Max POV

"Glad you are back, Alpha." Terry greeted me as soon as I got to my office. He was in charge of everything while I was with my little wolf at our perfect place. We needed that time alone to enjoy each other without distractions, and it was the best decision, as Ares is way calmer inside me now.

I smiled at him and got to my seat. "Thanks for holding the fort, Terry. I hope the onboarding of the new members has been fine."

"Yes! But there are some decisions you will have to make. But the constructions are back as before. New housing will be done soon." Terry opened his laptop to give me the runover of everything, but I had something else in mind.

"We will deal with this later. Ares is anxious to get rid of Jordan. We had postponed it long enough, and now is the time to deal with that scumbag." Terry smiled at my words. He, too, was ready to dispose of Jordan's body.

"Very well, Max. Let's go to the pack cells. I am keeping our guess very comfortable as he deserves." I smirked at him. I knew Jordan was anything but comfortable there.

I got inside the pack cells, and Jordan looked miserable in the corner of his cell, wearing the heavy Silver chains. He knew his end was close, and I would not make it easy for him. He stood up quickly in my presence and winced as the chains pulled his wrists. "Maximus! I told your Beta I had no part in your mate's suffering. I did not give any orders for her to be hurt." Desperation was coming in waves from him, and I knew he was not lying. I could feel it. But it did not matter. He had recruited the packs and facilitated them to take her.

"That is true, but you took my mate from me and left her with your Witch and two monsters that wanted nothing but hurt her." I nodded at Terry for him to open the cell. Ares was ready to play, and so was I.

"You knew what Michael had done to her, you saw the reports, and you went and left her with him to do as he pleased. And for that, Jordan, my wolf, will make you pay." I got inside his cell, and he cowardly walked back, but there was nowhere he could hide from me.

"Please, Maximus, I told your Beta already I had nothing to do with that. It was all Michael. He made me do all of it." His end was close, and he still lied to me. Can he be less stupid and save it?

I shook my head. "Oh, Jordan, your lies will get you nowhere. It is only feeding my wolf's hate of you." Ares was salivating inside me, ready to attack. "I will tell you how your torture will go. First, I will kill your wolf. I will not let him help you heal and take half the pain. My mate didn't have her wolf when Michael hurt her. She was a pup and suffered for years. Now you will suffer for not doing your job as a member of the Council."

Terry got a syringe with Wolfsbane. Ares has hated Jordan since they met, and the fear in Jordan's eyes only made Ares want to hurt him further. He could not wait to be let out to do what he had wanted for years.

Jordan screamed for help and pulled the chains. I grabbed him by the neck and lifted him quickly from the ground. His legs were dangling, trying to reach the ground, and his hands grabbed mine to try to lose my grip. It was all in vain we would get what we wanted today. With Ares' eyes, I looked at Terry; he knew it was time to insert the large dosage of Wolfbane. Jordan's wolf would not survive it.

I released him after it was done, and he hit the concrete ground making a terrible sound. He held his chest, gasping for air. His wolf was dying, and he felt all the pain of losing his soul. His eyes reddened as his body shook on the ground lifting his back.

With each scream he made, I felt more and more inside me that it was the right thing to do. I could feel with Ares' powers that we could never let Jordan go. He was a threat to our kind.

I looked down at his body, which had crawled near my feet. "You wanted to be an Alpha King, did you not? There is no place for greedy wolves like you here. You were nothing, and now you will be even less."

Ares took control, shifting into wolf form, and watched Jordan's wolf die. He commanded Terry to leave, his work there was done, and there was no need for an audience now.

Jordan had passed out, and Ares patiently waited till he woke again, feeling the pain in his chest. His soul was gone, and it was not like he had any, to begin with.

Ares took slow steps towards him and growled in his face. Jordan moved back fast till his back hit the wall, afraid of Ares. He begged for mercy, for Ares to let him go, but with one jump on his body, Ares got his revenge slowly from his flesh.

After Ares had finished with Jordan, we went for a quick run and dipped inside the lake to get the hate from us. I did not want to get back to the pack house with the feeling inside me. Julie would be back soon from her visit, and I needed to be back in control to be around her. She had felt and seen too many bad things for a lifetime. I wanted her to feel at peace and safe while carrying the pups.

The water washed away Jordan's blood from Ares' fur, and we sat in the cold sun to dry it. After we felt in control, we ran back to the pack house, and already outside, I could already feel her presence outside. Her scent was fresh, and sure, she only had returned now.

I shifted back and got a pair of sweatpants from the back porch. The first thing I did when I saw her was pull her into an embrace and inhaled her calm scent. I needed her in my life more than anything now. With all this power inside, Julie's presence was the only thing that grounded me in reality.

