11. Maia
11
MAIA
“ M aia,” someone calls as a gentle knock resounds on the doorframe. I don’t immediately recognise which of the quads it is and give a hesitant smile to the man in the doorway. He’s casually leaning against the doorframe dressed in a pair of faded grey joggers and a snug-fitting, branded T-shirt. His light caramel hair is wet from a shower, and the smile he’s giving me is sweet and kind.
The sweetness rules out Christopher.
The lack of mania in his eyes rules out Ben.
“My sisters have just called, and they’re wondering if it would be okay for them to come over for dinner,” Alex says. The multiple words said indicate it’s not Seb.
I glance down at my watch, and my brows furrow when I notice the time. “It’s already six. Isn’t that a bit short notice?”
Alex comes into my room and sits on the edge of my bed. “Maybe. For our family, the fact that she called in advance was her way of being polite. We’re a large family, and wolves are very social and pack orientated. This is sort of our norm.”
“I see.”
“We can say no, little butterfly,” Alex murmurs, his eyes raking over my face as if he’s looking for a clue as to how I’m feeling.
Good luck to him, considering even I can’t figure out my feelings.
“You’re happy with them coming?” I ask, scrunching my nose up slightly.
“Yes, of course. I love the twins and their mates,” Alex says, giving me a look as if I’m the weird one. “We’ve been busy lately and haven’t seen them in a while, so it’ll be nice to catch up.”
How was I meant to know that? Their mum asked for us to go over, and Christopher absolutely shit all over that plan. I don’t know them, not really, and their family dynamics are very strange to me.
“Oh. I have no complaints. I can sit up here?—”
“No,” Alex says, shaking his head as he unapologetically cuts me off. “The dinner is to include you and Phoebe. We’re not going to hide you up here like you’re a dirty secret. If this is too much for you, then we won’t do it.”
His thoughtfulness is sweet, but my heart begins to race as I think it over. “They want to see me?” I blurt out, my voice trembling. Why would they want to meet me?
Alex nods, and his small, encouraging smile only adds to my growing anxiety. “They were really excited to meet you yesterday but didn’t arrive in time. Like I said, though, this is up to you . I give zero fucks about my sister’s feelings when it comes to your comfort. If you’re not ready, I’ll tell her to go fuck herself.”
“A bit, um, aggressive, but okay,” I say sheepishly. He laughs, which only makes the butterflies in my tummy swarm that much more viciously. “Sure. I’ll meet your sisters.”
“Their mates will be here, too. Likely the kids, too,” he says, and my eyes widen at that bombshell. How many people are we talking about here?
“Kids?”
“Talia is mated to twins, and they have a set of twins themselves—both boys,” he says as if the mass amount of multiple babies in his family is normal. Then again, I suppose that’s because it is . “They’re six and very excitable. Iris doesn’t have kids yet but is mated to triplets, so they’ll likely be here, too. Two of her mates are professional footballers, in case that excites you.”
My head is spinning, and I’m struggling to keep up with it all.
“Um, no. I don’t know much about football,” I admit, my voice small and uncertain.
Alex groans, but his smile doesn’t disappear.
“We’ll teach you,” he offers with a playful wink. “We don’t support either of her mates’ teams, so it makes for a fun time when they’re playing against our team.”
“I can imagine.” My thoughts are racing, my pulse erratic, and honestly, I think this is the first time I’ve been grateful that I never had to do this with Ryan.
My parents were gone by the time he and I got together, so he escaped the in-laws and family meetings, and well, his were not available, so we didn’t do that on his side, either. It was just us, with no judgement, no extra people to meet.
“We’ll order some food and let them know that we’re on. Do you have a preference?” Alex asks, bringing me back to the present—to the living.
I shrug, glancing over at Phoebe, who is still fast asleep and absolutely no help. “Pizza?”
“Pizza it is.” He doesn’t immediately move, and I raise an eyebrow, waiting to see what else he wants. “Come here. Please.”
“I’m already here,” I say, my words coming out breathy. Alex smirks and reaches over, lifts me under the arms, and deposits me in his lap. “Oh.”
“Oh,” he teases. He leans forward and presses a soft kiss to my lips, giving me the chance to decline. He pulls away, grinning at me .
“Thank you. Max was feeling needy,” he whispers, and his breath brushes over my lips, sending shivers down my spine.
Fuck it.
I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him in closer. I deepen the kiss, even going as far to bite his bottom lip when he doesn’t give me what I crave.
His dominance. His control. His primal energy.
He’s being respectful of me, but I just need him to grab me, pin me down, and?—
“Oh,” someone says from the doorway.
