Despite Everything She Did?

Maverick POV:

I stared at Maggie’s face bruised, swollen, and lifeless in a way that made my chest clench. I felt like a damn failure. I’d sworn to protect her, to always be there, but when she needed me most, I was gone.

“Are you okay?” I asked quietly.

She gave the faintest nod. Her eyes, usually so bright, looked hollow. No spark, no fight, just silence. That broke me more than anything else.

I turned my attention to Mason, my Alpha. His presence alone made my jaw tighten.

“What the hell happened?” My voice came out sharp, demanding. The room stilled. They knew what it meant when I got like this. Everyone did and Mason he especially knew not to test me when it came to Maggie.

He looked away for a moment, then back at me. “You’re back,” he said awkwardly. “How was it?”

“Don’t play dumb,” I snapped. “What did you do to her?”

He didn’t flinch. “Ask her,” he said flatly. “She tried to kill me.”

I blinked. “What?”

“She poisoned me,” he continued. “After I rejected her. Said she couldn’t take it. Cheated on me, too. I’ve got proof. So I unmarked her, stripped her of Luna status, and took Chizzy as my mate.”

I stood there in stunned silence. I wanted to be happy, I really did—he’d finally let her go. But not like this. Not after beating her down like some stray dog. And Chizzy? Her best friend? That just made it worse.

“She gave everything to you,” I said, barely controlling the anger rising in my chest. “Years of loyalty, love, sacrifice. And you dumped her like trash? Are you insane?”

“Watch your tone,” Jack, the pack beta, cut in.

I shot him a look that made him take a step back. “You don’t get to tell me anything.”

One of the younger warriors scoffed. “She’s just a slave, anyway. Alpha should’ve done more than slap her. Should’ve tossed her out sooner.”

I froze.

“You slapped her?” My voice dropped, tight with rage. I closed my eyes for a second, trying to steady myself.

“Maverick, stop.” Maggie’s voice was hoarse, soft cut through the storm in my head. I turned to look at her. She was shaking.

“They’re not worth it,” she said, barely audible. “Let it go.”

She reached for the corner of my shirt. Her hands trembled. I wanted to hold her so badly, to tell her she’d be okay…but I knew if I touched her now, I’d never let go.

“You’re pathetic,” I growled at the rest of them. “All of you. Look at her. Look at what you’ve done. Even you, Mason..you’re no Alpha. You’re just a coward hiding behind betrayal.”

Mason stiffened. “You’ve always protected her, Maverick. But now, it’s time to choose. Your pack or the woman who’s no longer Luna.”

Without hesitation, I stepped forward.

“I, Gamma Maverick, protector of Luna Maggie, vow to follow my Luna for life. My vow shall never be broken.”

 Everyone on the ground was shocked to hear him say that.

“You’ve made your choice,” Mason said bitterly.

“Yeah,” I muttered. “And you’ll regret yours.”

I turned back to Maggie. Her eyes widened, as she was still in disbelief that I could stand up from her.

“Why?” she asked.

I smiled softly. “You’ll understand eventually.”

As we walked out of the packhouse, the silence felt deafening. I could hear whispers behind us mocking, cruel words like knives in my back.“She can’t even bear children, and she’s a cheat?”

“She was always a mistake.”

“Why'd Gamma follow her? Stupid, really.”

Maggie didn’t say anything. She kept her head down, but I saw her jaw tighten. She was holding it together, barely.

I wanted to scream at them. I wanted to rip every last one of them apart. But I knew that wasn’t what she needed right now.

Outside, the cold air hit us, and Maggie slowed.

“I saw them,” she murmured suddenly. “Mason and Chizzy. In our room. They were… together.”

That was the missing piece.

“I asked him why,” she went on, voice trembling. “If it was because I couldn’t give him a child, or if he ever loved me at all. He just said, ‘Who would want someone like you?’” She laughed bitterly. “Then he collapsed. Right there in front of me, Chizzy screamed, called the guards, and said I poisoned him.”

I was speechless. So that’s how it went down.

“I didn’t even know what was happening. One minute I was arguing with him, and the next I was being dragged out, accused of murder. They didn’t even ask questions.” Her hand instinctively went to her stomach. “I was so scared. For my baby.”

I glanced over at her. “Your baby?… You have a baby?”

She nodded. “The healer said I was lucky.”..."Thank the Moon Goddess,” I whispered.

She fell quiet again, and for a while we just walked, the path ahead empty, the past burning behind us.

“I always thought if I just loved him enough, gave everything… he’d see me,” she said after a while. “But he never did, did he?”

“No,” I admitted. “He never deserved you.”

We stopped near the forest edge, far from the sneering pack.

“I don’t know where to go,” she whispered. “I have no one.”

“You have me,” I said without thinking. “I know I’m not him. But I’m not going anywhere.”

She looked up at me, searching my face for something. Trust maybe. Hope.

“Why did you always protect me?” she asked again.

I hesitated. My heart thudded hard. “Because you’re my mate.”

She blinked. “What?”

“I knew the moment I met you. But you were already his. I didn’t want to mess that up. So I stayed silent. I just wanted you to be happy. Even if it killed me.”

She stared at me, stunned. Then she looked away.

“I don’t know what to say,” she murmured.

“You don’t have to say anything,” I replied. “Not now. Just… let me stay with you. Until you figure out what comes next.”

She gave a tiny nod. “Okay.”

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