Maia POVI awoke from my involuntary slumber to the sensation of gravel digging into my skin through the fabric of my cotton pyjamas. The telltale smells of damp earth and shit lingering in the air told me I was being held in some kind of dungeon, but as my eyes fluttered open all I could see was darkness. The room was completely void of light and sound, and as the hours dragged on I almost began to feel as though I was floating in another realm altogether, unable to see myself or hear the outside world. The only indication that I hadn’t died and moved on to the afterlife was the searing pain radiating through my skull from where it had been smashed against the doorframe. Surely the Goddess wouldn’t be so cruel as to make you feel pain after death, right? After what could have been hours or days later, the sound of a door opening pulled me from my existential crisis. I jumped to my feet, ignoring the ache in my stiff muscles as I tried to prepare myself for whatever Adrian had planne

Julius POVHer agonising screams pierced the forest air, tearing at my insides as unbridled rage threatened to overwhelm me. I locked eyes with Dean, who stood to my left, his expression mirroring my own as we tried to discern what direction Maia’s screams were coming from. He had been blaming himself for her disappearance ever since I found him barely conscious on the floor of the spare bedroom, fighting the effects of the wolfsbane that had been injected into his bloodstream. I had left the Crimson Pack with little explanation given to Alpha Marco, just a reassurance that I would touch base soon and an apology for the mess I’d made in his basement, before I jumped in the jeep and sped home. I’d made record time, but it didn’t matter, I knew she was gone the second I stepped into the packhouse, her scent and warmth quickly fading as I reached our bedroom. The splintered doorframe was the first thing I noticed, the coppery scent of her blood the next, sending me into a fit of rage at

Judging by the fact that the water was still running and it was still hot, I figured I couldn’t have been asleep that long when I was suddenly jolted awake by the beginning of a nightmare. Thank fuck I hadn’t been in the bath. I stood slowly, getting a minor headspin from the heat and having to lay my palms flat on the walls for support. Perhaps I’d been asleep longer than I thought. I let out a deep, sorrowful sigh and turned the water off, stepping out into the bathroom and wrapping one of the fluffy towels around my body. Steam now fogged the mirrors, not that I would have looked in them anyway, but if I had I would have seen a very red, very puffy face with swollen eyes looking back at me. “Maia?” Julius’ soft tone pierced through the silent air, making me hug my towel closer to me in anticipation. “Can I come in?”“Y-yes” I replied awkwardly. His large hand entered the room before he did, pushing open the door painfully slow, as though giving me ample time to mentally prepar

Julius practically purred as I ran my long nails through his thick hair, my legs still hugged around him and my body molded perfectly to his. There were no words that could come close to describe the feeling of being wrapped in his arms, our mate bond complete. It almost felt as though the terrors of my past existed in a different universe, that my real life was meant to start now. Almost, being the key word there.Julius sighed heavily as he nuzzled into my neck, a spark of anxiety flaring through the mate bond. “We have to get up, don’t we?” I groaned, as the bubble that encompassed us began to pop. “Dean just mind-linked. If I don’t answer he may take it upon himself to come find me.” Julius murmured, his hot breath tickling my skin and re-igniting the flame in my core. He pulled back and took a deep breath in, his nostrils flaring slightly as he took in my scent, which I had no doubt gave away my desires. “Maia… I have no problem taking you again, regardless if Dean walks in or

Maia POVMy head was reeling with the multiple bombs Wes had dropped on us as I followed Julius up the winding staircase and back into the main area of the pack house, Dean close on my heels. I could barely hear them as they spoke together, mentioning something about the Alpha of the Blue Moon pack, too wrapped up in my own thoughts and feelings to pay any attention to the real world around me. I was surprised at my reaction to seeing Wes for the first time since escaping his trailer (the first time). Anger lashed out of me as I had stood before him, watching as he trembled at the back of his cell, his dull grey eyes holding the fear that I had expected myself to feel. “Maia, are you coming?” Julius’ light touch on my arm snapped me out of my thoughts, his eyes glowing with concern as they searched my own. “Um, yes, sorry, where are we going?” My words tripped over themselves as I tried to get back up to speed with what Julius and Dean had been talking about. “Back to my office.”