Alpha Maximus：The last lycan novel Chapter 25

　　Hope

　　My heart sinks with dread. My father is the reason his parents are dead.

　　‘I'm so sorry,’ I say, crying. He grabs my chin to force me to look at him.

　　‘It's not your fault. It's not like you had anything to do with it,’ he says, before kissing me on the lips.

　　‘Hope? You’re shaking,’ he says, concerned. He rests his forehead on mine. ‘You’re burning up,’ he says, standing, lifting me up.

　　He grabs his coat, covers me, and walks nude, upstairs to our room. I’m trembling and shaking. He lies me on our bed and goes into the bathroom to fill the bath.

　　He scoops me up, and lowers himself into the bath with me in his arms, so we are both in the water. My mind is racing one hundred miles an hour, before it fades into nothing.

　　I wake up in bed, nestled into Max, who is snuggled into me, with his arm around me. Sitting up, I rub my forehead.

　　‘How are you feeling?’ He asks, sitting up.

　　‘My head hurts. Otherwise, I’m fine,’ I answer.

　　‘You passed out in the bath. I haven't left your side since. You slept all through the night,’ he says.

　　‘Was I really out for that long?’ I ask.

　　‘Yep,’ he says, twirling my hair around his finger.

　　‘Do you want to rest in bed today?’ He asks.

　　‘No. I'll be fine. We have pack matters we need to address,’ I say, and he nods and sighs.

　　After dressing, and having breakfast, we go back into his office, where he puts some scrolls in front of me.

　　‘With half the packs gone, and now ruled by us, I contacted the alphas of the remaining packs to let them know of our new territories. And to confirm I now have a mate and Luna. So far, most are willing to sign peace treaties. Except for the Dark Moon pack. We’ve had bad blood between us for many years. The death of my parents, for instance,’ he explains.

　　‘What happened?’ I ask; part of me not wanting to know what my birth pack did to his.

　　‘I was really young. All I remember is that their friend, a witch, had broken a law, which resulted in a witch hunt for her. Even her own coven hunted her. My parents were killed for trying to protect her and going against the law,’ he explains.

　　‘What law did she break?’ I ask.

　　‘She fell in love with a werewolf. The alpha of the Dark Moon pack,’ he explains.

　　‘I don't understand. If they were in love, why shouldn't they be together?’ I ask. Max gives me a startled look.

　　‘It's forbidden for werewolves to mate or crossbreed with other species. It’s an instant death sentence,’ he explains.

　　‘Why should anyone in love be punished? Why should it matter if you fall in love with a vampire, a wolf or a witch?’ I ask, in defence.

　　‘Are you hearing yourself? It's forbidden because we don't know what a hybrid is capable of. Or how dangerous they could be to other species. We are all equally balanced. If a creature is mixed race, we no longer have that balance. A hybrid is a threat to all our species.’ He says, wrapping his arms around me.

　　‘Is that what you really think? That a hybrid is nothing but a creature and a threat?’ I ask, struggling to hold my tears in. He lets out a heavy sigh.

　　‘It doesn't matter what I think. Because hybrids don't exist,’ he sighs, and I take a few steps back, looking him in the eye.

　　‘You seem to have forgotten—’

　　‘Forgotten what?’ He asks.