I gasp, and Alex pushes his tongue into my mouth, finally taking over a little. Footsteps come into the room, and I see Seb standing beside us.
Alex sighs into my mouth and slows our kiss down before pressing a gentle one to my lips. He pulls back and smiles. “Thank you. I was feeling needy.”
I giggle before slamming my hands over my mouth in shock. A giggle? What am I? A teenage girl?
My tummy is full of butterflies, my skin still feeling the pleasurable currents from my connection with Alex, and the heated look in Seb’s eyes has my legs trembling.
But then Phoebe stirs, interrupting the moment again, and I remember why this is a bad idea.
Seb moves faster than I can and delicately lifts Phoebe into his arms. My daughter looks even tinier pressed against him, and tears fill my eyes.
“Give baby back to mate,” Alex—or more likely, Max—growls, and Seb’s head snaps up to look at me. His eyes are between hazel and green, and I’m not really sure who is winning between him or Kane.
“That’s not why I was crying,” I mutter. Alex stills, and I place my hand on his chest. “It’s just cute.”
“Cute.” He sounds the word out, almost as if he’s never heard it before .
“Cute,” Seb repeats with a smirk. He looks down at Phoebe and nods before turning to me. “Phoebe wants milk.”
“Milk?” I echo, and this time, I’m the confused one. Seb nods, gesturing to my boobs. “Oh.”
“Come on downstairs. I’ll get you set up on the sofa whilst we order food and wait for everyone to show up,” Alex says.
“Okay.” I don’t protest when Seb carries Phoebe down the stairs, and as they both get me settled, grabbing juice and painkillers, I don’t complain at all.
They make me feel safe.
They treat me like I matter.
Like they truly do care.
“ T his is my sister, Iris. She’s here alone since her mates are sick of her and refuse to come with,” Ben says with a grin as the front door opens, and a gorgeous woman enters the room. She’s got a long black coat on, and her hat covers most of her long blonde hair. Her eyes are hazel, just like her brothers, and she’s pretty tall. There’s a kind smile on her face when she spots me, and there’s a familiarity to her, almost as if I know her. It’s strange when I know I’ve never seen this woman in my entire life.
“They are not sick of me,” Iris hisses, glaring at her brother. The warmness disappears, and a scowl appears on her face, transforming her from friendly, to very off-putting. “And my mates didn’t refuse to come. Aaron is on the road, and Brad has a game tonight.”
She shakes her head, turning to me as she pulls her coat off. She’s got a slim build, but her thighs are quite toned, and she’s very in shape. Is that a natural werewolf trait?
“It’s really nice to meet you, Maia,” Iris says, beaming at me. “ I’ll apologise on behalf of my parents for your misfortune. It should be criminal that you’re stuck with these assholes, but at least you got Alex in that deal.”
Alex is very sweet, but so is Seb, and even Ben, kind of. Doesn’t she like her other two brothers?
“Ah, speaking of assholes… what about Cade? Why didn’t he join us tonight, if he’s not sick of you?” Ben asks, still holding onto the grin. She hangs her coat up and takes her hat off before walking towards us with purpose.
She kicks Ben’s shin, causing him to groan, squeezes my arm in what is a weird—but probably meant to be reassuring—gesture, and then heads through to the kitchen to banter with her other three brothers.
She barely acknowledged Phoebe, which was strangely unsettling.
“What was that about?” I whisper, not wanting her to hear me with her enhanced senses.
“Cade and her had an argument earlier today,” Ben says, not even pretending to whisper. It seems he wants her to overhear. “And she’s come here without him because she’s mad at him.”
“Ah.” Right. Couple drama. Lovely.
“Talia’s just arrived,” Ben warns, adjusting himself so that he’s closer to me. I don’t hear a knock at the door or anything to indicate her arrival, but I’ll take his word for it. “I’ll knock those fucking?—”
“You will not touch my nephews,” Iris snarls, coming back into the room with a can of diet coke in her hand. She’s frosty and is glowering at Ben once more. Is this a sibling thing or is this just her personality?
“You were going to hit six-year-olds ?” I hiss, turning to face Ben, who immediately shakes his head. His eyes flash blue, and I know that Fluffy is just as displeased.
“No,” he scowls. “My nephews are my favourite family members. I would never, ever raise my hand to a child.” He waits until I relax before continuing to speak. “But Talia’s mates are annoying fucks. You’ll see and will hate them, too.”
The door opens and an identical copy of Iris steps through, but she’s immediately knocked back between two adorable little boys. They’ve got white blond hair and cute button noses, and their pants are covered in mud. Both boys have bright blue eyes, and my heart stops.
