The Last Moments

ESTELLA

Returning to Paris felt odd.

It was as if I’d been away from my apartment for years, when in reality, it was just a month or so.

Everything was both familiar and foreign, but the thought of all the new places Max and I could explore intimately brought a smile to my face and a few risqué images to my mind.

I almost called him the moment I arrived, but I held back when he told me about the attack on Rohan’s pack.

Our conversation was brief because he was needed elsewhere. Still, I managed to send my regards to Rohan.

I also sent a text to Rohan, hoping he’d see it when he was feeling better.

Sleep eluded me that first night, and it wasn’t just because I was worried about Max and my friends back home. Gabrielle was mostly to blame.

The second I told her I was back, she hung up on me. Half an hour later, she burst into my apartment—still had the keys—and threw herself into my arms, squealing.

Then came the sniffing. I rolled my eyes. Werewolves and their heightened senses. A human like me wouldn’t be able to smell Max on me after a shower.

“Oh, my Goddess!” she shrieked, her eyes wide as dinner plates. “You slept with the doctor.”

She sniffed again.

“A lot!” She giggled.

I pushed her away, blushing and pretending to pout.

“I hate you,” I said, not meaning a word of it.

“Come on, Estelle. I’m happy for you. Besides, if you were a werewolf, you could have smelled me too.”

“I’m glad I’m not, then. I’m sure you’d reek of sex yourself.”

We both laughed as we collapsed onto the couch, just like old times, with Gaby sitting and me resting my head on her lap.

She loved to play with my hair, and I let her because it was always so soothing.

“Tell me everything,” she demanded, and I did just that.

After I finished, a thought struck me, and I looked up at her curiously.

“Is it okay for you to be here for so long?”

“Why wouldn’t it be okay?” She frowned.

“I don’t know… Maybe because you have two possessive mates?”

“The honeymoon’s over,” she said, deadpan. “We had sex like rabbits, and it was great, but now I’m doing my thing, and they’re doing theirs.”

I raised an eyebrow at her, and she sighed, exasperated.

“I’m telling the truth,” she insisted. “I respect them for who they are, and I want them to do the same. I have a life outside of them and dreams I want to chase.”

“So, you’re going for an internship?”

“Yes, and they know it, and I swear that if they try to play the jealousy card on me, there will be hell to pay.”

“I’d love to see you take on an alpha and a gamma,” I teased.

“I don’t have to fight them. Sex deprivation will work just fine to start, and if that doesn’t work, I can always choose to do my internship on the other side of the world.”

“You wouldn’t!” I challenged.

“I would too!” She narrowed her eyes at me.

“Nah.”

“I would,” she said flatly. “Not my first choice, but I’m serious. Mates or no mates, if they can’t support my dreams and goals, I can’t live with them.”

“Gaby, you’ve already fully mated with them, and you’ve put your marks on each other,” I reminded her. “You can’t reject them.”

“No, I can’t. But when there’s a lack of respect, the bond weakens. Let’s not talk about that now. I don’t want to think about having to leave them.”

“You already love them.” I smiled.

“I don’t know if it’s love yet or just attraction because of the bond, but the thought of this not working out hurts,” she admitted.

“I get that.” I nodded.

“Come on, tell me more about your future with the doctor.”

MAX

Estella’s trip to Paris was a blessing in disguise. The timing couldn’t have been better, considering what happened after she left.

Yes, I missed her terribly, but at least she was safe. I couldn’t say the same for the rest of us.

This was Rohan’s second brush with death, and it was closer than the last time. Much closer. He even had a large scar to prove it.

A rogue managed to get close enough to him to slice his chest with a poisoned silver knife.

If I hadn’t reached his pack in time, he would have died, because the rogues found and destroyed the antidotes I had provided, killing most of the hospital staff in the process.

His pack suffered heavy losses, but Rohan wasn’t one to give up.

I’ve been working on replenishing our antidote stock for the past two nights. Patrick ordered every pack member to carry the basic poison antidotes with them at all times.

The wolves patrolling our borders were the top priority. With his permission, I made some of the poisons they used and distributed them to the patrollers so they could fight back.

Truth be told, I made the poisons a while ago, and I had a good stock of them, but I didn’t believe in extreme measures until now.

If Rohan’s pack, one of the most powerful ones, could be invaded like that, then we had a much bigger problem than we thought.

Moreover, they weren’t just targeting alphas with poison anymore. Now they were taking out any member they could, with a clear preference for males and, more specifically, warriors.

Patrick and Rohan are starting to piece together the plan as they get closer to the larger packs. The big question that remains is who’s pulling the strings.

