He and She

Maverick squinted at the moon, his brows somewhat furrowed in a frown. His friend, Lucas, walked idly behind, contemplating.

"Are you still mad at me about Lily?"

The Alpha continued to walk, ignoring Lucas's question while glimpses of his beloved invaded his mind. He tuned out Lucas, savouring every piece of her in his memory.

Her vibrant laughter rang softly in his ears, sending an arrow straight to his heart. 

'Goddess! How I miss—' 

The Alpha shifted his gaze toward the dark woods before them. They were drawing closer to the border that separated the two packs long before Maverick could even walk.

His jaw clenched as a faint scent wafted through his nose. It was a very familiar and enticing smell, one that Maverick could never mistake to be anyone else's. 

Straightening his back and narrowing his gaze toward the border, Maverick turned to Lucas and, without exchanging words, gestured for him to walk faster. 

"What?" Lucas asked, his ears picking up the sound of footsteps. Dry leaves crunched gently as the individuals approaching them purposely walked on light feet, hoping not to draw too much attention.

It was foolish of them to think they could hide their presence. They were approaching a wolf territory.

Forgetting about their feud, Lucas followed Maverick's lead. He snarled at the oncoming group, unable to see them yet. But a strong presence seemed to be among them. 

There was no question that the advancing party were also like them.

"Tsk," Lucas spat, garnering a side glance from Maverick. That quick glimpse showed Lucas that something else was going on with the Alpha. 

His eyes shone golden, and the muscles by his jaw were tense. 

"I don't know what's going on with you," Lucas started, suddenly concerned about Maverick's mental state. "But you know, you can still talk to me before our uninvited guests arrive."

Maverick clicked his tongue. He continued to walk with confident strides, the wind blowing a soft whistle, moulding into a melody in the Alpha's hearing.

The strong, captivating smell he had sensed intensified, giving a halt to Maverick. He blinked, his lips trembling as memories of his beloved resurfaced in his mind's eye.

'Lily,' he thought.

At that moment, three women came and stopped by the border. The lady at the back appeared to be carrying a bundle, which she hugged closely to her chest. 

However, Maverick couldn't recognize them except for one. 

Jordane suddenly got lost in her thoughts. She had been thinking about what she was to say to convince the Alpha and let the mother and child stay. 

'If he didn't want the mother, then maybe the child can be taken in at least. He should personally tend to him.'

However, standing face to face with the esteemed Alpha, her eyes grew wide, and her heart thumped crazily inside her chest. She remembered every minute and every second of their initial encounter. 

She had sensed that he was powerful. Yet, Jordane was not prepared to meet him again. This time, she had nowhere to run.

And he was not alone. The man with him didn't radiate the same authoritative energy, but he was as muscular as the Alpha. 

Together, Jordane and Livvy stood no chance against the two male wolves. Plus, they had to protect the mother and child. 

If things went south, Jordane could only hope that her father had a backup plan at the very least. 

Sensing that Jordane was close to hyperventilating, Livvy edged closer to her, taking her hand in hers and giving it a gentle squeeze.

"They are definitely my type," Livvy whispered. She wriggled her brows at the two men, masking how her heart drummed wildly inside her chest.

Jordane snapped out of her reverie, clenching her hands into fists to get herself to focus. 

Clearing her throat, Jordane took a step forward. The tip of her toe was only an inch away from crossing the invisible line that separated the two werewolf packs. Her hammering heart made it difficult to find the words to say. 

But Jordane knew she had to get a grip, or everything that she had done tonight would be nothing but in vain. 

'That will be the last straw that I need.'

"It's you," Maverick spoke first, surprising both parties. He just undoubtedly admitted that he knew Jordane. Now how he would explain that to Lucas, Maverick had no idea where to begin.

But he will trouble himself about that later. Right now, he must save face and think fast on his feet.

"I am sure you are aware of where we are," Maverick continued, his tone turning cold. 

Jordane scoffed at the shift. 

'I knew it,' Jordane thought bitterly. 'He was too good to be true,' she grimaced. But then, her heart didn't stop thrumming inside her chest. She wanted to reach out to the Alpha and touch every part of him.

"Gross," Jordane gasped, belatedly realizing that she had spoken out loud. However, instead of trying to redeem herself, she lifted her chin, defiantly meeting the Alpha's brazen gaze.

"Stop looking like you are about to devour me," Jordane spoke. Her friend squeezed her hand again, silently squealing as the former could imagine what the exchange looked like from her perspective.

Maverick scoffed and then smirked. He denied getting offended by Jordane's seemingly challenging response.

However, he couldn't deny how tempting it was to come closer and touch her skin. Their previous encounter left him needing and wanting to see her again. And now that they did, he couldn't act out the idea that he kept getting every time he looked at her.

"A confident woman," Maverick mused, shifting his cold, dark gaze toward the woman behind, who was holding a white bundle.

Now that he managed to get used to the scent that still left him dazed with the desire to pull the beautiful, charismatic she-wolf before him, Maverick came to realize what the bundle was.

He narrowed his gaze, teeth bared as he addressed the woman at the back.

"Whoever you are, woman," Maverick snarled. "Get lost. That child is not mine."