This is exactly what I imagined my child would look like if he were a boy.
With their bright blond hair—which is, of course, a very common hair colour—and their pale blue eyes… I shake the thoughts away and drop a soft kiss to my own little double.
A little boy who looked just like Ryan would be lovely. But my gorgeous little girl who has her own looks is so much more perfect.
“Where’s the baby, Auntie Iris?” one of them cries, a giant grin on his face. It’s so light-hearted, so carefree, that it makes me smile.
“Yeah!” the second echoes, a lot quieter. He seems far more shy than his brother, but both of them are practically bouncing on the heels of their feet at meeting Phoebe.
That’s sort of cute.
“You have to be quiet, boys, because the baby is sleeping.” Christopher says, coming into the room and commanding all of the attention. He crouches down in front of the boys, who immediately grin at their uncle, and it sends a weird wave of warmth through me. “But if you lower your voices and take your shoes off, you can go see my mate, who is holding the baby. Can you do that for me?”
I eye their very, very muddy shoes and think Christopher was smart in getting those off. I don’t know how they’re caked in it, since it’s pretty dry outside, but it’s just another overwhelmingly adorable thing.
“Yes,” the first boy says, grinning. He’s missing a tooth, and my heart swells as tears prick at my eyes. That’ll be Phoebe one day, with a missing tooth, and we’ll do the tooth fairy with her and take a thousand photos to commemorate.
Fuck. I am not ready for her to grow up.
“And Mum told us we had to be really careful with her because she’s so little,” the second boy adds.
“Well done, Liam,” Christopher says, ruffling the bright blond hair of the second boy. He stands and gives me a smile before giving Iris a side-hug. “Did you all come together?”
“No, we just got here.” Talia steps into the room with a warm smile directed towards her brother. Christopher steps forward and hugs her tight before nodding his head at the two older males who enter behind her.
The men have light brown hair, which clearly hasn’t passed onto their children, and they’re both built like brick houses. Like their sons, their shoes are covered in mud.
It’s eerie that I’m in a house with ten other people, and yet, there are only four different faces. I’ve never seen this many identical twins before and even rarer that the adults are still identical. None of them have different piercings or haircuts or tattoos. Or at least, not that I’ve seen.
“Do you want a drink?” Christopher asks, and I’m not sure if he’s addressing me or Talia and her mates, so I stay silent.
“I made you a new smoothie if you’re thirsty, darling,” Ben says, twiddling my hair as he glares at the other men in the room. I’m not sure of the drama between him and Talia’s mates, but if looks could kill, I’m sure they’d be nothing but a pile of ash.
“I’ll grab you a glass of it,” Christopher says, going to join Alex and Seb in the kitchen. I’m not sure why they’re still in there, but there are a lot of people in the room right now, so it doesn’t hurt that there’s one less dominant presence. Talia and Iris are talking quietly in the corner, whereas the other two men are just standing in the back of the room watching Ben and I.
Or maybe it’s Phoebe they’re looking at .
“I took my shoes off now,” one of the boys says, tugging on my sleeve. He’s got a little lisp, and I grin down at him.
“I took mine off, too, Finn,” Liam says, rushing over. “Please, can we see the baby now, Uncle Christopher’s mate?”
My face freezes at hearing me being labelled that way, but I try my best to relax and remember that he’s a child and made an association the only way he knows how.
“Only if that’s okay with you,” Talia says, giving me a warm smile from across the room. She reminds me a lot of her mum—a nice aura but a harsh intensity. “They’ve not seen a female baby wolf before, so they’re a little over-excited.”
“Ah,” I say, turning back to the boys as I try to hold back my grimace.
Is that a normal thing to just admit? To them, is it the same as saying it’s the first time they’ve seen a female baby ? It’s not that I think these tiny six-year-olds are a danger to my child, but when all I’ve heard about this world is the risk she’s in, it’s hard to remember that.
“She’s really pretty,” Liam whispers, peering over the arm of the chair to look at her.
“She looks like you,” Finn adds, beaming at me.
“Why don’t you sit down, and I’ll let you have a turn holding her?” I offer.
“Really?” Liam whispers, his eyes widening. I blink in surprise when I see his eyes go from a pale blue, to an electric blue. It helps—having that difference in them from Ryan.
“Really,” I repeat with a small nod. They scramble to get up on the other chair, and Ben moves with me as I head over to the small boys. I keep my voice soft as I advance forward, and their little legs are literally shaking with their excitement. “Can you see how I’m holding my arms to keep a steady hold on her?”
