40. Maia
40
MAIA
T he spring sun is bitter, the wind having a slight chill even with the barrier of my cardigan and coat. I hate that we’ve been sent to sit out here in the garden, even if it’s at the requirement for mine and Phoebe’s safety.
“Are you okay, darling?” Ben asks from across the wooden garden table. I nod slowly before sighing and shaking my head. “Yeah, me neither.”
The moment his mum confirmed she did arrange to murder my fiancé, her sons—Topher and Ben—started to shout at her, which caused her mates to retaliate in their mate’s defence. Topher was going at it with George, and from my viewpoint, it seemed that he was airing a lot of his grievances. Neither man cared very much about Ryan, their arguments and displeasure going into a much more personal tone.
On the other hand, Charles was lecturing Ben, who was attempting to interrogate his mum, and Ben was arguing back as a surly teenager would. They were winding each other up, both unable to control themselves, as they fought.
Edward and Alex seemed the most alike and were trying to calm everyone down. Edward appears to be the peacekeeper of his trio, like Alex is for his quad, and I’d be interested in exploring their family dynamics further, if things weren’t the way they are.
Their efforts didn’t work, though, when Seb decided to join in on the fight. My quietest mate is not someone who can be contained, and all of the attention turned to him, as he designed.
Seb was so gentle when he unstrapped Phoebe from his chest, and even more so as he helped me put the baby carrier on. His touches were soft as he secured Phoebe to me. He gave both of us soft kisses on our foreheads before he let loose a roar that silenced the room.
My mate let everyone feel his fury, as he and Kane merged together as one, just before they shifted into their very large grey wolf form. He lunged forward to attack one of his dads—George, maybe?—which resulted in Topher, Charles, and George shifting, to intercept the angry alpha.
The room is most definitely not big enough for four alpha wolves to fight, but even more so when it’s packed with furniture and people.
I was hustled out of the room with Ben, by Alex, before my heart exploded, and although I’m grateful to not be in that horrific atmosphere, I’m now sitting out here as my anxiety builds and builds, instead.
I’m trying to use the bonds to settle myself, to let their emotions and presence be my grounding force. But without a tie to Seb, and the majority of the feelings from Alex and Topher being rage, I’m not very confident.
Ben snuck back into the kitchen for some tea once I was settled out here, and we’ve been sitting out here in the cold for a good twenty minutes, sipping at our thermos, whilst they do whatever they need to.
The soundproofing of the house has both helped my anxiety and made it worse, but I don’t think I could sit here and hear whatever is going on every time their rage becomes murderous or a flash of pain emerges .
I hate not knowing what’s going on or what words are being shared, sure, but more than that, I hate not knowing who is hurt and how. I can feel the echoes, but I can’t feel enough . I’m confident that my mates are going to win this little battle with their fathers, they’re evenly matched.
But that doesn’t mean it’ll be a fight won unscathed.
Ben flexes his arms, his muscles impressive, and he knows it. He cocks his head to the side, his light caramel hair messy from the way he’s been running his hands through it, and it’s a very attractive sight.
His head cocks in the other direction, and I know he’s straining to hear something. I don’t think he can hear any more than I can with the soundproofing of their home, but he’s certainly trying. He seems restless, and maybe even unhappy about being outside with me and Phoebe instead of inside with his brothers where the action is taking place.
“Are you upset that you’re stuck babysitting me?” I ask hesitantly.
Ben shakes his head. “This is the most important job in the world, Maia. It’s a privilege to be sitting here protecting you and Phoebe.”
I can feel the sincerity of his words, the satisfaction that it was he who was chosen to be out here with me. But that doesn’t mean he’s happy.
He sighs deeper than I did and looks up at the sky. It’s still bright and harsh, the sun that is a little bit higher in the sky now. Phoebe’s strapped to my chest, and I’ve zipped my coat up over us so that she’s getting the warmth from my chest and the coat.
I don’t like knowing that he’s feeling so out of place, without understanding why, because it means I can’t help him.
“The fighting, then? It’s upsetting you?”
“Believe it or not, this isn’t the worst fight they’ve had. One time, when we were only fifteen or so, Topher and George went at it. It was embarrassing since Topher had his ass handed to him, but it was brutal.” Ben laughs. “This one is going a very different way.”
“You can feel that?” I ask with a frown.
“I can always feel my brothers . We’ve got a bond similar to the one we share with you.” He smirks, shaking his head. “Well, not really. Yours makes me want to fuck you. I can’t say I’ve felt that way about my brothers.”
I groan and decide not to talk about that. “So then, what’s wrong? I can feel how off you are, but I don’t understand why.”
Ben kicks out at the hard grass and sighs. “I feel weak, and I hate that.”
“Weak?” I frown, wrapping my arms around Phoebe. “In your words, you’ve been entrusted with the most important job, why would they give that to you if you were the weak one?”
