Maksim's paws dug into the ground as he ran. His wolf now took full control of their minds, because Maksim was feeling the same betrayal as he was. He wasn't angry at her or the child. He was burning with jealousy, because he wanted it to be special. The thought of another man touching what was his intimately — he snarled into the night sky.

He waited — for 35 fvcking years he did. He could have slept with any of the women who threw themselves at him, but he didn't. Snarling louder, he dug his paws into the ground. He ran for a very long time. His mind was repeatedly running images of Octavia and the little pup. The images of her with another man were enough to make him want to rip someone apart.

The sun began peeking in the sky. He was already on his way back to the pack. He shifted right before entering and grabbed his clothes he had thrown carelessly on the ground. Pulling his jeans back on, he bent down and grabbed his shirt from the ground.

Anger was still present in his veins. His eyes were burning with fury and anyone who came close could see that he wasn't in a good mood. He stalked up the hill towards the pack house where many members were filing into the building for breakfast. The look of excitement on many of their faces showed clearly that they were happy to have a meal.

From the corner of his eyes, he caught sight of her walking with five young pups. The oldest of the pups looked to be nine years of age. His steps stopped as he watched Octavia talk to them all. She had five pups. His lips thinned and as if Octavia could feel his rage, she looked up to meet his gaze. Her lips parted slightly, probably from feeling so much energy from him.

Five pups — not just one, but five.

He slammed his fist into the nearest tree, shaking it terribly. Everyone backed away from him as he walked inside the house. His knuckles were bleeding from the impact of his fist landing onto the tree, but he couldn't care.

He ran up to what he could see was the guest area for the previous Alpha and chose an empty room to shower in. He quickly changed into a black t-shirt and another pair of jeans. Silently thankful that he had listened to Antonia and packed some extra clothes. Running his hand through his thick black tresses, he jogged downstairs.

Everyone was eating and talking happily amongst each other. The sun was now casting a warm glow into the dining hall. The woman from yesterday sauntered up again to Maksim's side. She ran a hand down Maksim's arm. He glanced down at her.

"Alpha, you seem tense. Is something wrong?" She asked innocently as she felt his muscles.

His eyes moved behind her and saw his mate looking at them. Her eyes narrowed into tiny slits as she watched the woman in front of him touching him, but he made no move to remove the woman. He wanted to see a reaction from his mate. Something to appease his anger and it was probably wrong of him to try to provoke a reaction from her, but he needed to know if he meant anything to her -- if their bond meant anything at all.

The woman in front of him seemed to have taken this as a cue to move closer and Octavia's gaze darkened. Her body was now again rubbing against Maksim. His skin crawled with revulsion. When Octavia looked back up at Maksim, her eyes mirrored a hurt look. His heart twisted in his chest to see the pain in her eyes. She turned away from him, carrying her two plates and walked back to her table.

Maksim snarled. "It seems you have forgotten my warning last night. Pack your stuff and leave this territory. You have until sun fall. If you resist, I will rip your throat."

The woman eyes widened and fear now appeared in her eyes. A soft whimper escaping her lips before she cried and ran for the stairs. Being kicked out of a pack was the worst punishment anyone can imagine.You can't survive on your own. Wolves need companionship and are lethal together, but apart they are weak.

Maksim glanced back at his mate's table where the five pups sat with his mate. Her long hair tied into a high pony tail, allowing a soft tumble of hair to fall down her back to between her shoulders. She was dressed in a pair of black denim skinny jeans and a navy blue t-shirt that clung to her curves beautifully. He saw how her back stiffened and her shoulders squared. He knew she could feel his gaze on her, but she was reluctant to turn to face him.

"Hey, cupcake." Darren said brightly, appearing next to Maksim. Maksim looked at his friend as they both walked to the breakfast buffet that was set out in front of them.

"You look grumpy today. What happened? You didn't get laid last night?" Darren teased further as they went down the line with their plates of food.

Maksim's mind moved back to the heated session he had with Octavia. His body responded instantly to the image of her soft body on his. He sighed in silent stress.

"I'm not in the mood, Darren." He muttered and moved to sit at the table where Antonia and Roman were sitting down.

Maksim set his plate down and stared at it for a moment. He wasn't feeling all that hungry, but that was because his mind was swirling with his mate. Antonia, Roman, and Darren looked at him strangely as they ate quietly. They knew something was up with him, but none said anything. He looked up and saw the boy pup that was with Octavia earlier standing by the buffet line with another empty plate.

Unthinkingly, Maksim stood up and made his way toward the pup. Grabbing onto another empty plate, he maneuvered until he was standing next to the little boy. He was scrawny for his age. A little shorter and definitely malnourished by how big his clothes were on him. His bones can be seen poking from under his skin. Maksim felt a sense of protectiveness swarm over him. His wolf wasn't hostile toward the child, but more on wanting to protect him. His grip on his plate tightened slightly as his hatred for Alpha Hansen grew. The man didn't deserve to live.

His soldiers discovered that Alpha Hansen had been hiding food away all along. A closet was filled with flour, bread, and many more dry ingredients. He also had a small farm that was enough to feed his pack, but he was too selfish. Roman and Darren ordered the food to be collected to make this breakfast. At lunch, they will be having homemade beef stew with bread and oven baked vegetable medleys.

Maksim watched the boy select the many fruits and breakfast pastries, piling them high on his plate.

"You like cantaloupes?" Maksim asked casually.

The little boy looked up at Maksim and moved to place the big spoon back down into the bowl. He took hold of his plate and moved down the line without a single word. Maksim frowned, but that didn't stop him from speaking with the boy further.

"My grandfather likes to farm a lot. He grows the largest pumpkins, cucumbers, watermelons, and even corn. Somehow everything he has grown on my plot of land seems to be the sweetest thing." Maksim continued. The little boy turned his head slightly to listen to Maksim. A slow smile came on Maksim's face.

"Maybe when we all go back to the pack, I can show you around." Maksim offered.

The little boy's eyes lit up and he turned to look up at Maksim. "Do you think mama will be okay with that? Are we truly going to be leaving this place?"

"I think she will be perfectly fine with it. No harm will come to you, Alpha promise." Maksim promised the little boy. "What is your name?"

"Aleksander." He replied. "Are we really leaving this place?"

He asked the question again. Maksim nodded and moved to scoop up some cantaloupes onto his plate. He sat the spoon back down and glanced down at the little boy who wore a sad look.

"Do you not want to leave this place? The place that we all will be going will be large enough for everyone. Everyone there is very welcoming and you will get to meet new children and even go to school." Maksim offered.

The boy gave Maksim a half smile. "It is not that. I wouldn't mind leaving this place, but I don't want to leave my mama and papa behind."

"Of course you won't. She will be coming with you." Maksim stated clearly confused.

Aleksander shook his head. "Mama Octavia is not my real mother. My mama and papa died during a small rogue attack."

Maksim's steps faltered. He watched as Aleksander picked up his plate and headed back to where Octavia was sitting down. His eyes narrowed in confusion as he looked at each pup carefully. They were from various ages and yes, they could be her pups, but they seem to be too close in age for her to have them all at once. Did he assume too quickly?