27. Maia
27
MAIA
“ H ow was your shower?” Topher asks, as I enter the living room. He doesn’t hide the sniff he does in the air, his lips quirking up in amusement. I roll my eyes, as he sprawls out even further on the armchair.
“Not only is that scenting thing of yours severely creepy, it’s none of your business what me, my hands, and my, well… shower do.”
“Oh, princess,” he murmurs, rising from the chair he was sitting in to stride over to me. My nerves light up in anticipation, and he doesn’t disappoint.
Topher comes to a stop right in front of me, gently cupping my cheek in his hand, the familiar sparks indicating our bond flying between us. They set the tone.
But the softness of his touch does not match the intensity in his gaze, the pure heat that seems to be leaking out of him.
“Everything about you and your pleasure concerns me,” he says with a smirk. He lowers his head forward and presses a gentle kiss to my lips. I sigh into it, loving the familiarity as his lips brush against mine.
I take every offered kiss, and then more. When we pull apart, I’m breathless, and he’s grinning .
“Now, Seb is handling our little... friend, and the other two will be back soon enough. Help me cook?”
“ Can you cook?” I raise an eyebrow, my tone showing my humour, as I look him up and down. He claims to have talented hands, but I’ve seen no evidence of that.
He laughs. “You’d doubt me?”
“Considering you’re the only one who I’ve never seen cook in the entire seven weeks I’ve lived here...” I trail off and laugh at the outrage that flashes across his face.
The conversation of me moving out came up a couple of weeks ago, but it was shut down almost immediately. I didn’t try to put up much of an argument if I’m being honest with myself.
I like it here. Despite the break in, and the visits, it still feels safer than my home. There’s a warmth in the walls, a level of safety that I’ve never felt since I lost my parents.
“Hm, I definitely think that this is another area where you’re all talk.” My words are flirty, my grin teasing, but like his, I have no doubt my eyes are filled with the same desire.
His eyes darken, a dangerous, but playful aura emanating from him as he growls out, “You think I’m all talk?”
I bite my lip, my eyes darting over to where Phoebe is asleep in her crib, and I nod my head. At the shock on his face, I laugh and dart away from him, heading through to the kitchen.
It’s nice and clean, the dishes all dry on the drainer from where I washed them earlier on. There’s a hint of lemon and bleach from where I had scrubbed at the tiles, but the entire room gleams and glistens.
As expected, Topher is hot on my heels, and I never really thought my escape through. I dart around the island, grinning at him as he enters the room. Exhilaration fills me at the predatory expression on his face.
The shadows from the lighting fill his face, adding an edge of danger to the situation .
But my brain knows exactly who this man is. We don’t fear him— any of them— not any more.
Their predatory nature is there to protect me, not hurt me.
“What do you plan on doing now, baby?”
My heart flutters, and I glance at the back door, wondering if I’ve got the time to get that open before he can catch up.
“Try it,” he encourages, and whilst the enthusiasm should be a good sign… it’s clearly a trap.
I shake my head, clutching the table. “I think maybe?—”
“No time for maybe’s,” he says before lunging around the table. I shriek, giggling, as I turn to exit the kitchen.
Once more, he’s hot on my heels, not letting me escape. I gasp as he grabs me around the waist and spins around.
“Got you.” He sounds so delighted, and I relax into his hold, giggling loudly.
He presses me into the wall, slowly letting the weight of my body slide down his chest. My chest is heaving as he tucks my hair behind my ears the best he can. My curls are not contained that easily.
His arms are a cage on either side of my head, his chest close enough that I can feel the heat but far enough that I can’t feel our sparks. He’s trapped me in, and by the prideful look on his face, it’s clear he’s happy about it.
His hazel eyes seem darker with the light being blocked by his hulking body, but honestly, it could just be the level of desire he’s feeling. My tummy curls and tightens, the anticipation nearly killing me.
“Now, what other skills of mine are you doubting, princess?” His voice is low, his words practiced.
