15. Maeve
15
MAEVE
“ M aeve, this is Ari and Alvie,” Atticus says. I turn and see a gorgeous, tall woman, standing with an even taller male. They’re both elephant shifters, and I am so fucking excited about that, even if the expression on the man is not the most welcoming.
Ari’s got dark blonde hair with a slight wave to it. She’s wearing a gorgeous bow at the top, adding a feminine touch to her outfit of mud-stained dungarees and boots.
There’s a genuine smile on her face and an almost glow to her.
The man at her side is dressed in dark clothes, and his scent is buried under the smell of earth and florals. He must have been in the garden with Ari, even if he wasn’t taking part.
His expression suggests he’d rather be anywhere but here. Honestly, he seems like a dick, but the moment his eyes fall to Ari, they soften. They’re not bonded, and I can’t sense a potential mate bond between them.
He absolutely adores her, though.
That much is clear.
“It’s so lovely to meet you,” Ari says with a grin. “Nora’s been blowing my phone up about your arrival.”
“That’s… nice.” I try to smile at Ari in return, but I’m just feeling drained and panicked. I’ve been here now for an hour or two, and I’ve still not recovered from the events of today.
A stalker’s note.
Drugging myself to sleep.
Orson’s vile touch.
Murder.
A brand new alpha.
I just can’t cope, and if I’ve got to continue pretending that I’m normal and can function, then I will.
But it’s sapping my energy so fucking fast.
“What did you want us here for, Alpha?” Alvie asks. His voice is smooth and strongly northern, just like the people in the pride.
“We’re wondering if Maeve could stay with you for the night,” Atticus says, giving Ari a soft look. “This is her first time leaving the compound and being in a regular pride, and we think you might be able to help her feel comfortable.”
“Absolutely,” Ari says, her grin still in place.
“Not a fucking chance,” Alvie says firmly. He lowers his head in submission, not wanting to anger the alpha lion. “Sorry, Alpha, but I’ve already heard what happened at the docks. I refuse to let Ari get caught up in that.”
Well, that fucking hurts. I mean, it’s understandable. He’s got it bad for her—willing to go against what his alpha’s wants just to keep her safe—and in his position, I also wouldn’t want someone like me around her.
That doesn’t mean it’s not hurtful.
“Excuse me?” Ari demands, whirling to face the elephant shifter. “You are my security, but you are not my boss. It’s your job to deal with the security threats that my decisions create— not dictate whether I get to do something or not. So get that straight in your mind, Alvie.
“Maeve will absolutely be staying with me for the night, or however long she wants to, and you will figure out how to deal with that or it’ll no longer be your job.”
Alvie clenches his jaw and looks over at Atticus. The alpha lion is amused.
“Maeve will have her own security team, but I’ve not yet organised it,” Atticus says. “I’m hoping for the night that you, Caspian, and Wade will manage to keep an eye on the property, and one of you can bring her back over here tomorrow.”
“Why do you need security?” I ask, and every eye darts to me. Alvie is annoyed, Ari is ashamed, and Atticus is hard to read.
“Ari’s a rare elephant shifter who has had some dangerous threats against her life,” Atticus says very diplomatically.
“Do we need to be here for this?” Ari asks, giving me a hesitant smile.
“Not unless you want to know what the plans are,” Atticus says, looking at me. Ari’s already bouncing on her toes, her eagerness to leave extremely clear.
It doesn’t matter even if I do want to stay. It’s easier to agree than to upset the girl who is letting me stay with her.
Don’t bite the hand that’s feeding you and all.
“ H ave the best time together,” Nora says, a pretty pout on her face. “I’ll expect texts and updates. I’m so gutted that I can’t be here to help you settle in.”
“I’m not,” I reply with a shrug. Ari groans, as Nora laughs.
We’ve spent the last hour together as Atticus deals with informing Alvie of the situation with me. I don’t know what he’s shared, and I don’t care to know.
I’ve met a few more of Nora’s mates, and thankfully, they stayed away for the most part. It was nice to chat with them, but even more interesting to observe the dynamic between the girls.
They’re nice. Friendly.
So much better than I am.
“We’ll text,” Ari reassures, giving Nora a big squeeze. She ignores the way that Alvie clears his throat, clearly trying to rush us along.
Orson’s grumpily standing at the doorway to the house, glowering at me in a way that’s not intimidating at all . I meet his gaze with a glare of my own.
Prick.
But, eventually, we leave the alpha’s home, and I’m in the back seat of a car with Ari.
