The chase was easy. The little coward was caught within an hour by three Alphas and one Beta. His little traitorous crew was ripped apart by Roman, Darren, Natalya, and Yulian. They didn't even have a chance.

Maksim stood outside, anxious to kill. His beautiful mate still sound asleep up in his room. She cried herself to sleep. He growled as he shifted into his magnificent wolf, tall and threatening as he launched into a run. Following the scent of his friends and family into the thick woods until he arrived to where they were dragging a bruised Alpha Hansen who was still very much awake.

A threatening growl vibrated from Maksim. His wolf wanted blood for the fool that Hansen played him as. Hansen stiffened immediately upon hearing Maksim. Turning onto his hands and feet he looked at Maksim like a deer caught in headlights. Roman and Darren let him go, knowing full well that Hansen will attempt in running away.

Maksim's lips curled in anticipation and as soon as Hansen was far enough for Maksim to chase he ran after his target. One objective in mind and that was to end his life.

"Stop!" Hansen pleaded but his words fell on deaf ears.

Hansen shifted into his wolf in attempt to save his life. Turning around he snarled at Maksim but it did nothing to scare Maksim away. Maksim launched himself at Hansen the same time Hansen did too.

Hansen made a swipe at Maksim's chest and successfully in clawing at Maksim's underbelly. In retaliation, Maksim snapped his jaw on Hansen's open neck where he latched and held on. His teeth dug deep into Hansen skin, weakening his wolf.

A whine escaped Hansen's lips. Maksim learned his lesson. He wasn't going to let go this time. Hansen swiped and clawed mercilessly at Hansen. He didn't care where he hit or didn't hit to make Maksim let go.

Death.

Vengeance.

For her.

He snarled and clamped his teeth tighter around Hansen's throat and ripped it with one tug--a clean and brutal rip. Hanson's wolf twitched in the ground. Blood seeping out of the sound like water breaking through a dam. A small gurgling sound escaping Hansen as he thrash in an attempt at grasping for his already dead end life.

Maksim watched the life leave his eyes as he dropped onto the ground before trotting back to his friends who awaited him with a clean pair of shorts. His fur was wet with blood and his saliva for blood.

He shifted and pulled on the shorts. The cut on his chest bleed down his body. His heart was still raging with anger but his mind was at peace. Finally, he could breathe without worrying.

"Burn their bodies." Natalya ordered Yulian who nodded swiftly before dashing back to the pack house for back up.

Natalya walked up to her brother who wore still a very cold look. She placed a hand on his shoulder and he blinked a few times before looking at her.

"You okay?" She asked.

"It was my fault." He growled. "I should have done something. You all stayed behind because of my mistake."

"You are being too hard on yourself. We have all been in your situation. You aren't the only Alpha here. The decisions we make impact our pack. Sometimes we might make the wrong ones but we need to learn to recover from it.." Darren spoke seriously for the first time in weeks.

Maksim remained quiet but he took in his friend's words. He was right.

"Just like how you told the boys earlier. We make decisions and it isn't so fun but we learn by fixing them." Roman assured him and slapped him affectionately on the back.

"One wrong move doesn't make you a bad person" Natalya scolded him.

Maksim scoffed it was a little unbelievable. The three who constantly teases him were the ones giving him a life lesson but he couldn't stop the smile that came on his face. They were right. He couldn't lie and say what they had said had no truth.

Darren rubbed his hands together. "Alright, guys, I'm heading home. I have been gone for far too long."

Roman nodded. "Antonia and I are leaving as soon as we can get our stuff ready. Possibly heading back tonight."

"So soon?" Maksim asked.

"I have to or else I'll be sleeping alone." Roman grinned.

Natalya rolled her eyes. She knew that Maksim will be heading back home too. She knew what they were feeling. The power of an Alpha position but at the same time the amount of weight she carried on her shoulder was a lot. A new pack that looked at her every move and looking towards her for guidance. It was a weight she has to carry.

Like any other leader, they have to worry about pack issues, income, crops, land, rogues, and so many other things. Natalya has been taught all this even though she knew she wasn't getting the Alpha position but even with all these resources it doesn't compare to the actual feeling and weight of carrying a pack.

