Crescent Pack’s territory was colder than Eva remembered. Not in weather, but in energy. The tall trees swayed as if whispering secrets, and the once-familiar paths felt distant. She walked slowly through the pack grounds, ignoring the wary glances and whispers that followed her. The weight in her chest grew heavier with every step.
She spotted Max training near the old sparring ring, his shirt drenched in sweat as he threw punches into the air, pushing himself until his muscles trembled. He was furious at something. Or someone. Probably her.
“Max,” she called.
He didn’t look at her. Just grabbed a towel from the fence post and kept walking, his back stiff.
“Max!” she shouted this time, sharper.
He finally stopped, back still turned. “Go home, Eva.”
“No.”
She marched over and blocked his path. “You’ve been avoiding me for days.”
“I’ve been busy.”
“Liar.”
He sighed and looked away, jaw clenched. “What do you want from me?”
“You told me not to trust Valen.” She stepped closer, heart pounding. “Is it really just because he was a hybrid, or is it something else?”
Max’s breath hitched, but he didn’t answer.
She reached out and grabbed his wrist, the place where their bond always flickered—like a spark caught in a storm. The familiar warmth flared to life under her touch, and for a moment, neither of them breathed.
“Tell me you don’t feel this,” Eva said, her voice trembling. “Tell me this isn’t real.”
Max didn’t pull away. His eyes searched hers with a pain that cut deeper than any wound. “Feeling it doesn’t mean I deserve it.”
Her grip on his wrist tightened. “Why not?”
He pulled his hand free gently, then ran it through his damp hair. “Because you deserve someone who doesn’t carry this much guilt. Someone who doesn’t screw things up every time they matter.”
“You think I’m some fragile thing that’ll break if you’re not perfect?” she asked, anger rising.
“It’s not about you breaking,” he said softly. “It’s about me. I’m the one who breaks things. People. Promises.”
Eva stepped closer, refusing to let him retreat again. “So that’s it? You’d rather push me away than risk letting yourself be happy?”
Max’s eyes glistened, but he didn’t look away. “You deserve soft things. I’m all sharp edges.”
She didn’t speak right away. She just stared at him, seeing not just the Alpha-in-training or the strong, guarded wolf everyone else saw—but the boy who had held her when she cried, who stood by her in silence when words had failed.
“I’m not asking for perfect,” she whispered. “I’m asking for honest.”
Max closed his eyes. “Honest? Okay. I wanted to kill Valen the moment he proposed to you. I’ve never wanted anything as much as I want to be your mate. And it terrifies me. Because if I mess this up, I lose you. Not just as a bond, but as a person. As the only thing that’s kept me grounded since the war.”
Eva felt her throat tighten. “Then don’t mess it up.”
He opened his eyes again, and for a brief moment, it looked like he might lean in. Might finally kiss her. But then he stepped back.
“I need time.”
Eva nodded slowly, swallowing her disappointment. “Take it. But I won’t wait forever, Max. Not while the world burns around us.”
He nodded, then turned and walked away, leaving her standing alone in the training ring.
Back at Silverstone
The night was quiet, the forest calm in a way that made Eva uneasy. She wandered back into her room, tired from emotions she hadn’t meant to spill and truths she hadn’t planned to face.
Tiana and Dany were nowhere to be seen—probably sneaking kisses in the stables again. For a second, Eva envied them. Their simplicity. Their honesty.
She sat on her bed, rubbing her wrist where the bond still pulsed faintly from touching Max. Her heart was divided, torn between the comfort of something old and the mystery of something new.
Behind her window, the wind rustled the trees.
She didn’t see the shadow at first.
But then it moved.
Across the courtyard, partially hidden beneath the cover of the trees, stood Valen. Still as stone, his tall frame cloaked in black. His eyes glowed faintly under the moonlight.
He had been watching her. Not just now. For a while.
And she had no idea what he had heard… or what he was thinking.
