Mine

ESTELLA

Her words, her question, echoed in my mind that night and into the next morning as we set off for Loukas.

Iphigeneia had vowed to reach out to her siblings, and I trusted her to keep her promise. She was a woman of her word, so that wasn’t what was bothering me.

~“Have you done nothing wrong?”~

Had I done nothing wrong?

It was easy to lay all the blame on Max. He was the one in the know, not me.

Had I done nothing wrong?

I had waited for him my entire life.

Had I done nothing wrong?

I loved him, and I showed it in every way I could.

What could I have possibly done wrong?

MAX

I was concerned.

Ever since Estella had spoken with Iphigeneia, she had been lost in thought, to put it lightly. If anything, she seemed to be pulling away from me even more than before. But this time, it was different.

She didn’t appear to be mad at me. Just distant. Guarded. I even caught her giving me a strange look as Patrick drove us to the airport.

Loukas’ pack was the furthest from ours, and we couldn’t drive there like we had before. We’d have to fly, and I hoped the trip would be worth it.

At least we had gained some new allies for our pack. That was a positive, but I’d be even happier if we achieved our original goal: to bring all the siblings together.

But Estella...

“Are you okay, darling?” I asked her.

She just hummed softly and continued to gaze out the window.

“You made some headway with them, finally,” I tried again.

She hummed in response.

“Do you think Iphigeneia will be successful?”

“I’m not sure.” She sighed.

“I think it would be best if they all went. It would be terrible for Stelios and Ellie to find out that half of their children are holding a grudge against them. If Loukas is receptive, that is.”

It was the most she had said since the previous afternoon.

“Maybe we should all go this time,” Patrick suggested from the driver’s seat. “I need to speak with Loukas anyway since he’s the alpha.”

“No.” She shook her head, giving him a gentle smile. “It’s important for me to do this on my own.”

“As you wish. But remember, you can count on us.”

“I know.”

With that, she fell silent once more.

ESTELLA

Loukas bore a strong resemblance to Markos, but he was the more cheerful version. Gentler, in a way.

I realized I hadn’t seen the third brother. Not even in a recent photo.

Stelios and Ellie had some old photos, but I hadn’t paid much attention to them, unfortunately.

I had looked at them, of course, but the images didn’t stick with me, and Iphigeneia hadn’t shown me any.

Strange, because I was certain she had some. She seemed the type to hold onto her memories. Maybe, even after all these years, seeing her brother was still too painful.

After all, his story was a tragic one.

“With all due respect, I’d like to speak with Estella first,” Loukas said, surprising us all. “I believe she’s the reason this meeting was requested.”

“I am.” I smiled.

Max and Patrick left the alpha’s office, and Loukas offered me a seat on the couch.

He took a seat in an armchair across from me. It felt friendlier than if he had sat behind his desk.

“My sister Iphigeneia called me,” he began. “I was surprised. We haven’t spoken since I became the alpha here.”

“Why?”

“Jumping right into the tough questions, I see.”

“You seem open…”

“Appearances can be deceiving, you know.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, I was very secretive as a child. I still am, but not as much. To answer your question, we grew apart.

“When our father decided to send us away, we all reacted differently.

“Markos and Maria were upset about leaving home, Konstantinos saw it as an adventure, and Iphigeneia and I were sad but understood why it had to be done.”

“That doesn’t explain why you stopped talking to each other.”

“You’re right. But when our brother died, it was a turning point for us. I realized that we would die away from home.

“We’d die, or our parents would, and we wouldn’t know. I wanted to call them. We argued.”

“But you never called them.”

“No. I was scared. I didn’t want to hear their sorrow or their guilt…”

“Or maybe you were afraid they might not be alive,” I suggested.

“Goddess, you’re sharp!” He chuckled uncomfortably. “Yes, I think that was it deep down.”

“It makes sense. But the drifting apart... it wasn’t just because of your brother’s death, was it?”

“No. Maria and Iphigeneia were never close, and Markos didn’t take well to me becoming an alpha. I was supposed to be his beta, you see.”

“Was he jealous?”

