Helanie:
As soon as Charlotte landed at his feet, I watched Maximus get up and face her. She was looking at me, and I could tell from her expression that she was afraid to turn back and face him.
This time, though, as she got up with trembling knees, I watched her pull a large dagger from her dress. She spun around hastily, almost slicing Maximus’s arm and chest. He yelped in pain, and I could tell the dagger was coated with silver.
"No, what are you doing?" I shouted at Charlotte.
At that moment, I realized Maximus wasn’t using his full power. He could probably feel the mate bond, or the pull of it.
I also knew the reason he wasn’t attacking her was that he wasn’t fully in his senses, but deep down, he sensed that one of us was me. I had to do something to remind him it was safe to attack her.
"What the hell is wrong with you, Charlotte?" Norman screamed from outside the bars. "You shouldn’t have come here if you couldn’t handle it."
He continued yelling at her while she stepped back, shaking violently in fear of Maximus finally striking.
"And I was supposed to wait at home for him to come and kill me? After Helanie convinces him she is the mate he doesn’t want to kill?" she screamed back.
Realization hit me. All this time, when we were talking in the living room, she had been listening.
That was the first thing we needed to clear up, these women were wandering the mansion, eavesdropping on our plans, and jeopardizing everything.
I began running toward Maximus to help him realize I was the real Helanie. But when he howled, I froze, almost slipping and landing on my butt.
He strolled closer, snarling, then hunched over me. I watched him lower his face, glaring and growling under his breath.
As he approached, I lay down flat. "Maximus, it’s me, Helanie," I whispered. He bent his neck back and howled into the wind. I had to close my eyes. It was terrifying.
When he looked back at me, I quickly turned, rolled over the ground, and stepped away. This time, his grunting grew even louder.
"Oh my god, he’s going to kill us." Charlotte began to panic, dropping to her knees and hugging herself. "Somebody please open this! Who trapped us in here?" she screamed.
And I realized, this is not how you love someone. You don’t just run at the first sign of trouble.
But it was typical of Charlotte. If she had convinced herself to hurt her mother, there was no guarantee she wouldn’t do it to Maximus.
Now Maximus stood between us, howling and snarling, watching us both, probably trying to decide which one to pick first.
Then he began to rush toward Charlotte. She started shaking, but then she acted cunningly. She let out a loud scream, holding the dagger just in case she needed it.
"I am Helanie!" she screamed even louder. I noticed him slow down slightly. He could hear us, but he was confused about which one was which.
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