raiden

When we return home, waiting at the border for us is Alphas Tatum, Gray, and Luna Quinn. We file out of the car and Beta Gaius looks around confused.

"If you're here then Onyx is too right? Where is he?" He asks Luna Quinn.

Her face breaks out into a big grin. "He's with Cloud," she tells him, causing my ears to perk up. She turns to me with an excited expression on her face. "They went to see your sister. She's woken up!"

Maia?

Maia's awake?

My heart begins to pound faster. Did she want to see me? Was she okay? Was she still in pain?

"Well, don't just stand there!" The luna says. "Go see her, we can get the information we need from Gaius and Nara!"

As scared as I was, I needed to go see her. Especially after everything she did for me. So I look over at the five of them gratefully.

"Thank you!"

Taking off, I race through the pack lands and to the hospital. I ignore the strange looks I get from a few of the stragglers out. She was finally awake! It would've been faster if I had shifted or taken the car but my mind was in overdrive.

How long had she been up for?

When was she going to be able to get out?

Maybe I was getting ahead of myself, but I couldn't help it! Maia and I may not have the best relationship, but she is my sister and I didn't want to lose her now or anything soon.

A wide smile broke out on my face when the building came into view. Pushing the door open, I rush in. The man sitting at the front desk looks at me and I quickly tell him that I'm here to visit Maia. He smiles and directs me to her room, not that I needed it. I race down the hall—well, as fast as I could with it being a hospital—and push the door to Maia's room open. Her eyes find mine and without thinking, I quickly move and pull her into a hug.

"You had me so fucking worried," I scold. "I didn't know if you'd be okay!"

The room around us clears out but neither of us pays it any attention.

"I'm okay now. It's gonna take more than just Alpha Demos to kill me," she jokes. "I still have things I need to do. Can't die yet."

"Things like what?"

"Things like apologizing to you first of all," she admits, her eyes meeting mine. "I'm sorry Raiden for how I've been these last couple of years. You needed me to be on your side and I betrayed you."

I shake my head. "That doesn't matter—"

"It does," she interrupts. "It does matter. You matter, Raiden and so does your happiness. You said multiple times that you were happy with Cloud and we just ignored you. I'm sorry."

"What—what brought this on?"

Maia sighs. "Nearly dying really does things to you. I didn't want to die knowing that our relationship was still so strained. I didn't want to die knowing that I still haven't lived my life to the fullest," she looks up. "I'm leaving Hopper."

Now. It's my eyebrows that raise. "You are? For real?"

Maia nods. "Somewhere out there, I have a real mate. It's time that I go and find them."

"I'm happy for you," I admit to her.

"And I am for you as well," she tells me. "How are you and Cloud?"

"We're..." I trail off. "We're fighting right now, but I'm going to talk to him about it today."

Maia raises an eyebrow. "So why are you still here?"

"I—"

"No excuses," she shakes her head, a small smile playing on her lips. "You can come to see me later. Trust me, I'm not going anywhere anytime soon."

I open my mouth to argue, but stop and nod instead. "Thank you," I tell her with a smile of my own.

Standing up, I leave the room and spot Cloud right outside the building. I walk toward him and his eyes turn to face me. The anger and awkwardness that had been there for the last few days are gone and, to my surprise, he pulls me closer to him and into a kiss. When my surprise disappears, I return the gesture, not caring who is around us or what they think. After feeling so distant from each other, it was long overdue.

When we pull away, I grab Cloud's hand and intertwine our fingers.

"I think it's about time you and I sit down and talk."

Cloud doesn't argue, attempt to pull away, or do anything else. He simply nods and says, "let's go home."