“Caspian and Wade will drop by to introduce themselves to you tonight if you’d like,” Ari offers, turning to face me.
I scrunch my face up, and she laughs.
“I’ll let them wait until tomorrow, then. What do you want for dinner?”
“Oh, don’t worry—” I start, and she snorts.
“I’m pregnant, Maeve. I’m already starving. I’m going to order us some food because you need to eat as well.”
“Is this an elephant trait or a motherly one?” I mutter, and she laughs once more.
“We’re going to get along brilliantly,” Ari says with a big smile.
I’m not sure if I want that, but it’s hard to dim her excitement. She’s kind, warm, and glowing . And I’m just a pit of darkness.
Alvie’s eyes flit to Ari’s at least eighteen times in the fifteen minute drive, but the elephant by my side is either unaware or ignoring him on purpose. I file it away, their interactions together so intriguing.
They’re playing some kind of game together, the dynamics still too hard to figure out. They’re interesting, though.
He pulls up at a large building, right at the front. The shrubbery on the outside is well kept, and as the doors open, a man steps out.
He’s wearing a uniform, maybe for this place, maybe not, I have no idea. But he doesn’t approach the car. Alvie shuts off the engine and climbs out, moving straight to Ari’s side to open her door.
She refuses his hand out, and I quickly escape my own door before he can try that shit with me. Alvie grabs my suitcase and hands his car keys to the man.
Oh. Valet.
Weird.
“I know, the fanciness of this place surprised me, too,” Ari says with a twinkling laugh as we follow Alvie inside the building.
“This is one of the safest buildings we have,” Alvie says, leading us to the lift. “Nobody who isn’t registered to be here will be permitted entry, and the enforcers will be immediately notified that somebody tried. They’re managed directly by the alpha and his inner circle.”
“I see,” I say quietly. “Why would anyone try to come here?”
“There’s a few important people here,” Ari says with a shrug. “And me.”
Alvie growls low under his throat just as the doors to the lift open. I give him a surprised look, but he’s focused on Ari with such an intense glower that I don’t bother saying a word.
“And now me,” I say with a smirk.
She grins at me. “It’s a nice building, to be honest. None of our neighbours care about me enough to ever chat, which is great, unless we run out of milk.”
“Good thing you’ll make your own soon.”
Alvie pales, and Ari snorts, crossing her legs as she laughs. My smirk deepens. Something in the air between them crackles, but Ari keeps it light.
I really do think I’ll like Ari.
Even if it means putting up with her shitty entourage.
“So where do you live?” I ask, looking over to Alvie once Ari finally calms down.
“We’re in the building, too,” he says, and his tone of voice is so matter of fact I almost feel stupid for asking. “Caspian’s at the top, and Wade is on the ground floor. I’m on the same as the two of you, and that’s our communal base as well.”
“Right.” Great. Can’t wait to have them hovering around us all of the time.
That’s not scary or anything. No fleeing for me.
The lifts open up on the sixth floor, and Ari and I step out after Alvie nods. He seems to be taking this safety thing far too seriously for my liking, but I suppose he’s protecting precious cargo—Ari and her baby.
I’m just the dead weight he’s stuck with and can’t wait to cut free.
“There’s a security system on your flat,” he says, keying in a code at the door before swiping what looks like a debit card. “The only people with one of these cards is Ari and us on security. If this does become a long-term stay, we’ll get you one issued.”
I nod, my mind starting to shut down now, and the information is overloading me a little. I can feel my stomach clenching, my body begging me for some time to rest. There’s no time for that yet, but my breakdown is imminent.
Alvie opens the door and flicks on a switch right in the passageway before Ari barges past him.
“Come on,” she says, and Alvie dutifully steps out of my way so we won’t touch even accidentally.
He places my suitcase down for me to grab on my way past.
“Caspian has already done a sweep of the flat,” Alvie says. “Now, I shall leave you girls alone. Please text me when you’re ready for your food order, and I’ll bring it up.”
“Thanks.” Ari waves, and then shuts the door behind him without even a goodbye. My jaw drops, and she shrugs at me.
The guy is practically tripping over himself to make sure Ari’s okay, but she brushes him off like he’s offering her cold tea. It’s like watching a dog try to impress a cat who couldn’t care less, and it’s quite amusing.
Well, probably not for him.
“What?” There’s a confused expression on her face, and I don’t know how to even voice what my struggles are.