“Yes,” Finn says, grinning at me. He mimics me, and Liam looks, then copies, too. “Are we doing it?”
“You are,” Ben says with pride. He sits down on the arm of the chair next to Liam’s side and grins at me .
“Who wants her first?” I ask, looking between the two boys to see if they’ll make the decision for me.
“Let Liam have her,” Finn says, and Liam smiles a big toothy smile.
“That was very kind of you, Finn,” Talia says, watching with keen eyes. It causes a shiver to appear down my spine, and I turn back to the boys rather than acknowledging the effect she’s having on me.
I gently lower Phoebe into Liam’s arms, and his eyes widen when she makes a grunting sound. Finn leans over, and it’s very, very sweet to see them cooing over her.
Seb, Alex, and Christopher come into the room, and it amuses me that the latter offers out the drinks and plays host, and Seb ignores it all and comes to stand by my side. He presses a soft kiss to my temple, and I ignore the gaping from his sisters.
“Are we getting an introduction to your mate, then, Alex?” one of Talia’s men asks. I glance over at them underneath my eyelashes and see Alex is standing with the twin men. Christopher is with his sisters, chatting quietly.
“You didn’t introduce her?” Alex asks, giving Ben a dirty look. Ben shrugs.
“Not wasting my time on those fools. I’ll just chat with my favourite nephews, instead,” Ben says, ruffling Liam’s hair.
“Careful, Uncle Ben,” Liam admonishes, glaring up at him with such fierceness.
“Yeah, Uncle Ben,” Finn echoes. “We have a baby .”
“She’s my baby,” Ben says with a frown, but I see the twinkling in his hazel eyes. The blue flecks catch in the light and are pretty similar to the shade of the boys.
“She’s my baby,” I correct and wink at the boys, who grin like we’re keeping a secret. “But you’re both doing such a good job at holding her.”
“You’re sweet,” Seb murmurs in my ear. I look up at him, and the smile on his face is beautiful. It completely softens his face, making him look more at ease.
There’s a loud knock on the door, and I jump in place. Seb’s hand falls to my lower back as he steps forward as if to protect me.
“Pizza is here,” Ben says with a grin.
“That was quick,” Iris says.
“They’re delivering to the future alphas. Delivery is always quick here. Why do you think I suggested coming here for dinner?” Talia says with a small laugh. It seems almost forced, and I narrow my eyes as the two girls exchange a look.
“Shall I go set up the heaters outside?” Ben asks, jiggling his legs. He reminds me of the boys a few moments ago with his excitement.
“The heaters?” I echo as Alex heads to the front door to get the food.
“We ordered some heaters that arrived today for the garden,” Christopher says, coming over to us. “Is that enough to keep you warm, or would you rather keep Phoebe inside?”
They ordered heaters. For me? For Phoebe?
Why would they do that?
Seb kisses my temple and disappears, and I shrug at Christopher. “I’ll do?—”
“Here,” Seb says, handing me Phoebe’s wrap and a little snowsuit. I don’t know how he grabbed those so fast, but I don’t ask.
“Thank you,” I murmur bringing them close to myself. The boys are still holding Phoebe, and I can feel a twitch as I resist the urge to steal her back.
“Boys, go put your shoes on,” one of Talia’s men says, taking a step forward. I step backwards, just the tiniest bit, but both Christopher and Seb step closer. “You can see the baby girl?—”
“Phoebe,” Seb interjects with a deep growl. The man’s eyes dart to Seb before he nods once .
“Phoebe,” the man corrects. “You can see Phoebe in a few moments once we’re outside.”
“Good thinking,” Ben says with some snark in his words. He gives me a dazzling smile before heading through the house. The two sisters follow, and Christopher bends down to take Phoebe from Liam.
The two men help the boys put their shoes on as Alex closes the door and takes the pizza outside. It smells delicious.
The boys cake mud all through the house, which Christopher sighs at, before the door closes.
“Fucking hell,” Christopher mutters with a shake of his head. He gives me a hesitant smile. “Are you okay bringing her out? The heaters should keep her warm, but we can bring her straight back in if she feels the chill.”
“Sure,” I say, nodding.
“Don’t worry about Kyle and Lyle,” Christopher says. I look at him blankly, and he sighs. “Ben’s a dick. Kyle and Lyle are Talia’s mates. They’re harmless but abrasive.”
I shake my head as I start getting Phoebe ready to go outside. Seb stands protectively by my side, and I’m surprised when Christopher heads to the shoe rack to grab my shoes for me.