“I don’t think so,” he replied thoughtfully. “I think it had more to do with his expectations.

“He grew up knowing he would lead our pack, even when he knew we were declining. He believed in his abilities and shared his plans to make us strong again.”

“Was it possible? To become a strong pack again?”

“No, it wasn’t. To this day, it hurts to admit that. I would have been more than happy to be my brother’s beta if it meant we could stay in our homeland.

“I never really wanted to be an alpha. I even tried to turn down the position. But the folks here trusted me. They said I’d proven my loyalty.”

“You’re not a fan of being an alpha, are you?” I ventured.

“Not particularly. A beta gets to see more action. Alphas are stronger, but betas usually have to fight the hardest because they’re protecting their leader.”

“I see.”

“But, I have to admit, there was no one else fit for the job, and I’m not sure I could be loyal to anyone else. My alpha was the best I’ve ever known, after my father.”

“So, you’ll come?” I asked, hopeful.

“Yes, I will. But we need to convince Markos and Maria.”

“We have until summer.” I gave him a wink.

“We do.” He chuckled, then his face turned serious. “Thank you, Estella.”

MAX

Her smile told me she’d succeeded.

She moved to hug me, but stopped herself. I pretended not to notice. I just wondered what was bothering her while I asked her about her conversation with Loukas.

“I’m sure he’ll convince the other two,” she said.

“I hope so.”

“I’m certain,” she declared, lifting her chin.

I laughed. “Okay, okay! If you say so…”

“I do.”

“Good. Are you tired?”

She looked at the bed thoughtfully.

“I can sleep on the couch,” I offered, trying to make it easier for her.

“I didn’t say…”

“You were thinking it.”

“You don’t know what I’m thinking, Max,” she retorted.

“Most of the time, I don’t,” I conceded. “But right now, I think it’s pretty clear.”

“No, it isn’t.”

“You can be so stubborn sometimes…” I chuckled, shaking my head, and she shot me a glare. “Anyway, I’m going for a run. The room is all yours.”

“How generous of you,” she snorted.

It wasn’t an excuse; I really did want to go for a run. My wolf needed it, and it wasn’t bad for me, either. It was a good chance to think.

I was around Estella almost constantly, and I could use some time to myself.

I didn’t know what to do about us. Some would say I’ve done enough, but that’s not what I mean. I have no idea where we stand right now.

I love her, yes. Would I do anything she asked me to? Yes.

But I don’t know what we are anymore. For a large part of my life, I acted as her guardian because she was so young.

Then we were a couple for a brief time, and now we’re together out of necessity, which is the worst reason to be with someone.

So, I wonder, what if, despite what fate says, we’re not meant to be?

What if we got it all wrong? What if the bond is clouding everything, hiding the truth? What if we’re not that kind of soulmates?

What if I have to finally let her go?

The thought alone is painful because in my heart, I know I love her, but we’re stuck. We’re not moving backward or forward. We’re not going anywhere.

She doesn’t trust me, and as justified as that is, it doesn’t help.

The way we’re living together isn’t how either of us imagined.

So, maybe we should part ways, whatever that means…

ESTELLA

I let out a breath when Max left the room.

This was no way to live.

I wouldn’t wish this misery on anyone.

How I long to escape it!

~“Accept him,”~ a voice whispered in my head.

My wolf.

She’d been so much calmer lately. Not that she didn’t worry when Max was away for too long (her idea of long didn’t match mine), but she was generally behaving.

I could feel her most of the time, but she was careful when she spoke to me.

“I’m not sure I can.” I sighed.

~“Remember what Iphigeneia asked you.”~

“I haven’t forgotten, thank you. But I don’t know what I did wrong.”

Honestly, I’d thought and thought, and still, I wasn’t sure what I’d done wrong. I loved him and waited for him. Hell, I’d forgiven him more times than I could count.

~“You didn’t trust him.”~

“I didn’t trust him?” I hissed. “All I did was trust him. With my heart, with my life, and he nearly broke both.”

~“You didn’t trust him.”~

She kept repeating this, and I wanted to shut her out. I tried to shut her out, but she wouldn’t stop.