Julie rubbed my back. "Is everything all right, Max?" I smelled her again before answering. "It is now that you have returned to me safely." I freed my arms around her and gave her a soft welcome kiss. "How is Ger's mate?"

Julie's eyes sparkled, and I could feel her happiness. "She is well, and the pup is so cute, Max." I rubbed her tummy, which was visible now. "Well, soon, you will have two cuties in your arms." Aphrodite poured love in the air, and I knew how happy she was with her pups' arrival. Ares told me they had been waiting for it for a long time.

"You cannot shift, but how about we walk into the woods? You can watch Ares hunt. He wants to get you something for dinner." Ares, like when he killed the meat that Julie ate.

"Don't you have work to get back to? We spent many days in the cabin." Her big grey eyes looked up at me while she talked, and I ran my hand through my still-damp hair. "No." There was zero chance of me returning to work. It was already afternoon, and I had spent till there away from her dealing with Jordan.

"Terry is still fine helping out. The pups were away from me while you were there, and I don't want you to feel any signs of detachment. You are my priority." I felt her eyes sparkling and rubbed her cheek. "Come, little wolf, let's get you dinner."

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Julie POV

I was sitting on a tree log and laughing at Ares. As I could not shift, Max wanted us to stay near the pack house, and of course, there was no big prey near the clearing. Ares was trying to get a rabbit, but it had hidden in a small role that his big Alpha body did not fit.

"Ares, come back here, silly wolf. You will not fit there; the pour thing is scared and won't come out." Ares trotted back with his big pawls shaking the ground. He ruffed, looking back at his prey that sure would not leave that role.

I petted him to make it feel better, but he shook his head. He was so used to getting anything his way. He did not want pity, and it made me laugh even harder.

"Oh, you silly. Come here." He looked at me with captivating golden eyes and lay his head on my lap. "We have enough dinner at the pack house. You can go for a big hunt tomorrow morning with the pack."

"I wanted to show off my skills, little one." Ares opened the mindlink and sounded like a little pup that did not get what he wanted.

"I know you have excellent skills, Ares. One thing that you could show off is the view up the hills. I heard in the village today that the mountains are already covered with snow, and I want to see it from there." The trail to the hills would be pretty close and was away from the border. We would not encounter any danger. I could jump on his back if he did not run too fast. It would not have a problem.

He lifted his head from my lap and gave me a wolfish smile. He seemed pleased with the idea. He positioned himself flat on the ground for me to jump safely on his back, and once I was secured on it, he went up to the hills.

The view was incredible when we got there. From where we were, I could see the mountains covered in white. Like the other time we went up there, Ares lay on the ground and did not let me get up from his back. I laid my chest on it and petted him. We had a moment of peace. My soul felt complete. There was where I belonged.

We left after the sunset that made the horizon orange, and I had never seen anything more beautiful. After having a shower and changing for dinner, we went to the dining room. Since I had returned, that was the first time we would be dining there with the pack.

Terry always sat across me. He was a Beta, and they always sat on the left side of the Alpha. I was looking forward to talking to him. Aphrodite reminded me that she would bind him to a she-wolf, and with everything happening, he did not have the chance to speak to us about it.

He smiled at me as soon as I sat. He was always so kind to everyone. Any she-wolf would be lucky to have him. I wanted to discuss it privately, but I was eager to know if he had someone in mind.

"Terry, have you given any thought about your mate yet?" I could not wait until we were alone to talk about it the next time. He was always so busy, especially now that Max needed him more and there were so many new additions to the pack.

"I have not thought about that, Julie." He seemed uncomfortable, but I knew Aphrodite would be able to fix it, and he would feel much better having his other half beside him. We wolves could not live longer without a mate.

"Well, you should. As you can see, I have two Alphas on the way, and they will need their Beta. I would like it to be your pup." He would be a fantastic father, and I knew his little Beta would be an addition to my Alpha's leading pack.

"You should consider it before Aphrodite does it herself. You know she is not used to waiting around for anything. Many she-wolves have arrived now from the other packs. I am sure you will find someone that you like."

Max squeezed my hand because he thought I was zoning out on the table's conversation, but I was having a much more meaningful conversation. Karl was talking about the welcome ceremony, something I have to work on with him. But I was glad I was again paying attention to the discussion.

Max, as an Alpha, would have to welcome all the new people in a ceremony, and it was an excellent place for Terry to find his mate. I beamed at Terry; sure, he got what I was thinking and planning.

Terry sure deserves a lovely mate to help him fill the whole his dead mate left behind. I hope everyone is having a lovely day. I will see you all tomorrow. 💕😘