The Confrontation

We’d barely made it past the pack’s outer border when I heard footsteps behind us. I turned, surprised to see Mason walking toward us. According to tradition, an Alpha had to walk out those officially leaving the pack. Still, I didn’t expect him to show up after everything.

For a second, I thought maybe guilt finally caught up to him. But when I looked at his face, there was nothing. No shame. No regret. Just that same stone-cold detachment.

“You can go back to your new mate now,” I said flatly, not even bothering to look him in the eye. “Don’t keep her waiting.”

He said nothing. Just turned and walked away.

That was it. No goodbye. No apology. Not even a second glance. It shouldn’t have hurt, but it did.

I felt Maverick’s gaze on me, steady and quiet, and for a moment, I wanted to let go. Let the tears fall, scream into the woods, maybe even run back just to ask why. But before I could even gather my thoughts…They came out of nowhere.

Dark shapes tore through the treeline, they were rogue wolves. Snarling, vicious, and bloodthirsty.

“Get behind me!” Maverick barked, already shifting mid-sprint.

It was the first time I’d seen his wolf, massive, powerful and bigger than Mason’s even. His fur was a striking black, almost glowing under the pale moonlight.

He launched himself at the first rogue, slamming into it with a force that cracked bones. I froze, heart pounding, eyes wide. I’d never seen a werewolf fight before and never imagined it could look like this. Maverick was very fast as his claws tore through the attackers like they were nothing.

But they kept coming.

Two wolves slipped past him, and I barely had time to react. I stumbled, my foot catching on a rock, and went down hard. One wolf leapt toward me, its eyes wild, jaws open wide.

“Ah!” I screamed, flinching.

Maverick pounced just in time, slamming into the rogue and knocking it off me. They rolled across the dirt, snarling, fur tangled and bloodied.

I scrambled upright, spotting a broken branch and snatching it up like a weapon. I wasn’t going to be useless. I couldn’t.

With a shout, I swung at the closest rogue, I knew it wouldn’t do much, but it was something.

Maverick shifted back to human, his chest heaving, face slick with sweat and blood. He didn’t pause. He moved again, cutting down another wolf with a terrifying force.

But then, an arrow sliced through the air.

*Whoooosh!*

“Maggie!” Maverick said as I hit the ground, my world spinning.

Maverick ran to me, as he couldn't believe it, then, something strange happened.

The rogue wolves—what was left of them—froze. One by one, they bowed. Knees hitting the dirt. Heads down.

“The Alpha’s son lives!” he shouted.

One by one, the rest followed, shifting and bowing.

Maverick stared at them, then back at me. My body was trembling in his arms. His strong determined eyes were wide with panic.

I barely heard him as he called my name over and over again. I only felt the warm trickle of blood still escaping my body, my dress drenched, the pain unbearable.

And then everything went black. I woke to the sound of murmured voices, pain lancing through my abdomen with every breath.

"Alpha, your mate lost one of her babies."

“Goodess, no…” I cried out, but my voice barely came out. “Not my baby…”

I tried to sit up, but the pain in my abdomen was too much. I collapsed back onto the bed, gasping.

Maverick appeared beside me, panic and heartbreak all over his face. "Maggie, don’t move. You’re still bleeding… You need to rest."

Tears streamed down my cheeks. My hands instinctively went to my belly. It felt empty now hollow.

“How many?” I whispered.

The healer looked away. “There were two. One… survived.”

A sob broke from my chest as I stared up at the ceiling, unable to process anything else.

The room was strange. Stone walls. Fur bedding. Quiet.

“Where… where are we?”

“You’re safe,” he said gently. “You’re with me now.”

He pulled me into a careful hug. I let my head rest on his shoulder. For the first time in a long time, I let myself feel safe.

Sunlight filtered through the window as I stirred awake again. The sterile scent of clean sheets mixed with the distant rustle of leaves outside. Maverick was still there, sitting close, his face pale and drawn.

He leaned in slightly. “Hey,” he said, voice low and careful. “How are you feeling?”

I blinked, and the pain returned, not just the ache in my body, but the hollow in my chest. It hit me again. One baby… gone.

I swallowed hard. “Empty,” I whispered. “I feel… like something’s missing.”

His face fell. “Maggie…”

My hand moved instinctively to my stomach. “There were two,” I said, voice breaking. “I felt them. Both of them.”

Tears welled in my eyes. “Now it’s just… one.”

Maverick nodded, pain flickering in his eyes. “You were so strong… your body held on.”

I turned away, wiping at my face with trembling fingers. “I should’ve protected them. I should’ve—”

“Don’t,” he said gently. “You fought harder than anyone could’ve asked. You’re not to blame.”

I nodded slowly, though I didn’t believe it yet. The grief was too raw.

After a long silence, I looked at him again, my voice rough. “Maverick… I remember your name. But I need to know… who are you? Really?”

He hesitated, as if unsure I could handle more truth. “You really want to know?”

I gave a shaky nod. “I’m not just Gamma,” he said slowly. “I’m the son of the Red Blood Moon Pack’s former Alpha. I survived an attack that wiped out my entire family… I’ve been in hiding ever since.”

I stared at him, stunned. The words barely registered through the fog of my grief. “You’re… the true Alpha?”

He nodded. “Technically, yes. But my uncle took control. He doesn’t know I’m back yet.”

The room felt colder suddenly. “Why… why tell me this now?”

“Because that’s not why I protected you,” he said softly. “That’s not why I left with you.”

“Then why?” I asked, though my voice cracked. “Why stay by my side when I’m… broken?”

He reached for my hand again, his fingers warm and steady. “Because you matter to me, Maggie. I can’t explain everything yet—but I promise, one day you’ll understand. You're not broken to me. You never were.”

I looked away, blinking back fresh tears. Before I could respond, a knock at the door broke the moment.

Maverick stood. “Stay here. I’ll get it.”

He opened the door and a tall, broad-shouldered man stepped in, eyes scanning the room like he owned it. When his gaze landed on me, he smirked.

“Well, well, well,” the man drawled. “Look what we have here.”