9

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. Perhaps when she grows older…”

She didn’t finish the sentence.

I already knew the answer. There was always a ‘perhaps,’ a ‘maybe,’ a ‘hope so.’ But never certainty.

“Giana…” I whispered, my voice breaking, “I don’t want to have kids with… with defects. What can we do?”

Tears streamed down my face. I had asked this same question countless times, and Giana always gave the same answer. There was nothing to be done.

Maybe it was the potion. Maybe it was the fact that their birth had been sudden, unnatural. Or maybe I was just a cursed woman trying to raise children in a world that had never been kind to me.

“I’m a terrible mother,” I choked out, clutching at the edge of the bed, guilt clawing through my chest like a beast. “I did this. I ruined their lives before they even began.”

Giana sighed and moved closer, shifting Jayden in one arm so she could rest her free hand over mine. Her eyes were fierce, like a lioness protecting her cubs. “You are not a bad mother, Maya,” she said firmly. “None of this is your fault. The potion was meant for someone else—someone specific. The energy from the women dulled the effects on the kids. If we had waited for a natural delivery, the children could’ve been born even worse. You have no idea how much worse hence your idea of forced labor is an advantage.”

Her words made me lift my head. “Really?” I asked, blinking through the tears.

She nodded and offered a gentle smile. “Yes. You did what you had to do. You saved them. Maya, I want you to start seeing the good in your decisions. Whatever happens, happens for your good. These children are miracles, no matter what.”

She reached up and wiped away the tear that had escaped down my cheek. “Don’t cry. Please. We need you. All of us. You’ve given us hope. These babies… they are our hope. You gave birth to them. You, the woman Alpha Leonardo thought he had broken gave birth to his hier and hieress. You did what none of us could. It’s a win for every single one of us who suffered in the hands of Leonardo.”

Her voice shook a little as she said it, and it hit me deeper than anything else had. I didn’t even know what I had done to deserve these women by my side, but I knew one thing—I would never trade them for the world.

The door to my room suddenly opened, and one by one, the women began to walk in. Celine was the first. Quiet and mysterious, she hardly ever spoke, but today, she came toward me and extended a single lily.

My favorite flower.

I stared at it in disbelief before a small, trembling smile broke through. “Thank you,” I whispered.

Anna followed next, giving me another lily. Then Emma, with her dreaded hair, came and did the same. One by one, they handed me lilies, and the simple flower turned into a full bouquet in my arms.

“Why…” My voice faltered. Tears blurred my vision again. “Why are you all doing this?”

“Because you are our strong pillar,” Emma said softly. “You helped us find purpose again. Some of us were on the edge, Maya—on the verge of taking our own lives. And then you came. You gave us something to live for.”

I covered my mouth as the sobs escaped uncontrollably.

“We hope your children grow up seeing how strong you are,” Celine added. “What you’ve built isn’t just a restaurant. You created a safe haven. A place free from men. That’s why… we changed the name. It’s now officially registered as Maya’s Haven.”

“What?” I gasped, my heart pounding. Emma stepped forward and presented the new business board.

My name was there. Bold. Powerful.

Emma took Jayden from me as the others gathered around, giving me the space to cry freely. And I did. I cried hard, overwhelmed by love I didn’t even think I deserved. “Thank you,” I whispered between sobs, again and again. “Thank you.”

As I was admiring the plaque, Rayla walked in holding an envelope. My stomach clenched before she even spoke.

“I already know who it’s from,” I muttered.

“Leonardo again?” Giana asked.

Rayla nodded, confirming our suspicions.

“He just doesn’t give up,” I said, shaking my head. Leonardo had been sending letter after letter, gift after gift, apology after apology. I had rejected all of them. Yet he persisted.

“Maya,” Emma said, her voice cutting through the moment, “haven’t you heard the saying: Keep your enemies closer?”

I frowned and turned away. “He’ll recognize my face the moment he sees me.”

“That’s what the mask is for,” Emma said with a smirk. “If you really want to get to Leonardo, now’s the time. He’s sorry. Vulnerable. This is your chance to penetrate him from the inside.”

I ran a hand through my hair, breathing deeply. I didn’t want to see him again. I didn’t want to be near him. He reminded me of everything I lost—my pack, my parents, and my dignity. Just thinking about him made my body tremble with rage.

But Emma was right.

Now that he felt guilty, he would lower his guard. And when he did… I’d make sure he suffered. For my parents. For these women. For my children.

I had promised revenge. I would not fail.

“There’s another letter,” Rayla said suddenly. “And it’s not from Leonardo.”

She handed it to Emma, who passed it to me.

I opened the envelope and pulled out the letter.

My heart stopped when I read through the content.

My hands went cold.

Giana noticed the shift. “What happened?” she asked, snatching the letter from me as I hyperventilated.

The words echoed in my mind, sharp and cruel:

“I know it is you, Angel. I know everything about you. I know you have Leonardo’s kids. I will meet you soon.”

“Who’s Angel?” Giana asked, eyes narrowing.

My heart raced. “Angel… was the name I used back then. When I worked the streets. I never used my real name. Never.”

I looked at my babies. They smiled at me, so innocent and unaware of the world’s cruelty. But their smiles did nothing to calm the fear climbing my spine.

Someone knew.

Someone was coming.