Chapter 2
Maeve didn’t linger at the conference. She
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excused herself early, saying she felt unwell -her bloodshot eyes and pale face were convincing enough.
By the time she returned home, the house was empty. Gideon hadn’t arrived yet.
Perfect. She needed a moment to steel herself before facing him.
Not long after, the door opened and Gideon stepped in, a cheerful smile playing on his lips.
Maeve didn’t move from her seat on the couch, her focus on her phone. She was mid–conversation with Maxwell, discussing their upcoming mating ceremony.
Seeing Maeve’s reaction, Gideon paused. He was confused. Normally, Maeve would rush to greet him, arms open, voice full of warmth. But now, she hadn’t even looked up.
“Maeve?”
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She finally glanced up. “Yeah?” she said, lifting an eyebrow with cool detachment.
He frowned. Something was off. Her gaze held no affection, only a calm indifference he didn’t recognize.
“Maeve,” he repeated, his voice uncertain, “what’s going on? You seem… off.”
She shrugged lightly, eyes drifting back to her phone.
“I’m fine,” she said. Her tone was flat. “Just tired from the conference.” She flashed him a smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes.
Gideon exhaled. For a moment, he’d worried she had found out the mating ceremony between him and Wren. But it’s impossible -he had made sure no one would spill anything.
“Actually,” she said, her voice casually light, “there’s something I’ve been thinking about.”
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“What is it?” he asked, brows drawing together.
Maeve’s tone remained breezy. “Not something big deal. I just realized I’ve been handling a lot of your Alpha responsibilities lately. But I think it’s time I step back and refocus on my role at the pack clinic.”
She said it like it was nothing.
Gideon’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean ‘step back‘? You’re not just helping me- you’re helping the entire pack. You know how much I depend on you.”
Maeve bit back a bitter laugh.
“I’m sure you’ll manage, she replied, fingers dancing across her phone screen. “Wren might be able to pick up the slack.”
Gideon stiffened at her mentioning the name, his jaw tightening. “Wren? What are you implying?” He walked closer to Maeve.
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Maeve smiled sweetly, feigning innocence. “Nothing. Just that I heard she’s been very helpful to you while I was away.”
Something flickered in his eyes.
“Come on, Maeve,” he said quickly. “You’re not jealous, are you? You know there’s nothing between Wren and me. She was just
“I’m not interested in discussing her, Maeve interrupted smoothly, glancing at her watch. “Anyway, I’m going to clean up. You should rest too. You look tired.”
He stared at her, baffled by her unbothered demeanor. Before he could respond, she had already returned her attention to her phone, engrossed in her chat with Maxwell.
Gideon nearly rolled his eyes. She was jealous. That had to be it. She must have overheard something about Wren and jumped to conclusions. He sighed. Time to
nanth things over maybe buy her a gift
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smooth things over, maybe buy her a gift -she always calmed down with a bit of spoiling.
“Maeve, I-”
But Maeve was already walking away, not willing to listen to him.
“Not now, Gideon. We’ll talk later. Maybe once I’m in a better mood,” she said, her voice cool and dismissive.
He was left standing in the living room, still holding his bag.
He scowled. Why was she acting like this over something so minor? Another sigh escaped him. He’d need to fix this. Probably with flowers or a bracelet.
As if a gift could fix would settle her and bring back her usual composure.
