Chapter 18

MAEVE

I knew we were fast approaching the Sabre Pack. The short drive made me realise how close I'd been to my pack the entire time. I had felt so alone, and isolated whilst in Alpha Carson's estate. Unbeknownst to me how close my pack had been.

I suppose that's the tactic of a captor. To make you feel helpless. It had seemed as though I was a million miles away from any known familiarity, when it actual fact. I was but a stones throw away.

As much as I yearned to go home I was slightly disheartened that my alone time with Maddox was coming to an end. I felt so at ease in his company, even just to silently sit next to him was so soothing to my soul.

I decided to make the most of the short time we had left and get to know him a little better. I anticipated that things would get pretty hectic once we arrived, we may not get another moment alone for a while.

"So, what's your favourite colour?" I asked. I immediately thought about how random this question was, but I had to start somewhere right?

"Um, green I suppose." He responded. "I'm assuming yours is black?" He concluded.

"How did you know?" I quizzed skeptically. Was this guy a mind reader?

"Your room is pretty much entirely black." He shrugged with his answer.

"When were you in my room!?" I questioned accusingly.

I'd never met Maddox prior to today. How on earth did he know so much about me?

It suddenly clicked that he had also known my name without me telling him. Wait a moment... how did he even know I was his mate and that I'd been taken by Alpha Carson?

I mean, obviously I'd known we were mates the second I saw him but how did he know prior to that? My memory took me back to Alpha Carson's lies.

'It was alpha Bain. Alpha Bain killed your parents and your pack for his own selfish greed.'

"You were there." I voiced my realisation aloud.

"When I was taken..."

"I have already heard Alpha Carson's version of events, but I am undeniably aware now that his story was an outright lie.

Are you able to tell me the truth Maddox?

What happened?

To me? To my parents...?" My voice cracked slightly at my last words. I wondered if it would get easier over time, to mention them without getting upset.

A small frown appeared on his defined brow, paired with an anguished grimace.

He stayed silent for a moment, then used the indicators to pull over onto the side of the road.

"I don't want to rush this conversation Maeve." He explained.

"I am aware of how close we are to your pack, and how little time we will have alone once we get there." He concluded.

He placed the car into neutral and turned off the engine. Un-clipping his seat belt, he edged the angle of his overly large frame to turn to me. Giving me his full focus.

"All of the Alpha's arrived together, to join your summoning ceremony. In all honesty we were ridiculously late." He began his explanation.

"When we reached the clearing it was evident something was wrong, we were told you'd been in there for hours. I'm not sure if you're aware, but that's unheard of for a summoning ceremony. Usually, shifters are in and out of the spirit realm in 15 minutes tops." He continued.

"Anyway, we were all standing there waiting to see what was happening, when the ground began to shake violently. Some of the shifters began to run away, but some of us decided to stay."

"A brilliant flash of light covered our vision. At this point I could already smell your scent." he paused.

"Apples, cinnamon and cherries." He reminisced, with a content smile.

"Once the bright light had diminished, I saw you. You were laying unconscious on the floor, my first thought was just to pick you up and never let you go." He proceeded.

I wished he would have done. Things may have turned out differently.

"Alpha Sadler and I... Your father & I" he swiftly corrected himself.

"We took you back to your room and called for a pack doctor. Which, should answer your originally question of how I know what colour your room is." He offered.

"I planned to stay by your side the whole time, until you were awake. But there was an Alpha meeting called to discuss the white wolf. You..." His sentence trailed off for a moment, as his anguished expression returned.

"Looking back I shouldn't have left, I should have known better." He chastised.

"Well anyway, that's when it all went downhill. We were placed in silver cuffs, as always once we entered the meeting. Alpha Carson started throwing around these venomous accusations. About how you were here to bring our downfall. Accusing me of being deceitful, in my claims of you being my mate." His voice raised at his last sentence, with a small but viscous growl leaving his throat.

"Next thing we knew his guards were surrounding us. Once we were outnumbered and incapable, he proceeded to tell us about how he was going to take you for his own, his mate. He promised to kill us all, but told me I'd be the last to go. He wanted me to feel it every time he defiled you. He wanted me to suffer before my end."

I let out an involuntary whimper interrupting him. My hand subconsciously reached for his. I stroked the back of his palm with my thumb.

This god like man before me, had suffered so much already. Having your mate taken away from you is one of the worst pains for a shifter. This whole time his wolf had been yearning for us. He had felt the mate bond, only to have to cruelly torn away from him moments later.

"I tried to fight Maeve, I tried to save you. I was alone and there were too many of them. My hands were bound." He reasoned, as though he was worried I'd think he'd failed me.

"I was knocked unconscious, and by the time I woke up... you were gone, you parents lifeless eyes were the first thing I saw." He ended his recollection.

I could hear his breaths shallowing, see his enthralling grey eyes fighting to hold back unspoken tears. I wanted to make it all better, to take it away from him. But I didn't know how.

"It wasn't your fault Maddox." I comforted.

"You did everything you could, and so much more." I squeezed his hand reassuringly as I spoke.

"You found me. You fought for me, and you saved me." I concurred.

Our gaze met for a small, fleeting moment. He cleared his throat and regained his composure.

"We made it through Maeve. You're here and that's all that matters." He finalised, as he shifted his focus and turned on the engine.

He pulled off from the roadside and continued to drive. We spent the rest of the journey in a comfortable silence. Stealing a fleeting look at each other every now and again.

Before I knew it, we had pulled up to the gates of the Sabre pack. The iron gates before me brought a sweet sense of relief.

All I had to do was use the electronic window to speak to the guard, but I could not contain my excitement. I unbuckled myself, and more a less jumped from my seat as I opened the door.

I ran over to the guard on duty and threw myself at him for a hug.

"Luke!" I exclaimed.

We were all like one big family here, and it was so overwhelming to be back.

He stood deadly still, with wide eyes. As though he had seen a ghost.

"M.. Maeve!" He responded in disbelief.

He snapped out of his dazed stupor. He embraced me back briefly, then started pacing around like a headless chicken.

"MAEVE!!" He shouted at the top of his lungs.

"EVERYONE... MAEVE IS HERE! SHE'S ALIVE!!!" He bellowed.

"YOUR MIND-LINK IS ALSO ALIVE AND WELL! JUST FOR THE RECORD." I heard Maddox retort from the car.

I couldn't help but let out a small laugh at Maddox's unnecessary sarcasm.

Maddox got out the car and walked over to the two of us.

"You can alert your whole pack to her obvious lack of death, without perforating my ear drums." He concluded.

Luke's face shifted, from a look of shock to panic in an instance.

"Alpha Bain..." his tone was just as shocked as his face.

"My apologies Alpha. I didn't mean to offend you." He stuttered whilst baring his neck as a sign of submission.

"Relax Luke." I intervened, trying to calm his obvious nerves. "I'm sure Maddox was only joking."

"Maddox?" Luke repeated.

"That's Alpha Bain to you guard. Only my mate, may call me Maddox." Maddox quipped back, his voice gained a little more seriousness and authority.

"Your mate?" Luke asked. I couldn't keep up with his facial expressions! He'd gone from relieved, to overwhelmed, to scared, to now downright confused in a matter of minutes.

"This is going to be a long evening." Maddox groaned in frustration, as he headed back towards the car. "Open the gate Luke." He commanded.

I shot Luke a sympathetic look and hurried back to the car. With the mood Maddox was in, I wouldn't be surprised if he drove off without me.