26Maximus POV" Ouch!" I groaned as I slowly woke up, my body stiff from sleeping on the hard ground. I rubbed my eyes, trying to shake off the last remnants of the dream that had felt all too real.Suddenly, a loud voice broke through my thoughts. "Oi, wake up! What do you think you're doing, sleeping on my goods?"I jumped, my heart pounding as I scrambled to sit up. I saw a burly villager glaring down at me, his arms crossed over his chest in annoyance."I-I'm sorry," I stammered, feeling embarrassed and foolish. "I didn't mean to-"He slapped me hard across the face, making me wince in pain. "You think that's an excuse? You had better get along before I teach you a lesson you won't forget." I didn't know where I was or how I had ended up sleeping on someone's goods. I felt my anger rise. Had he dared to slap me? I remembered it was no use making a scene, so I calmed down ." I told you that I'm sorry, uh ? What's the problem again?" I shouted."Well, you'd better be sorry, and
27"But there is one condition," Alpha Zarek added, his voice turning grave."What condition?" I asked, my heart pounding in my chest."You must mate with me and bear me a strong heir," he stated, his eyes darkening with desire.My hope dissipated as quickly as it had come, replaced by anger and disgust. I tried to get up from the bed, but his hand held me back."Alpha Zarek, I cannot do that. I'm not willing to bear a child for you, and besides, I'm pregnant" I said, my voice shaking with determination.What did they all have to want me to bear their heir?He leaned closer, his face inches away from mine. "You don't have a choice, Victoria. You're in my territory now, and I have the power over you," he whispered, his breath hot against my skin.I spat in his face before he could kiss me, furious with his arrogance. "I'll never mate with you, Alpha. You can kill me, but you'll never touch me," I hissed, struggling to free myself from his grasp.But he was stronger than I was, and he p
28I close my eyes and let out a deep sigh as memories flood my mind. Memories of a man I loved deeply, but who also hurt me in ways I never thought possible.---Flashback" I want an heir now ! Do you understand it ?" He growled as he came dangerously close to me." Yes ... I understand!" I replied in fear, tears streaming down my face.He knew he had a hold on me, and he used it to his advantage."You're mine, you know that, right?" he'd say, gripping my wrist tightly."Yes," I'd whisper, feeling both fear and desire wash over me.Then he kissed her with a rough intensity that left her breathless. My heart raced as I responded to him, my body betraying her mind. He was the only man who could ever make me feel this way, but I hated myself for it.As the weeks turned into months, the abuse escalated. His anger grew uncontrollable, and he'd lash out at her for the smallest things.Sometimes I wondered if it was my fault, if I was somehow provoking him without realizing it. I became af
29One morning , I opened my eyes to a bright, warm light streaming in through the open window. Confused, I sat up, rubbing my eyes and taking in my surroundings. I shivered in my thin tunic and threw the scratchy blanket off, rising to my feet and going to the bars of the cell. As I approached, I saw a figure standing outside, watching me curiously. It was the Alpha.His eyes met mine, dark and intense, and I couldn't help but feel a pang of fear. "Good morning," he said, his voice deep and commanding.I hesitated, unsure of how to respond. After all, I was still a prisoner in this cruel world.I recoiled, backing away from the bar." Good morning! " I answered, my voice barely above a whisper .I could feel his gaze piercing into me as he leaned in closer. His chiseled jaw set, his eyes dark and piercing. I could tell he was angry about something, but I couldn't quite put my finger on what."So, tell me," he said with a hard edge to his voice. "Are you starting to fall in love wit
Maximus POV.But as the days turned into weeks , my search proved fruitless.I kept asking around, hoping to find someone who knew Felicity. Eventually, I stumbled upon an old woman who had seen her a few weeks ago."She was headed towards the forest," the old woman said, pointing in the direction of the trees.My heart raced with excitement. Perhaps she was still there, waiting for me to find her.I thanked the old woman and hurried towards the forest. With each step, I felt the anticipation building inside me. I was getting closer.As I entered the forest, I scanned my surroundings, searching for any sign of her. But she wasn't there .Annoyed, exhausted and disappointed, I decided to return to the castle.I felt like I had failed Felicity, and the thought made me want to cry. But I knew that I couldn't give up just yet.Back at the castle, I continued my search. Questions began to arise among my people. They wondered why I was so fixated on finding a lone woman, when our kingdom w
30I closed my eyes and braced myself for the impact, but to my surprise, I landed safely on the ground. The adrenaline rushed through me as I took a moment to catch my breath and look back at the window.I couldn't believe it - I had made it out.I quickly untied the rope and took off running. I didn't stop until I was a good distance away from the house.As I caught my breath, I looked back at the window I had just escaped from. It was only then that I realized how lucky I had been. The rope had barely been long enough. and it was torn , If I had fallen, I could have seriously hurt myself or worse.I had risked everything, including my unborn baby life, to escape the confines of that life. But I finally felt free.As I sat there, catching my breath, I remembered something my mother had told me when I was a very young girl: "Fear is the thief of everything worth having."I had been so afraid to take that leap, but in the end, it was worth it. I was finally free to start a new life on
