MAYA.
Everything was going well. It all came together, and in no time, we were running our restaurant off-pack restrictions. No men allowed, and thinking this was going to make us less known, it actually made us all popular. Women trooped in every day — it was our little sanctuary without the restrictions that men brought. Every woman felt safe, and we bonded so well. At first, I thought it was only going to be about food, but our restaurant became a haven for women. No judgment. No domination. It was all beauty and fun. This warmed my heart, healed a part of me that I thought was lost forever. I rubbed my belly as I watched them from the kitchen. They were happy. “Maya, you haven’t finished up the menu for the day. I have to come up with herbs to suit them, so hurry.” Giana called out to me. The other women were cutting up the vegetables. I nodded and went to join them. While we were busy with that, Rayla burst through the back door. Her face was pale, her chest rising and falling too fast. “Maya… he found us,” she said. My eyes went wide. “Who?” I asked, though deep down, I already knew the answer. “Leonardo. He found us, and he’s fighting to come into the restaurant.” The knife in my hand fell to the ground with a clang. Celine, who was next to me, stopped chopping. Behind me, the sound of utensils hitting the floor filled the room as the women panicked. He was here. He found us. “You promised you’d protect us, Maya. Leonardo found us. I don’t want to be sold to another slavery. Maya, do something,” one of the women begged, her voice trembling. “What is he saying, Rayla?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper. Rayla was a woman I found wandering — she had the build of a guard, hence she became our head of guards. “He said he just wants to see you. He wants to know if you’re the….” She paused. “Say it!” I snapped, my heart racing. “…the thief whore who stole his heir.” She responded. I chuckled, the sound bitter and cold. Of course, he was going to call me a whore. Bastard! I looked away from them, my mind spinning. He was here. I had to protect these women. I brought them here. I came up with the revenge scheme. I did all of this. “Fine, let me see him.” “What?” Stella shouted, rushing toward me and grabbing my arm. “Are you out of your mind? You know what he’ll do to you if he sees you.” “I know,” I said, trying to stay calm, but the weight in my chest threatened to suffocate me. “So what the hell do you mean by you want to see him? You should go through the back door and leave.” Giana half-yelled, pointing at the kitchen door, which led to the forest and back to our house. “And then what? He already found out about me. I have to convince him I’m not the one he’s looking for.” “And how do you plan to achieve that?” Stella demanded, her voice tight with fear. I bit down on my lips. My eyes flicked to Giana. “It’s simple. Force labor.” The room fell silent. “You force my labor with magic. Naturally, she-wolves have ten months before labor. If I have my child now, he’ll be convinced that I’m not that woman.” “No.” Giana shook her head instantly. “We are not risking your life for anything. You are already weak, Maya. Carrying these babies is already detrimental to your life. Forcing labor will take energy from you, which can lead to death.” I stepped closer, grabbing her hands. “Giana, how many times will I tell you I do not care if I die? These children are our hope to bring that man down. No matter how much I run, he will find me. Making him believe now, while he’s here, that I am not who he’s looking for will keep the babies safer. Even when I’m gone, I’ll know they’re safe.” My voice cracked, but I pushed through. “Please make this happen. Not for my sake, but for the sake of these women.” Giana shook her head persistently, tears running down her face. “Maya, don’t do this,” Stella begged, her voice trembling. “We don’t care about revenge right now. You’ve cared for all of us. Given us hope. Look at this business — you created a sanctuary for women. We need you alive. You can go out to Leonardo, give him his children, and come back to us. None of us really care about revenge.” “I do. And you do too — you just don’t want to be selfish.” I looked around at the women, my voice rising with conviction. “I will never allow happiness for Leonardo. I will not be the bearer of that happiness. Giana, you will force this labor right now. You will help me deliver these babies — that is what I want.” My heart pounded against my ribs, the weight of my decision threatening to crush me. I pressed a trembling hand to my belly, feeling the faint kick of one of the babies. Was I making the right choice? Or was I condemning them before they even had a chance to live? “Maya is right.” Celine’s quiet voice broke through the silence. She stepped forward, her hands balled into fists. “We cannot let that man have his happiness — not after he used every one of us. Maya, you can use my energy to birth those children. I don’t care if I die, but Leonardo will not be happy.” “What? No, Celine, I couldn’t—” Before I could finish, another voice sounded. “Yes, Celine. We are in this together. I’ll join my energy with yours to help Maya deliver the babies.” Anna stepped forward, her eyes blazing with determination. “Me too,” Emma said quietly, her beautiful dreadlocks swaying as she stepped up. “I will join my energy.” Naomi’s voice was steady. One by one, the women came forward. Tears streamed down my face. I had never thought I would be blessed with friends — no, sisters — this loving, this selfless. They were willing to give everything for this cause, for me. Leonardo will never be happy. Never. Giana wiped her tears. “Fine. Let’s do this.” The women circled me, their hands clasped together. Giana closed her eyes, her lips moving in an ancient chant. The air shifted. A cold wind rushed through the kitchen, making the flames flicker. My stomach clenched painfully, and I gasped, doubling over. The baby… I could feel him coming.MAYAI knew her.The vision, it was so familiar, it ran through my body like ice.I did this to her.I was the one who hurt her.Why… why was I seeing this?Tears streamed down both sides of my face.I opened my eyes and saw her staring at me, confused, surprised by my reaction.I took a step back.She kept looking at me, those ombre eyes locked on mine, still stunned.