Asher
Maya sits in her chamber, a glass of wine in her hand, staring at the fireplace. The flames flicker, casting shadows across her face, but her expression is distant-lost in thought.
It’s as if she is completely unaware of the chaos she has caused, or maybe she just doesn’t care.
“Maya,” I growl, the anger in my voice could be felt.
She flinches at the sound, her shoulders tense for a brief moment. Then, slowly, she turns her head to look at me.
Her eyes hold nothing but cold disdain before she shifts her gaze back to the fire, dismissing me as if I don’t exist.
The sheer audacity of it makes my blood boil. A low, warning growl rumbles in my chest, shaking the air. This time, she stiffens slightly but quickly composes herself.
“What made you so angry?” she asks with a calm, detached voice. She didn’t even bother looking at me.
I have no patience for her games.
In one swift motion, I grab her wrist and yank her up from her seat. She gasped, startled, but I didn’t stop there.
Before she can react, I slam her back against the wall, the force rattling the wine glass in her hand until it falls, shattering on the floor.
Her eyes widened in shock.
For a fleeting second, I search her gaze, wondering how I ever fell for her. How did I once believe she was my mate, the woman I would build a future with?
But now, all I see is emptiness. There’s nothing left, no love, no warmth. Only defiance.
She knows why I’m here. She knows we have been at odds ever since I exposed the footage of her attacking Ally to the council.
And yet, she refuses to accept responsibility.
But I don’t care about her excuses anymore.
She has done enough damage.
Now, I need to set things right.
I raise the device high in the air, for her to see the evidence between us. Maya watches me with an unreadable expression, but I can see the flash of uncertainty in her eyes.
“Who the fuck is Xavier?” I demand through gritted teeth.
For a brief moment, something flashes across her face, shock, guilt, but she masks it just as quickly with that same look of cold disdain.
“Answer me!” I roar, my patience wearing thin.
Maya scoffs, crossing her arms. “I don’t think I need to answer your damn question,” she spits. “Because the last time I checked, you fucked that lowlife of a woman, Zoe. You think I don’t know? And for fuck’s sake, I know you never used a condom with her. But with me? You always felt the need to.”
Could what happened with Ally have pushed her to betray me with Xavier?
I push the thought aside, my anger only grows with each second. “Good to know you heard right,” I retort coldly. “Yes, I never wanted you to carry my heir. It never felt right. And now I know why.”
Maya’s jaw tightened, but I didn’t stop.
“You’re desperate to get pregnant, aren’t you? Not because you want my child, but because it’s part of your plan. You’d get rid of me, bring your fucking loser of a boyfriend in, and hand him my pack.” I say the words with fury.
She stumbles back as I release her, but I know she won’t admit the truth.
Instead, she glares at me, hatred burning in her eyes. “I hate you,” she snarls. “I hate your guts. I hate that you never saw me as more than a trophy Luna. You were always stuck on that imaginary mate-someone who was never truly yours! Someone you shared your heart with, while I got nothing!”
Her voice shakes with rage, but I only feel disgust. Because now, I see her for exactly what she is. A traitor. A liar. And a woman who was never meant to be my Luna.
“Oh, Maya, don’t turn this around like I’m the one at fault here. Can you hear yourself?” I say, shaking my head in disbelief.
I press play on the device in my hand.
The room fills with the damning sounds of her betrayal.
Maya gasps in horror, her eyes locked onto the device as if she’s about to snatch it from my grip. But the glare I send her way freezes her in place.
“Stay right where the fuck you are,” I warn, with a low deadly voice. “You’ve done enough damage. And now, knowing that you conspired with that scum, Xavier, and let him touch you, Goddess, you disgust me.”
Her body tenses, but she says nothing.
I take a slow breath, reigning in the fury that threatens to consume me. “Right now, I don’t want anything to do with you. So I’ll be lenient. I’m giving you a chance, go inside, pack your things, and leave.”
Maya flinches, her lips parting as if to argue. But when she finally speaks, her voice is small and unsteady.
“You… you want me to leave?” She asks as if the thought is too foreign to comprehend.
I nod, with an unreadable expression. “Trust me, Maya, I’m making this easy for you. If I take this to the Council of Elders, you’ll stand trial. And at the end of it, you’ll be banished-disgraced.” I pause, my voice slightly softened. “And as much as I despise what you’ve done, I wouldn’t want that for you.”
Her lower lip trembles, and for a brief moment, I see a flash of the woman I once thought I loved. The woman I once believed had a heart.
“What did I do to deserve this, Asher?” she whispers, with a weak voice.
I shake my head, trying to appeal to whatever softness she has left. “Maya, why? Why did you want to destroy me? What did I ever do to make you hate me this much?”
Her eyes glisten with unshed tears, but then she quickly wipes them away.
“Stay away from me, Asher,” she mutters. “You don’t love me anymore. You don’t even look at me like I matter.”
She takes a shaky breath, her fingers clutching at her arms as if to hold herself together. “You’d rather be locked in your office than come home to me.”
She laughs bitterly, shaking her head. “I know it’s not enough of a reason for what I did, but you pushed me. You pushed me in ways that made me question my sanity.”
For a moment, silence stretches between us.
Then, Maya takes a deep breath and straightens her shoulders. “I’ll go,” she says. “And… Thank you for not taking this to the Elders. This would have ruined me.”
I say nothing as I watch her walk away, my heart void of sympathy.
Because the woman standing before me is no longer the Luna of my pack.
“It was nice knowing you, Asher. It was an honor serving by your side,” Maya says softly, her voice carrying an eerie calm. “But I want you to remember-before everything fell apart, we were doing great.”
She pauses, studying my face as if trying to memorize it. “I wish you well in your endeavors. And trust me, I won’t stand in your way again.”
Then, to my utter surprise, she leans in and presses a kiss on my forehead.
Something in my chest tightens.
I stare at her, my instincts screaming that something isn’t right. Maya isn’t the type to give up so easily. Her sudden somber acceptance feels… off. I just can’t put a word to it yet.
Then, I noticed the bag by the door. She’s already packed.
She knew this was coming.
She knew she’d get caught.
At least, I tell myself, all the chaos she caused didn’t end my life.
But the thought that follows makes my blood run cold.
I don’t have an heir.
My people will be left without a leader.
And that bastard, Xavier, would have taken over.
The mere thought makes my chest tighten painfully, a growl rumbling in my throat.
I’ve made mistakes-ones I can’t undo.
And I can only hope they don’t come back to haunt me.
But who am I kidding?
They will.
I just don’t know when.
Or how hard it will hit me.