MAISIEIt was difficult for me to process his words at first when he was pressed so close to me, but I was still able to sense his deep sadness through the mating bond. It disturbed me greatly to see him like this on his birthday when he should be busy celebrating with his loved ones and pack. My hands reached out to hold his shoulders, unsure whether I should push him away or draw him close for a hug. But I had no intention of fighting with him so I begged, "Zayn, let's not do this..."I thought he would ignore my soft plea, but he finally regained his composure and moved away from me. His intense gaze stayed fixated on me for a long moment before he asked me quietly, "Would you like to meet my parents, Maisie?""Now?" My eyes widened in surprise. My mate had never taken me to visit his parents even once in the past so I became even more worried about his unexpected actions. I discreetly wiped my sweaty palms on the back of my dress as I asked him, "A-Are you sure about this, Zayn?"
ZAYN“What the hell are you talking about, Odessa?” I didn't even try to scent my body because I knew who was the owner of the scent on me. I made a visible note to warn her not to go through the front door. “You have a woman's scent on you, Zayn,” My fiancee repeated, but this time, her eyes were filled with hurt when she looked at me. It made me feel slightly bad to do this to such a wonderful person but I just couldn't tell her the truth. “Who is she? Did something bad happen to you?”Trust Odessa to believe the best in people even when it is true. My eyes caught Maisie successfully sneaking into the house which meant that my work was done. I wrapped an arm around Odessa's waist and pulled her close to me, hearing her gasp in surprise as I whispered to her, “Let's talk about this later. The birthday party is still swinging, isn't it?”When we returned to the party this time, I tried my best to appear lively and friendly even when I wasn't feeling like that. The pack's encouraging
MAISIE I have been avoiding Zayn since his birthday party and he knows it. He had tempted me beyond my imagination and I had almost succumbed to his seduction but I didn't. Deep down, a large part of me was ready to let go of my reservations and stay in his arms for as long as he wanted me there but I knew I wouldn't be able to settle for anything other than the position that was rightfully mine. His only woman. His only lover. His mate. So I used the last of my strength to pull away from him and I left that party with the remaining parts of my sanity. It was one of the most difficult decisions I had made in my life but I had been making a lot of them recently since I entered his pack. At this point, I wasn't sure what he wanted from me but I ached for his touch, his presence, and his love. And that's why I need to snap out of it before this craving consumes me beyond recognition. So I spent the rest of my time staying away from Odessa and her friends because the last thing I wa
MAISIE Gail Scott paused pensively after I posed my question, his expression freezing for a moment. Then, he reclined in his seat and let out a low chuckle. "Felix was right about you. You're quite smart. I have a feeling we're going to get along just fine."I mirrored his smile, but I made sure to keep my guard up. It was evident that this shrewd businessman was fully aware of his fiancée's unfaithfulness, yet he seemed surprisingly tolerant of it, evidently for a compelling reason. But I couldn't think of any reason for him to be like this except for one. “You are after her interior design company?” I tipped my head sideways, staring at the brown-haired gentleman. “Why?”“Because Felix wants to find a way to infiltrate the pack because of you,” He smiled when he saw my eyes widen slightly and said, “You seem surprised about it. You should know very well that my friend is head over heels for you and he won't stop until he finds a way to take you out of this pack.”I parted my lips
MAISIEThat hurt.That really hurt. My cheeks were still stinging from the clap I received when I saw Evelyn lunge at me with feminine rage, attempting to claw my face out but Gail continued to shield me with his body. He tried to restrain her arms but she was like an unbridled beast, hurling insults at me in front of her company building. I was ready to endure her hurtful words and explain until I heard her mention my son with a jeer, “That's why they say you should never trust unmated females. I should have known the kind of woman you were when you were wanton enough to give birth to a bastard-”“That's enough,” I hissed in anger, my claws emerging from my fingertips as I let her see the true nature of the woman she was trying to go against. “I don't care if you believe me or not, Evelyn. But if you ever mention my son from that filthy, uncultured tongue of yours, I will rip it out of your mouth and nail it to your head. Do you understand?”Evelyn froze in Gail's arms as I walked
ZAYNAs I sped through the forest, I tried to ignore my wolf's feral protests about cutting the only link that was connecting it to its mate. I knew this was a dangerous move, it was extremely risky for me to fight against my other half, especially when there was a high chance of it overpowering me. But I didn't give a damn. All I wanted was to get rid of this useless bond and never return to that woman again. I kept chiding myself for my mistake, I couldn't believe I let myself think for a second that she would come back to me. I cursed myself for entertaining the belief that her desire for me matched mine for her.Every gesture of affection she had shown me was nothing but an illusion, a ploy to lower my guard so she could escape from me when the time was right. I vowed never to make that same mistake again. By the time I noticed I had strayed from my intended destination, exhaustion, and weariness had taken their toll. I sought refuge in an apartment building, its illuminated
MAISIE After the unsettling events of that night, I made several attempts to find Zayn, but it appeared that he was intentionally avoiding me. I understood his reasons, yet it was a relief that he ceased his attempts to sever our mating bond. Despite this, a persistent sense of unease lingered within me, clouding my thoughts about his next actions."I couldn't do anything about the situation, so I decided to focus my energy on finding a new job. It turned out to be much more challenging than I had expected, especially since my interviewers kept questioning why I had left my previous job. I was gearing up to discuss my future plans with Alexei when I received a text message from Gail Scott, asking to meet up.I was hesitant to meet Gail until I received a phone call from Felix. When I arrived at the restaurant to see Gail, I was taken aback to find another woman waiting at the table he had reserved for me. My expression turned grim as I placed my bag on the table."What are you doing
MAISIEAfter much consideration, I ultimately decided to go back to my previous job at the urging of Evelyn and Odessa. Although I had some reservations about this choice and suspected that I might come to regret it in the long run, the scarcity of job opportunities elsewhere left me with little other option at the moment. During this time, it seemed that Odessa believed that our relationship had grown stronger following our recent disagreement, as she made a point of regularly inviting me to the gatherings she organized for the women in our pack.But the truth was that it took me some time to realize that I was slowly dying from pain ever since I found out that my mate was getting married. Every time Odessa talked about him in such an affectionate manner, my heart felt like a rock sinking deep into the ocean with nothing to cling to. I struggled with conflicting emotions, hating myself for smiling and congratulating Odessa when all I wanted to do was to avoid her. Seeing her so happ