CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED & SEVENTEEN
Maggie’s POV
I gripped my glass so hard it cracked.
Nolan was walking Talia back towards their room. He leaned down and kissed her, not caring who watched. Talia’s smile widened as he whispered something in her ear.
The pack was still celebrating her return, but the sound only made my loneliness worse.
I had tried so hard to become his Luna.
I had convinced myself that if I proved I was useful, he would eventually look at me the way he looked at her. Tonight was the last nail in the coffin. Nolan would never love me. 1
‘You should have listened to me,’ my wolf said. ‘It will be okay.’
‘How will it?’ I snapped. ‘I am all alone now.’
At twenty, I was still without a mate. It just made me want to lie down and cry. Instead, I maintained my composure as best as I could but seeing Nolan and Talia so romantically with each other was my breaking point.
I turned toward Clara and the other omegas. “We will clean up tomorrow. Stack the plates and cups and clean the bar.”
“Maggie, where are you going?” Clara asked.
“I just need some space,” I said.
“It is late,” she whispered. “You shouldn’t be wandering off on your own.”
“I am just taking a walk. It’s not a big deal,” I said, and I hated how defensive I sounded.
Clara took a step closer. “After everything that happened, you should not walk alone.”
“I will be fine,” I insisted. “I just need a moment to myself.”
One of the younger omegas glanced toward the guards at the edge of the square. “Maggie, we can just ask one of the guards. They…”
“No,” I snapped. “Please. Just do what I asked. I will not be gone long.”
Clara hesitated and then said, “Then, don’t go too far. Stay near the pack house.”
“I will,” I lied.
I walked away before anyone could say anything else. The square’s music faded behind me as I moved down the path and away from the lights.
‘Don’t give up hope. We will find our mate,’ she said, trying to sound gentle.
“That is not what I want,” I whispered.
‘It should be what you want,’ she snapped. ‘You are not his mate. You need to let this go. You betrayed the pack and Nolan. Nolan sparing you was a mercy. He should have killed you for what you did.’
The memory of Nolan’s face when he ordered me to apologize still made me grimace. He had humiliated me, but it was better than being exiled or worse being executed.
I walked until the path opened onto a quieter corner of the district, where a small bar sat tucked between two closed shops. I pushed the door open and stepped inside. It was dimly lit and there were not a lot of people inside.
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A few men glanced up at me and then looked away.
I sat at the bar and the bartender asked, “What are you having?”
“Something strong, please.”
He filled and then slid a glass toward me without questions. I drank it down quickly. I ordered another and enjoyed the burn.
I had just lifted the third glass to my lips when two men approached me. One leaned his elbow on the bar to the right of me and the other sat down to the left of me, blocking me in.
“Alone tonight?” he asked.
“Yes,” I replied, staring into my drink.
The second man chuckled. “Well, so are we. What’s your name?”
“I’ve had a rough day. I don’t feel like talking,” I said before finishing my drink.
“Don’t be like that. Let us cheer you up,” the second man said.
I placed a twenty down on the bar and slid off my stool.
The first man stood up and blocked my path. “No need to rush. We are just talking,” he said.
“Well, I’m done talking,” I said.
He grinned like my words were a joke. “What is your name?”
“It doesn’t matter,” I said. I attempted to sidestep out of his way, but he caught my wrist. His grip tightened.
“It matters to me,” he said.
I pulled my arm back. “Do not touch me,” I growled.
The second man moved behind me. “You’ve got a lot of attitude for someone alone.”
“It would be better for you if you left me alone,” I said.
“Oh yeah? And why is that?”
“I am Maggie. I am Alpha Nolan’s maid!”
For a second, they looked worried and I thought they would leave me alone. Then the first man laughed.
“You expect us to believe that?” he asked.
“It is true,” I said.
The second man scoffed. “If you are Alpha Nolan’s maid, then I am the Alpha King.”
The first man grabbed my wrist again. “Come on. You can stop lying.” His grip tightened and I couldn’t remove his hand from
my wrist.
“Let go,” I said, and my voice rose. “Let go of me.”
He leaned closer. “Or what?”
I tried to jerk free, but he yanked me toward him. “Come on. I know the perfect way to cheer you up back at my place.”
“Let her go,” a voice said from behind them.
Both men turned.
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A stranger stood a few steps away. He was tall and built like a linebacker. He glared at the two men as he walked over
The first man snorted. “Mind your business.”
“She already refused your offer,” the stranger said. “Let her go.”
The second man stepped toward him. “And who the hell are you?”
The stranger did not answer. He hit the first man so hard it sounded like thunder. The man staggered, shocked, and the stranger followed with a second punch that sent him stumbling into a table. The second man lunged, but the stranger grabbed him by the collar and slammed him into the bar. The bartender backed away fast.
“Leave,” the stranger snarled. “Now!”
The two men bolted for the door, cursing under their breath as they fled into the night.
I turned toward the stranger. “Thank you,” I said, finally catching my breath.
As the light hit his face, I realized he was strikingly handsome. My heart raced and I hated it.
“Maggie,” he said, his voice softening. “Are you alright?”
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