He refuses to look at me, his bond darkening with his turmoil. It feels heavier in my chest, and I don’t know if the sudden urge to hug him and soothe away his upset is because of the bond or just me.
But it doesn’t matter.
My mate is upset, and I need to help him.
“I’m the runt, Maia, the weak link. I struggle to control my shifts, the bond between Fluffy and I is both stronger and weaker than the bonds the others have with their own wolves. It makes me a problem. I’m a liability in these hot-headed situations, and it pisses me off that I’m not good enough to be by their side.”
My frown only deepens. “How can your bond be both stronger and weaker than theirs?”
He stretches his legs out in front of him, stopping the jiggling that his leg was doing. I didn’t realise how annoying it was until it stopped. “Fluffy’s very powerful for a wolf shifter, on par with my brothers, for sure. He’s strong and has fought our entire life in my defence, to protect me from… myself, mostly. I’m extremely weak, on the other hand. I’m the problem. The bond between us is strong, but when I can’t co ntrol myself, he comes out and takes over. I’m then meant to be the controlling balance for him, but I can’t, and so he can’t control himself, either. We’re meant to be balanced, but we’re not because of me . I’m the weak link.”
“I know Fluffy well enough to know he won’t like what you’re saying about yourself.”
Ben grins over at me, and the blue in his hazel eyes twinkles. “You’re right, but it doesn’t make it any less true.”
“You know, out of all of you, you’re the most complex to me,” I say, rising to my feet to move closer to him. He scoots over so I can sit down close by on the table’s bench, and I feel the warmth spreading through me from where we touch. Our bond lights up, and a genuine happiness radiates from Ben. Me, too, if I’m honest.
I rest my head on his shoulder and start speaking once more, wanting to soothe him. “You’re cheerful, but also the quickest to fall into a bad mood. You’re clueless in social situations and yet so smart. You’re tactless but honest. You’re?—”
“A box of contradictions.” He sounds so sulky here, so annoyed that I’m seeing him.
“Maybe. Or maybe you and Fluffy work so well together because you are balanced out by one another. You’re quite oppositional in your extremes, but there’s enough crossover that you’re also so similar.” I turn to look his way, but he’s deliberately staring at the tree instead of me. “Your complexity is beautiful, Benjamin Wolfe, and I can’t wait to unwrap your layers and learn everything about you.”
He snorts, turning to me now. He brushes my hair out of my face, cupping my cheek before pressing his forehead against mine. His eyes are so beautiful, his lips parted ever so slightly. As I tilt my chin up to kiss him, he murmurs, “If you want to unwrap me, baby, I’ll make it easy for you and undo the buckle on my jeans. It’s really awkward, and I’d rather you didn’t?— ”
“Ugh,” I groan, shoving at his chest. Ben laughs, and I roll my eyes. “I was being genuine.”
“I know you were,” he murmurs, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. He squeezes gently, and I rest my head on his shoulder. “But I don’t want to lose control and devour you the way that I want to when Phoebe is strapped to your chest. Sure, she loves your boobs, but so do I, and I’m not the best at sharing.”
His words send a shiver down my spine, and heat forms inside me.
I laugh. “Honestly, babe, I think she is the concern about sharing when it comes to my boobs.”
He smirks. “I can take my baby.”
I groan, reaching out to shove him. “We’re not talking about this anymore.”
“If you say so.” He turns and presses a soft kiss to my forehead, and I relax in his hold. “She still out?”
I nod. “How much longer are we going to have to sit out here whilst they... have their discussion?”
“Act like immature children, you mean?” Ben asks, and I nod. He sighs. “Wolves are very, very protective of their mates, as you know. The moment Seb growled at my mum, my dads lost their rationality, and with the rage Topher’s in, it’s clearly not going very well.”
“How do you know it’s not going well?”
“Because I know them. They’re going to still be fighting, battling for dominance and trying to establish the alpha. Once that’s happened, they’ll be able to move on to productive conversations. We need one of them to give in so they can all calm down.”
“So, how long will it take for that to happen?” I ask.
He sighs, rubbing the back of his neck as he unconsciously pulls me closer to him. “Depends. Topher’s rightfully pissed off, and Charles and Edward are raging at George so their wolves will be up for a fight, too. Honestly, if there wasn’t the, you know, I’d be tempted to drop you girls off at home and watch the bloodshed.”
He rubs his hands together like a manic little villain. “It would be amazing.”
I don’t feel as overjoyed as my mate does. Not even a little bit. My concerns are more on the line about if his mum actually did kill my fiancé, and if so, what do we do from here?
“Do you think she really did try to kill him?” I whisper, scared to voice the words too loudly.
That makes them real.
