Maximus

"She won't try to escape, will she?" Leonardo inquired, his attention focused on the paperwork scattered across the desk detailing pack affairs.

The sun was barely cresting the horizon, it was early morning casting a golden hue across our office situated on the outskirts of the packhouse, far to the south. This location was deliberately chosen for its isolation, allowing for uninterrupted work and fucking women without interruption. Yet, beyond its initial purpose, the office served various other functions. At present, we were wrapping up some pack business to return ahead of schedule.

"Leo, she doesn't have a means to," I replied, casually flipping through the documents. Several upcoming pack celebrations were marked, including the imminent announcement of the mating ritual. I pondered how Maya would react upon discovering that she'd be chained to us forever. "She knows the pack guards will swiftly throw her back to the house if she attempts an escape during the day. She's more smart than you give her credit for."

"I'm well aware she's smart," he scoffed. "But I'd prefer it if she were a tad less cunning and her smart mouth only seems to land us in trouble. We need to head back before she wakes up."

"That smart mouth won't run for long. The lesson you and I taught last night should remind her," I sighed, shaking my head. Memories of the previous night resurfaced, her tear-streaked face haunting my thoughts. I didn't want to dwell on it, especially after the drunken gibberish I'd spouted last time.

"Yeah. But what if she tries to escape at night?" he asked, his tone uneasy. "We can't fully trust her. And you know both of us will lose it if she slips away from our grasp. We can't afford to lose her, not like this," His voice hinted at an underlying concern, despite his attempt to conceal it—he didn't want to lose her, in any way.

"Or perhaps you don't want to lose her at all? Are you having second thoughts, Leo?" I kept flipping through the pages, avoiding his gaze.

"Are you fucking serious right now?" He stood abruptly, frustration evident in his voice. "You know I couldn't care less about her, so why are you even asking me this?"

"Because we share the same feelings, whether you accept it or not. I can sense what you feel for her because I feel it too," I finally met his gaze. It was his habit to deny his emotions, but like it or not, emotions were our Achilles' heel, especially beyond anger—they always had a way of ruining us. Pretty bad.

He seemed taken aback by my assertion. He and I had one fundamental difference—I preferred acknowledging our emotions, while he chose to evade them. Otherwise, we were remarkably similar at our core.

"I can't believe you're going down this road now."

"I'm not leading us down any path; I'm simply asking you to face the truth. Avoiding it won't change a thing. You have to acknowledge the mess you're in to prevent yourself from screwing up," I asserted. "How can you expect to win without understanding the fucking risks? Recognize your feelings, bury them, incinerate them, discard them—do whatever, but remember, we both have to destroy her, whether we like it or not."

"We're destroying her, Max," he uttered, his voice turning frigid after a brief silence, his eyes reflecting the same coldness. "And even if we wanted to, we can't turn back now. We're too far gone. Her fate was sealed the moment our marks claimed her. There's no debate. So, don't worry about me losing control. While I might not want to lose her, I'll make sure she's lost, one way or another," With that, he stormed out of the office.

*

"That finished earlier than expected," Leonardo sighed, slumping into the car seat and tossing the keys my way. "I'm not driving anymore. I've been chauffeuring your sorry ass for the past two days. No more of that."

"Don't worry, not asking you to," I replied, starting the engine.

"Thanks for the favor," he quipped sarcastically, lighting a cigarette. Stress was etched across his face, and I couldn't deny feeling the same way.

After last night's events, it was getting increasingly difficult to meet her gaze. Her eyes, seemingly innocent, yet carrying an enigmatic depth. How could such innocence conceal a potentially malevolent nature? She was Morgana's daughter, for crying out loud. It seemed only fair that she'd inherited a fragment of her mother's nature, even if it was just a sliver. Yet, a speck of Morgana Sterling's essence equated to being thoroughly corrupted. Fucking rotten to the core.

"She might've woken up by now," I observed Leonardo checking his watch as I directed the car toward the Packhouse.

"You're still worried she might escape?"

"Don't you think we should be? If Morgana finds out what we did or if she whispers a word to her, she might scheme to send her away," he scoffed, massaging his temples. "That woman... sometimes I think we should eliminate her first."

"She might have tried if we weren't Maya's mates. But now that it has been announced to the pack, she wouldn't take the risk to do this to the future alphas of the pack—she wants to be in the good books of Father, and sending our mate away is certainly not one of those deeds," I shrugged, "Besides, she'd care far more about persuading Maya to wrap us around her fingers than getting on our nerves. We know her, she could love her but her love for herself always comes first."

"You're right," he exhaled. "That whore wouldn't risk losing her position. She's clawed her way to that seat, parading around as the 'luna.'"

"She won't hold that title for long, in fact, she won't be around for much longer," I chuckled bitterly. "Just a matter of a few days, Leo. Let's exercise some patience. We've endured for years; these few months should be a walk in the park."

He remained silent for the remainder of the drive until we arrived at the packhouse. After parking, Leonardo swiftly headed inside the building, and I followed suit, tucking the keys back into my pocket.

As we entered the hall, her scent flooded my senses, awakening primal instincts within me, a fierce desire to have her close, to touch the very skin we had claimed last night.

She was here.

But my attention shifted to my brother, his fists clenched for reasons other than desire. Following his gaze, I spotted Maya sitting at the breakfast table with her mother, a smile gracing her face as she engaged in conversation.

"Just as I suspected, both mother and daughter are already scheming," Leonardo growled, the sound resonating deep in his chest.

I restrained myself, the anger simmering beneath my surface, as I observed the scene unfold.

"Let's not act impulsively and do anything right now," I stated, fighting the urge to march over and drag Maya away from Morgana. "We should head upstairs and wait for her. Eventually, she'll have to return to our room."