Laura POV He let her treat him like crap because the vision of being mates must have clouded her vile actions.”I glower at the thought of anyone treating Maxwell badly. He’s an angel.“What sorts of things would she do?”“She would make him do everything for her. She’d make rude comments about him being Alpha. I’ve honestly seen manipulation at its finest with her. She loved to belittle him, but he passed it off as constructive criticism.” Her eyes rolled. “It didn’t make sense to me at all, but it wasn’t my relationship. I let them get on with it.”I chew on the inside of my lip. “But why would she treat him like that? I don’t understand.”“Me neither.” She shrugs simply. “When I saw them, I thought to myself, that’s not how you treat your soulmate. All her spiteful intentions were there, and he defended her every time. I will never understand.”My eyes blink in surprise. “I can’t believe he would endure that.”“She helped him through the aftermath of becoming Alpha,” she explain
Maxwell POVI Had already planned out what would happen when I came into contact with Alex. I told myself I’d remain calm and do everything necessary to stick to the mission ahead. But now I’m staring at him from across the grand hall, chaos breaking out around us and all I want to do is rip his throat out with my teeth.Getting into their pack territory was too easy. They think they’re bulletproof, but they’re lazy idiots who didn’t see this attack coming. Panic erupted, and I’ve never been so joyous to hear the sound of true fear.Blood splatters across the granite floor, limbs and organs following in its wake. I trained my pack well. I trained my pack to kill. None of them will let me down. My only wish is to keep the Alpha and Beta alive for my personal entertainment.Alex’s dark eyes are misty and full of hatred. I growl at his presence and remind myself if I kill him, it’ll ruin our entire plan. But when I look at him, I think about all the tears Laura has shed, the times she’s
Maxwell POV When I return to my bedroom after getting dressed, I peel back the duvet and wrap my arms around Laura from behind. She jolts when I touch her.“It’s okay,” I whisper in her ear. “It’s only me. I’m home, baby. I’m home.”She instantly rolls in my arms to look at me. Those pretty eyes are tired and begging for sleep, but it’s replaced with relief when she sees my face.“You’re back,” she murmurs.I kiss her forehead with a nod. “Yeah, I’m home. Are you okay?”“What happened?” she asks, avoiding my question.“We can talk about it when the sun rises. Get some sleep.”Laura shakes her head. “I won’t be able to not now. Please, tell me what happened. Are they dead?”I raise my hand to brush a lock of dark hair behind her ear. “All of the pack are dead,” I state. “But I kept three of them alive, and I’m keeping them in a dungeon out in the warehouse on our territory.”Her face pales. “They’re still alive?”“They’re being watched by multiple guards. They’re not going anywhere. T
Laura POV Maxwell holds my hand the entire walk to the warehouse I didn’t even know existed. Nausea creeps up my sternum, and I attempt to push it away without any luck. Oh, God. What am I doing?His eyes focus on the side of my face, giving my fingers a light squeeze. “You don’t have to do this,” he says carefully. “We can turn back. It’s okay to change your mind.”Once the guards come into view, I realize how protected the building is. It gives me a small sense of security. I pause before the door and inhale so deeply that I almost fall over. Maxwell stabilizes me and kisses the back of my hand.“If you want to leave at any point, we can,” he reminds me, and I flash him a forced smile.Inside, I’m a wreck. Blood roars in my ears, and my mouth is bone dry.Every time I consider walking away, I remember what Gemma told me earlier about how closing this door with a firm slam could help my recovery. I know she will be there if it triggers me, Maxwell, too. I’m in safe hands. I have b
Laura POV “This is not even a fraction of the pain you made me feel,” I spit through my teeth. “But I know your fate will be worse than mine. Maxwell will not take it easy on you. I hope he makes you suffer until you’re pleading for him to finally kill you. It’s what you deserve.”Alex growls, “I should have killed you when I had the chance.”I dig my fingers deeper, and he cries out to the ceiling, gritting his teeth together to relieve some of the agony. “You should be very,” I push harder until I hit bone, and he hisses, “very scared.”“Fuck you.”“It’s not nice being helpless, is it?”My eyes burn, but I will not shed a single tear for them. I stand, ripping my fingers from his wound. My entire body trembles as I balance back on my feet and walk out of the cell.I don’t see Maxwell’s eyes. I exit the dungeon and rush up the stairs until I can see sunlight. My eyes glance down to find my entire fist covered in his blood. Once I hit the fresh air, I take down a large gulp, shaki
Maxwell POV “They’re ready for you, Alpha.” Jon bows his head.Kayden approaches my side as I breathe raggedly through my nose. “Thanks, Jon,” he says. “You ready for this, Maxwell?”I grit my teeth so hard I hear them grate. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”“Then, let’s make them suffer.”We head down to the dungeon in silence. I don’t speak in an attempt to keep my head clear. I don’t want this to be quick; I want this to last all night. It won’t make up for the years of pain Laura had to endure, but I’m going to make it feel like an eternity.Alex and Damon are strung up by their wrists to the ceiling. The silver digs into their skin, leaving red marks across their hands. Both are naked. Both are unconscious. Both have no fucking idea what I’m going to do to them.“What’s the plan?” Kayden asks darkly.I stroll forward through the cell door and push my sleeves up to my elbows. “This,” I murmur before tightening my fist and punching Alex in the face with racing adrenaline.Blood splats t
Laura POV“I’ll go easy on you, I promise.” Ava flashes me a playful smile.I groan. “Don’t make me regret this.”“Where are you guys going?” Maxwell’s voice interrupts us.We both glance at him as he steps out of the kitchen door and onto the patio. “Ava is taking me for a run,” I say, lifting my hands to tighten my ponytail. “I needed time to stretch my legs and get out of the house for a bit. I still need to build up my stamina.”Maxwell’s eyes sparkle at my new determination. “That’s my girl.”My cheeks flush at those three simple words. “Be ready to pick me up from the floor when I get back because I might be unconscious.”“Have more faith in yourself.” He walks towards me and slips an arm around my waist. “I do. I always have.”I flick my gaze between his dark blue eyes. There is a huge smile on his lips that encourages me to believe in myself, if he can, why can’t I? Today is a chance to prove it’s mind over matter, even if my lungs want to give out.“Come on. Let’s go.” Ava b
Laura POV “You’ve left him down here for what reason? I told you not to hurt him. He doesn’t deserve this. He let me go. If it weren’t for him, I would be dead.”Maxwell flinches from my declaration. The word clearly triggers something in his brain. “You put yourself in danger.”“The guards are here.” I gesture to them down the hall. “We can trust Evan. He’s safe. If you don’t believe me, ask Ava to look into his past. She’ll show you exactly what happened when he let me go.”“We can’t trust him regardless,” he grunts.My eyes begin to sting. “We haven’t even given him a chance. Maxwell, please. I am literally begging you.”He breathes through his nose heavily, and for a moment, I think he’s about to shake his head without any negotiation. But when his dark gaze flicks to mine, something in them simmers. “Fine.”Soon, Ava joins us and holds out her arms. “What the hell, Laura? You disappeared. I couldn’t find you.”“I was down here,” I murmured.“I see that now. Why am I here? It sti