Chapter 123: Chapter 123

“~Where the hell do you think you’re going~?”

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sudden sound of Alex’s thunderous voice outside the room. Maya and Olivia tensed, sensing trouble was on the horizon.

They didn’t have to wait long before the door swung open, revealing Julian and Alex, each trying to assert their dominance by entering first.

Maya groaned inwardly. She was in no mood for their alpha power play.

“Can you get Alex to leave?” Maya whispered to Olivia as the two alphas stormed into the room.

“I barely managed to keep them from tearing each other apart,” Olivia murmured in response.

Just another alpha showdown.

“Why wasn’t I informed she was awake?” Julian’s voice echoed through the room as he quickened his pace to reach Maya before Alex.

Maya couldn’t resist a retort, her words heavy with irritation.

“If you weren’t such an idiot and had been here, you would’ve known,” she retorted, making it clear that any physical contact was off the table unless he was ready for a fight.

Julian didn’t touch her but chose to sit on the edge of the bed, a move that only irked Maya more. “Really?”

She studied him, taking in his disheveled appearance.

His shirt was ripped and ragged, his skin was smeared with dirt and black marks, and was that a leaf in his hair? Where on earth had he been?

Julian’s nostrils flared, his gaze flickering from Maya to Olivia. “What did you tell her?”

“She didn’t need me to say anything,” Maya retorted, her voice thick with sarcasm. “I can smell it on you, idiot.”

It was a subtle scent, one that could be easily overlooked if she hadn’t been actively looking for it.

But she had been waiting, knowing that as soon as he walked in, her senses would confirm what she already suspected—he had been with Willow.

And yet…

Willow’s scent on Julian wasn’t dominant; it was masked by the smell of dirt, mud, and blood that clung to him.

Wherever he had been, whatever had left him in such a grimy state, it hadn’t involved Willow.

“You can’t possibly—”

Alex’s words were interrupted by Olivia. “We’re going to leave you two alone.”

“Betrayer,” Maya mumbled under her breath, shooting Olivia a dirty look as they left the room.

Olivia pulled Alex along, showing his unwavering loyalty to her. ~Man was totally whipped~. Then again, maybe that was better than someone else ~roaming~ around without restraint.

“Don’t you want to know where I’ve been?” Julian finally broke the silence.

“I know where you’ve been,” Maya responded, turning her face away from him.

She expected anger, irritation, or ~some~ kind of reaction. Instead, she heard him chuckle. It annoyed her even more, making her question if Julian had lost his mind during his absence.

What part of this situation could he possibly find amusing?

“You’re so damn stubborn,” Julian commented, his laughter fading. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d mistake you for an alpha female.”

~Hell yeah. She was her own boss.~

“Well, there’s a willing volunteer to be your obedient mate. She’s just down the hall.”

The bed shifted as Julian stood up, and for a moment, Maya thought he might have taken her advice and left. But then she heard his footsteps as he moved around the bed, switching sides.

Couldn’t he have just turned her head instead?

Julian took the stool Olivia had been sitting on earlier, spreading his legs and letting his arms hang loosely between them.

“Really, Maya. You heard me talking to her. Do you think I got hurt and ran to her to…what? Sleep with her?”

Maya responded with a nonchalant shrug, keeping her eyes locked with his. If he wanted her attention, he had it, but she wouldn’t show any signs of submission.

“I don’t know, Julian. I don’t know anything about you. You know why? Because you don’t know anything about yourself.”

Pushing her palms into the mattress, Maya used all her strength to prop herself into a semi-sitting position. She ignored the discomfort and pain it caused her injured body.

She refused to lie down while confronting him. It made her feel weak. She didn’t want his help, and she was glad he didn’t offer or try to assist her.

Maybe her anger seemed unreasonable. Maybe it shouldn’t have mattered that he wasn’t there when she woke up or that he had spoken to Willow.

But her wolf was howling within her, shaking her to her core. Her mate should have known better.

Their situation should have been better than it was.

Maya hated the fact that someone else’s actions could affect her so deeply. It felt suffocating. She knew life wasn’t always easy or perfect, but this aspect of mating was downright depressing.

Nothing good came out of it. Only more complications.

As if she needed more obstacles to overcome.

Life was already a pain in the ass.

“I spoke to her to help you,” Julian finally admitted.

“So?” Maya prodded, her eyes steady and unblinking. “Did it make a difference?”

“I didn’t locate him. The hunter,” Julian confessed, his voice laced with a mix of irritation and letdown.

She inhaled deeply, holding her breath, feeling the strain on her side where her injury was. A spreading warmth signaled that her bandage was soaked with blood.

“The hunter?” she queried, her voice unwavering.