I walked to the balcony doors. It was too cold for me to go outside, but at least I could look at the moon.

We were a few days away from the full moon. So, it made sense why my wolf was being difficult and hyperactive.

I still couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that she communicated with me. That she was always there, waiting to come out.

I wondered if she understood that she might never get that chance, but the growl she made in my head was answer enough.

It didn’t make much difference, though. If I decided that I couldn’t be with Max and that we had to break the bond once and for all, she would be gone.

What would happen to her if I let her go?

I was sad at the prospect that she might die. Not that I’d forgiven her for torturing me.

~“I’m sorry about that,”~ she mumbled.

“I know,” I assured her.

In her mind, we were one. As she explained, she never wanted to punish me by killing me.

She thought I wanted to die too, and in her sorrow, she didn’t see that I was fighting back. So, I let her know that heartbreaks hit us humans differently.

She admitted to me that she had been with a human before, but it was a long time ago.

She asked for my trust.

Trust.

Trust.

Trust…

Hadn’t I always trusted Max?

I frowned, my gaze fixed on the moon.

~“Not always,”~ she said.

Not always?

When hadn’t I…?

~“He told you he had one more secret, remember?”~

He had said that, indeed. He was insistent on telling me… It was me who had put it off.

~“Until I come back from Paris, at least. Please, Max. I’m so happy with you right now. I don’t want to ruin it. Not yet. Please.”~

Those were my words because I was scared that what he had to tell me might break us apart. Then I came back, and Delta was there, and I… I believed everything she said.

That was it!

I should have gone to Max as I had promised her. I should have confronted him right then and there.

I forgot about the secret… I only saw the evidence of his supposed betrayal. That was the moment when I didn’t trust him.

That was where I messed up.

MAX

When I got back, she was sleeping soundly.

When I lay down next to her, she cuddled up to me. That was unusual lately.

In the morning, I left her sleeping and went to find Patrick and Loukas. The alpha took me to the clinic to talk with their doctor.

This was a common pattern in every pack I found myself in. This time, it was because my cousin was bragging about my skills, not forgetting to mention that I saved his life.

The pack doctor was a woman.

That wouldn’t have been a problem if she wasn’t openly flirting with me from the moment we shook hands. She was almost thirty and very attractive.

But I wasn’t interested. Despite my thoughts the previous night, I knew that I didn’t want anyone else but Estella.

So, I ignored her flirting and tried to focus on the task at hand. When I realized she wasn’t getting the hint, I told her straight up that I wasn’t into her.

“Why not?” she asked with a smirk. “From what I can see, you are unmarked.”

“That doesn’t mean I’m unattached. I’ve already found my mate, and we’re taking it slow.”

“In my book, that means you’re still up for grabs.”

Before I could respond, I heard another voice.

“You must be reading the wrong book, then. Because he’s clearly mine.”

ESTELLA

Patrick told me where to find Max when I asked.

I wanted to wait for him last night, but I couldn’t. I fell asleep before I knew it, and when I woke up in the morning, he was gone.

Turns out, he was at the clinic.

With the female doctor.

When I heard the woman hitting on him, I got mad. Well, we both did, my wolf and I. But I waited. I waited to see how he would handle it.

He proved, without knowing it, that he deserved my trust and the decision I made last night. So, I stepped in to claim what was mine.

Max looked at me, surprised, and so did the woman. But her gaze quickly turned sarcastic.

“A human?” She laughed. “Is this your mate, Dr. Kinsky?”

“Yes, she is,” he said, smiling proudly.

“You’re turning me down for a mere human?”

“She’s not just a mere human,” he countered.

~“Should I show off a bit?”~ my wolf purred.

“Go for it,” I replied in my head.

For the first time, I was aware that she had taken control. I couldn’t shift, of course, but my nails turned into claws, and I felt a change in my eyes—my vision, to be exact.

It became sharper, so I guessed my eyes had changed color.

I stepped forward, and the doctor stepped back, shocked.

Yes, this was the reaction I was aiming for.