Phoebe starts to stir as I get her wrapped up, so I help her latch on once she’s safely in the carrier. Seb wraps my cardigan around me before the three of us head outside.
I’ve not been in the back garden yet, but holy wow. There are three very large heaters that are all turned on and add a soft glow to the already beautiful landscaping. There’s a large decking area with enough chairs for us all to sit—a mixture of sofas and single seats—and a glass table in the centre. Even without their heightened senses, the air is rich with the scent of the flowers and plants that adorn the area.
It’s gorgeous, the colours of the flowers melding beautifully to create a serene garden oasis, and I know that come summer— provided I am still here—I’ll be spending a lot of time outside.
“This garden is one of Ben’s creations,” Christopher whispers in my ear as he moves past me. My eyes widen, and I look over at the cheery man, who is chattering away with the twin boys. It’s strangely very fitting for him to be the mastermind behind this.
“This is gorgeous,” I say, and I’m grateful that I can feel the warmth. I’m the only one wearing a coat—even Iris, who was wearing one when she arrived, hasn’t bothered—but I don’t ask why.
Alex passes me a plate of pizza, and things are mostly quiet as we eat. Liam and Finn are excited and bounce around each of their uncles, asking questions and chatting, and it’s very endearing to see the Wolfe brothers entertain their nephews.
Seb is quiet, but he changes his eyes three times for them to awe over.
“I’m just going for a quick wee,” I murmur once I’ve eaten a few slices of my pizza. Seb’s eyes narrow, but he’s brought into a game by the twin boys, so he can’t follow me inside the house.
“Want some company?” Christopher asks, surprising me since he’s the last one who usually wants to be around me.
“To the bathroom? No,” I mutter, shaking my head.
“Overprotective men, am I right, Maia?” Iris calls, and there’s some giggles from her sister. I muster up a smile and head through the house to the downstairs bathroom. I quickly do my business, but I can’t get the tap to turn on in the toilet. It seems stuck, weirdly.
I stop by the kitchen to wash my hands in the kitchen sink instead and hum slightly to the little girl on my chest. She’s still feeding, but she’s doing it in her sleep. A skill I shall forever be envious of.
There’s a flash of bright light out the window, and I catch sight of a familiar head of blond hair. I rise on my toes and peer through properly, but the figure has vanished .
I consider the possibility—it’s likely Iris or Talia fetching something from their car, since the figure was far too tall and lithe to be one of the twins. However, a gnawing doubt lingers. What if it was Ryan, and I’ve missed him?
Fuck it.
I head out the front door, just to check, and rather than seeing one of the twins at their cars… I spotted the very man I knew would be just across the street. His back is to me, but I know he heard me come out since he’s no longer running away.
“Ryan!” I whisper-shout, conscious of the wolves in the back garden. I do not want any of them overhearing this and coming out to look. If they can see him, it’ll bring a lot of questions, and if they can’t… it’ll bring even more.
Ryan turns around slowly, his entire body is tense. His pale blue eyes widen, and he shakes his head. A dark expression crosses his face, and he mouths something I can’t see.
“What?”
“Go back inside,” he calls over, holding his arms up when I try to come closer.
“But—”
“Trust me, Maia. Go back inside, and don’t tell anyone you have seen me tonight, okay?”
“I—” There’s a churning in my gut, and I can hear the erratic thud of my heartbeat echoing through my body.
“They’ll take her from you, if you tell them you can see me,” he says, and my eyes widen, and I clutch at the baby strapped to my chest. Who is going to take her? “Get back inside. Protect her. Promise me. Promise me you won’t say a word.”
“I promise.” The words are pulled from me without my permission, but I mean them.
“Go inside, Maia, and look after her.”
Like when Christopher took my choice from me, my body obeys without my permission. I turn around and head back inside. It’s only once I shut the front door behind me that I realise I didn’t feel the same sort of way that I did when Christopher did it.
I didn’t feel Ryan’s wolf. There was no evidence of his supernaturalness. Just the compulsion to obey. I had no choice, as happened last time, but there was no… fear? Is that the right feeling?
I shake my head, looking down at Phoebe. That’s not what is important. Ryan told me that they’d take my baby away if I told them that I could see him. Who is they ?
My mates? Their parents? Someone else?
Do I just need to keep this secret to myself for the rest of my life?
I can’t lose her. Not now. Not ever. And if that’s what it takes, that’s what I’ll do.
I brought Phoebe into this world, and it’s my job to protect her.
Even from Ryan’s ghost, if that’s what it takes.
I just wish I knew exactly what threats I needed to protect her from.