31FelicityWhen I came to, I was lying on a cold metal table in a sterile white room. The man was standing over me, a smug look on his face."Welcome back," he said. "I hope you're feeling better. You were quite disoriented when I found you earlier.""What did you do to me?" I demanded, struggling to sit up."Nothing harmful, I assure you," he replied. "Just a little something to make you compliant."I looked down at my arms and saw that I was strapped down to the table with thick leather restraints. Panic set in as I realized I was trapped."What do you want from me?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady."Information," he said simply. "You see, I'm a collector of secrets, and I think you might have something I'm interested in.""I don't know what you're talking about," I protested."I think you do," he said, leaning in close. "And I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get it from you."I tried to struggle against the restraints, but they held me fast. My heart was racing as I r
But just as I thought it was all over, something inside me snapped. A primal instinct took over and I felt my body start to change. Fur sprouted from my skin, my fingers elongated into claws, and my teeth grew razor sharp. The pain of shifting only adding to the agony in my stomach.Before I knew it, I was fully transformed into a wolf.I opened my eyes to see the world from a different perspective, through the eyes of a wolf. My senses heightened and alert. The forest was a different place from this perspective.With newfound energy, I sprinted off into the forest, the wind rushing through my fur. I could hear the men's shouts and footsteps behind me, but I knew I was faster than them now.Fortunately, because they did not transform .As I ran, I noticed a cave up ahead and darted inside. I let out a sigh of relief, grateful for the shelter it provided.But my reprieve was short-lived as the contractions came, signaling the start of my labor. Despite the pain, I tried to silence m
Epilogue:Eight years later, The room erupted in applause as Maximus announced the newly voted members of League of Justice. I couldn't help but feel proud of him as he confidently named each member.After the ceremony, Ava and Kim approached me, their cheeks were flushed with excitement and their smiles wide."Ava, tell me, how did Maximus do?" I asked, eager to hear their thoughts."He did an amazing job!" Ava answered, her voice brimming with enthusiasm. "I'm so proud of him.""I agree," added Kim. "He really isn't a dictator like some people thought he would be. He's smart, he chose to only have 50% of the power as king and left the other 50% to the League of Justice."Maximus really had outdone himself, building a new center for LOJ and bringing all the territories of the other alphas and his own together in one, calling it Bloodwood MaFe. As Ava left to attend to her fiancé Kyle, whom she had been through a lot with but still remained by his side, two years engaged and five ye
109Maximus POV.I stood there, adrenaline pumping through my veins as I stared at Melezo and Felicity lying on the bed. Melezo, the man who had almost killed me, and Felicity, the woman he had taken from me by force.Indeed I was not dead, have you ever seen the main actor die in his own film? No isn't it? So why was I dead? Marcus had the idea that I lie about my death, that I fake it , after the explosion, I had been seriously injured and Marcus had treated me alone , all this , so that i'll be able to kill Melezo, the real one and not a copy as usual. We had stubbornly left the coffin empty, Marcus had taken care of everything, no one had to know for the plan to work well, not even Felicity .I approached closer to the bed and I watched as Felicity's eyes widened in shock at the sight of me, clearly thinking I was dead. I gestured for her to be quiet, not wanting to alert Melezo to my presence just yet.As I moved closer, I could see the fear in Melezo's eyes when he finally rea
108Felicity POV.One week later,We were staying at the Melezo's apartment. He had me called by his guards." What do you want?" I asked my voice frozen like an iceberg. " It's all thanks to you that I spared your friends."I raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?""Don't play ignorant with me," he said.I pretended not to know what he was talking about. "What are you saying?""Don't play ignorant with me," he said, his voice low. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. Remember when I asked you to be my wife?"I shrugged, pretending not to understand. "I'm sorry, I don't recall. Could you remind me?"He let out a frustrated sigh. "Stop playing games with me. You said no. And despite the death of Maximus," he paused, glancing away for a moment before meeting my eyes once again. "Give me your answer now!."I felt a lump form in my throat and my heart raced in my chest. "Maximus is dead because of you," I said, my voice shaking. "And no matter what you say, my answer is still no."He
