A month passed in the blink of an eye . Maisie had adapted well to preschool life . With no news of Calista's pregnancy for two consecutive months , the pressure from the pack elders was mounting . On the day of the full moon , Maximus returned to Silver Manor earlier than usual . By 6 PM , he was already home . Dolly was surprised . " Alpha , you're back so early today . " Maximus didn't answer . He headed straight upstairs . " When Calista returns , send her to the bedroom , " he ordered curtly . Dolly nodded , watching his figure disappear at the top of the stairs . Maximus walked directly past the study - he had no reason to go anywhere else . The only reason he came home was to try again for a child . After showering , he lay in bed waiting for Calista . Time dragged from seven o'clock to eight , then nine , but Calista still hadn't appeared . Just as his patience was wearing thin , footsteps finally sounded at the door . The door opened . Maximus flipped the light switch without thinking . The room was instantly engulfed in darkness . As he untied his robe , he said , " It's late . Let's begin . I've got things to do later . " Light from the hallway crept in , barely illuminating the figure in the doorway . Hearing Maximus's words , Dolly froze . " Alpha , it's just me , " she whispered , lingering nervously in the doorway . Maximus was momentarily stunned . Realizing his mistake , he turned the light back on and looked at Dolly , his tone laced with confusion . " She hasn't returned yet ? " Dolly shook her head , beads of sweat forming on her forehead . " Not yet , Alpha . " The air in the room grew thick with tension . Noticing Maximus's displeasure , Dolly added , " Luna usually comes home by six . Perhaps something happened tonight ? " Her voice gradually lost confidence . Maximus understood her kind intention but only replied with a terse , " Got it . " Dolly had intended to suggest he rest early , but he suddenly sat up , cutting off her words . Five minutes later , Maximus changed clothes and left Silver Manor . 11:25 Rejected by the Alpha , I Became the Pack's Queen 22.6 % Chapter 8 Dolly saw him off downstairs , a nagging sense of having forgotten something tugging at her . It wasn't until Maximus's car disappeared from sight that she remembered - Calista had mentioned leaving something in the study . Just as Maximus drove out of Silver Manor , his phone lit up - it was Vespera calling . " What's wrong ? " he answered , his expression softening unusually in the dim interior light . Vespera's voice came softly through the phone . " Maximus , I have an important performance tomorrow , but Maisie's preschool is having Family Fun Day . I don't think I can make it . " Maximus replied without hesitation , " Calista will go . " བ་ ཚ་ ཚ་ ཇ He didn't even consider asking Calista's opinion first - as always , he made the decision for her . " Thank you , " Vespera sighed with relief . " I've already talked to Maisie about it . Could you let Ms. Vance know when you have time ? " Maximus said , " Don't worry . Just focus on your performance . " Hanging up , he pulled the car over to the side of the road . After scrolling through his call list for a long time , he still couldn't find Calista's number . That's when he realized - she hadn't called him in months . For years when Calista stayed home with Maisie , she'd called every day asking if he'd be home for dinner . He only occasionally returned , just to see their daughter . Later , under pressure from the pack elders and his mother , they'd discussed having another child . After that , she still called frequently to confirm whether he was coming home . He'd often ignored her calls - either hanging up or letting the phone ring endlessly . ༨ ར་ ཚ་ རྗ But whenever he needed to contact her , her number was always easy to find in his phone . Now , though , he had to scroll to the very bottom of his call history to find it . The last call showed three months ago - Maximus couldn't even remember if he'd answered that call . Without hesitation , he dialed the number , only to hear an automated message saying the call could not go through . This had never happened before . Surprised , he tried again but got the same result . After several failed attempts , he finally gave up . Next , he tried mindlink Calista , but received no response there either . Left with no other option , he sent a text : [ Maisie has Family Fun Day at her school tomorrow . She wants you there . Willow Creek Preschool , 2 PM . ] With the message sent , Maximus drove away . He assumed Calista must be busy , which explained the missed calls . He was confident she'd see the message and take Maisie to the event . Content with this thought , he let his worries go . 11:25 ( 0 ) ( 0 ) Rejected by the Alpha , I Became the Pack's Queen 24.2 % Chapter 9 Chapter 9