Chapter Thirty-One
Ryan
It's been a little over a week, and I’ve barely seen Maya. It’s been horrible. She hasn’t let me come to the hospital with her, and she won’t allow me to continue as her patient anymore. But she does let me take the dogs out, cook for her, and keep on top of the housework and laundry.
She eats the meals I leave out for her, so at least I know she’s eating well, and it’s keeping my wolf just about sane to know I’m providing for her.
She hasn’t asked where I’m sleeping, so I haven’t had to lie about climbing into her bed every night once she passes out from exhaustion.
As soon as I’m close to her, she cuddles into me, and everything feels like it will be okay.
But then the morning comes, and I leave before she wakes—coffee made and breakfast ready. She eats and is gone by the time I’m back from walking the dogs.
I miss her so much it hurts. Both my wolf and I have been desperate to be in her presence.
But I’m afraid to be around Maya until I can talk to her, and she’s not ready for that.
I can’t lie to her again. I’m lucky she’s even allowing me to be in her space at all.
And I don’t want to fuck things up any more than I already have.
But her dad is finally doing better. He’s well enough that she’s able to think straight, and she left me a note to say she’s ready to speak to me. Tonight. I have put the dogs in a kennel for the weekend and convinced Maya to go for a drive with me so that I can tell her the full truth.
I could see her resistance when I suggested it, but curiosity won out.
“Where are we going?” Maya asks, fidgeting in her seat.
Anxiety rolls off her in waves. She must hate not knowing.
But at this point, it’s been weeks, and she hasn’t shifted once.
And yet her eyes flash yellow, and she doesn’t smell human.
There’s only one reason I can imagine that would explain it.
She’s part-shifter, but she doesn’t have an animal.
Doc told me about a couple of unranked wolves in the pack who had mated with humans years ago.
The resulting children were neither shifters nor fully human.
They had the additional strength and healing abilities of shifters but weren’t capable of shifting or hearing an animal.
It hasn’t happened in a long time; no one I’ve ever met.
Over the years, they left when it became clear the children would not be able to shift rather than have them grow up surrounded by what they could never be.
It’s the only plausible explanation.
And if she isn’t a shifter, then words aren’t enough. I need to show her the truth. I need her to understand that the mate bond is real.
“I’m bringing you home,” I tell her. “To my pack.”
“Your what? None of this makes sense, Ryan. I don’t understand what’s going on. I don’t even know why I agreed to get in the car with you.” She lets out a heavy sigh, massaging her temples with two fingers.
“You will,” I say, stroking my hand up and down her thigh, hoping my touch still offers her some semblance of solace. She doesn’t push me away, and my heart pounds harder.
I don’t go through border patrol. Instead, I mindlink Sofia as soon as I get close enough to let her know where I’m bringing Maya and that I don’t want to be disturbed. I drive off road until I come to a clearing where I know we’ll be alone.
“You’re not taking me out here to kill me, are you?” Maya asks when I park the car and turn to face her.
“You don’t really think I would ever hurt you in a way you haven’t consented to, do you?” Her face flushes, and she quickly averts her gaze by looking out the window. But there’s no hiding the sweet scent of her arousal. Fates, I miss her taste.
“There are some things I need to explain to you,” I say while turning the car off and taking out the keys. “And it’ll be easier if I can show you that I’m not insane.” I grin at her and my wolf is damn near giddy at the thought of telling her the truth.
I never want to keep anything from Maya again.
“Wait there a second.” I jump out and scent the air.
Pine and earth, fresh air and old shifter scents.
Home. No one has been here for at least the past hour, and there’s no one in range of us now.
I open Maya’s door and offer her my hand.
She takes it tentatively, and her eyes rove over me, searching my face before she steps out.
“Maya, I haven’t been completely honest with you about some things,” I say, and she scoffs out a breath before crossing her arms in front of her body. “I want to change that.”
“I gather you stalked me? Found out I was a member of the club, and joined it to get access to me where you could hide your identity and fuck me. Anything else?”
“Yes,” I admit with a wince. “I did those things. But I want to explain why.”
Maya is back to rubbing circles at her temples as she steps away from me.
“I shouldn’t be here. I’m a therapist, and I try not to judge people.
I try to understand the reasons why people do what they do.
But it doesn’t excuse the behavior. You can’t just stalk people and think it’s okay because I agreed to fuck you when I didn’t know it was you.
Being hot and great in bed doesn’t excuse your actions. ”
Her breathing comes heavy, and her voice is firm. Her submissive side is all but gone as her eyes bore into mine.
“I know that. And I don’t make a habit of stalking women. But you were different. You are my future. My mate. My fated mate. The one female in the world who was made for me. I know this because I’m not human, Maya. And neither are you. Not completely.”
Maya gasps, her skin blanches, and her eyes go wide. Her scent spikes with fear—sharp with adrenaline—as she backs away from me.
“I… I don’t know what you think—”
“Don’t be afraid, Kitten. I would never hurt you. I promise. Let me show you.”
Maya looks like she wants to run; her eyes dart around and her hands are shaking.
She’s close to hyperventilating, and what I’m about to do is probably insane given how afraid she is.
But somehow I feel sure that if I show her my wolf, show her he would never hurt her, she will realize that I would never hurt her.
I kick off my shoes and pull off my belt while Maya watches on, wide-eyed.
I strip completely before calling on my wolf and letting the shift take me.
The familiar burn of my muscles stretching, the sharp pain of my bones breaking and reforming, and the sensation of hair pushing through my skin tears my focus away from my mate for the two seconds it takes to transform.
Then it’s over, and my vision and sense of smell instantly sharpen.
Maya sinks to the ground, tears streaming down her face as she heaves in harsh, gasping breaths.
Fuck, I’ve done this all wrong. She’s terrified.
My wolf lets out a low whimper and drops to his belly, crawling toward her.
I try to force him to shift back, to give me control, but he won’t relinquish it.
All I can do is watch on as my mate buries her head in her hands and falls apart. Powerless to make it better, powerless to stop myself from making it worse.