Maximus

Sorry

Annie

I wake up after my episode, I’m wrapped in a tingling warmth I’ve never felt before. I have only felt darkness and coldness for the past six years. 

I feel sunlight on my skin, something I haven’t felt in a long time. I hear people talking but I don’t know the voices. 

I try to think back to what happened. A man named Max had come to see me. He said he was my mate. I felt some truth in his words, I don’t know why. I had been stuck in the attic for the last six years. My parents abandoned me when I couldn’t shift. My heart condition made it too painful. I was born with arrhythmia, a condition where my heart beats irregularly. In my case, my heart beats too fast, called tachycardia. When I tried to shift the first time I almost died, the pack doctor said my heart almost exploded. Ever since then I had been hidden away. Alpha Conrad wanted me out of sight, so that the pack's disgrace was hidden away. I haven’t been outside since that day. 

I enjoy the sunlight on my skin before opening my eyes. The sun is so bright, I feel myself wince when my eyes open. I shift my head so I am not looking at the sky. Suddenly I realize why I feel warmth around me, I am on someone's lap. My guess would be Max. The tingles I feel all over my body where he is touching me, makes me feel at ease. I shift my head again, this time looking up and confirming who I am sitting on. 

Max looks down at me, a huge grin on his face.

“Hello Annie, are you feeling better?” He asks, as he brushes a piece of my hair out  of my eyes. 

I nod in response. Not knowing what to say, I shouldn’t be speaking at all. 

Another person is here, staring at me. I look over to see a young man, maybe twenty looking at me intensely. 

“Annie, this is Nathan.” Max speaks first

“Hi Annie, it’s very nice to meet you!” He smiles brightly at me, I return a small smile.

“Hello” 

“What is the meaning of this?!!” Alpha Conrad is suddenly standing over us. I cringe away, curling into Max’s arms more. I’m scared. Alpha Conrad has a burning hatred for me, he is the one who gave the order to lock me up when I couldn’t shift. He hit me in front of everyone before sending me away. 

Max’s arms curl around me, picking me up off his lap. He sets me down beside Nathan, I scoot away from him slightly. He just gives me a reassuring smile.

“I should be the one asking that! Don’t forget your place ‘Alpha’. You are not in charge here. I am. I want to know why she was locked up in the attic! Is this how you treat your pack? What is the meaning of this?” Max booms at Alpha Conrad, making him stumble back, he falls to the ground. He looks terrified.

“She’s not a wolf. She can’t shift. She has a, a heart condition. She is weak. I don’t want a weak member walking around my pack. She’s just a human!!” Alpha Conrad cries out. Suddenly Max is advancing on him, lifting him up by the front of his shirt. 

“HOW DARE YOU!! One more ill word against her, and it will be your last!!” He roars, making everyone stop what they are doing. 

“She is your Luna. Show some respect!!” He throws Alpha Conrad to the ground. He crawls away from Max, like a rat. 

His mate Tracy, drops to her knees, bowing down low. Not at Max, but at me. 

“Forgive me Luna Annie. I stood by and did not help you. I am so sorry for my part in all of this” She whispers to me, tears in her eyes, falling into the grass.

“What are you doing?” Both me and Alpha Conrad ask, our tones very different. I am in shock, he is enraged. 

“I am trying to fix my mistakes, listening to you was one of the worst things I have ever done. She was a child. She didn’t deserve what you did to her!!” She screams at her mate.

He is too shocked to do anything. Tracy turns back to me,

“I am deeply sorry Luna Annie.” She says again. I get up off my knees, taking a hesitant step towards her. I can feel everyone’s eyes on me, watching me. I stop in front of her and crouch down to her level. 

“It’s okay… I don’t blame you Luna Tracy.. It wasn’t your fault…” I whisper. She lifts her head slightly and smiles at me sadly. 

“I am still sorry, it wasn’t right.. Six years... “ She trails off, shaking her head in sadness. I stand to my feet again and hold my hands out, she looks at me, I give her a small nod, she takes my hands and I help her to her feet. She pulls me into a hug. It is followed by a low growl, Max. She pulls away, giving a bow to Max. 

“My apologies King” She slinks away slowly. Cautiously.

Wait, why is she calling Max ‘King’?

I look to Max for answers, he just smiles and shrugs. 

“Alright everyone parties over” Someone else who I don’t know claps his hands making me jump in surprise. Max comes over to me.

“You handled yourself extremely well Annie. You will make a great Queen Luna” He whispered to me, pulling me along with him, towards the two young men. 

“But, he’s right I’m human! Also why did she call you King? And why would I be Queen Luna?” I have so many questions, they are overwhelming me, making my chest start to hurt again. I need to calm down. 

Max suddenly turns, putting his hand on my chest, directly between my breasts, like he knew exactly where the pain was bubbling up. I felt embarrassed for a moment, but his touch was so soothing, and relaxing. 

“I know you have many questions, but I don’t want you overwhelmed, like before. I could feel it. I don’t want you to be in pain. So when it starts to hurt tell me and I will help you okay Annie?” He smiles so sweetly at me. A few moments later I am completely calm and the pain is gone. My heart rate is back to normal. 

“Okay…King Max” I say, He smirks at me

“We have a choice to make. We can stay and help them with their rogue issue, or we can leave right now, go back to my pack. I assume you have nothing holding you here?” He says, studying me for my reaction..

“Actually… I would like to say goodbye to my parents...” I whisper. I haven't seen them in six years, but I know they are still here. I can sense them. I would like to say goodbye to them before walking away. 

“Alright. One night. I don’t want you staying here any longer than you have to. How does that sound to you? Would you like to come back to my pack with me Annie?” He looks deep into my eyes when he asks me. 

“Yes, I would like to leave this place behind” I say. A new start. With my mate.