Maximus went to the lake around the mansion, to the same spot where he had kissed Allison for the first time after they imprinted. He sat by the lake and remembered that moment as one of the happiest he had ever felt and it made him even sadder that she was gone and he would never feel that way again.
Whenever the mate of a werewolf died, he or she would have to get over their death mentally and emotionally before they would be able to mate again. If the werewolf isn't able to heal from the loss, they'll remain without an imprint for the rest of their lives, unable to find their mate to complete their existence.
Maximus wasn't an ordinary werewolf; he was a True-born True Alpha and he was strong not just physically but mentally as well.
He knew he could get over Allison's death. All he needed was time but at this moment, it felt almost impossible to not feel the pain and the emptiness left by her absence. It hurt more than the injuries he had sustained at Primo's hands and all he could do was miss her terribly. He wanted her back but he knew she wasn't ever going to come. The look on her face when she took those bullets for him, the way her eyes blackened, the way her skin melted - everything was horrible and he couldn't help but sob as the image became imprinted in the back of his mind, making it all he could think about, all he could see whenever he closed his eyes.
"Maximus?"
He heard Mira's voice call out his name and he wiped the tears off his face quickly so she wouldn't see him cry again.
Once was enough.
"I'd like to be alone, Mira," he said without looking at her.
"I know you want to be alone but your wounds are still fresh and you need to get them looked at by Aliyah," she said out of concern for his wellbeing.
"I'm fine. The wounds will heal," he said, trying to get her to just go away.
"No, they won't. They were caused by the claws and fangs of another Alpha. You can't just treat them like normal wounds. Come inside so Aliyah can stitch it up. We need you to be in the best shape possible, so please..." Mira said.
As she stared at him, she wanted so badly to go to him and hug him, maybe even kiss him because she still loved him. She never stopped. However, she couldn't bring herself to do it because the timing just wasn't right. As much as she loved him, she wasn't so selfish that she would use his moment of weakness and vulnerability to win back his love. If they were meant to be, then she would just have to wait for everything to fall back into place all by itself.
"Okay! I'll be inside in a few minutes. Can I at least have that?" He asked.
"Of course," she said and turned away to leave.
Mira was still worried that Maximus would do something impulsive but she had to trust in his growth as a person and in his better judgment as an Alpha.
She left him by the lake and went back inside. After she was gone, Maximus got on his feet and took off the blanket that he was covered with and stood naked.
He walked into the lake and lay down in the cold water, sighing as he did so. He felt a little bit of peace while in the water and for a moment, he felt the way he did that day with Allison and he was happy in the moment.
******
Peace appeared in her home and as soon as she arrived, Serena came out of her bedroom and ran over to her.
"Selena! Thank goodness you're safe," Peace said as she hugged her.
Nelly came out of his room as well and also hugged Peace.
"As soon as I got your message, I went to get her and bring her here to keep her safe," Nelly said to Peace.
"Good work, Nels," The witch turned to Selena, "You'll be safe here while the madness goes on out there. A vampire's bite can't turn you into one but it can kill you so you need to be with us,"
"I saw it on the news. They're saying vampires are killing people all over town and they came from the concert that Werewolf Alpha was having?" Selena asked.
"Yes, that's correct," Peace answered.
"Maximus and his pack were supposed to be there tonight, right? To stop Cornelius Preemo, or whatever his name is. What happened to them? Are they alright?" She asked in concern and when she said 'them', she actually meant, 'him', as in Maximus.
That was who she really cared about.
Peace didn't know how to tell her the news of the death of his pack members so she just went straight to the point without sugar-coating it.
"They're not fine, Selena. Maximus lost three members of his pack, including his mate. They're all so devastated and you can only imagine what Max is feeling," Peace said.
"Where is he?" Selena asked.
"They're back at the mansion."
"I want to see him- them, so I can give them my condolences," Selena said.
"Of course. I'll take you there tomorrow and we can see them together but as for now, you should try and get some sleep. There's only like an hour left before dawn," Peace told her.
Selena agreed and went back to her room. After she was gone, Peace turned her attention to Nelly.
"I spoke with the High Witches. Before we can interfere properly, we need permission from Queen Hilliusa so I'm going to meditate into the Underworld to speak to her," she informed him.
