Maximus – POV
The sun was already climbing by the time I left the training grounds, shirt clinging to my chest with sweat, breath fogging in the morning air. My fists were still burning from drills, but the ache was welcome. Necessary.
Physical pain was easier than politics.
I was about to head for the east wing when Lucien, my beta and oldest friend, caught up to me. His face was unreadable, which meant something was wrong—or very right.
"She's awake," he said.
I slowed.
"The girl?" I asked, wiping my hands with a towel.
He nodded. "Kaelani's with her. She woke up about half an hour ago."
My chest pulled tight.
Ever since I found her—collapsed and bleeding by the river—something inside me hadn't been the same. The silver fur. The scent that twisted into my mind and refused to leave. I'd barely slept. Barely breathed.
I handed Lucien the towel and turned toward the west wing.
"Are you going to her?" he asked.
I didn't answer. I didn't need to.
He fell into step behind me without another word.
The hallway leading to the guest chambers was quiet. Too quiet. My footsteps echoed in the hallway.
I paused, hand on the handle.
A sound—laughter.
Soft, unfamiliar. Hers.
It caught me off guard.
I pushed open the door.
The room smelled like clean linen, and something sharper—something that burned straight through me.
Her.
She was sitting at the edge of the bed, shoulders relaxed for the first time since I'd seen her unconscious. Kaelani was beside her, smiling. They were mid-conversation when they both turned toward the sound of the door.
And then…
Everything changed.
Her silver eyes met mine.
She inhaled once, sharply.
The blood drained from her face.
"M–mate," she whispered, as her eyes darkened—silver deepening into something almost storm-like.
Her breath caught. Her entire body stilled.
"Impossible," she said softly. "No. No, no, no… impossible."
Kaelani's expression shifted instantly. She looked from me to her, then back again. Understanding flashed behind her eyes, and without a word, she moved toward the door, brushing past Lucien as he stepped in behind me.
She touched her mate's arm. "Give them space," she murmured.
Lucien nodded, drawing Kaelani away with him and closing the door quietly behind them.
And we were alone.
I took a step forward, slowly.
She didn't run.
But she looked like she wanted to.
Her breathing was ragged now, hands clenched tightly in her lap. Her wolf was close—too close—silver rising like a veil behind her eyes. I could feel it like a storm in the air.
I raised my hands gently. "You're safe," I said, voice low and even. "I won't hurt you."
She shook her head.
"Don't…" she breathed, eyes filling. "Don't—don't say it."
I kept my voice steady. "Say what?"
She blinked hard, refusing to meet my eyes again.
I moved closer, slow and deliberate, until I was standing just in front of her.
Her scent was maddening.
Warm rain. Moonlight. Something old and broken and still fighting to stand.
"I don't know who hurt you," I said "but I would never."
She tensed.
I hesitated only a second longer and then I opened my arms.
And she fell into them.
Her body trembled as she leaned into my chest, like the moment she made contact, her legs forgot how to hold her up. I held her carefully, one hand at the small of her back, the other at her shoulder.
Her heartbeat was rapid, but steadying.
I said nothing more. Just held her.
And then, barely audible, came the words that shattered the air between us.
"Don't reject me."
A plea ,a whisper. A wound.
My grip tightened
I don't know how long we stood there.
But I knew this much:
I never wanted to let her go.