Capítulo 14: Maxim's Pov: Sweet Silence

Maxim was raised by the Chieftain as her own pup. Tonya showed him that everyone had kindness in their hearts, but when they misbehaved, it was because the world had failed them.

That made Maxim naive about the cruelty of the real world, but that changed when reality was drawn to him sooner or later.

Instead of learning how to fight, Maxim was taught that knowledge was the most powerful thing in the realm and he should use his time to gather enough knowledge to surpass everyone.

Even though Maxim wanted to learn basic self-defense, he was deprived. However, he started learning some moves from the book he had read but kept it a secret.

Currently, Maxim had been helping Danny plant some seeds he had bought before coming to the Forbidden Forest.

"I hope these tomatoes will grow juicy!" Maxim exclaimed as he watered them slowly.

"I wish that too," Danny replied, putting the last seeds in place. "But these soil is growing unhealthier as time goes by."

Maxim pursed his lips. He could feel the dryness of the soil even if he watered them. "It's going to be okay. I'll try to earn more—"

Danny cut Maxim while shaking his head. "You don't have to work so hard, son. I know you have your own dreams too. Your mother and I don't want to become a burden to you."

"Thank you, dad," Maxim smiled. He didn't want to argue, but he wanted his parents to have a good life even if their situation was on the edge.

Danny patted Maxim on the shoulder. "How's your preparations?" he asked, referring to shifting.

Maxim stiffened. "I don't know what kind of preparations I need to do, but I'm eating well," he replied.

"Didn't I gave you a list a few days ago?" Danny raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms.

"Haha, I haven't read them yet… But! I'm sure I'll be fine," Maxim laughed it off, showing his brightest grin.

"Alright, but don't forget to take your medicine to ease the pain a little," Danny reminded. Even though he knew the medicine was useless to begin with.

"Okay! I will! You should head back first, dad. I'll finish these off fast," Maxim stated, pushing his father playfully.

"Haha! Okay, okay. Don't take too long or the sun will burn your skin," Danny ruffled Maxim's hair before leaving hurriedly as he was thirsty from all their work since morning.

Maxim waved with a bright smile, but it dropped the moment Danny was out of sight.

"I'll become a full werewolf tomorrow, huh," Maxim sighed as he slumped back to the ground. He wasn't too excited about it since, for him, it wouldn't bring him any money.

Maxim lay on the grass, closing his eyes as he enjoyed the heat of the sun and the fresh breeze that hit his skin. That type of feeling he didn't feel inside the city.

"Ah! It's so peaceful here!" Maxim exclaimed, breathing in the fresh air. However, an image appeared in his head as if he were enjoying himself.

It was the man with a golden mask.

"Ah!" Maxim exclaimed as he sat up immediately. His heart was beating loudly in an uncomfortable way. "What the hell was that!?"

Maxim facepalmed, rubbing his cheeks in frustration. The memories of how he sucked the man's c0ck came back to him like a wave.

"UGH!" Maxim slapped himself. His heart pounded in his chest as he tried to shake off the eerie image of the man with the golden mask.

The vision had come out of nowhere, like a shadow creeping into his thoughts. Gastone rubbed his eyes, wondering if he was tired from the day's work, but the image remained vivid.

"This is getting weird. Why am I even thinking about him!?" Maxim muttered. He hurriedly finished watering the other plot, cleaned the place, and returned home as he didn't want to be alone with his thoughts.

When Maxim arrived at their house. He noticed a total silence and smelled something sweet, which was unusual. He could feel himself panicked at the thought that something had happened when he was gone.

Maxim remained silent as he hurriedly went toward the window, trying to see what was happening inside, but everything was covered in black.

'Sh^t!' Maxim cursed in his thoughts. He could feel his hands tremble at the thought that his parents were hurt.

Maxim's heart pounded as he carefully edged toward the door, his ears straining for any sound from within. The sweet scent grew stronger, its sickly aroma mixing with something more metallic, something that made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end.

'What should I do?' Maxim thought as he pressed his ear to the wooden door, his breath caught in his throat.

Even though Maxim got used to living in the dangerous city of the DarkMoon pack, it never got to the point that he needed to fight another wolf physically.

Maxim heard silence inside the house but heard several footsteps shuffling around. That made him step back since he knew he couldn't fight several wolves simultaneously, but what surprised him the most was that he couldn't smell their scents.

'Sh^t!' Maxim gritted his teeth. He wanted to run and ask for help from the other wolves, but that made him feel pathetic for being unable to save his parents when he was there.

'I need to do this!' Maxim thought as he gathered his courage. He grabbed the nearby wooden stick as his weapon and slowly reached for the doorknob, his hand shaking.

Maxim pushed the door open, the creak of the hinges echoing in the silence. "Mom… Dad?"

Inside, the house was dark. The only light came from the faint glow of the setting sun filtering through the cracks in the shutters.

Maxim could make out the furniture shapes, but nothing seemed out of place. The sweet smell was overpowering now; on top of that, he smelled the scent of a burning flame.