8. Maia
8
MAIA
“ W hat are you wearing?” Ben demands the moment I’m in his line of sight. He’s wearing a pair of pyjama pants and nothing else . His bare chest is on display, and my eyes will not move away from that blatant display of skin, covered lightly with chest hair.
Is it disrespectful to ogle the man in his own home?
I hope not.
Because I could stare at him like this all day and still struggle to recall what colour trousers he’s wearing.
His broad shoulders taper down to thick, well-defined abdominal muscles that create a trail my tongue could trace, leading to that very deep V. He’s fucking hot, and based on the grin on his face, he knows it.
My mouth practically waters. His skin is a beautiful tan that only could come from spending a lot of time outdoors—it’s more honeyed than my own, which is just my natural colour.
“Maia,” Ben calls, sounding frustrated. I can feel my cheeks heating up, and instead of looking him in the eye, I keep my gaze trained on the photo frame behind him. It’s of four light grey wolves, identical, of course, except for their eyes.
Even without the eye colour, I could point out Kane and Orion very easily here, and it wouldn’t be too hard to distinguish between Ben’s wolf and Alex’s.
You know, if it’s not too bold to assume the wolf jumping in the air to try and catch a butterfly is Ben’s wolf.
“What was the question?”
He sighs, gesturing to my chest. “What. Are. You. Wearing?”
“Oh, it’s a baby wear,” I say, hopping off the last step. Phoebe barely moves, proving she’s strapped in correctly. “This way she’s cuddled into me and can have some bonding time whilst also working on her tummy time, but I’ve got my arms free so I can do what I need to do.”
A deep frown—the V only a little smaller than that lick-able one on his stomach—forms between his light brown brows, and he crosses his arms in front of his chest. The bulging muscles causes flutters to appear in my stomach, and honestly, I am so fucking turned on.
We need some house guest rules.
At least until I get the all clear from my doctor.
“I can be your arms,” Ben offers with a cheeky smile. “I can follow you around all day and carry everything you need carried so that you don’t even need arms.”
“Um, I appreciate it—” Do I really, though?
“Amazing!” He leans in very close, and I take a step back as he tries to shove his face into my tits. Phoebe is there, inside the carrier, and I slap his chest so that he doesn’t come closer.
Sparks shoot up my arm—quite similar to those horrid electric shocks, except these are pleasant and soothing. I snatch my hand back like it was burnt, not just because of the sparks, but because his chest is so fucking warm… so so warm.
“What are you doing?” I hiss, wrapping my arms around my daughter as I give him a dirty look.
Good defence, Maia—let your anger hide your attraction.
“I was checking if she’s awake.”
“Why?” I do not understand this man.
“So I knew whether to shout or not,” he says, patting me on the hand, eliciting more of those sparks. It would be nice, if he wasn’t being extremely patronising. “Since she’s asleep, I shall go and tell my brother’s of our new development rather than just shout so they know.”
“How about we don’t?” I offer, scooting around him to try and make my way to the kitchen. “Where is everyone, anyway?”
“In the kitchen having breakfast. I made you a smoothie, and Seb made you some food, but then I ate it since you took so long, so he got mad and made you some more, which?—”
“You ate again ,” Alex says as Ben and I enter the kitchen. Alex is sitting at the table with an iPad open to a crossword as he drinks some black tea. He’s wearing a pair of fitted navy trousers and a white shirt that stands to be less fitted, so maybe he works in an office.
We never really got that far in our get to know each other talks, but they were all—minus Seb, actually—pretty well dressed yesterday, too.
Christopher is decked out in a full suit and doesn’t even make eye contact as I enter the room. He’s typing on a computer, but the screen is turned away from me so I can’t see what he’s working on. His fingers fly over the keyboard, though, and his only acknowledgement of my presence is the way he takes a deep inhale.
Seb’s standing next to the oven, and he gives me a smile as I enter, his eyes flicking straight to my chest where Phoebe is nestled. He stayed in my room— well, his, I suppose— until quite late last night, and only left once both Phoebe and I were in bed and asleep.
I forewent the shower and had that this morning instead whilst Phoebe napped, since he really didn’t want to be alone. The others left us be, which shouldn’t have surprised me but did.