107Felicity POV."I can't see anything clearly, everything is blurry," I said in a muffled voice."Can you hear me?" a distant voice asked.I strained to listen, but it was too faint.Suddenly, my mother appeared in front of me. "Mom!" I cried out with relief.She turned around, and as I laid eyes on her, I was overwhelmed by her beauty. She was dressed in a light flowery dress, barefoot, and her blonde hair cascaded over her shoulders. "M-mom?" I called out, my voice shaky."You're doing great, just hang in there," a distant voice said.I started running towards my mother.But as I got closer, she said, "Stop walking, don't follow me."My mom whispered.But I couldn't help myself. I wanted to touch her, to feel her presence.Tears streamed down my face as I desperately pleaded, "But I want to touch you, I've missed you so much!"As I ran towards her again, the distant voices became louder and more urgent and my mother faded away."Can you hear us?" They called out.I blinked, and su
106Felicity POV.One week later,As I sat in front of the mirror, Ava carefully applied my make-up, and we chatted about her relationship with my brother Kyle. "I just don't know what to do," she said, her voice heavy with emotion. "I love him so much, but I don't know where I stand with him."I reached out to take her hand. "Ava, Kyle loves you. I'm sure of it. And I'm going to talk to him tonight and make sure he knows he needs to step up."Ava wiped her tears and gave me a small smile. "Thank you, Feli. I don't know how you always manage to make things better."I winked at her. "It's what friends are for."As Ava finished up my make-up, I surveyed myself in the mirror. It was a stunning transformation - she had somehow managed to make me look even more beautiful. My hair was carefully styled, and my dress was magnificent.It was a flowing, white gown, with intricate lace detailing and a stunning train. It made me feel like a queen. As Ava helped me into the dress, I couldn't help
105Maximus POV.As we walked back to our camp in silence, all dismayed by this death, felicity was the most affected, and I had to be there for her. Despite our past differences and our rivalry, Adrian was my comrade.When we arrived at the camp, the others rushed towards us. "What happened?" one of them asked, looking at Adrian's lifeless body."He's gone," Kyle said, his voice heavy. "We need to bury him."There was a moment of stunned silence before everyone sprang into action, gathering supplies and digging a grave. As we lowered Adrian into the ground, I felt a sense of closure, but also a deep sorrow for the loss of someone so young and full of promise. "Rest in peace, Adrian," I whispered, as we said our final goodbyes. I couldn't help but feel a sense of guilt wash over me. Adrian had been my enemy, but he had also been a fighter, a warrior just like me. And in that moment, I realized that perhaps if things had been different, he could have been a true ally, a friend maybe.
104Felicity POV.I sat there, feeling helpless and hopeless. I feared that Adrian would never let me go, that I was doomed to be trapped in this forsaken place forever. My heart ached for Maximus, and I could only pray that he was searching for me.Time seemed to drag on endlessly until suddenly, the door burst open with a loud crash. In the doorway stood Maximus wolf, my hero, my love, he quickly detransformed and resumed his human form. My heart leaped with joy at the sight of him, and I felt a wave of relief wash over me.Maximus quickly freed me from the ropes that bound me and removed the gag from my mouth. I threw my arms around him, feeling the weight of everything that had happened to me lift from my shoulders.As we held each other tightly, our lips met in a kiss that was filled with emotion. Desperation, relief, and love all mingled together, and I felt that nothing could come between us.Breaking the kiss, we remained entwined, not wanting to let go of each other. "I love
103Maximus POV.As I opened my eyes little by little, I felt a throbbing headache and realized it was already nighttime. Ava was standing over me, holding my baby and Felicity's in her arms. "What happened?" I asked groggily, feeling confused and disoriented.It all came flooding back to me - Adrian had given me the tainted meat, causing me to feel weak and drowsy.I shot up, suddenly remembering what had happened. "Where's Felicity?" I demanded."That's actually why I woke you up," Ava said hesitantly. "Adrian took her to talk and she hasn't come back yet."I jumped up, feeling the pain in my head intensify."If that bastard had even laid a finger on Felicity, I was going to make him pay." I shouted.My sudden outburst woke everyone up from their sleep. Kyle shot me a murderous look, "I can't believe you woke me up," Kyle glared at me."I had to," I replied, "Something happened with Felicity.""What happened?" Kyle's tone softened as he turned to Ava.As Ava explained the situation
102Felicity POV.Once we were a safe distance away, Adrian started speaking in a hushed tone. "So, I wanted to talk to you about Maximus."I furrowed my brow, not sure where he was going with this. "Okay, what about him?"Adrian's voice dropped even lower, "He's not a good man for you."I stopped walking and turned to face him, "What do you mean?""He's dangerous, he's made enemies, and he's not the right fit for you," Adrian explained.I furrowed my brow, "I appreciate your concern, but I'm capable of making my own choices."Adrian hesitated for a moment before saying, "I understand. I just worry about you.""Thank you, but I've got this," I reassured him.As we continued our walk, Adrian spoke up again, " Feli, I still love , I tried to forget you but I can't!" I stopped walking and turned to face him. "Look, we've already talked about this. I don't share the same feelings for you. I just love him you a big brother, like I love my brother Kyle. You need to understand this once and