“You can tell me,” she says, waggling her brows. “We’re friends. Or at least, we eventually will be, once I can force you into accepting me.”
I roll my eyes. “You don’t need to be my friend just because Nora and Atticus have practically decreed it.”
Now it’s Ari who rolls her eyes. “I want to be your friend. Not because Nora or Atticus have forced it, but because I think we’d be good friends. I know quite a bit about mythicals, without being one, so I can understand a little about the way you’ve lived.”
“I was in a normal pack before I was sent to the compound,” I say, only slightly lying. Sure, my pack was a criminal pack full of criminals , but that doesn’t mean we weren’t normal.
Even if we were kind of abnormal.
“Oh, I didn’t know that! Interesting. But, still, you can be my connection to the home I had to leave behind, then,” she says, smiling at me. “Let me be selfish and make you be my friend for that reason.”
“Fine.”
“Don’t sound so reluctant, Maevy-baby,” she teases. “We’ll be good friends soon enough. But for now, let me show you around so that we don’t just stand in the doorway all night. I really am hungry.”
I nod and let her lead me around the extremely large flat. Ari’s energy is infectious, and despite myself, I start to relax.
When she warned me we live in a flat, I was expecting something small and dingy, but I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised about the luxury of it after seeing the foyer.
There’s three bedrooms in the flat, and the one I’ve claimed as mine is slightly bigger than my bedroom at the embassy. It has a four-poster bed in the centre, with no bedsheets on. The mattress is brand new and still has the covering on it, so I’m pretty happy.
We’ve got two bathrooms, one with a bath and one with a shower, along with a good-sized kitchen.
Ari’s got quite a few plants dotted around, some I don’t recognise, and it causes our flat to have a beautiful fresh and floral scent. I like it, especially since it overrides any other kind of scent that may come from the furniture.
There’s a kind of small library and a decent-sized study, which Ari hasn’t set up for herself. There’s a few cozy nooks around the place as well, which I really love. It feels like someone with a lot of love and care has created it.
But the place is mostly bare of any clutter or personal objects, so it’s been harder to get a feel for Ari in her home environment.
I love the place and hope that even when I have to leave here that I get to stay somewhere similar. It’s nice.
Luxurious, warm, and cozy .
“Is pizza good with you?” Ari asks, and I nod my head, giving her my order. “Go get yourself settled, then we can eat together.”
“Sounds good.”
It sounds fucking awful, but I force a smile. The entire meeting with my new alpha and his mate zapped the little energy I had, and each interaction I’ve had since then has sent me further into the negatives.
I want nothing more than to collapse in bed and silently let myself break down so I can put this shitty day behind me.
But Ari’s offering me kindness, and I refuse to be a bitch. Even if I really, really want to.
I drag my suitcase into my bedroom. I’m glad I had the foresight to pack some bedding, as I knew the ones that were here wouldn’t be suited for my needs.
I quickly make up my new bed, a little frustrated that I didn’t pack my pillows from home. I’ll order some once I’m settled in my own place, though.
I can’t bring myself to shower, even if I should, to rid myself of Orson’s touch. But I can’t have another thing touching my skin right now.
Another thing that will force me back into the night I’m trying so hard to forget.
So, instead, I rifle through my suitcase for my pyjamas and swap my dress out for the pyjama dress instead. I brush my hair and plait it before running out of tasks to delay.
With a heaving sigh, I leave my room to go and find Ari. She’s in the living room, on the large sofa, eating the chocolates she was describing earlier.
Another weird thing between her and Alvie. He’s sending her gifts every single day, and she’s both annoyed by them but also excited. I don’t get the dynamic.
“Feel better?” she asks, and I shrug. “Are any of these seats going to be okay? I can grab a stool for you, or we can maybe?—”
“I’ll try this one,” I say, looking at the large arm chair. There’s no decorative pillow on it, and it doesn’t look awful. I’d like to feel it out and see if the texture would be okay before taking the leap to sitting down.
The last thing I need is another anxiety-inducing situation, but Ari is already looking at me like I’m pathetic.
So, instead, I just sit down and let myself adjust to the feeling of the fabric against my thighs. It’s not itchy, not dry. It’s kind of comfortable.
I don’t love it, but it’s not the worst thing I’ve ever sat on.
“You good?” she asks, and despite her weird expression, there’s no judgement on her face.
Her phone buzzes, and she moves over to answer the door, giving me time to get more comfortable in the seat before she returns with food. The pizza smells heavenly, and I realise I’ve not eaten since breakfast.
