Maxine's P.O.V."You like me, don't you?"Alph's question hung there, charged with tension I wasn't prepared for. We walked into the forest together, without ever deciding which way it was going to be. Destination after destination seemed a moot point; we were alone under moonlight. The world around us fell silent save the rustling of trees and our footsteps crunching against the earth. Not so my mind, however.When did I begin to love him? Memory seems to bleed from around the edges, but it is somewhere around Coreen's birthday party. I didn't know him well then, really all that Alph at university, aloof, mysterious. A stupid dare-she'd made the offer without even thinking about it: kiss Alph. And I kissed him. Everything changed after that.“When I first saw you," I said hardly above a whisper. My voice was so overwhelmed by the wind, which buffeted us around. I could feel the rising color on my cheeks so I was happy that it was dark, and I hid the flushing all over my face. The sil
Maxine's P.O.V.I didn't know where the pounding of my heart started; it'd pounded from my head down to my toes. We kissed under the moonlight, the heat between us like nothing I'd ever experienced. And yet, every touch, every movement, was making me feel like I'm falling deep into somewhere I never knew existed within me. Alph's hands were everywhere-on my back, on my waist, at my hips-as though trying to hold me close as if space between us wasn't enough.He drew back himself, the planes of his forehead digging into mine as we both breathed hard, our hearts pounding in the same rhythm. His eyes were dark, intense, a look I had never seen on him, as he scoured my eyes for something to say. Without a word, he took my hand and led me back through the forest towards his room.There wasn't much thinking on my part. My brain was wildly racing around in circles, but somehow my body knew where it wanted to go.The pale moonlight streamed into his room, casting a silverish glow, so gently ra
Maxine closed her eyes and let Alph's lips trace a path from her ear, down her neck, along the delicate column of her throat. His touch was like music; each stroke, each kiss was like a note on the sensitive chords of her body, tuning to pure desire frequency."Alph.," she breathed, her voice a soft sultry caress, "I want this, but I am afraid. Of what this might mean, of what it might change." She was confessing, whispering a prayer, for she knew that what lay ahead was not mere pleasure but a deeper connection.Alph, the mighty alpha, well knew what she was afraid of and not quite certain about. He reached out to take her face in his fingers, both of his paws large and capable, tracing out the jaw from chin to chin with his thumb. He searched in her eyes for comfort. "Maxine, my love, you do not have to be afraid. With me, you will be safe. I will never hurt you. And I promise to show you how deep my love and desire are."His words were like a warm hug, embracing her fears, soothing
Maxine stretched, enveloped warmly by the sunlight beaming through the curtains. Her eyelids eased open, getting accustomed to the light, and she felt the warmth of Alph lying beside her. Images of the previous night assailed her, a gentle smile claiming her lips. The connection they had strengthened was stronger than ever, but reality soon started to creep into the day.Alph shifted beside her, his breathing regular, though she knew he was already awake. She glanced over at him, seeing half-open eyes looking down at her with that familiar, protective warmth. He traced a finger down her cheek, his touch soft and tender."Good morning," he rumbled, his voice still husky from sleep.Maxine's smile broke over her face as she stretched out her limbs. "Good morning," she whispered, her fingers stroking over his chest before falling away. Her thoughts crept back to the day ahead. "You have a meeting this morning, don't you?"Alph sighed, nodded his head as he glanced toward the clock. "Yes,
The next morning, Maxine stood, her muscles tense to the limit, in the yard of training, facing Adam-the guy she could usually count on to best her after all these years. The sun just crested, bleeding into the wall-wells early-conditions pleasantly golden fair over the ground, casting long shadows on it. In a normal climate, which she had learned to appreciate through the many years of practice, this would be time for some peace of mind, pushing herself as much as possible while settling down to focus on bettering one's skills alone. Today, however, her thoughts ran elsewhere-distracted and unsteady.Adam put his hands up to his face, getting ready for round two. "Ready?" he asked steadily and calmly as ever.Maxine nodded curtly, bobbing on the balls of her feet as she launched herself into the first hit. Her body remembered the movements well, but her mind was elsewhere.She saw them at the corner of her eye-Alph and Alpha Delton's daughter. It was as they were strolling in the gar
I was actually trying to distract myself today by training, but my thoughts were drifting back to Alph. For the past week, he had been attending constant meetings with Alpha Delton's daughter, and it was really starting to wear on me. No matter how hard I tried to focus on the punches and techniques Adam was teaching me, my mind was in another place."Maxine!" Adam snapped, and I blinked, realizing I'd thrown a sloppy punch. "Are you even paying attention?""Yes," I replied quickly, squaring my shoulders and resetting my stance. I took a deep breath, trying to clear my head and focus, but it wasn't working. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Alph walking through the garden with Delton's daughter. They seemed to be engaged in some apparently casual conversation, but the looks of them together turned my stomach over inside. The daughter of Alpha Delton was sweet-looking, poised, and hell, she was undeniably charming. My heart skipped a beat, literally stopping for an instant; they s
Maybe it was bad for me; I don't know what's wrong with me the past few days. I do not want to say it out. I just feel that I was jealousy. Every time I was seeing Alph with Alpha Delton's daughter, I felt this gnawing feeling like something is wasting in my chest. It hurts. Such a dull ache that would not go away no matter how much I wanted to ignore it. I keep telling myself that's ridiculous; I have nothing to worry about. But the longer it goes on, the more I feel like I am lying to myself.I was halfway through training with Adam when I finally gave up trying to push through the distraction. "Adam, let's skip training today, yeah? I want to rest my body," I told him, my voice a little more strained than usual.Ah, come on," Adam said with a sly grin, that sparkle in his eye making me feel like he already knew what I was really thinking. "I know, I know. You're jealous. Just admit it; you'll feel better."I glared at him. "I am *not* jealous." But even I could hear how unconvinci
It had been two weeks since Maxine's encounter with Leo, and Maxine was feeling strangely out of kilter. It started off in the faintest whisper: she wasn't as focused during training, moving slower than herself, her mind wandering. She tried to brush it off and blamed everything on the stress of all that had transpired. It was Leo, showing up in her life as mysteriously as it had vanished, speaking those cryptic words about the nature of the eclipse, and the tension between the pack and whatever dark forces Leo might be stirring up. But the days wore on and she knew it wasn't stress.Something was wrong.Her appetite was gone. Every time she settled into a meal, the sight of food churned her stomach. She couldn't eat a thing, not even food she had loved. At first, she tried to brush it off, thinking it was exhaustion or nerves, but the sickness carried on day by day, growing worse. Training made her feel tortured. The dizziness, nausea, constant sensation that something was wrong - ev