It’s easy to tell them apart this morning, despite the identical looks. I have no doubt the more I get to know them, the easier it’ll be .
“Breakfast?” Alex asks, and I nod. Seb turns and starts cooking, and Alex crooks his finger, beckoning me forward. I sigh but move towards him, stopping just outside his arm range. “What are your plans for today?”
I frown, not sure if this is a trick question. “I was going to go home and?—”
“You are home, Maia!” Ben says, nudging me. “Remember?”
“Careful,” Christopher barks without even looking up at his brother. “She’s smaller than you, weaker than you, and carrying a child.”
“Sorry, Maia,” Ben says with a grimace. “I forgot that you were a runt, too.”
I let Ben’s words wash over me and don’t bother acknowledging them. Seb kicks him for me. I try not to take offence with Christopher’s words because, honestly, I just want to punch the prick.
He doesn’t even try to excuse his asshole nature, and instead, just makes me feel unwanted and uncomfortable in an environment he has forced me to endure.
“Weaker, maybe,” I say, shooting a glare his way. “But, trust me—I don’t need to be a werewolf for my bite to be savage.”
I turn away from him and look back at Alex, who is fighting a smile.
“What do you need from your house?” Alex asks. I note the word house instead of home but don’t bother fighting him on it.
Alex seems to be the peacekeeper of the four of them, so I doubt he’ll want to engage.
“You needed that box of Ryan’s stuff, right?” I ask, and he nods. “Well, I was going to get that and organise more of mine and Phoebe’s clothes so that we’ve got enough without needing to do laundry every two days. You guys didn’t get much when you grabbed them last night.”
“Alex will go with you,” Christopher says.
“I’ve got a meeting at ten,” Alex says, checking his watch. “But I’ll be done by half past, if that works for you, Maia? ”
I nod slowly. “Sure. I’ve got some appointments with the health visitor?—”
“With the what?” Alex asks. My attention is caught by Seb who flips a pancake very high in the air. Ben claps his hands when it lands, but Seb gives him a dirty look.
“Not my breakfast, I know,” Ben mutters under his breath. I can see the pout on his lips, but Seb doesn’t care.
“The health visitor,” I say, turning back to Alex. The wolf patiently waited and gives me a small smile. “She’s a nurse who comes out to check in on Phoebe’s development. I don’t want to try and explain why I’ve moved my infant daughter in with a bunch of men we’ve never mentioned before now, so we’ll need to be home for those visits.”
He nods. “Fair enough. Get those dates to me, and we’ll make sure someone is there for you when they happen.”
I clench my jaw. “Alone.”
“Not happening,” Christopher says.
“I’m not talking to you,” I snap, turning to glare at the rude as fuck wolf in the corner.
He pauses his typing, and he slowly raises his head, those hazel eyes of his firmly trained on me. I can feel a crackling in the air as his lips straighten. “That’s not how this works in my house, little girl.” My fury intensifies the energy in the air, and I take a step towards him. “I am the eldest. I make the decisions, and my brothers will support them. You will follow them.”
“And if I deign to not bow down to the mighty first born?”
Ben snorts, and Seb’s shoulders tense as he starts to plate up my food. Alex watches his brother, a pensive look on his face, as he waits to see how this is going to play out.
“Everything I do is to keep my brothers safe,” Christopher says. “That now includes you and Phoebe. Do not waste time arguing with me, princess . You don’t understand this world, and you don’t understand the ramifications behind decisions I will make. Trust me when I say I will keep you safe, but I cannot do that if you fight me. ”
“I never asked for this,” I whisper, taking a step backwards as I look down at my little girl.
“We know,” Alex says gently. “I know we’ve not yet proved our worth as mates, but we will ?—”
“We are,” Ben adds, surprisingly sombre. I give him a weak smile.
“In the meantime, we know it’s hard to place your trust in us,” Alex continues. “But some of it is imperative . Moving you here keeps our wolves calm, and it also strengthens the tie we share with Phoebe, so should their?—”
“A supernatural tie?”
“Come sit,” Alex says, closing his iPad. “We’ll answer your questions whilst you eat.”
