CHAPTER 51

Maya's POV

The freezing wind scorched my skin as I rushed out of the packhouse. With every stride, I moved away from the oppressive strain inside my chest, which heaved under the weight of the dispute. My heart was being sliced by the words Darius had hurled at me, which were coming back to me harsher each time.

“You don’t understand what’s at stake.”

No, Darius, you don’t understand.

The pain in my chest was excruciating. It was betrayal, not merely rage or fury. How many times could he push me away before I finally shattered? The bond between us felt more like a chain tonight pulling, tightening, suffocating.

Behind me, his footsteps grew louder. He wasn’t letting me go, not yet.

“Maya, stop,” Darius’s deep voice commanded.

With fire in my eyes, I spun to confront him and halted suddenly. “Why should I? So you can tell me how fragile I am? How incapable? Go ahead, Darius, let’s hear it all.”

He winced as if I had hit him, but I didn't mind. No insult was harsher than his silence.

He said quietly but equally forcefully, "I never said that."

“You didn’t have to.” My voice broke. “Your actions say it all. You don’t trust me. You don’t think I’m strong enough to handle any of this.”

His dark eyes burned with something I couldn't understand, and his jaw clenched.“I’m trying to keep you safe.”

"Safe?" I raised my hands in frustration. “You think locking me out is keeping me safe? Darius, I’m your mate, not some fragile object you can shove in a corner when things get tough!”

His annoyance was apparent as his hands clenched into fists at his sides. “Do you think it’s easy for me? Watching you throw yourself into danger at every turn? Knowing the Council and the Phantom Pack are both circling like vultures, waiting for the chance to strike?”

I lowered my voice and stepped closer. “And do you think it’s easy for me? Feeling like I’m fighting for you, for us, every single day while you keep building walls to shut me out?”

His hands were unclenched, and his eyes relaxed. I retreated as he extended his hand to touch me. I wasn't prepared to forgive him, even if the pain in his eyes reflected mine. Not yet.

"Maya," he said in a shaky voice. "I—"

"No," I cut in. “Don’t say anything unless it’s the truth. Do you even want me here? Or am I just another burden for you to carry?”

"You're not a burden." He responded angrily, his voice breaking with passion. “You’re everything, Maya. That’s why I—”

“That’s why you what? Push me away? Hurt me?” My pain spilled over into my words. “If you care so much, then why does it feel like you’re always running from me?”

The weight of my words crushed him, causing his shoulders to slump. “Because I’m terrified,” he admitted. “Terrified of losing you. Of failing to protect you. You don’t know what it’s like, Maya. To carry this weight, to know that one wrong move could destroy everything.”

My eyes filled with tears, but I fought the urge to cry. “And you don’t know what it’s like to love someone who doesn’t believe in you.”

The silence between us was deafening. For a moment, I thought he would say something, anything to bridge the gap between us. But instead, he turned and walked away, his back rigid, his steps heavy.

My heart broke all over again as I watched him go.

—

I dropped to my knees and stared at the ground, the cold soaking into my flesh. In the back of my mind, my wolf let out a whimper, reflecting my own grief.

"He's afraid," she muttered. “But so are we.”

"I can't do this.” I whispered out loud, my voice barely heard above the rustling leaves. “I can’t keep fighting for someone who won’t fight for me.”

But even as I said the words, I knew they weren’t true. I wasn’t ready to give up on Darius. Not yet.

When I finally stood up, the forest was illuminated by the icy light of the stars. I inhaled deeply, bracing myself. I would fight alone if Darius wasn't prepared to let me in.

When I arrived, the training grounds were empty, and the strange silence surrounded me like a shroud. I grabbed a practice sword and immersed myself into the routine, letting go of the pain and frustration that threatened to overwhelm me with each blade stroke.

By the time Evelyn found me, my arms trembled, and my breathing was labored. With a loud, worried voice, she asked, "Maya, what are you doing out here?"

"Training," I stated plainly, without pausing.

"At this hour? You need to rest," she added, stepping forward.

“What I need,” I replied, pausing to meet her gaze, “is to be ready. For whatever’s coming.”

Her look was impenetrable as she observed me for a long time. "What happened?"

Her question weighed heavily on me as I dropped the sword. Darius and I... We fought again.”

Putting down the sword I continued my voice trembling. “I overhead when the council was threatening him, they will replace him if he keeps going against their will and you know the kind of person he is, he also try to keep his distance whenever something is bothering him. Now it's happening again.”

She put a hand on my shoulder, and her eyes softened. “Maya, whatever’s going on between you two, you can’t let it consume you. You’re stronger than this.”

“I have to be,” I said, my voice firm. “Because if I’m not, they’ll win. The Council, the Phantom Pack they’ll take everything.”

Evelyn's hold became more firm. “You’re not alone, Maya. Remember that. You have me. You have this pack.”

A tiny spark of hope ignited in my heart at what she said. That night, for the first time, I felt a slight reduction in the burden on my shoulders.

“I won’t let them take me,” I said, determination hardening my voice. “Or this pack. Or Darius. They don’t get to win.”

The night was divided by a sudden, thunderous howl as we turned to depart. The sound lurched in my chest, eerily familiar.

“Darius,” I whispered, fear clawing at my chest as I broke into a run, Evelyn close behind.

The howl resounded; this time, it was joined by another—a chorus of chaos that sent shivers down my spine.

The sight took my breath away when we arrived at the forest's edge. Shadows moved in the distance, their forms barely visible against the darkened landscape.

“Phantom Pack,” Evelyn hissed, her eyes narrowing.

I felt a wave of panic as I looked around for Darius. My wolf snarled, her presence palpable in my thoughts.

"We must fight," she insisted.

But as I took a step forward, the ground beneath me seemed to shift. A sudden, sharp pain shot through my chest, and I stumbled, gasping.

Evelyn's voice was urgent as she caught me. "What's wrong, Maya?"

“I don’t know,” I managed to say, clutching my chest. “Something’s... something’s happening.”

The world around me became hazy, and Darius was the last thing I saw as darkness overtook me. His face was marked with despair, and his figure was delineated against the pandemonium.

I was no longer in the forest when I opened my eyes. A voice muttered my name in the distance, and a strange energy was in the air.