Ben shrugs, and I can sense his intrigue as he considers it properly. “Probably. She’s not a liar. A murderer, apparently, but definitely not a liar. If she said she did it, well, she probably did.”
He doesn’t sound very cut up over this.
“Lovely.” My heart hammers away in my chest, and I hate that Phoebe’s listening to the erratic sound. She doesn’t deserve to feel my stress, not over this. Ryan was her dad, and I hate that her family— his family— have done something this horrific.
“I—” I start to admonish Ben, but I’m cut off by the way my bonds electrify. There’s an almost audible crackle in the air as the energy around us seems to shift and intensify. There’s a strong presence in my chest, burning and growing, attached to my three werewolf men.
Ben moans, dropping from the chair to the ground in a kneeling position, his eyes bright blue, as his hands shift into their wolf claws. He drags them through the dry mud.
The change in the bond is clearly something that’s affecting him a lot deeper than it’s affecting me.
“Ben,” I gasp, reaching for my mate, but he throws his head back, letting out a very loud howl. I snap my head to look at the back door, but nobody comes out.
His body shudders as another howl leaves him, and I back away from him, not sure what’s happening.
Phoebe’s eyes fly open, and I look down at her as she lets out her own howl. Her eyes are the bright, luminous grey as she throws her head back against the carrier.
My heart is racing, not sure what is happening with my men, but then all of a sudden, it cuts off. Phoebe lets out an adorable yawn before cuddling back into me and going to sleep.
Ben jumps up to his feet, beaming as he turns to me. There’s an excited energy racing through him, pure pride floating through the bond. “Things are looking up, baby girl.”
“They are?” I ask, nowhere near on his energy level. I feel shaky and nervous, despite the way my body has relaxed. He nods, bouncing on the heels of his feet as if he can’t contain the energy that’s thrumming through him.
“Come sit,” he commands, and something in me obeys. I move back to sit down, cuddling into him, and I’m not sure I’m brave enough to ask what has just happened.
It feels like a good thing, across my bonds and in the changes with Ben, but the lack of understanding terrifies me. The way it drew from my sleeping baby, it can’t have been something positive, right?
Ben and I sit there together, looking over at the tree that rustles in the wind, the clouds slowly moving across the sky, and just take comfort in each other. I use the sound of his heart to calm my own. I mimic his breathing and even steal his warmth.
“Hey,” one of the guys calls. The words travel in the wind, and I turn and see Alex standing in the doorway at the back door. His shirt has a rip across his stomach area, and rather than showing off honeyed skin, there’s dried blood. I gasp, clutching Phoebe closer to me, as I take in the paler than usual skin of Alex.
I felt pain every so often, usually followed by extreme anger, and I wrongly assumed it was never this bad.
How could a parent do this to their child?
Alex smiles, his face softening, even from this distance. “I’m okay, little butterfly. This was from Seb.” Oh, because that makes it better. “Things are calmer now. If you want to try coming back inside, we can get our answers.”
I nod, and Ben groans about having to share me again but holds my hand as the three of us head into the house. My hands are freezing, which only makes his feel that much hotter in mine, but he diligently keeps hold.
My legs are trembling, and the warmth of the house doesn’t do anything against the bone-deep coldness that I have going on. I hold onto Phoebe as the four of us enter the living room.
I gasp as I take in the scene in front of me. One of the arm chairs is ripped but usable, the other destroyed beyond repair. The table is cracked, and one of the legs is missing. How it’s still standing upright is beyond me.
There’s a weird smell in the air, but that’s nothing compared to the tension pouring off each and every one of the people in the room. Seb’s gaze snaps towards me, and I give him as big a smile as I can muster.
He’s the only one of my mate’s who can’t feel me through the bond—although, Alex explained that they can feel a sort of echo of me through their shared quadruplet bond—and I know he needs the reassurance that both Phoebe and I are okay.
I try to reach for his hand, but Alex and Ben are gripping onto me too tightly. Instead, I give him a warm smile. He relaxes, marginally, but enough for me to relax, too.
Topher’s just behind his brother, and the glower on his face is terrifying. His eyes meet mine and flash gold as he takes a hesitant step forward. He’s wearing an off-white shirt that does not belong to him, and it’s quite loose over his body. He seems unsettled, both in his facial expressions and the bond.
I accept the kiss and awkward cuddle and hope like hell that the love I’m pouring down the bond to him is enough to help.
Their dads are in two groups—George, alone and miserable, and then Edward and Charles, who both seem determined and angry. Julie’s eyes are downcast, her body hunched in on herself, and she’s the most put together of the group, physically.
It’s clear a battle has taken place here. I just don’t understand who won and how.
Seb growls low, and I look back towards him, and he raises an eyebrow. I nod, and with a squeeze of both Alex’s and Ben’s hands, I walk towards Seb. He brings me into his arms and almost snaps his back as he bends low to take a deep inhale of my scent. He presses a gentle kiss to my pulse point before kissing the top of Phoebe’s head.
