Beta's Runaway Bride: 5 - Xiomara

I am going to kill him.

Who the hell does he think he is? jDios mio! I am not going to survive this without spilling blood,

and I don’t mean mine!

Pacing the floor of what I now know is my prison, I try to come up with some plan of escape. But

when I looked outside throughout the day and saw there was no gap between the patrol and how

high the gates were, I knew that there would be no escaping for me.

And as much as I want to drive a steak knife through Maxim's eye, it would surely lead to my death.

So what am I going to do? I want nothing more than to escape here and from my exchange with

Maxim earlier, he doesn't want this either.

But a Beta is loyal to his Alpha, I suppose.

My shoulders sag in defeat and I sink down onto the soft bed, feeling annoyed at how absolutely

plush and comfortable it feels. I want to hate it here, I want to pitch a fit and fight my way out of

this...But is it wise?

I have nowhere to return to, those thieves stole my money in the alleyway and I defected from my

old pack. In short, I am screwed even if I do escape.

/“Perhaps we should give Maxim a chance,’/ Yingze says, invading my thoughts. /“He was right, his

earlier move didn't hurt us, it just subdued us.”/

“It doesn't mean he won't still hurt us,” I remind her. “He's Alpha Nikolaos’ Beta for a reason, you

know.”

I don't trust Maxim as far as I can throw him. He might have saved me, taken care of me, and made

me breakfast, but that doesn’t mean I'm about to open my legs for him because of duty. Sighing, I

decide to go to the kitchen and make myself some coffee; it's the only thing I missed after being

forced to lay low for so long.

I sneak out of the bedroom and strain my ears, but I don't hear any other heartbeats in the house

beside mine. So I make my way to the kitchen and set everything up for some expensive, delicious

coffee.

I'm so lost in the smell and sounds of the machine bubbling and trickling out the liquid into my cup,

that I just barely miss the slamming of a car door outside. Oh, hell; I wanted to avoid him all day, but

now I won't be able to since the kitchen faces the living room and front door,

Focusing harder on the machine in front of me, I don't turn around when I hear the front door

opening, nor do I acknowledge the man who I've been thinking about the entire day. As much as I

hate to admit it to myself, he was at the forefront of my thoughts.

Maxim gets to his feet and collects both our plates. “She's seen all the brides on the estate and

doesn’t want you to feel left out or ignored,” he says, and the reverence in his voice causes an

unknown feeling to stab me in the heart.

Why does this Luna want to extend an olive branch when I don’t even want to be here? “What do

you mean by all the brides?” I ask with a frown. “There are more being held here?”

Maxim scoffs. “Yes, and unlike you, they know the role they have to play here,” he says as he scrapes

the leftovers into the rubbish and packs the dishwasher. “She will be here at 9 am.”

With that, Maxim walks out and leaves me wondering why I felt jealous when he spoke about his

Luna with such pride.

Only after I realized what that feeling meant, did I rush upstairs to hide my shame. There's no way I

could be jealous of someone like that, especially not someone who Maxim so clearly cares for.

I growl and hop into a shower before bed, but my night is plagued with thoughts I tried to push

away. What the hell is wrong with me?

By 8:50 AM the next morning, I am in a bad fucking mood but dressed to meet the Luna as

requested of me. I'm sitting in the living room with my hands in my lap when the front door opens

and Maxim walks in with her.

I don't know what I expected, a bombshell catwalk model beauty I guess, but Luna Mia was not it.

She looked quite average, nothing like most women I see on some Alphas’ arms. Soft brown curls,

brown eyes, shorter than me, and plain, I guess?

Maxim walks inside and I don't miss the warm smile on his face or his hand on her lower back, nor

do I miss the absolute trust she seems to have when looking at him. He walks her over to where I've

now gotten to my feet and gestures toward me.

"Xiomara, this is Luna Mia; Alpha Nikolaos’ mate and wife,” he says and I blink at the word “mate’.

What? I didn't think mates existed anymore! “Mia, this is my bride.”

I try not to blush at the introduction, and the Luna ruins it by walking up to me. “It's lovely to meet

you, Xiomara,” she says with a smile. “Maxim mentioned that you're struggling to settle in-"

"Struggling to settle in?" I scoff and cross my arms. “I'm here against my will, being forced to marry

a man I don't even know!"

Luna Mia blinks back in surprise and her cheeks redden; she looks to Maxim for help and I chuckle

in amusement. “Not everyone is like you, we don't particularly like the idea of being a sex slave-"

The words weren't even out of my mouth before I found myself on the opposite end of the wall with

Maxim's hand around my neck. His eyes have shimmered to their Beta gold and the killing intent

coming from him invites a cold shard of fear to slip into my heart.

"Speak to her like that again, and I won't hesitate to rip your throat open,” he growls and the grip

on my throat tightens. “She. Is. Your. Luna. Have some fucking respect!”

“Maxim!” I hear her exclaim and through my fading vision, I see her attempt to pull his arm away.

"Stop this, she just needs time!”

He lets go of me and I hear a growl rumbling in his chest. “She'll get no mercy from me, Mia,” he

says and when I look up at him, I see the disdain in his eyes

I would be lying if I didn't feel absolute fucking fear right now; no one has ever threatened me like

that before. Then again, no one has come to my rescue like that before, either.

"Why don't you go up to Niko and leave me here with her, hmm?” she asks and he growls again.

“No fucking way-"

“Maxim, she’s not going to speak to me while you're here lording over us. Give me some time to

speak to Xiomara alone. I promise nothing will happen,” she says and touches his chest with both

his hands.

That annoying feeling curls up in my heart again and I push it down as I get to my feet. Maxim looks

at me, then at Luna Mia. “I'll be back in an hour,” he says before storming off. “But I'm asking Ghost

to come here!”

Luna Mia chuckles and shakes her head, looking at him as he walks off. Then she turns her head

towards me and offers me that warm smile again. “Let me reintroduce myself, Xiomara; my name is

Mia.”