“Are you okay?” she asked.I turned away, wiping my tears.This was all my fault. The vision… it had been so real. I did that to her.I… I slept with her husband.The confession in my head felt like acid—burning through every part of me.“I’m sorry,” I whispered, the tears refusing to stop.“I’m really, really sorry.” I looked her in the eyes, and she raised her brows, trying to understand what I meant.How could I tell her that her husband had paid me—for years—to sleep with him?That I was the reason their bond had been damaged?At that moment, the children started crying.I rushed to them and found Jenna’s violet ey
LEONARDO.I found her.The slut.The one who ran with my baby.It was her.A part of me knew it wasn’t the time for her to bear the children but she had them. She had some explaining to do.I hardly saw her face, but I noticed the resemblance. I saw the side of her face. That was why the picture was so damn familiar. She was going to come with me today and I was going to have my children with me. All of this would happen today! I just needed her to explain to me why she was trying to find another father for my kids! I called Jethro through the mindlink instantly.“Where are you?” I asked, my voice hard and impatient.“Out. Why?” he replied.“I need you right now. I found the slut.” Some sort of excitement, twisted and burning, filled me up.Now I was ready to meet her.As I spoke to Jethro through the mindlink, I was typing her the location where we would meet.‘What time do you think is okay?’ I asked her.“How did you find her?” Jethro asked.I couldn’t tell him I had been on a da
MAYAStella had taken over my phone while I focused on cooking. She was always better with words—at least the charming ones that kept men glued. She flirted, laughed, and passed the phone back to me when it was time to get serious. It was part of our process.That was how I met Ardo.He was almost a regular man.He always had the right words to say. The kind that didn’t just catch your attention but held it like a gentle embrace. Words that made me feel seen, appreciated. He was calm, patient—almost too perfect. Every conversation left me smiling, even when I didn’t mean to.But I wasn’t ready to fall in love. That part of me had died the day Alpha Leonardo ruined my life. Love had no place in my world anymore. Only vengeance.Still, Ardo’s role was clear. I needed a man—someone the world would believe was the father of my children. It was part of my plan. When the time came for me to step into Leonardo’s place and work for him, I couldn’t let him suspect the truth. The children could
LEONARDOI couldn’t take it.That lady blocking me—I couldn’t take it.Shall I call it pride or ego? I wasn’t sure, but I couldn’t let it slide. I had to pay her back. I had to snatch my power back from her.She didn’t know it was me, yet it didn’t make a difference.I tried to shake it off my mind several times, but I just couldn’t help it. I walked back to my room and grabbed the laptop.I opened another account and used a different name.This time, I was going to use artificial intelligence to help me with the right words since I was good at it.It was the only way I could get her.Yes, I was going to message the Maya that blocked me.I would be the perfect gentleman—and then I would ghost her after some days. That way, I could take back my power.I didn’t know why, but I felt a rush of energy.The kind a little child feels when they are given a new toy.Yes, I felt that. Which was weird.It was so weird, I shrugged.A knock came on the door, taking my attention for a few seconds.
LEONARDO “Perhaps you could adopt a child. I mean why not?” Nina’s voice sounded in my head again. I couldn’t take her little voice out of my mind. She had said those words so casually the last time I visited the orphanage. It stuck. And then I saw this ad. It said I could connect with anyone I wanted—even single mothers. It didn’t sit right with me. Hell, I hated it. But I had no choice. I needed an heir to take over the way I had from my father. It was tradition. Legacy. Eventually, after searching endlessly, I found a woman who had a newborn. Actually—twins. A boy and a girl. It made sense to choose a woman with newborns. Her reward? Becoming Luna. Her child—children—would have a father. I would get an heir. A win-win. But when I saw the picture of her kids… I froze. They looked familiar. Too familiar. I knew I was hallucinating. I had to be. Still, the resemblance nagged at my mind like a loose thread. I shook the thought off. I couldn’t afford distractions.
MAYA“I am sorry, Maya,” Giana said gently, cradling Jayden in her arms, “but I doubt this child would ever be able to speak.”Her words stabbed through me like a thousand knives. Jayden’s little hand twitched, but it wasn’t the reflex we hoped for. It was weak. Almost lifeless. His MRI had shown abnormalities that none of us had expected. After their sudden and magical birth, we took both babies for an MRI. We had to know. And what we found… broke me.Jenna, his twin sister, had a unique trait—two different eye colors. One was a deep blue, the other a vivid purple. But her MRI had revealed something else entirely.“One of her eyes… it doesn’t respond to light the way it should,” Giana had said, still staring at the screen hours ago.“And Jenna might be blind?” I asked now, my voice cracking as I looked over at my daughter.Giana gently nodded, a softness in her eyes that made me want to scream and cry all at once. “It is only one eye,” she said, “and it might not be as bad as we fear