“Safe,” he murmurs.
I nod, letting him do what he needs to calm down.
“We’re going to move this into the dining room, princess,” Topher says so gently, despite the glower on his face. “Do you or Phoebe need anything before we get started?”
I shake my head, and he nods.
“Let’s go,” Topher snarls, and this time, his tone completely matches his face as he gives George a look of pure hatred. To my surprise, George follows Topher as he leads him through to the kitchen without a single complaint.
I frown, turning back to Seb, raising my eyebrow.
“The status quo has changed,” Ben cheerfully informs the room.
“Please, don’t—” Julie starts, but she gets cut off by a growl from Alex.
“I’m not sure I understand,” I say, turning in Seb’s arms so I can see Alex. I really don’t want there to be another fight, and it’s clear my distraction has worked because Alex’s face softens.
“You’re looking at the new alphas of the Wolfe pack, baby girl,” Ben says, grinning at me. “Topher has finally bested my dads once and for all, and they’ve been dethroned like the peasants they are.”
I bite my lip, not sure if I’m holding back a laugh or a grimace, and Seb’s arms tighten around Phoebe and I in an effort to protect us either way.
“Is this what happened outside with you and Phoebe?” I ask, and Ben grins, nodding at me.
“She sensed the change and was welcoming her new alphas, whilst honouring the change in her position, too,” Alex says with a smile.
“This will be a good thing for you and my boys, Maia,” Edward says. His tone is almost kind , and there’s no anger in his face as he nods at me. He doesn’t pause before going through to the kitchen with Charles, and neither men look back for their mate.
I feel so uncomfortable being part of this big family blow up, but it’s something that involves me and my daughter.
“Join your mates, Mum,” Alex says, and I’m surprised at how hard his tone is. “We’ll be through in a moment.”
Julie sighs but nods and scurries out of the room. She seems very sad, but I can’t bring myself to care. She admitted that she had a plan to kill Ryan.
Whether she carried it out and that’s how my daughter lost her father— how I lost my fiancé —or whether it was just a plan that never went anywhere, it doesn’t make a difference to me.
He’s dead, and she hated her nephew enough to plan his death.
That says all it needs to about the kind of person she is.
“Topher’s going to be a dick, and this conversation is not going to be easy, but it is necessary,” Alex says gently. “If at any point you need to leave or take a break, let me know, and we’ll stop. We’ll take the pause and figure it out together.”
I nod, and he squeezes my hand as Seb kisses my temple. Then the five of us head through to the dining room. It’s just as lavish as the rest of their home, the table a gorgeous oak, with enough seats to fit not just Julie, her mates, and their six children, but there’s enough to fit sixteen people around it.
Topher’s at the head of the table, which is another surprise for me, and his parents are down the left side. Alex slides into the seat next to Topher, and I sit next, with Seb and Ben sliding into the following seats.
I scoot my chair back slightly to make some room for Phoebe, and I keep my arms wrapped around her for the extra reassurance.
“We’ll be starting the transition into alphas immediately following this meeting, but just so you’re aware, Maia, from now until we pass the mantle to our own alpha child, we”—Topher gestures between him and the rest of my side of the table, including me and his brothers—“are now the leaders of this pack.”
“Meaning,” Alex says, turning to me with a gentle smile, “that we’re in a much better position when it comes to the custody battle.”
This is a big moment, even though I’m not stupid enough to miss that memo, and I’m so glad that it has happened. Penelope explained how good it would be for Phoebe’s case, but also, it means my mates can have a lot more resources at their fingers when it comes to protecting their pack.
“It’ll be really good for you, Maia, because now, my brother and his mate won’t be attempting to just take custody of their grandchild,” Edward says. His smile is gentle, his tone soothing, and I nod, listening intently. “They’ll also be attempting to take the heir of our pack. Your case has just been strengthened.”
I frown, not sure how that works, since they specified she wouldn’t be the heir of the pack, it would be her mates. But still—wait. I tilt my head. “But wouldn’t she be the heir to their pack, too?”
Topher shakes his head. “No. Their heir is Ethan, and whilst, sure, Phoebe and her mates would have a claim to the pack hierarchy, once Ethan finds himself a mate and has children of his own, they’d overtake her claim.”
“Whereas, since we are now the leaders, the only heir to our pack is through Phoebe,” Alex says. “It adds more weight to our side than theirs.”
I nod and press a kiss to my sleeping baby’s head and settle into the chair for what is no doubt going to be a long conversation that I’m not going to understand much of.
“So, Mother,” Topher says, lacing his fingers together as he leans forward. “Explain to me exactly how you planned to kill Ryan Grey.”