dungeon. Today, I would cleanse the pack of all impurities.When they arrived, I instructed Kade to take the two girls—Maeve and Sabrina—back to their pack, while I dragged Isaac out of his cell. The girls cried and wailed, attempting to follow their father, but Kade held them back.“Tom, get John Smith,” I instructed as we walked past his cell. In his full potential, John Smith might have been able to overpower Tom, but he was barely conscious from all the damage I had inflicted on him when he dared to fight me. If he had just ran away without attempting to rescue his daughter, he might have had a better chance of escaping. But I was glad he was stupid.“Lucius, is Amelia with you?” I mind-linked my brother.“Yes, why?” he replied.“I need her at the spelt circle, please,” I said, ending the mind-link immediately without waiting for his response.Arriving at the spelt circle with Isaac, John Smith, and Tom, Lu
STARLETTEI was ready to face the truth. This time, I wasn’t going to beg for his fatherly love as I had done countless times before. I was going to demand answers—to know what Silas had promised him in exchange for me, what he deemed more valuable than his own daughter. And most importantly, to spite him. Despite everything he had done, I had triumphed once again.Maximus was initially hesitant about taking me to the dungeon. After much persuasion, he finally agreed, though reluctantly. He didn’t want me to set foot in such a filthy place, especially in my condition.“Starlette!” my father’s voice rang out the moment he saw me. He leaped to his feet and rushed toward the bars, his face lighting up with excitement. “You’re alive! Oh, that’s wonderful.”“For someone who orchestrated my abduction, you look far too happy to see me,” I spat, my voice cold and unyielding. I wasn’t going to fall for his façade. Not again.“Sweetheart, I would never do that to you,” he said, his expression
MAXIMUS“Who?” I curiously asked Tom.“The Eastern Alpha King,” he informed me. “He is here and is asking for you.”My brows furrowed as I tried to comprehend why he had suddenly shown up. The North had not associated with the East or the West in a long time. Sometimes, I even forgot about their existence. Each kingdom had kept to its own affairs, living peacefully for decades. The only exception was the ongoing tension between the North and the South, fueled by a never-ending conflict over that disputed piece of land.“Where is he?” I asked Tom.“In the meeting room, with the other Alphas,” he said.“Okay.” I returned my attention to my mate, muttering, “He says the Alphas are here to see you. If you don’t feel comfortable yet, I could tell them to leave and maybe come back another time—or never, if you never want to see them.”“It’s fine,” she told me as she took the baby from my arms and stared at her adorably. “Sorry, baby. We have to leave now.”She walked toward a nurse and han
MAXIMUSThe baby wasn’t mine, so I didn’t care if she was in labor or not. But what I did care about was that the baby was innocent, and regardless of its mother’s atrocities, the pup was still a member of my pack, and I wouldn’t let it suffer.I mind-linked Kade. “Lauren is in labor. Go there, take the baby from her, make sure the pup is well taken care of, and throw the mother in the dungeon afterward.”“Okay, Alpha,” he said before the mind link ended.I turned my attention to my brother and his mate. “I don’t see you both leaving. Off you go. Now.”I needed time with my mate—I had missed her so much.The witch rolled her eyes. “We missed her too, you know? And we also want to spend time with her.”Lucius dipped his hand into his pocket, and, ignoring what I had just said, he asked, “What do you plan to do with Lauren’s pup?”“I don’t know,” I said, shrugging. “Maybe find an adoptive parent for it.”Before Lucius could respond, Kade mind-linked me again. “Lauren is having a difficu
STARLETTEJohn Smith was taken to the dungeon afterward, leaving only Maximus in the room.He moved closer to me, wrapping his arms around my waist and leaning into my neck to take in my scent. “I cannot overemphasize how much I missed you.”“I missed you too,” I whispered, wrapping my arms around his neck. “So very much.”“He is going to pay for this,” he said, and I could feel his body stiffen as he continued. “Silas will pay for this.”I nodded, savoring the mesmerizing blend of cedarwood, musk, and a sweet hint of lavender that I had missed so much.He abruptly pulled away and held me by my shoulders, worry saturating his features.“What?” I asked with a raised brow.“I want to ask. Did he...” His voice faltered, and he swallowed hard, unable to finish the sentence.“No,” I replied, knowing what he was going to ask. “He didn’t touch me. He wanted me to give it to him willingly.”Relief crossed his features as he pulled me in again, holding me so tightly. “I’m just glad you’re okay
STARLETTE“How did you do that?” Maximus asked, amazed and confused.I rubbed my belly gently, a small smile gracing my lips. “I think the baby came with gifts. It was those gifts that helped me escape Silas’ captivity before you rescued me. I have the ability to control minds.”After thinking about it, I had come to the realization that it was the baby who had those abilities, and it only allowed me to tap into them. I could only imagine how powerful my pup would be.“That’s... incredible,” Maximus muttered, though it was evident that he was still confused. I was still grappling with this newfound ability myself, but I planned to exploit its full potential nevertheless.“What did you do to me?” Lauren yelled as she snapped out of the trance I had put her in. Tears welled up in her eyes as she shook her head. “I would never have said that. You made me lie against my will.” She turned to Maximus, begging desperately. “Please do not believe all that I just said. That wasn’t me speaking.