The Lycan Kingpin's Captive: A Baby For The Beast
Beta's Runaway Bride: 9 - Xiomara

Maxim left sometime during the night and didn’t even bother to say goodbye to me. I don't knowwhat I was thinking anyway, after we fucked last night, I ran to my bedroom and left him standingthere.

I know it was stupid! But I couldn't face him after what we did, knowing I willingly gave myself tohim like that made me feel cheap. We hate-fucked, it's the worst kind but also the kind that stickswith you.

What's even worse than this is that I won't be seeing Maxim for a while; I'll probably be gone by thetime he comes back. There will be no time for us to talk about this; but do I honestly want us to talkabout it?

Argh, this is going to drive me crazy. Perhaps I should speak to the Alpha about not sending meaway until Maxim gets back; but would he listen to me, though?

Before I can wallow more, my bedroom door bursts open and I nearly scream... only to see theGamma’s brides and Luna Mia streaming in and jumping onto my bed.

“Wha-"

"We're hijacking you for the day,” Eden says as she gets under the blankets with me and Alessiajoins her on the other side.

“We have a full day planned, so you better get your ass out of bed!” she says as she blocks me fromactually getting out of bed and I scoff incredulously.

“Wha... Maxim won't be happy that so many people are in his house!” is the only thing I can think ofsaying and they all look at each other before laughing like they know something I don't.

“Don’t worry about that, Maxim gave us permission to keep you company here,” Luna Mia says andsees my uneasiness, so she gestures for the other ladies to get off the bed. “Let's give Xiomara herspace while she gets ready, girls.”

They follow Luna Mia towards the door and when they're all gone; she turns around to face me. “Puton something comfortable; we're here to be your friends and try to help where we can, even if itdoesn't feel that way,” she says before closing the door and giving me privacy.

Great. I wanted to spend the day wallowing and now I have to spend it entertaining women I can’tallow myself to get close to. I'm leaving soon, Luna Mia knows this, so why doesn't she just leave mebe?

Sighing, I drag myself out of bed to the shower and afterward I throw on something comfortablebefore heading downstairs. They came out here for me, so I might as well play nice, too.

Gods, why does it hurt so much? I cannot believe we grew so close these past few weeks; so closethat he’s embedded himself in my heart somehow! Perhaps it's Captor Syndrome or something...Noelle chuckles and shakes her head. “You think this is what Maxim wants? No offense, Xiomara, butyou must be blind,” she says and I see both Alessia and Demi nodding.

“What is that supposed to mean?” I ask them with narrowed eyes.

Blind? Stupid, maybe, for feeling this way. But what does she mean by me being blind?

Gianna tilts her head to the side as a warm smile slips onto her lips. “We all saw the way Maximlooked at you when you came to meet us, not to mention how he managed to calm you downbefore you came over to the table,” she says, giving my hand a squeeze. “Maxim doesn't want toget rid of you, Xiomara, there's something else going on with him.”

"Beta Maxim always has a vacant look in his eyes, but when he looks at you, possessiveness burnsthere. Don't let his nonchalance fool you, whatever happened between you two was because youboth wanted it,” Demi says.

Luna Mia beams at Demi’s words, then she slowly nods in agreement. “I must admit that I saw theway he looked at you as well. You've slowly started to thaw his heart, but I'm guessing he made thisdecision because he knew it was what you originally wanted.”

Yeah, I was the one who told him to send me back home. I was the one who wanted my freedomand he did as I asked. I was the one who pushed him to ask for another bride; it's all on me.

A giggle sounds next to me and I see Gianna's blue eyes light up. “This sort of gives me hope forDivan and me,” she says with a huge smile on her face. “If Beta Maxim's ruthless heart can beswayed, then so can the hearts of our Gammas!”

Gianna's words send a ripple through the group and I watch as hope inches into their eyes as well."Was Maxim really that bad?” I gasp, placing a hand on my chest and Luna Mia nods.

“Maxim is the one Niko sends out if he’s unable to deal with the more...dangerous things in histerritory. Both he and Niko trained the Gammas, that should be saying a lot already,” she says, herlips a thin line. “It's only been a few months since his torture at the hands of Mikhail and his men,and it hardened him even more.”

“Torture?!” I exclaim, my eyes growing wide and my heart clenching.

This should be expected since he's a second in command, but the thought of Maxim being hurtsends a sick shiver down my spine.

“Men tend to hide their emotions better than we do, don't forget that. But yes, he was taken andtortured a few months ago,” Luna Mia says. “The Gammas and Niko went to rescue him. That wasactually the first time I met the Gammas.”

After Luna Mia says the above, her brows furrow as if she’s just recalled something, then she gets toher feet. “I'll be back momentarily,” she says, then leaves the room while we all look confused."Okay, as much as I am dying to pick Xiomara’s brain, let's all eat and get her drunk so she can spillher secrets,” Eden says and hops up, bounding towards the champagne. “Maybe we can get sometips on how to seduce the Gammas.”

The girls chuckle at Eden's words and follow her, but Gianna looks at me and sighs. “Do you likeMaxim?” she asks with a tilt of her head.

Like him? I think what I feel is past the “like’ stage.

“I don't know... it doesn't matter anyway, he wants to send me away and another bride will betaking my place when I leave. What I feel won't make a difference to what Maxim has decided,” Isay, the words tasting bitter in my mouth.

Maxim is the kind of man who wants things his way, and I am defiant to a fault. I challenge himwhen I know he prefers them subservient... I am not his type at all.

“If you're uncertain about things, you could always go speak with Alpha Nikolaos. He may lookscary, but he actually listens to the troubles of his pack,” she says, patting my hand and standing up.“Who knows, perhaps he knows something about his Beta you're not privy to.”

More cryptic words and I honestly feel like I'm about to pull out my hair, but I take a deep breathand join them at the table. These are women who are desperately trying to gain the affection oftheir husbands, might as well humor them.