Kai's POV
Kai punched the tree so hard that bark flew everywhere. His fingers bled, but the pain felt good. It was better than the burning need in his chest that never went away.
"Damn it!" he growled at the empty forest.
He'd been out here for three hours, trying to run away from thoughts of Maya. But no matter how fast he ran or how hard he fought, she was always there in his mind. Her sweet smell. Her soft laugh. The way she looked at him like he was her whole world.
It had been two weeks since he told her they were just a mistake. Two weeks of pure hell. Every night he lay in bed thinking about her. Every day he caught himself looking for her in the pack house. When he saw other women, all he could think was that they weren't Maya.
"This is crazy," Kai said to himself. "She's just an omega. Just like all the others."
But even as he said it, he knew it was a lie. Maya wasn't like the others. She made him feel things he'd never felt before. When he was with her, he forgot about being the tough Alpha. He forgot about politics and power. He just wanted to hold her and never let go.
Kai's phone buzzed. A text from his Beta James: "Victoria Cross comes tomorrow. Final wedding plans."
The wedding. Kai's stomach twisted. In one month, he would marry Victoria and become the most powerful Alpha in the area. It was what he'd worked toward his whole life. So why did it feel like going to his own death?
Without thinking, Kai's feet carried him toward Maya's cabin. He told himself he was just checking on her, making sure she was okay after their fight. But deep down, he knew the truth. He needed to see her like he needed air to breathe.
The lights were on in her small house. Through the window, he could see Maya washing dishes in the kitchen. She looked sad, and it made Kai's heart hurt. Had he done that to her? Had his cruel words made her lose that beautiful smile?
Before he could change his mind, Kai knocked on her door.
Maya opened it, and her eyes went wide. "Kai? What are you doing here?"
"I don't know," he said honestly. His voice sounded rough and urgent, even to his own ears. "I tried to stay away. I tried to forget about you."
"But you can't," Maya said softly, and Kai heard understanding in her words.
"No," Kai stepped closer. "I can't. Every night I lie in bed thinking about you. Your smell drives me crazy. I can't focus on anything else."
Maya's eyes filled with hope, and Kai wanted to give her everything she wanted. But he couldn't. He had tasks, responsibilities. A whole pack depending on him.
"This doesn't change anything," he said quickly, hating himself for the way her face fell. "I'm still marrying Victoria. But I... I need to be with you. Just tonight."
Maya should have slammed the door in his face. Should have told him to go to hell. But instead, she looked into his eyes and whispered, "Just tonight."
Kai was across the room in two steps, pulling her into his arms. His kiss was desperate, hungry, like he'd been starved for her touch. And he had been. Every moment away from her felt like pain.
"Come to bed," he whispered against her lips.
That night was perfect. Kai held Maya like she was made of valuable glass. He kissed every inch of her skin and told her how beautiful she was. For a few hours, he let himself pretend that she was really his, that they could have a future together.
When morning came, Kai expected to feel bad. Expected to run away and never come back. But looking at Maya sleeping peacefully in his arms, all he felt was rightness. Like this was where he belonged.
"I'll see you tonight," he said, kissing her goodbye.
Maya's eyes lit up with surprise and joy. "Really?"
"Really," Kai promised, and meant it.
For three weeks, Kai lived a double life. During the day, he was the cold Alpha, planning his political marriage and running the pack. But every night, he went to Maya. He told himself it was just sex, just a way to work out his anger. But he knew he was lying.
Maya was changing him. Making him softer, happier. When he was with her, he laughed more than he had in years. She told him about her dreams of traveling the world, and he found himself wanting to take her everywhere she wanted to go. She talked about the children she wanted someday, and Kai imagined little girls with her smile and little boys with his eyes.
"You're different," his grandpa Elder Marcus said one day. "Happier. What's changed?"
Kai almost told him about Maya. Almost said that he'd found his mate and wanted to stop the wedding. But then reality crashed back. He was the Alpha. His people needed the partnership with the Cross Pack. His personal happiness didn't matter.
"Nothing's changed," Kai lied. "Just excited about the wedding."
But everything had changed. Kai was falling in love with Maya, and it scared him. Love made you weak. Love made you make stupid choices. His own father had proved that when he'd died guarding Kai's mother instead of the pack.
Still, Kai couldn't stay away from Maya. Every night he told himself it would be the last time. Every morning he promised to see her again.
The other pack members started to notice changes in Maya too. She glowed with happiness, and her smell had gotten sweeter. Sarah, her friend from the kitchen, kept asking questions.
"You're in love," Sarah said one day. "I can tell. Who is he?"
Maya just smiled and changed the subject. But Kai worried. How long before someone figured out their secret? How long before Victoria found out about his nighttime visits?
Three days before the wedding announcement, Kai made a choice that would change everything. He was going to tell Maya the truth. Tell her that he loved her and wanted to find a way to be together. Maybe they could run away. Maybe they could start over somewhere new.
But when he got to Maya's cabin that night, something was different. Maya was waiting for him with tears in her eyes and something clutched in her shaking hand.
"Kai," she whispered. "We need to talk."
She held up what was in her hand, and Kai's world stopped spinning. It was a pregnancy test. And it was good.
Maya was pregnant with his kid.