CHAPTER 43

Darius's POV

I was startled out of my reverie by the creaking sound of the door. My knuckles turned white as my hands clenched around the desk’s edge. Before I turned, I could tell who it was because Caleb’s scent reminded me of the world before all this mayhem and contained subtle pine notes.

“Alpha?” Caleb said in a steady but cautious tone.

I turned around and met the pup’s gaze as he stood right outside my office. He had a stern expression that was much too old for his age. My chest constricted. I hadn’t expected how it would impact me, but I had sent him to Maya, hoping that his presence would provide her with some comfort.

I lowered my voice and murmured, “Come in, Caleb.”

With his hands firmly clenched in front of me, he shuffled forward. I could tell he had something important to say because of his hesitancy.

“She… she’s still sad.” He said as he looked up at me with wide, sincere eyes. “ As you instructed, I made an effort to make her laugh by cheering her up but…..”he chewed his lip and trailed off.

His words hurt my chest. “She’s still sad.”

“Did she say anything else?” My voice was quiet as I asked.

Caleb paused. “She didn’t say much. Just… she kept looking at the trees like she was waiting for someone to show up. I think she misses you, Alpha.”

His remarks were like a kick to the stomach.

I couldn’t stand the candor in his eyes, so I turned away. In all honesty, I also missed her. More than I should. I always see her face when I close my eyes—the way her lips curl, the rage in her eyes, the vulnerability she made such an effort to conceal.

Although pushing her away had been the most challenging thing I had ever done, I had convinced myself it was necessary. That it was the only way to keep her safe.

I wasn’t so sure now.

“Alpha?” Caleb’s voice broke through my thoughts again. “Did I do something wrong?”

I shook my head quickly and turned back to him. “No, Caleb. You did exactly what I asked. You’ve done well.”

My words caused him to relax a little, but his look still concerned Maya.

“I just want her to be happy.” He whispered.

My heart twisted. “So do I,” I said, almost audible above a whisper.

I sat in the silence of my office after Caleb departed, a flurry of contradictory feelings racing through my head. I believed that by keeping my distance and allowing her time to discover who she was, I had been protecting her. But Caleb’s words had shattered that illusion.

Maya wasn’t just struggling to find her strength—she was struggling with the distance I had forced between us. And I was fooling myself if I thought I could endure this separation any longer.

I stood abruptly, the chair scraping against the floor as I pushed it back. I made up my mind.

It took longer than necessary to travel to the clearing. The branches of the trees swayed in a rhythm that reflected the turmoil in my chest as they spoke around me. My breath caught when I got to the edge of the area where she had been training.

Maya sat with her head bent, and her shoulders sagged on a fallen wood. Even from this distance, I could see the fatigue etched onto her features as her hair fell in loose waves over her face.

At first, she didn’t notice me. The crunch of leaves under my boots broke the stillness as I stepped forward.

Her eyes met mine as her head jerked up. Neither of us moved for a moment.

Her voice was a mix of surprise and something else I couldn’t quite pinpoint when she eventually said, “Darius.”

“Maya.” My heart was anything but steady, but my voice was.

She stood slowly and said, “What are you doing here?”

I was surprised by how honestly I said, “I needed to see you.”

Her features flickered with confusion as her brow furrowed. “I thought… I thought you wanted space. You made that very clear.”

I felt like I was doing the right thing.”I took a step closer. “But I was mistaken.”

Her breath caught as her lips slightly parted. “Darius.”

“I thought pushing you away would keep you safe,” I continued, the words spilling out in a rush. “But all it’s done is hurt us both. And I can’t… I can’t keep pretending that I don’t need you. That I don’t—”

I stopped myself, the weight of what I was about to say crashing down on me.

For a brief time, I saw the same longing in Maya’s eyes that I felt in every fiber of my existence as her eyes sought mine.

“You caused me pain,” she murmured softly, her voice shaking. “It felt like you didn’t believe in me when you pushed me away. Like you didn’t think I was strong enough to stand by your side.”

Her words pierced my heart, and I experienced her suffering as though it were my own “I never doubted you, Maya. Not for a second. But I was afraid. Afraid of what might happen if I let myself…”

“If you let yourself what?” She took a step closer and challenged.

I clenched my hands at my sides as I swallowed forcefully. “If I let myself love you the way I want to.”

The ensuing hush was deafening. Maya’s breath caught in her throat as her eyes grew wide.

“You—you love me?” Her question was hardly audible above a whisper.

I moved forward one more step, bringing us closer. “More than I should. More than I can explain. And it terrifies me because I don’t know how to protect you from everything that’s coming.”

For the first time, I noticed the tiniest trace of a grin on her lips as her eyes relaxed. “Darius, you don’t have to keep me safe. You underestimate my strength. All I need is for you to have faith in me.”

I put my hand out and cupped her cheek. Her eyelids fluttered shut as she leaned into my contact. I was reminded of all I had been attempting to ignore by the enticing touch of her skin against mine.

“I have faith in you.” I whispered. “More than you can ever imagine.”

My pulse raced as her eyes opened and met mine with a fire. She muttered, “Then stop pushing me away.”

I didn’t think twice. I bridged the gap between us, my lips meeting hers in a delicate yet frantic kiss. Her hands gripped the front of my shirt as if she was frightened to release them as she melted into me.

Everything else vanished in that instant, including the uncertainty, the worry, and the impending dangers. She was all that matters.

I put my forehead to hers when we eventually parted ways, our breaths blending in the cool night air.

“We’ll face whatever comes together,” I promised.

She had a tiny smile, but it was determined. “Together.”

But even as the word left her lips, a distant howl echoed through the forest, a reminder that our moment of peace was fleeting.

The Phantom Pack was still out there. And they weren’t going to wait much longer.