Page 40 of Ruthless Reign

Next to me, Maverick stiffens. I have no idea where his head is at these days, but he made his previous opinion well known.

"We will," I insist. "But we need to know—are you okay?"

As she shrugs, clearly at war with herself, I feel my resolve break, and I move forward, pulling her against my chest. She melts against me, peering up with big eyes. "I'm in heat."

The two of us freeze, staring at her in disbelief. Of course, the urge to be on her, in her, and around her is high, but it's not the same intense pulling sensation that we experienced last time.

Judging by Maverick's face, he's equally as perplexed as me. Nyx notices, pointing her index finger toward the ground.

"Marie has masked it and given me some medicine that she gives the women here to lessen the symptoms."

I nod, not understanding completely what she means by that. But the more I focus on it, the stronger I pick up on her pheromones. Still, none of us are vigorously fucking, losing control.

"Who is Marie?" Maverick asks.

"She's a witch," Nyx answers. "That's why I wasn't able to mind link you. She had put up some kind of magical boundary to stop me from shifting or reaching out."

She glances down, watching as his hands curl into fists. Stepping forward, she grabs one, clutching it tightly.

I'm surprised when Maverick uncurls it, letting his fingers thread with hers. "We heard you a little bit."

Nyx nods, a strange look on her face which I make a note to bring up later.

"I'm glad that I was able to at least get some information to Alpha Daxton. I'm so happy you're here."

Walking over to the bed, I sit on the end of it, leaning forward to rest my elbows on my knees. She stays next to Maverick, holding his hand as she watches me.

"Wyatt had a suspicion that you were here. We ran through the possibilities, and he found your highlighted notes in the books," I say.

I'm so proud of her. I hope she knows that. While Wyatt's detective skills came in handy, it was her research that ultimately helped us find her. We were already going to head this way when she communicated with Daxton, and it just goes to show how much of a great Luna she's going to be. Her strong, tenacious personality is the backbone of our lives, and even though she's now discovered another mate, I have no doubt that she's destined for great things.

Nyx gives Maverick's hand a squeeze before she lets it go, walking toward me. She doesn't stop, climbing onto my lap as her arms circle around my neck. Instinctively, I grab her waist, relieved to have her close to me.

"I discovered some other things…" she starts, before telling us of the connection between the Goddess Ophelia and the New Moon Pack. When she mentions multiple mates, and how Cade believes her to be a descendent, I find myself nodding. It makes sense, and I have no idea why none of us saw it sooner. The similarities, the information from the witch and lone wolf, the ominous glow after the attack in the woods… it all fits into place.

"I still think this is a situation we don't need to be a part of," Maverick grumbles.

She glances over her shoulder at him, body tensing slightly beneath my grip. "I want you, Maverick. I don't want you to go back home and just forget about me."

I frown as I listen to her words, cautious, but make sure not to interrupt this moment. The whole notion that Maverick was going to leave and never return is new to me—albeit notsurprising. But apparently, the time apart has given Nyx space to think, and there's an odd-placed feeling of pride as I listen to her strong words—fighting for what she wants.

It's clear that it was another burden she was shouldering, along with the death of her friend.

Maverick lets out a sigh, and my eyebrows shoot up in surprise when I see him frown, defeated—but the defeat is internal, his own battle.

"I don't want that either," he replies lowly. "You're a pain in the ass, but you'remy pain in the ass."

"Ours," I interject, unable to control myself.

His demeanor quickly changes, giving me a typical asshole glare—but behind it, I see the resignation and acceptance.

"Whatever," he snaps back, gaze immediately softening again when he finds her face. "We'll work out a plan when you are back in Shadow Creek."

Nyx turns to me, fresh tears of relief pooling in her eyes. She quickly leans forward, pressing her lips to mine, before sliding off my lap. Crossing the room in three short strides, she collides into Maverick's body, arms grabbing the back of his head to bring his face to hers. They share a kiss, and I wait patiently, giving them this moment.

It's been a long time coming, and finally, we can move forward.

Except we now need to deal with another alpha coming into the mix.

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