How on Earth this man is so calm, I will never know.
“Just, you know...” I feign coy as his eyes drop down to my lips before meeting my eyes. I don’t know if I’m giving off the blasé look I’m going for, but he seems into it. “You’re just a little overly... boastful . ”
“About?” He trails his finger down my cheek, my breath coming out in pants, as I don’t dare look away.
“My pleasure.”
He coughs out a laugh, and he leans his head in closer, his breath warm against my cheek, the rough scratchiness of his beard tickling me as he murmurs into my ear. “Trust me, you’ll not leave my bed without screaming my name.”
“Because it was so bad?” I giggle and press a soft kiss to his jaw as his head snaps back in shock. “Trust me , I’ll teach you how to please me so that I’ll be screaming.”
“You will?” He raises an eyebrow, and I nod eagerly. “I can take instruction, Maia, but I won’t be needing it. My skills will blow your mind.”
“We’ll see,” I taunt.
“We will .” He steps away from me, and a general chill seeps in now that he’s not touching me anymore, and I try to ignore the disappointment as the flirtatious smile disappears and a calm mask fills the place.
I tilt my head, not sure what I did to stop our conversation. Was that not… did I go too far?
“But before we can get to the good parts , we’re going to be cooking dinner so that my brothers don’t starve. Anything in particular you’re wanting to eat?”
I shake my head, spotting the envelope on the kitchen counter, and I sigh as I move over to grab it. Topher doesn’t stop me, but he, too, sighs.
“What are we going to do, Topher? We’ve got two weeks before we’ve got to be there… before they try to take her.”
“Two weeks is plenty of time,” he reassures me.
I frown. “Really? You think that two weeks is enough time to figure everything out? Don’t forget, we’ve still got the situation with your parents, too. Do we really want to try and battle both of these issues at the same time?”
Ryan’s death being a murder by his family… it’s in comprehensible, but following the clues through and figuring out the truth, getting closure for me… it’s needed.
I need to be able to know the truth.
But I can’t lose my daughter. She is everything to me, and I know that if Ryan could say, he would choose her, too. She’s the priority.
I won’t be giving her up.
“My parents aren’t going to be a battle,” he says carefully. “But, for now, put all of it out of your mind. We’ll schedule a meeting with our solicitor now that they’ve sent the summons, and we’ll formulate a plan for Phoebe. She is the priority.”
“And Ethan’s visit?” I rub my face, groaning into my hands. “Ryan?”
We’re drowning in problems.
They’re coming at us from all angles.
Fate threw me into this feuding family, and even now, weeks later, I still do not know what she wants from me. Does she expect me to heal the hurt that losing Morgan caused?
Does she expect me to sever the ties completely?
Or was my being here the catalyst into sending Phoebe back to her birth pack?
I sob, rubbing my face again, hating my brain for tormenting me.
“Breathe,” Topher demands, gently pulling my hands from my face. The pads of his thumbs brush away the fallen tears, and he squeezes my face ever so gently in a comforting move. “Get washed up. We’re making some pizzas for dinner.”
“Pizza.” I give a hysterical laugh as tears fall once more. “Our solution to all our problems is to make some pizzas?”
“Our solution could be that I bend you over my knee and paddle your ass until you let it go?” He raises an eyebrow, but I can see the faint unease in his eyes.
He drops his hands, stepping back. His light brown eyebrow is raised, his lips quirked up into a cocky smirk.
“And if I said yes?” Do I sound as hesitant as he seemed ?
I’m not sure if... no, I know that this isn’t the way I want to introduce intimacy into our relationship. The last three weeks have been filled with lust and flirtations. It’s been filled with bonding between me and the guys in a more romantic way but also a bonding between them and Phoebe.
The relationship they share with her is so beautiful when I don’t put any limitations on it.
We’re making so much progress.
But other than kisses and cuddles, we’ve not broached anything... else.