Julian’s head bowed down. “Olivia didn’t inform you?”

“Do I appear to be someone who’s privy to everything?” Maya quipped, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

“There was liquefied silver in the arrow that struck you,” Julian clarified.

So, she was the intended target. None of this was a coincidence. “Because of you?” Maya questioned, her voice not accusatory but filled with simmering anger.

She needed to grasp the full extent of the threat. She had seen the aftermath when Olivia was targeted and the losses they had endured.

***

“I’m not sure,” Julian confessed, his left hand absentmindedly massaging his thigh.

“Unless your security is awful, I don’t think they can discern much. We don’t bear bite marks. But we were likely seen together.”

Just being near Julian was enough to make her a target. What would transpire if they bit each other? Would they be executed on the spot?

Whoever was orchestrating this was sending a clear message, and they were audacious about it.

Things were looking grim for Julian.

Not that his absence would resolve everything. If a hunter was behind this, they wouldn’t cease targeting them just because Julian was no longer there.

But it was clear that his presence was exacerbating the situation, and he wasn’t part of the pack. So what would become of him?

“Is Alex aware?” Maya inquired.

“Do I seem like someone who divulges information to that Alpha?” Julian shot back.

“No,” she responded, unable to hide the smirk playing on her lips. She did admire that about him, even if she was still upset with him. It was easier to stay mad.

“Now that you’ve filled me in, you can leave,” Maya dismissed him.

“Are you going to stop the act?” Julian countered. “The act that you’re above all this, the act that you don’t care.”

“Haven’t we had this discussion countless times?” Maya retorted.

“I chose to stay. I brought you here. I talked to her. I angered her and burned that bridge to find out something. I went out there, looking for any clues.

“Do you want to know why?” Julian’s voice was a blend of exasperation and resolve.

“Because you enjoy winning?” Maya taunted, testing him.

In a flash, Julian stood from the stool, the metal scraping against the floor. He placed one hand beside her, his fingers digging into the mattress, and leaned his large frame over hers.

His warm breath brushed her cool cheek as she locked eyes with him, accepting the challenge, sending a chill down her spine.

The adrenaline rush, the excitement, his dominant presence demanded a submission she was reluctant to give.

It was like an unending high.

“Because I want to find the bastard who dared to harm you. I want to rip him apart, watch the life drain from his eyes as I torture him, tearing every limb from his body.

“So he knows that no one lays a hand on what’s mine.”

His words were like a burning whisper against her skin, taking her breath away. She wanted to retort, to put him in his place, but her body betrayed her. It was ruthless.

Instead of concentrating on the pain, she felt a warmth settle in her lower abdomen, desire stirring within her.

Because she wanted to see him do it.

She craved to witness her attacker’s downfall at Julian’s hands.

It was wrong, she admitted, but the satisfaction the thought brought was undeniable.

A part of Maya felt frustrated and annoyed by the whirlwind of emotions she was experiencing. When she had first awakened, all she had wanted was to see Julian ripped apart.

But now, with him so close, his lips tantalizingly near hers, a completely different scenario unfolded in her mind.

It was futile. Absurd.

Her attention should be on the critical situation they were in. Someone had attempted to murder her. The pack was under attack, and above all, someone was hell-bent on killing Julian.

But in this moment, to hell with all that.

He was too close, too alluring. The magnetic attraction pulled her in, betraying the façade she wanted to uphold.

Maya could push him away, say something to create a distance between them, but the electric charge coursing through her body felt too damn good.

The pain in her muscles seemed to fade away.

The temptation to lean in, to savor, to give in was overwhelming. Her weary mind wondered why she was holding back. He was an alpha, her alpha. But he hadn’t proven himself worthy.

So, she kept putting off what seemed more and more inevitable.

Julian didn’t make a move. He didn’t close the distance, didn’t kiss her.

Instead, when he finally moved and she let herself breathe, it was only to plant a kiss on her forehead. “Get some rest,” he suggested.

“I don’t need you to tell me what to do.”

“I know.”

“So, who says I’m going to sleep?”

“Who says I’m going to leave?”

“Then do as you please, and I’ll do as I please.”

“Fine.”

“Fine.”

Julian leaned back on the stool, folding his arms across his chest as he observed her. Maya was resolved to outlast him. She would prove herself.

Even though she was bone-tired.

But her stubbornness was stronger than her fatigue.

She wouldn’t let him have the upper hand.

Despite what everyone else thought, she could win this silent battle.

~Yes, she could definitely win.~

Julian would soon realize that he was dealing with a Beta who couldn’t give a damn about his Alpha status. Even if she was still battling a pulsating desire deep within her.

He didn’t need to know that.