I Hate You!

The man at the door leaned casually against the frame like he owned the place, even though Maverick’s expression made it clear he wasn’t welcome. His dark eyes locked on me, and a slow smirk tugged at his lips like he already knew every thought going through my head.

“Who is that?” I whispered, trying to sit up despite the pain still throbbing in my side.

Maverick didn’t answer right away. Instead, he stood stiffly, every muscle tense as he stared at the man.

“What are you doing here?,” Maverick said, his voice calm.

The man chuckled, stepping inside. “Is that how you greet your older cousin now? Shame, Mav. Aunt Raya would be disappointed.”

“Get out, Felix.”

Ah. So that was his name. He ignored Maverick completely and turned his attention back to me. “So, this is the famous Maggie. The one you risked your position, your safety... everything for.”

My breath caught. “How does he know my name?”

Maverick stepped in front of me, protective instinct clear. “Because he always knew how to snoop around in other people’s business.”

“I take that as a compliment,” Felix said with a grin, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “And besides, she’s not just any girl, is she? Rumor is… she’s carrying a hybrid.”

My blood froze. Maverick’s shoulders tensed even more.

“What did you just say?” he growled.

Felix raised both hands in mock surrender. “Relax. I’m not here to harm anyone. In fact, I came to help. Word’s spreading fast about the rogues, about what happened with Mason… and your little dramatic vow. Do you really think the council will let that slide?”

My heartbeat pounded against my ribs. Maverick hadn’t mentioned any council. I thought we were just... running. Escaping.

Apparently, it was bigger than that.

“Why are you here, Felix?” Maverick snapped.

Felix shrugged. “Just checking in. Seeing how you’re settling back into the territory. You know, your uncle won’t be happy that you’re alive and hiding in his land like some ghost. You should’ve come straight to the council.”

“I will,” Maverick muttered. “When the time’s right.”

Felix tilted his head, gaze flicking toward me. “Clock’s ticking, cousin.”

Then, just like that, he turned and walked out.

Silence wrapped the room like a blanket after he left.

I looked at Maverick. “What did he mean… about the council?”

He sighed and sat back down beside me, running a hand through his hair.

“I didn’t want to scare you with all the politics. Not yet.”

“But you’ve already scared me,” I whispered. “Felix… he said I’m carrying a hybrid. What does that mean?”

Maverick's eyes were on the floor. “I was going to tell you. After you healed. I wanted to give you peace, at least for a few days.”

“Tell me now.”

He looked up. There was no avoiding it anymore.

“You’re pregnant, Maggie. I know you know that already. But… your child, one of them, was mine.”

I blinked. “What…?”

“You were never supposed to be Mason’s. Not in the way the Moon Goddess intended. You and I were fated. I didn’t claim you because you were already with him, already marked. But the bond didn’t break. It lingered, it pulled us together.”

My throat went dry. “Are you saying…?”

He nodded. “When Mason rejected you and unmarked you, something happened. Our bond reconnected. It’s rare, but it happens.”

A sudden wave of nausea rolled through me, not from the pain, but from the weight of it all. The betrayal. The confusion. The unknown.

“And now?” I asked, barely able to speak.

“Now, you’re carrying a child that both Alpha bloodlines will want. A threat… and a gift. That’s why the rogues came. Not just for revenge. For you.”

My stomach twisted. “But… one of the babies—”

He took my hand gently. “The one that survived, is my child.”

I stared at him, unsure of what to feel. Everything in me wanted to scream, cry, ask a million questions. But I could do none of those things. Not yet.

Maverick’s hand rested in mine, but it didn’t comfort me anymore. My fingers twitched slightly before I pulled away, needing space.

Then he spoke. “That night… before Mason’s Luna ceremony,” he began slowly. “There’s something I never told you.”

My stomach turned. The look in his eyes said everything—this wasn’t a small omission. This was something big. Heavy.

He hesitated, then said, “Mason offered me the right to lye7 with you that night. As part of the tradition—symbolic, he said. A way to share strength between Alpha and Gamma. I didn’t expect him to follow through… but he did.”

I blinked once. Then again.

I stared at him, feeling every word land like a slap. “Wait—what?”

His throat bobbed. “That night... when you thought it was Mason—it wasn’t just him.”

My body went still. A coldness swept over my skin that had nothing to do with the wind outside.

“You’re saying…” I swallowed hard, “you and I—slept together—and I didn’t even know?”

“Maggie, I never meant to—”

“Don’t,” I snapped, pushing myself upright despite the pain. “Don’t you dare try to coat this with noble intentions. You touched me without telling me. You let me believe—”

“You were marked by him,” Maverick said, his jaw tense. “I thought the bond would keep you connected to only him. I thought I could walk away, and you’d never know.”

“But you didn’t walk away, did you?” I shook my head, voice sharp. “You kept this. All of it. The night, the child, the prophecy. And now I find out like this?”

“I didn’t want to burden you”

I laughed bitterly. “You didn’t want me to know what happened to my body.”

He fell silent. The hurt, the grief, the confusion it all swirled into a storm behind my ribs. I didn’t even know how to process the weight of it.

Then he spoke again, quieter now. “There was a priest. After that night, he told me what would come. That if I ever bore a child, it would be a hybrid one that could tip the balance of the Alpha world. He said there would be a sign... a black moon mark on the mother.”

I scoffed, unable to stop the anger rising in my chest. “And what, you saw it on me and just decided not to mention that either?”

“I saw it after the rogue attack,” he said, voice low. “On your side, just above your ribs. It only appeared under the moonlight. I wasn’t sure until then.

“Congratulations,” I muttered. “You got your prophecy.”

“You stood there. Watched me fall apart. Watched me beg Mason for answers. You saw everything. And you just… kept pretending?”

Maverick’s voice was quieter now, strained. “I loved you. I always have.”

“You don’t love someone and steal their choice,” I said, rising to my feet despite the fire in my side. “You don’t love someone and lie like that. You’re no better than him.”

He bowed his head as he felt intensely bittered, but I didn’t care. Not anymore.

Tears burned in my eyes—not from grief, but the rage. “You touched me without me knowing. Do you get that? You changed my life, you gave me a child, and you didn’t even ask if I wanted that from you.”

“I wanted to tell you…”

“Save it. I don’t care what you wanted.” My hands clenched into fists. “You disgust me.”