**

It was late into the evening and Octavia has slowly gotten up and crawled to shower in her room after hearing about Alpha Hansen's death. Natalya was kind enough to take care of the children while Maksim took care of Octavia. He knew had to speak to her regarding moving back to his pack. Now that he had marked her, it was all the more reason she had to leave with him.

They couldn't stay here much longer due to the fact that they had their own pack to worry about. He sat on the edge of the bed and waited for her. His mind flickering back to his earlier conversation he had with his father after coming back from the woods with everyone else.

"So you have marked her then?" His father asked and Maksim confirmed again for the second time.

"This is good news. The pack will be excited to meet their new Alpha Female. Your mother will be extremely happy." Maksim could hear the happiness in his father's voice. "When will you two be coming back?"

"That's the thing. I haven't spoken yet with her regarding coming back. The issue here has been fixed but we haven't yet spoken about returning back to the pack." Maksim replied.

He can already see the irritation flashing across his father's face. Maksim knew his father well and he was an impatient man, well, to everyone except for Maksim's mother. Nonetheless, he ruled fairly and was a good Alpha.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Talk! I gave you my position so I don't have to do it, Maksim."His father barked on the other line.

"What if she doesn't want to come back? Do I kidnap her?" Maksim asked.

His father laughed then. "Son, I would like to see you do that. Any woman with a sane mind will probably fight you all the way. Learn it from me and talk to her. She needs to understand and if she is a rational woman, she will know what to do."

The bathroom door opened and Octavia stepped out, smelling wonderful and wearing his oversize t-shirt. Her dark hair was still wet as she padded towards him. Immediately, his hand shot out to grab a hold of hers.

"How are you feeling?" He asked in a gentle voice.

"I'm okay." She whispered.

"I know this is not a good time to ask you but what would you like to do with your parents' body?" Maksim asked.

Her eyes brimmed with fresh tears and he felt like he had just inflicted her physical pain. His hands came up to cradle her cheeks in his as she wiped away the tears that had escaped. He brought her forehead down to his as he closed his eyes.

"Please don't be sad any more, Octavia. It pains me to see you like this." He pleaded.

He heard her sniffled and a hiccup following after before she wiped away her tears. "We can have them buried tomorrow. This is their home and they would want to be buried here."

He nodded and leaned up to kiss her lips chastely. His hands slipped back down to her waist where he held her close to him. He knew he promised his father he will have the talk with her but he didn't feel like this was the right time. Instead, he continued to hold her close to him.

He wanted to give her more time. It was late into the night already and he adjusted their position on the bed as they both looked out the window that sat opposite from them. It was a calm night even though their hearts were in turmoil. His wasn't as much as Octavia because he had only met her parents a couple of times but he felt his mate's pain.

She snuggled closer to him, tangling her long legs in his. Her finger tracing a circle on his chest, he could feel the wheels turning in her head. She wasn't going to go to sleep any time soon, especially when she slept for several hours.

"Octavia." He asked and she looked up at him.

"I know that now that Alpha Hansen is gone, you have a pack to return to." She whispered, her eyes glittering with an emotion he couldn't pin. She blinked and looked back down at her finger that was still tracing his chest. He didn't speak or say anything.

She sighed and kissed his chest softly before placing her chin on where she kissed to look back up at him. She looked adorable even with her eyes still red with tears. Her lips slightly puckered in an cute way.

"I will return with you, Maksim." She announced. "But..."

His heart plummeted. What was she going to say. She brought in her lower lip between her lips the way in a way that drove him crazy. His gaze moved from her lips to her eyes.

"But I don't know if I can leave the kids behind." He breathed a sigh of relief. So that was it?

"Who said we are?" He asked with a quirked eyebrow.

Her eyes widened a little in surprise. "You mean, you are okay with me bringing five pups along with me?"

"I am okay with whatever you want as long as you are by my side, Octavia." He replied as one hand cradled one side of her cheek, he leaned down and kissed her forehead before kissing her lips.

c