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
Laura POV I pace Gemma’s office as she watches me closely. Blood pumps around my body, and I’m convinced it helps calm me. She never questions why I don’t like to sit down and accepts me for who I am. This isn’t a safe space; this is a safe haven.“And how do you feel knowing Alex and Damon are gone?” she asks.My tongue extends to lick my bottom lip. “Relieved,” I admit. “I did think it would give me closure, but I’m not really feeling anything yet.”Gemma’s mouth curls into a soft smile. “It’s barely been a week, Laura. Closure doesn’t have to happen the next second. You are probably still digesting what happened, and that’s okay. It might take time, but don’t be frustrated with yourself.”I nod once. “I know.” I raise my thumb to my lips to chew on the nail. “It felt surreal seeing them again.”“Did it upset you?”“At first, yes. It felt like someone had punched me in the throat and I couldn’t breathe. But I knew they were going to die, and I wouldn’t get the chance again. That
Laura POV “Laura.” He slips an arm around me and tugs me up so I’m looking at him. “I have something to confess.”My lashes brush my cheek as I blink a couple of times. “Okay?”He inhales a large gulp of air. “The night you went out for Ava’s girls’ night before the wedding,” he starts. “When you were drunk, you mentioned a few things, including Kayleigh and your foster parents, but with nowhere near as much detail as you just explained to me.”A gash strikes my heart like a spear. No. No.“What? Why didn’t you tell me?”“Because you didn’t remember in the morning, and I wasn’t sure if it would trigger or upset you. I wanted you to do this by yourself. I didn’t feel like it was right to start meddling in something that meant a lot to you.” He places his hand on my face delicately. “I didn’t do it to keep it from you maliciously. I wanted you to have this moment like you did with Gemma just now. I’m sorry.”I stare at him. “It’s been ages since that night.”“I know.” He nods and c
Laura POV Today is the day I’m going to see Kayleigh after two and a half years.After my conversation with Maxwell, we got in contact with her. We video-called each other because I didn’t think she believed I was real. When her face popped up on the screen, tears started to flow.I found out she’s attending a university sixty miles from here. Maxwell said she could come to the pack house to see me while being trailed by our guards for safety into the district.The intense butterflies make my stomach churn. I know I need some normality from my old life.Kayleigh wasn’t just a best friend to me; she was like a sister.Maxwell kneads his thumbs into the muscles on my shoulders. “Relax, baby,” he whispers, giving my cheek a peck. “This is good. This is exciting.”“I know.” I chew on my lip. “I’m apprehensive.”He hums against my jaw gently before wrapping his arms around me from behind. I latch onto his arm and smile at the warmth of his body. A moment to embrace his calmness and God k
Laura POV Kayleigh gasps and scolds him.“All of this seems strange and very out of character for you.”I narrowed my eyes on him. “I’m not the same person I was when I was eighteen, Danny. Things have changed. I have changed.”“Have you seen this house? It belongs to a billionaire,” he whispers under his breath. “You cannot tell me you just fell into his arms.”“Danny–”He leans impossibly closer. “Is this a cult? Because if it is, we can get you out.”My brows widen at his accusation. I watch him carefully as he pulls away and focuses on a spot on the floor. “Although I’ve seen some seriously messed-up documentaries, and they did not end well.”“This isn’t a cult. None of this is strange and not to me anyway. I get it from an outsider's point of view. But I didn’t have anywhere else to go, and I’ve found peace here. Without Maxwell, I probably would have been dead.”Maxwell’s shoulders tense. Despite us speaking quietly, his sensitive hearing means I’m probably shouting. I grimace
Laura POV I never really took myself as an affectionate person. That’s until I met Maxwell. There is nothing I enjoy more than waking up to him in the morning with his strong arms secured around me. Every day, I acknowledge how far I’ve come with my recovery and how I grow to trust Maxwell more and more each day.A hand reaches up to push away a strand of hair that covers my shoulder. My eyes are still firmly shut, but a smile covers my lips as Maxwell’s warmth swarms me. “Morning, baby,” he whispers.I release a slow grunt and open my eyes to meet his handsome face. “Hi.”He cups my jaw and brushes his thumb over my cheek. “You okay?”“Yeah.” I nod. “You?”He hums softly. “More than okay when I wake up to your beautiful face.”My skin flushes at his compliment. “Likewise.”Maxwell grins softly and leans forward to press a kiss to my chin, then my jaw and my neck. I slip my hand over his bare shoulder and close my eyes when he kisses my pulse and over my collarbones.A flutter of