The silver lining in all this is that more alphas are taking the threat seriously this time around. They’re joining the alliance, including Del’s pack. They’re not exactly our neighbors, but they’re close enough to be a target. So, their alpha reached out to Patrick for mutual support.

Del was sent here, and I dispatched one of our top nurses to their pack with an antidote kit and instructions on how to make some of the more obscure ones for their doctor.

If I had my way, Del would be the last person I’d choose.

She’s a great nurse. Actually, she’s the best. But I’ve never been a fan of her views on humans. Her pack isn’t hostile towards humans, but Del is.

She wouldn’t go out of her way to harm a human, but she wouldn’t lift a finger to help one either, even if they were dying right in front of her.

And let’s not forget our history, and her dislike for Estella.

Ever since that incident years ago, she’s refused to call my girl by her name. If she has to mention her, she refers to her as “my protégée.”

I can’t stand that term, but I’ve had to bite my tongue because I haven’t told her the truth about my relationship with Estella.

So far, we’ve managed to work together without any major issues. What’s bothering me, though, is that I haven’t told Estella about Del being here. Hopefully, Del will be gone by the time Estella gets back.

ESTELLA

Feeling lucky is the best feeling in the world.

Seriously.

Max and I are officially a couple and we’re almost living together. Why? Because the company agreed to let me work remotely.

As long as I meet my deadlines and show up once a month for the monthly reports, I’m good to go.

And when they asked if I knew anyone else interested in an internship, I suggested Gabrielle.

She sent them a sample of her work and they hired her on the spot. She’ll even be on the same team as me.

I mean, what more could I ask for?

I’m not one to take the universe’s gifts for granted, and I don’t want to be greedy. Honestly, I don’t need anything else.

Well, maybe one thing. If Max were here with me, that would be perfect. But other than that, I’m complete.

I haven’t told him that I’m coming back early. I probably should with everything that’s going on, but I want it to be a surprise.

I did tell Caleb and Sarah, though. They both advised against it, suggesting that I should go to my uncle’s and call Max from there. But I don’t want to do that.

I want to surprise him.

It’ll be fun.

MAX

“Isn’t this place a bit big for just you?”

That was Del’s first comment when she saw my new place. Any questions about why I brought her here will be answered soon.

For now, all I’ll say is that I wanted to show her the safe place I’ve set up in my basement.

“Clearly, I don’t plan on living here alone.” I smiled as I walked in.

She followed me, and I could hear her sharp intake of breath. Finally.

I thought she would have figured it out by now, but then I remembered that Estella’s scent on me was familiar to her.

The house, though, was a different story. Even after four days of being away and airing the place out, it still smelled like us.

A human wouldn’t notice, but anyone from our kind could easily pick up on it, from an alpha to the lowest omega.

“You slept with your little protégée, Max?” she asked with a hint of contempt in her voice.

“Her name is Estella, Delta,” I replied, using her full name to show I was serious.

“Yes, yes. Whatever you say. You never mentioned being attracted to her.”

“I’m not just attracted to her. I love her.”

“Love?” she scoffed, standing next to me in the living room. “You’re talking about love?”

“Yes. It’s no more surprising than if you were talking about it,” I shot back.

“I wouldn’t waste my time with love, Max. And neither should you. But I think the talk of love will cease when your attraction to the human dies down.”

“Has your attraction to Eric died down?” I smirked.

“He is my mate,” she spat. “It’s not the same.”

“Actually, it is.” I smirked.

It took about thirty seconds for her jaw to drop. Not as quickly as I thought it would, but still quick enough.

“This isn’t possible,” she whispered, shaking her head.

“It’s rare.” I nodded. “But not impossible.”

“How long have you known?”

“I knew already when she caught us,” I replied to the real question she wanted to ask.

“You aren’t thinking of keeping her, are you?” She looked at me in disbelief.

“You don’t expect me to reject her, do you?” I countered.

“Of course, I do. You always said you didn’t need a mate!” she accused.

“I don’t need a mate. I need Estella.”

“Do you realize how absurd you sound?” She laughed incredulously. “Max, who wouldn’t sleep twice with the same woman, now needs a weak human to warm his bed? Come on!”

I was amused up to that point. But she had to go and call my girl weak when she was anything but.

“Okay,” I said flatly. “Let’s get a few things clear. You are not allowed to call Estella names. Apart from my destined mate, she is my choice, and she is one of the strongest people I know.

“And she is more than a mere bed warmer. If I have to be precise about that aspect of our relationship, she fires me up like nobody else ever has.

“I’d be thrilled if she’d accept me, let me mark her.”

“You haven’t marked her yet?” Her eyebrows knitted together in a frown.

“Have a seat,” I suggested, sinking into the couch cushions.

She complied, and I began to spill the whole story from the start.