And since I got my all clear from the doctor... I’ve been a little too interested in the touches they could offer.
I look down at his clenched hands, his thick and long fingers hidden mostly from my view, and hate the full body shiver I have.
His words are husky, tortured, even . “Then we’d order in.”
I gulp and slowly walk over to the sink, avoiding all eye contact completely. I turn the tap on and run my hands under the warm water, not brave enough to turn around and see Topher’s reaction.
It seems I didn’t need to. He steps behind me and drops a gentle kiss to the top of my head, the warmth of his body relaxing mine.
“We’ve got forever, little mate,” he says, and I can’t tell whether it’s Orion or not who says it. He kisses my forehead once more, squeezing my hips, before leaving entirely.
His ability to switch between turned on and domestic startles me. I’m so envious… but also wondering if it’s as big a lie as it seems.
He strides over to the fridge and starts pulling out ingredients as I wash my hands properly with the soap. I let the water soothe the anxiety away.
I look out the window, watching the wind blow the leaves in the trees around, and just try to emanate the mostly peaceful atmosphere .
Once I’m all dry, I turn back around. There’s an array of ingredients set out on the table, and a very proud Topher stands next to them.
“We’re making our own dough for the bases,” Topher says, wiggling his brows at me. “Ready to get your hands dirty?”
I roll my eyes and laugh. “I am. But first, music. It’s not cooking if we can’t boogie.”
I walk over to the speaker in the corner and connect my phone, putting on my favourite playlist. I turn the volume down enough that we can chat without needing to raise our voices, and that hopefully even I can hear Phoebe if she stirs.
“Any more procrastinations or can we get started?” His words sound rude, but his tone is anything but. He seems eager, excited.
It’s very cute.
“Pass the scales,” I mutter, and he laughs, handing them over. The next few songs are filled with us getting to work on the dough, each of us uttering quiet commands to pass an ingredient.
I sing softly, just enjoying the presence of him as we work.
It’s soothing.
It’s nice .
Well, it was, until we got to the making of the bases. The dough is all settled, it just needs to be rolled out into circles. Does mine obey?
Of course, it doesn’t.
“You look like you’re struggling a little over there,” Topher says, and I don’t even need to look at him to know that he’s smirking. He’s got two perfect circles that look to be the exact same width all around, whilst mine is a weird triangle with super thin corners and a little mountain in the middle.
“How on Earth?” I gasp. Envy fills me as I glare at his perfect little pizzas. “That’s disgustingly cheaty.”
“Cheaty?” he mouths the word, the humour causing his lips to quirk up .
“You’re a cheater.”
He leans onto the table, and, I swear, he flutters his eyelashes. “Didn’t realise it was a competition.”
“Then you’re foolish and a cheater.”
He laughs now, no longer disguising his humour. I pout, crossing my arms as I gaze up at him. “I tried.”
“You tried very hard, princess,” he says, nodding seriously. “Let me help?”
“If you must.”
He rounds the counter and stands behind me, placing the palm of his hands to the back of mine. He puts a little bit of pressure on mine as he starts to help me knead the dough.
It’s strangely intimate, but I love the feel of him behind me.
“Perfect,” he murmurs after a few moments.
“You were, yes,” I reply, twisting around so that I’m now facing him, caged in against the table, unlike before where we were pressed against the wall.
The edge of the table presses into the middle of my back, but I don’t care as Topher’s mouth descends on mine. Our tongues battle for dominance, my grip on his shirt holding him close to me.
The door bangs open, disrupting Topher and I, and I dart back from him with a nervous look. That was a very aggressive entrance. My heart is pounding, and not with arousal like it was only seconds ago.
“Calm. It’s just—” he murmurs before his head snaps over to the doorway, and he charges away from me with a deep growl.
“What’s going on?” I shout just as Phoebe starts to cry. Of course, we woke her.