“I’m not that hungry,” I murmur, eyeing the food Seb made me with wistful glances. My stomach is empty, but it’s in knots, and I know it’ll only be worse if I do try to eat.
“You are breastfeeding our… you are breastfeeding a child, Maia,” Alex says sternly. “You must eat and drink.”
“If you don’t, your supply will fall, and our tiny princess will starve ,” Ben says, giving me a pleading look as his eyes water. “Please, eat so that Phoebe doesn’t die.”
Dramatic, much?
Seb growls, storming over to me, and I flinch. I wrap my arms around Phoebe in the sling, just in case, as the angry werewolf charges over to the table. His eyes widen before they flash green, and he lifts me into his arms.
He sits down, keeps a tight hold of me, although he does adjust me in his lap, and yanks the plate towards us. I watch in slight awe as he angrily cuts up a bit of pancake and then brings it to my mouth. I gape at him, and I honestly can’t tell who is in charge of his body.
His eyes aren’t the same indicator as they are with everyone else, leaving me without that big clue.
“Open,” he growls, and I open my mouth for him to feed me the bite. I don’t think he took my choice from me—it didn’t feel like when it’s been done to me previously—but I’m also not impressed that my body obeyed him.
He purrs lightly, the sound vibrating through me in a soothing way, as he offers me the next bite. I don’t resist, and I can feel his body relax, knowing that I’m pleasing him.
“I want to feed our mate,” Ben whines, leaning forward. Seb looks up and growls, causing Ben to sigh and flop back into his chair. “Ben never gets to do anything fun. Not Ben. Not Fluffy. We just sit here like the scraps.”
“You ate our mate’s breakfast twice and likely would take this portion, too,” Alex says with a smirk. “Don’t worry. You’ll get your turn to feed someone, eventually.”
“Who?” Ben’s still pouting, his lips looking even fuller as he flutters his dark eyelashes.
“Phoebe,” I murmur, and his eyes light up as he turns to me. He doesn’t verbally say the really that he mouths, and I nod. “Sure. Maybe.”
Ben’s grin is sort of worth it.
“You can put me down. I’ll eat,” I say, looking up at Seb. He ignores me and cuts up more of my food, offering me the next bite. Phoebe starts to whine, so I reach under the wrap, much to Alex and Ben’s confusion, and undo the latch on my nursing top. It’s very easy to adjust her so that she can feed, and once again, my hands are free to do what I need.
You know, like, eat .
“I feed mate,” Seb says, and I narrow my eyes. “ Kane feeds mate.”
“Kane is not out to feed his mate. Sebastian is feeding his mate,” Christopher says with a drawl. My head flies over to the eldest brother, and he’s smirking as he sees the situation we’re in.
“Your jealousy over me liking Seb and Kane more than you is quite problematic,” I say, turning back to Seb. I open my mouth, and he smiles as he feeds me another forkful of food. This one was bacon and scrambled eggs and very delicious .
And it tastes so much nicer with the glower that Christopher is throwing my way.
Food is nice. Petty food is even better.
“So, back to your question,” Alex says.
“I asked a question?”
“About the bond we share with Phoebe,” Alex says.
“Oh. Yes.” I did ask about that, didn’t I?
Alex smiles. “We do have a supernatural bond with Phoebe. Our wolves have bonded to the spirit of the wolf inside Phoebe, and as her wolf grows and develops alongside Phoebe, we’ll be the ones to help nurture that connection.”
“Shouldn’t that be my job as her parent?”
“It would be if you were a wolf,” Alex says.
“But you’re not,” Christopher points out unhelpfully.
“So, why does it fall to you?” I ask before frowning. I cross my arms in front of my chest—and Phoebe—and glare at Alex. “Because we’re mates .”
“Lose the air quotes, we are mates,” Christopher says.
“But, yes, that’s why. Our wolves have bonded with Phoebe since she is yours, and you are ours,” Alex says. His tone doesn’t waver, his face doesn’t change.
Such a grand declaration.
Dick.
“Eat,” Seb growls in my ear, sending shivers down my spine. My mouth opens, and he slides a forkful of food in that I chew without complaint.
“I don’t think I like that.”
“The food?” Ben asks eagerly, reaching over to take the plate. Seb growls at him, and Ben pouts at me.