Fuck me.
She hands me my box, not bothering with plates, before joining me on the sofa. The TV is already on, and it’s nice sitting and eating together.
Weird, since we barely know each other, but nice.
“So, Nora mentioned that you and I might have some familiar feelings about Tarun Graves,” I mention, and Ari lets out a heavy sigh. “Touchy subject?”
“Well, he and his entire herd were my fated mates, and after spending my very first heat with me, they decided to reject me,” she says before rubbing her tummy. “Reject us .”
Holy fucking shit. My heart cracks, my chromius whining at the amount of pain that Ari must have gone through—must still be going through. She was rejected by her fated mates whilst pregnant with their calf.
Fuck me, I struggle after a heat to rebalance after the flood of hormones.
To add pregnancy hormones and rejected pain onto that…. She’s one of the strongest women I have ever fucking known. I can barely handle my own shit, and she’s carrying a whole damn weight of it on her shoulders.
Her icy grey eyes fill with a watery sheen as she turns her head to the screen to avoid looking at me.
She could’ve pushed it to the side or told me it was a touchy subject, and I’d have let it lie. But she didn’t. Ari opened up and told me the truth, and it’s endearing.
She seems to trust me, even just a little bit.
Yet, I sit here as an absolute burden on her life. I’m a mess, taking up space in her home, and she’s been nothing but kind to me.
I’m a broken burden.
A filthy mess.
A disgusting excuse for a person.
I don’t deserve her kindness. Hell, I’m half-torn between rubbing my hands together in glee at the thought of telling Adrian how much his darling nephew has fucked up and ignoring my phobia of touch to try and give her a hug.
Then again, I’d much rather gut the pathetic, shrivelling fucker myself for not only harming his fated mate but for not caring enough about her to see her through her heat properly.
There’s not a chance that Tarun and his entire heard never once considered the chance of a pregnancy resulting from their shared heat, so how the fuck none of them haven’t bothered to check up is beyond me.
Fucking hell, the fact that they even made it through the heat without marking her is practically impossible in that of itself.
Something is sketchy here.
It’s probably Tarun. The little fucker that he is. It always comes down to a Graves man fucking up someone’s life, who truly doesn’t deserve it.
“He rejected you?” I ask, and Ari nods once. She doesn’t look at me, instead shovelling a piece of the brownie she ordered as a side to her pizza into her mouth like her life depends on it.
I don’t blame her. They’re not as heavenly as Orson’s ones, but it’s so gooey. It’s a good excuse to not have to talk.
“You know, I never could’ve imagined him doing that,” I say, looking at the TV screen instead of her. “I’ve only met him a few times, and I absolutely hate the man, mostly because he’s Adrian’s relative, but I always thought he’d adore his mate.”
Tarun’s so duty-bound, I thought he’d worship the ground she walked on. It doesn’t make any sense.
“Are you trying to make me feel better here?” Ari asks, raising her eyebrow at me.
I grimace. “Sorry. I’m not very good at that part of the friendship you’re forcing on me.”
She laughs—a low, husky sound. “Don’t worry about it. I never expected it from them, either.”
“Who are the others again?” I ask.
“Will you know them?” she asks. “They’re normal elephants.”
“You know, you said that so bitterly as if it was a bad thing,” I say, turning to face her now. “But you have no idea how excited I was to hear that you were an elephant shifter. Hell, to know that you have a giraffe as one of your security members.”
She tilts her head. “I thought you lived in a normal pack.”
“I did. We only had wolves there, outside of my parents and I,” I reply, and she narrows her eyes.
“Does Atticus know that?”
I shrug. “No idea. Adrian does. Why?”
“Nora’s a wolf, and we don’t have many here. She’d like the chance to be able to talk to someone who can relate to what it was like growing up there,” she replies.
“So, coincidental, then,” I say, thinking about how it really is. Fate has got a twisted sense of humour. Of course, I’d end up here, of all places. “But, anyways, if you ever want to shift for me, I’d be fully down for that.”
Ari laughs. “Let’s make a date of it, then. I’d love to see you shift. I’ve never seen a chameleon shifter before—normal or mythical.”
“Sorry, hate to burst your bubble, but I’m a chromius with haphephobia.”
“I understood none of that.” Her eyes widen as she brings her legs up underneath her.
“What do you mean?” I ask, tilting my head.
“Your words, babe. What is a chromius? What’s a half a phobia?” she says.