I’m hot on Topher’s heels but come to a sudden stop as I see a bleeding, shirtless man pushing at Topher, snarling as he tries to get past him. Phoebe is crying in her crib, and I’m frozen.
One of the Wolfe brothers— one of my mates— is hurt. Seb is shirtless, blood dripping down his chest, as he glares and glowers at his older brother.
“Sit the fuck down,” Topher hisses, keeping his voice low. “You’re hurt, and I need to get to our—to Phoebe. She’s just woken up, and she’s terrified.”
“What is going on?” I whisper, my face likely pale. I move over to where the men are, and Topher gives me a nod as he murmurs an encouraging demand to sit down. I can’t understand why he’s so calm when his brother is bleeding out.
“You sort him out, I’ve got her,” he mutters, giving his brother a dirty look. “Seb’s decided to get himself injured in the pursuit of our cousin and is throwing a fit because of it.”
Tears well up in my eyes as I drop down onto the sofa next to him. Seb’s shirt is missing, and he’s got a very large scratch across his collarbone. There’s blood dripping down his chest, but there seems like a lot compared to the small wound.
It’s quite thin—maybe a centimetre and a half—but pretty deep, and the skin around it is red. Or at least, some of it is. The rest is blocked by blood, and it makes it too hard to tell.
Seb’s face is scrunched up in pain as he glares at Topher. Phoebe settles in Topher’s arms, taking that weight off my shoulders, and I turn back to Seb.
“I don’t—” I reach over, scared to touch but desperate to do so. His skin looks so angry, and I don’t know what we should do.
Should we call a doctor? A wolf doctor?
Will this… is it something that can heal on its own?
“Maia,” Kane chokes out, his bright green eyes on me as sadness fills his face. “I’m so sorry, little love. I should’ve been faster.”
“Don’t be sorry.” I can’t speak louder than this whisper, my heart pounding as I take in the gash. I don’t know if he’s hurt anywhere else. His face is blemish free, but I’m tempted to tug his jeans off and get a better look at his thighs .
Could he have been bitten? His jeans are dirty but not ripped. That’s got to be a good sign, right?
I sit on my hands, trying to hide the trembling, but also to give them some warmth. But I don’t think I’m going to settle until the blood is all gone and Seb is okay .
“I let him get away,” Kane snarls, and I flinch. Phoebe stirs, but Topher has her, offering soothing words. “I fucking had him?—”
“Language,” Topher hisses before smiling down at Phoebe. “He’s so silly, isn’t he, little wolf? Silly Seb.”
The sight of Topher using baby voices as he talks to Phoebe is adorable, but my frown is prominent as I give him a dirty look.
“Don’t be mean to Seb or Kane. They’re hurt,” I lecture, reaching out tentatively to brush Seb’s hair off his forehead. He’s not too warm, but he’s clearly not breathing very well. “He was injured , Topher.”
Topher snorts, rolling his eyes. “Oh, that’s hilarious. He’s barely got a scratch, Maia.”
“Don’t be jealous, brother,” Kane taunts with a smirk on his face. He rests his head on the back of the sofa, letting me fawn over him. “I was hurt. I’m in a lot of pain.”
“I’ll get you some meds to help,” I say, pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek. He preens under my touch. “I don’t—I can’t do anything about your chest. Should we... will it...”
“It’ll heal,” Kane soothes, turning his head to look at me. “I’d like the pain relief, though, little love. You are so nice and kind to me in my pain.” He pouts, and I give him a chaste kiss, not wanting to hurt him.
I promise I’ll be right back and rush through to the kitchen. It’s exactly how we left it. Three pizza bases all prepped and ready for their toppings, and the last bits of dough waiting to be shaped. We’ll need to get those finished before Alex and Ben get home.
That can wait, though .
I grab the pain relief tablets from the cupboard and fill up a glass with some orange juice before walking through to the living room where the brothers are engaged in a silent argument.