“No. The bond the four of you have with my daughter.”
“Much like the bond we have with you, it cannot be broken. We are going to be in her life, biologically related or not,” Christopher says. “Now, I need to go. I’ve got a meeting in a few minutes. I’ll be back at five.”
He grabs his computer, eyes me up with a weird look, before shaking his head and leaving. I don’t know why it hurts as much as it did that he didn’t say bye, but the cold, detached exit sends ice running down my spine.
Phoebe unlatches herself and starts to cry, so I quickly undo the sling to get her out of it. Her little fists are clenched together as she bawls. There’s no tears, just loud cries.
And then it happens.
She morphs in front of my eyes.
Her tiny form shimmers and shifts faster than my human eyes can track. Fur sprouts out of her as the air crackles with some ethereal kind of magic, and then she’s no longer got two feet.
As my hand brushes against my child’s new form, the fur tickling my skin, I shriek and drop her. My breaths come out in ragged gasps as I clutch at my chest, and thankfully, Seb’s hands dart out to catch Phoebe so no harm befalls her.
My hands are trembling as I clutch at the sling still around me, and as Seb brings Phoebe into him, I scoot off his lap to get away from them. I can’t be around the… her.
The first time she shifted, I was terrified. Understandably.
But the second? I am still terrified.
She’s… she’s my baby, but she’s not human. A shiver runs down my spine as I stare at the wolf. My daughter, my flesh and blood, has changed into something so not human.
She’s so different from me.
So much more.
Fear, awe, and a deep longing for the life we used to live races through me, and I know my reaction wasn’t awful, considering… but I should’ve done better. I shouldn’t have screamed.
And, yet, I did. I freaked out and dropped her.
She could’ve been hurt if it weren’t for Seb.
“Come here, little butterfly,” Alex murmurs, gently tugging me from the table. The sparks are comforting across my skin, but I can’t tear my eyes away from the scene in front of me. Christopher rushes back into the room, and his eyes widen seeing the tiny wolf.
“Come through to the living room, princess,” Christopher demands, but I can’t move.
My baby is a wolf. She’s gorgeous. Light grey, similar to the colouring of my… of the werewolves in the room, with bright grey eyes. They’re still grey in this form, which surprises me since the quadruplets all have different eye colours.
I wonder if that’s just a coincidence or if it means something.
Seb’s holding her, a beautiful smile on his face, and she’s laid on his hands, her eyes trained on him. My heart is pounding, the echo sounding in my head and across my body, and I hate myself for reacting how I did.
“It’s okay,” Alex soothes, rubbing his thumb over the back of my hand. “You did amazing.”
“She screamed. Like a little girl. And ran away.” Ben eyes me with interest, and he cocks his head in the same way my daughter has just done. “Are you scared of all wolves or just the babies who can’t hurt you?”
“Shut up, Ben,” Christopher snarls, shaking his head. “Seb, are you good with Phoebe?”
He nods, not even looking at us, as he cuddles my daughter into his chest.
“Then you two, with me,” Christopher demands, not even pausing as he turns and storms from the room. I cling to Alex’s hand and let him tug me from the room. He holds onto me, providing the support I need as we move into the living room.
I sink into the sofa, and Alex wraps a blanket around me. I can’t decide who it smells like more, but it’s so soothing and nice that I cuddle it around me even further.
Christopher comes to sit on my right, on the same sofa, and shakes his head. “I’m sorry.”
“You’re sorry?”
“For a few things, but in particular, for not saying goodbye to Phoebe. That’s what triggered this shift,” he says, and my eyes widen.
“How do you know that?”
He and Alex share a look, and Christopher eventually sighs. “I can sort of smell it and… hear it. She’s frustrated?—”
“You can hear her?” I whisper, my eyes filling with tears. “She talks to you?”
I can’t have this connection with her. I physically don’t possess the abilities. They’re forming bonds with her that I could only dream about.
How… how am I going to be enough for my child when I don’t understand the most unique part of her?
“Not in words you’re used to. We have a silent connection, a telepathic one,” Christopher says, holding back a grimace. His eyes are flashing between hazel and bright green as he holds Orion back, and I know he’s warring with himself because of my upset.