“Haphephobia,” I enunciate. “Is a fear of touch. It’s not just that I don’t like it, but I truly cannot do it.”
“Oh. I thought you just had a sensory processing disorder,” she says.
“That’s a term that has been floated around, but it goes deeper than that,” I murmur. “And a chromius is the type of mythical chameleon that I am. I don’t have my own form, despite having the presence of my chromius, until I mate.”
“And then what do you become?” she asks eagerly.
“Whatever my mate is.” I shrug, getting more comfortable on this arm chair. “But for a chromius to find their mate, they need to touch .”
“Oh, fuck,” she utters, and I give her a grim smile. “Well, if it helps, I’m in a fucked up mating position, too.”
“Okay, I’m so glad you brought this up because I’ve been judging all night.”
She snorts. “Don’t worry, you were not subtle. Alvie wants to be my mate, and my elephant is open to letting us see.”
“How do elephants find their mates?”
“It’s normally through a specific courting ritual,” she says. “So, it was weird with Tarun and the herd because we had known each other for years when I was younger, there were numerous moments where they engaged in the courting rituals, but it was before I could find my mate.”
“But your elephant still counted them,” I say, and she nods.
“They were absent from our compound from a month before my eighteenth, and then seven years later they return, and we realise we’re mates,” she says, and my eyes narrow.
The timeline doesn’t sit right with me. I’ve seen Tarun multiple times during the times that he was absent from her compound, unfortunately. It’s not like he was on a case or busy.
He was clearly avoiding her. It just doesn’t make sense as to why .
I wish I knew the fucker better than I do, so I could give Ari some clarity.
And you know, arrange for his murder.
“I have my heat a week later, then they reject me once I’m fully myself,” she says with a shrug. “Alvie and I… we met once I arrived here, and we were instantly connected. My elephant wants a mate for our child, but she won’t accept Alvie until he goes through every single hoop.”
“And what kinds of things does he need to do?”
“Courting rituals. He’s got to prove he can care for me and my elephant, that he can keep up with us, that even without my attention, his won’t waver. He needs to prove he can keep me safe and that he can… well…”
“Something sexual, I’m presuming?” I ask, and she blushes deeper but nods.
“At the moment, he’s my permanent guard, and he’s sending me gifts each day. They’re all things he thinks I might like, and they’re expensive delicacies. It’s really fucking annoying.”
“Meh, getting a man to buy you chocolate on the daily, whilst being able to ignore him, is one of my dreams,” I reply.
She snorts, and I rest my head on the back of the chair. “So, what’s your drama?”
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“Why have you left the compound? It’s meant to be beautiful there.”
“A beautiful prison run by a dictator with an obsession towards me,” I mutter, and she freezes. “Adrian Graves is my legal guardian, and he’s ruining my life. He’s a prick, and I fucking hated every single moment of living on that compound.”
“Okay, then. Rough subject?”
I groan. “I’ve got my own weird mating situation. Julian Graves has declared us mates.”
“What?” she demands, sitting up. “You’ve let me whine about Tarun, whilst holding that in your back fucking pocket! Julian! Wow. The pegasus, yeah?”
I nod. “We’re not mates. It’s just some shitty ploy from Adrian in an effort to control me. But Julian’s been… I don’t know. I’m glad to be away from there.”
“We’re not done talking about this,” she warns, and I groan. Great, another thing to unpack later. “But I can see you’re wrecked. Go to bed, and we can talk over breakfast.”
“Are you sure?” I ask, and she nods.
“Um, just so you know, I sleep with noise-cancelling headphones on,” she says.
I frown. “Why?”
A nervous expression flits across her face before she smooths her expression out. “I just can’t sleep with all the noises.”
“Fair enough.” Works for me—means I can cry myself to sleep without worrying about her hearing it.
“I’ll set the security alarm, and it will flash and siren if anything goes off,” she says. “Not that it would go off, but on the random off chance, I didn’t want you panicking.”
“I mean, if a security alarm goes off in the middle of the night, I absolutely will panic, but you know.”
She laughs so freely, and I’m low-key quite jealous of the ability. “I meant with the flashing lights. We added that feature so I’d wake up, since I’d not hear the siren.”
“Makes sense. See you in the morning.”
I trudge through to the bedroom, not bothering to turn the light on, before getting into my bed.
I thought my panic would finally consume me once I got alone. I was bracing for it, really.
But it seems I’m too drained to do anything but sleep.
Lucky me.