"Do you think she'll allow it? So far, this whole thing still hasn't affected Witchers. She may not want us to get involved and risk our exposure to the world the same way the vampires and werewolves have," Nelly said.
"She's the wisest person that has ever existed. Whatever she decides will be right and I'm certain she'll want us to do something," Peace said and walked over to her room.
She went in and shut her door so she could begin the meditation process and travel to the Underworld to see the Queen of all Witches. Peace took some chalk and drew the shape of a Kamataj circle on the floor. She took some red candles and lit them with her fingertip. She placed them all around the circle and took off her shoes.
She levitated into the air and crossed her legs in a meditation pose before gently landing right in the middle of the circle.
She closed her eyes and concentrated her energy, trying to transport her consciousness into the Underworld. After a few seconds of concentration, she opened her eyes and found herself in the Underworld but she wasn't at the Lair of The Elder Witches so she had to start walking so she could find her way there and speak to the Queen.
For some reason that she couldn't quite understand, the Underworld looked somewhat different from the last time she was there. Something about the aura was just darker and more sinister than it normally should have been and even she felt scared to be here which wasn't normal.
She walked a few more miles before she could see a bridge to the other side just up ahead. She recognized the bridge and remembered that the last time she was there, she appeared on the other side of that bridge and Moriah had told her that on this side was Constance's prison.
"I arrived on the other side," she said in the realization that she was in a portion of Hell that was specifically made to house one of the worst Witches in history; the Witch whose powers Peace inherited.
Peace could either walk to the bridge and cross over to the other side and go find the Elder Witches OR she could stay on this side and go see Constance. She didn't have the time nor did she need to see Constance again but she couldn't help herself. She still felt a connection with Constance and felt this unbearable urge to confront her, even if it was just for a few minutes. She needed some closure because the last time she and Constance were in the same room, so many unforgettable things happened.
She walked toward the construct that was sure to be the prison Constance was locked in and when she got to the entrance, she stopped. She could hear someone whispering to her, urging her to come in and her guess was that it was Constance calling her. The Witch was powerless in there and Peace was just a manifestation of her mind here. She was not in any danger, she reminded herself. She took a deep breath and walked into the prison, ready to face Constance one more time.
******
Maximus finally went back into the mansion and when he did, Aliyah was already waiting for him with her injury kit. He gestured at her to follow him to his bedroom where she would see to his wounds and she followed.
The others were there also and were watching the news about what was happening all over town. It was chaotic and they couldn't wait for the sun to come out because that would cause things to slow down a little, at least for the hours the sun is up.
"You take care of him, babe," Jess said to Aliyah as she went up with Maximus.
He was dripping wet from swimming in the lake and so when he got to his room, he took off the blanket and went into his closet to put on some boxers and grab a towel to dry himself.
"Are you feeling okay, Max?" Aliyah asked as her Alpha searched through his closet, naked in front of her.
"I'll be fine. I'll just some time is all," He said and found a boxer.
He put it on and picked up a towel. He closed the closet door and went back to his chair. He wiped himself while Aliyah prepared her needles and disinfectants to sew up his wounds.
Maximus was ready for her to begin so he lay back on the armchair, looking into oblivion so she could do her thing. Aliyah began stitching him up and wanted to talk to him about what happened and get him to open up to her but she decided not to. Better to focus on healing his wounds instead of opening up the ones he was trying to close.
"My father always said to me and Gabriel that the worst feeling in the world that an Alpha could feel was the pain of not being able to protect his pack. He said nothing would hurt more than that. Now I know what he meant," Maximus said as he stared at the ceiling.
Aliyah was about to respond to what he had just said but Maximus continued speaking so she just listened.
"Leon used to tell me how amazing it was to imprint on Sasha. He spoke about the sensations and the feeling he had when it first happened. He also mentioned the pain and anguish he felt when he was separated from her. I felt the first one and it was just as amazing as he described. Now, I can feel the second one and it hurts even more than he told me, maybe because my separation from Allison is a permanent one.
"He was a good friend and an incredible werewolf. He was loyal and strong. Did I ever tell you about the day he helped me fight some Fire-hounds on a moving bus?" Maximus asked Aliyah with a little smile on his face as he relived the memory.
"You never did," she replied.
"Would you like to hear it? I promise it's a good story," He said playfully.
"Of course! Tell me all about it," Aliyah replied.