“She’s sharing images of what she wanted, and when I walked out the door without acknowledging her… she was upset.” He sounds reluctant when he admits this.
I nod, my lips trembling, as I try to hold back my tears. My infant baby is crying because she wanted this dickhead of a man to say goodbye to her, and I didn’t know. I didn’t think she cared about him, I didn’t know she thrived on that connection.
I knew none of this because I’m not cut out to be her mum.
Not when I don’t understand her.
Not when I can’t understand her.
“Maia, please—” Alex starts.
“Mate sad,” Orion whispers, reaching over to scoop me from the sofa into his arms like Seb did not too long ago. He wipes my tears and rocks me back and forth. “Mate is a good mum to our pup. Mate loves and protects and feeds. Mate is a good mum.”
I shake my head. “But I can’t talk to her like you can. I can’t understand her like you can. ”
“And you spent five days without her shifting once because you can tend to her needs so quickly. Every new parent doubts themselves—fuck, we’re shitting ourselves because we didn’t even get the nine months you did to prepare. But you’re a good parent, Maia, and Phoebe is so lucky to have you,” Alex says, crouching down in front of me.
“Good mate. Pretty mate,” Orion continues, and when he kisses the top of my head, sparks tingle across my body. I curl up into his hold the best I can with the blanket wrapped around me and sob uncontrollably.
My heart is thumping, matching the racing of my thoughts, as the anxiety I struggle with everyday claws at me. The terrifying thought of not being enough tries to drag me under as my brain darkly whispers all of my failures to me.
Orion doesn’t move as he repeats his reassurances and compliments. I wish I could blame this breakdown on the hormones, but I know it goes much deeper than that.
Why can’t I be like the mothers who are so confident and natural? They don’t spend hours every day scared they can’t succeed. They don’t doubt that they’re doing everything wrong.
The weight of motherhood is crushing me, and I’m not sure I’m capable of rising.
“Beautifully strong mate,” Orion murmurs, wiping my tears away again. I raise my head hesitantly, and he smiles. There’s no judgement in his face, no annoyance that I’ve been sobbing. “Our little wolf can’t shift back yet, not without help, but she’s very happy right now with Seb. He’s shifting his eyes, and she loves watching it.”
“She does?” I sound so pathetic, my voice nasally and quiet.
Orion nods enthusiastically. “But she also loves her mum. We’ve felt her this morning, her contentment at being with you, at feeling your steady heartbeat. Her thoughts aren’t as articulate as ours would be, but that doesn’t make her love any less real.”
“I’m sorry I’m being so difficult. ”
Alex laughs, and I look down at him, raising an eyebrow.
“We’re going to prove that we’re worthy mates, Maia, and that includes proving we’re worthy fathers.” Alex’s words hold a weight I never expected, and I blink back the overwhelmed tears.
The sincerity in his voice washes over me like a soothing balm, and whilst I don’t trust it… the depth of his words are close to convincing me.
“We might be wolves, but you are a human, and we know you don’t feel the bond the same way we do,” Alex murmurs. “But we’ll earn your love the human way.”
“Will I ever feel the bond?”
“Oh, yes. My mate will soon never know a day where she isn’t claimed by a Wolfe brother,” Orion says with a salacious smirk on his face. “You’ll have your mark, and you’ll crave my touch. You’ll feel the call to us just as we feel the call to you. Once we’ve proved ourselves as your men, no other will ever exist for you.”
A warmth spreads through me, and I know it’s not coming from the blanket.
I nod. “If she’s… if Phoebe needs this… if she needs you , are you going to give it to her?”
“We’ve all only kept our distance out of respect to you and the fact that you need time to wrap your head around this,” Alex says gently. “If you’re okay with us stepping in… we’d love nothing more than to deepen our connection.”
“We’d love nothing more,” Orion echoes. His eyes flash a brighter gold before fading to hazel. There’s a blankness to him now as Orion fades from consciousness. Christopher reaches up and wipes a stray tear away. “It would be our honour to be there for Phoebe. We’re not trying to replace you—we want to be there as well as you, princess.”
And for the first time, his nickname doesn’t sound like an insult.