I was just about to turn to leave when Maia spoke. “Actually, Isabella, I came to speak to you?”
“Me?” My eyes widened slightly. Was she about to give me a speech to stay the hell away from her son? She should know that ship has long sailed. There was nothing coming between Dimitri and I again. We’d faced the worst together and came out strong.
I glanced at Dimitri, who looked just as surprised as I felt. He nodded slightly.
“It’s fine,” I said. “We can talk in the hallway.”
We moved outside the room, and for a moment, neither of us spoke. Maia studied me with those cold, assessing eyes that had intimidated me when I was younger.
When the silence was beginning to grow uncomfortable, she finally spoke. “I owe you an apology.”
I blinked. “I’m sorry?”
“I owe you an apology, Isabella. For how I treated you six years ago. For the part I played in the rejection. For—” She paused, and something flickered in her expression. Something that might have been regret. “For everything.”
This couldn’t be real. Maia Ravencrest didn’t apologize. Didn’t admit fault. Much less to me.
“I loved my son’s father,” she continued, her voice softer now. “But Asher didn’t love me. Not really. We were paired for political reasons, for pack strength. The Mate bond was there, but it was…hollow. Empty. And I spent years trying to force something that was never meant to be.”
I stayed silent, letting her speak.
“When Asher met your mother, I saw what real love looked like. What a true Mate bond was supposed to be.” Her voice hardened. “And I hated it. Hated her. Hated what she represented—everything I didn’t have and never would. And when you came along, you just reminded me of her, of everything I couldn’t have. That’s why I pushed Dimitri to reject you. Convinced him it was his duty. That he owed it to the pack, to the family legacy. I told myself I was protecting him from making the same mistake his father made.”
“But it wasn’t a mistake, was it? What Asher and my mother had.”
“No.” Maia’s expression softened. “It wasn’t. And neither is what you and Dimitri have. I see that now. Especially after—” She gestured toward the room. “After you saved his life. After you risked everything to bring him back.”
I didn’t know what to say. Years of resentment didn’t just disappear because of one apology.
“I’m not asking for forgiveness,” Maia continued, as if reading my thoughts. “I don’t deserve it. But I am asking for a chance. To be part of my son’s life. And my granddaughter’s life. To try to be better than I was.”
“That’s up to Dimitri,” I said carefully.
“I know. But it’s also up to you. You’re his Mate. And soon, you’ll be his Luna. Luna of Garnia Pack. Your opinionmatters.” She straightened, that imperious posture returning. “So, I’m asking. Will you give me a chance to be a part of your lives?”
I thought about my teenage years. How Maia had treated me, made me feel so small, how she’d destroyed the little bit of happiness I’d found in those dark years. The cruel words. The cold dismissals. The way she’d made it clear I was nothing.
“You threatened to kill me,” I said quietly. “You despised everything about me and always took an opportunity to show that.”
“I know,” she whispered. “I was desperate. Terrified. I thought—” She stopped, shook her head. “There’s no excuse. I said and did many unforgivable things.”
“You did.” I crossed my arms. “So I’m going to need time to think about this. Because if I let you back into our lives—into my life—I need to know you’ve truly changed. I need to be certain.” My voice hardened. “I won’t let my daughter go through what I went through in your hands. I won’t let her feel small or unwanted or like she’s never good enough. Not from you. Not from anyone.”
“I understand,” Maia said softly. Something flickered in her eyes, regret, maybe, or shame. “I do.”
She was quiet for a moment, then straightened again, though this time it looked more like gathering herself than asserting dominance.
“I’m going away for a while,” she said. “After everything that’s happened, I’ve come to realize that I’ve carried so much bitterness in my heart. Being here, in this place that reminds me of Asher and my failed relationship with him—it hasn’t helped either. So I’m leaving for a bit. To work on myself. To figure out who I want to be instead of who I’ve been.”
I studied her face, looking for manipulation, for some hidden angle. But all I saw was exhaustion.
“Maybe that’s for the best,” I said carefully.
Maia nodded. “When I come back, if you’ll allow it, I hope I’ll be someone worthy of knowing my granddaughter.” She paused at the doorway. “And someone who deserves your forgiveness, even if I never receive it.”
She passed me a small smile before turning and disappearing down the hallway.
I stood there in the silence, stunned. Forgiveness was a long shot. Then there was the issue of whether I’d ever trust Maia Ravencrest.