Phoebe is no longer in Topher’s arms and is instead in her wolf form down on the floor. She’s having the best time, and I’m trying not to think about what happened to her dirty nappy with her in this form.
That one, I’ll let the magic of the shifting forms handle.
My human brain cannot grasp the logic.
Topher is giving Seb a dirty look, and I get the feeling their argument is not going well.
Seb no longer has bright green eyes, so it’s hard for me to determine if it’s him or Kane who is in control of their body right now. I offer him the juice, but he takes the tablets dry and closes his eyes for a brief moment.
I sit back down next to him and watch Phoebe play with one of her balls. She bats it around with her paws, and then chases it, letting out excited yips as she runs. There’s no hesitation in her movements anymore, just playful energy from the pup.
She’s adorable, her grey fur catches the light in such pretty ways, and I love seeing the way she develops.
“You let him go?” Topher asks. I can’t tell if he’s annoyed or not.
“I had no choice. He got to the boundary of his pack lands,” Seb mutters. The wound on his chest has stopped bleeding now, I think, but the skin still looks raised and sensitive. I wonder if it’s possible for it to scar.
“You found him?” I ask, confused. Kane nods. “Where were you? Did you chase him from home or what?” I look over at Topher, scrunching my face up, before looking at Seb. “How did you find him?”
“I cut him off,” Kane says with a grin. “I told you, little love, this is the part I’m good at. I just followed his trail. ”
“Did he smell like his usual self?” Topher asks, and Kane gives a nod. “Well, that’s both disturbing and not.”
“Why is it disturbing?” I ask with a frown. Isn’t that a good thing, since it means that they can track him properly?
Phoebe yips, racing over to me, and howls once she’s at my feet. She jumps up on the sofa, nudging my hand as best she can, despite her tiny size. I look around, trying to find the issue, and grin when I see that her ball is stuck.
The weirdness of my life means I don’t even think this is that weird as I get up to grab it from where it got stuck underneath the arm chair.
I softly roll it for her, and she licks my arm before chasing after it once more.
Maia Blake, the human mother to a werewolf baby. Something that should be crazy but is weirdly my norm.
“Because someone should’ve noticed his scent,” Topher replies, and I startle, completely forgetting I even asked a question. “We’ll need to figure out how he got onto pack grounds and how he got here without anyone noticing because it should not be possible.”
“I’m on it,” Seb says, pushing up from the sofa. I grab his arm, giving him a dirty look.
“You’re hurt .”
“I need to protect you and Phoebe, little love,” Kane murmurs, his tone dripping with honey as he sits up properly. “You’ll stay here with her and Topher, and I’ll figure out what is going on, okay?”
“You’re hurt,” I repeat, angrily, this time.
“My wound has healed,” Seb says as Topher grabs a packet of baby wipes off the coffee table and passes them over.
“Look,” Kane says, gently wiping the blood away to reveal nothing but a thin pink line of skin. It doesn’t look anywhere near as raised or painful, and I bite my lip as he continues cleaning the blood away. “It shouldn’t take me long, okay?”
I nod tentatively. He presses a kiss to my lips before getting up with none of the pain or unease he was showing a few moments ago.
I don’t like that he’s leaving this quickly after being hurt, but I can’t deny the speed at which he has healed. He seems fine, perfect, even.
Seb lifts Phoebe from the floor, pressing a kiss to her head, and I giggle as she reaches out with her paws to try and scratch his nose.
“Get her back into her human form,” Seb says to his brother. “She wants milk.”
“So jealous of that skill,” I murmur as I get one last kiss from Seb, and he disappears.
“I’ll get her bum changed,” Topher says, giving Phoebe’s wolf a stare down, “whilst you run for a wee, and then I’ll go make you some tea whilst you feed her.”
“I don’t deserve you,” I murmur, heading through to do as he says.
I very nearly miss the words he says, but I’m so glad I didn’t.
“That’s not true, is it, little wolf? Your mama deserves the entire world, just like you.”