Maia POV Awareness creeped into my mind slowly, the seconds passing before the events of the night before came back to me. I groaned as memories replayed in my mind until one in particular made me snap open my eyes. My room was flooded with the morning light, illuminating the huge figure sitting across the room watching me. “Good Morning, Maia.” Julius said huskily, his voice sounding as though he hadn’t slept a wink. I felt a blush creep up my cheeks, embarrassed that Julius had seen me in such a vulnerable state. In saying that, I had one of the best sleeps I’d had in a long time while he was watching over me. An interesting development I thought, seeing as I had assumed Julius would be the one giving me nightmares, not saving me from them. “Morning.” I grunted in response, still not nearly awake enough to engage in conversation. “Mind filling me in on why you wake up screaming every night?” He asked bluntly. I was taken aback, not expecting a question like that first thing i

I awoke to a pitch black room, the only indication that morning had arrived was the heat radiating from the covered windows as I looked around, feeling slightly disoriented. The spot beside me was empty, but I could feel Julius’ warmth lingering in the sheets as I stretched, sighing as my muscles groaned against the sudden movement. His scent was all-consuming as I continued to lie there, refreshingly masculine in a way that made my mouth water with every breath I took. My eyes snapped to the bathroom as I heard a tap turn on. Julius was standing at the sink in a pair of black briefs, and I watched in fascination as he ran the water through his unkept hair. Droplets flowed down his back, sparkling like diamonds as they met at the nape of his neck and travelled down the groove of his spine. Suddenly, I was feeling thirsty. I froze as Julius looked up, his eyes meeting mine through the mirror as his damp hair hung over his forehead. “Sleep well, Maia?” He asked, a smug grin tugging

Julius’ side of the bed was cold by the time I woke up on Monday morning, his scent fading as the minutes ticked by. Part of me wanted to mind-link him, to start my day with his deep, velvety voice echoing through my mind, but it wasn’t long before the rational side of my brain talked me out of that idea. Wherever he was, whatever he was doing… it wasn’t my business. The small digital clock on the bedside table told me I had twenty minutes before I had to be at training, so without any further thoughts of Julius, I jumped out of bed and got ready. I arrived at the gym with enough time to keep Dean company while he unlocked the doors and turned on the lights. Surprisingly, he actually greeted me with a smile instead of rolling his eyes. Progress. Soon the room was full and Dean took his place up the front with the other warriors. I stood expectantly to the side while he delivered his instructions. “Today we will be practicing in wolf form.” He started, his hands held behind his ba

Maeve really did put Jake to work, making him collect, flatten and dispose of all the unused cardboard and lift every heavy box she could find, but to my surprise he didn’t so much as shrug his shoulders with each command she threw his way. I was tasked with stocking and organising the bar, a role I volunteered for considering I would be helping serve the drinks to guests. It was almost therapeutic to work at my own pace, polishing glasses and bottles as chaos ensued around me. With all the ‘volunteers’ Maeve had recruited, the place was ready within hours. I marveled at how quickly it had come together, and how beautifully it had been designed. Maeve’s family had spared no expense, decking out the dining areas with travertine tables and lining the floors with tiles that resembled the white sand of Greece’s beaches. The bar was made of rose quartz which dazzled underneath the dim lighting, surrounded by rows and rows of mirrored shelves consisting of more luxurious bottles of liquor

Julius POV“Can I come in or is someone naked” Dean called from the hallway. I rolled my eyes and yanked the door open before returning to Maia’s side, briefly admiring the blush that stained her cheeks as our eyes met for just a second. “What was so urgent that you had to come here at three in the morning?” I sighed, folding my arms across my chest. “Clearly you were up, so it’s-“ he paused, scrunching his nose. “Oh, I was interrupting. My bad.” I pinched the bridge of my nose and let out a sharp breath, my patience far too thin to deal with his lack of self-awareness. “Get to the fucking point, Dean.” “Okay, okay, sorry.” He said, putting his hands up in surrender as he slumped on the armchair facing us. “So when I got back from the… disposal… of that last rogue, I reached out to the neighbouring packs to see if they had had any similar attacks. Obviously I expected that I’d hear back in the morning, but surprisingly Marco got back to me straight away.” “Alpha Marco of the Cr