Now all they could do was wait.
Four
“I’ve always had a plan for my life, or so I thought. Some of my plans didn’t exactly work out, but there was always a plan B, C, and D when that happened. You get the picture. I don’t like to feel unsure. I hate the unknown. Some consider uncertainty a chance for adventure. For me, it’s a black void into which I will likely fall and probably never find my way out again.” ~Alice
“I needto check on my pack,” Maxim told Alice as he watched her run a brush through her dark, chin-length hair. He loved watching her. Just seeing her do everyday things, allowing him to be a part of those things, no matter how small, made him feel close to her.
She turned to face him. “Okay, I can hang out here. Lizzy is here, and I’m getting to know the other girls.”
Maxim bit down the growl that instinctively rose at her suggestion that they be separated. How could she possibly think that now that he’d just met her, he’d let her out of his sightfor longer than it takes for her to handle her business in the bathroom? And then only that because she insisted upon it.
“I should have worded that differently. When I said ‘I,’ what I meant was ‘we.’”
The brush paused at the top of her head as she looked at him. “What?” she practically squeaked.
“Do you honestly think I’d leave you here, in the care of people I don’t know very well, with other males?” Maybe that last part could have been left out, but it was the truth. He didn’t like the idea of other males in close proximity to his mate.
“Umm, well, I mean…” The hand holding the brush dropped to her side. “Isn’t that sort of like taking a girl home to meet the family? Doesn’t this seem a little fast? Not that I’m an expert, but it seems like that’s something that happens after a few months of dating.”
Maxim’s wolf perked up at the female’s words. “Dating?” He took a step toward her and tilted his head, only stopping when she took a step back. “We are not dating. I thought the bite on your neck and the ceremony we performed made that clear.”
“No, I mean, yes, I know.” She shook her head. “I’m not saying… I’m just saying that… Crap.” She huffed and then tossed the brush onto the bathroom counter. “I’m scared, dammit. Okay? What if they don’t think I’m good enough for you? What if they don’t like me? Good grief, I sound like a freaking teenager. But growing up doesn’t always mean the insecurities go away. In some ways, they get worse.”
“They will like you.” Maxim would kill anyone who made her feel as if she didn’t belong. It was just that simple.
“You say that as if you can make it happen.”
“I can.”
Alice rolled her eyes. “You can’t force people to like me regardless of whether you’re their alpha. Besides, I don’t want them to be forced to like me. I want them to actually like me.Here, in this room, in our own little bubble, it’s easy to believe that we’re destined for each other. Reality can’t pierce it, and doubts remain on the other side of that door.” She pointed to the exit to the hallway.
“Nothing changes when we walk out that door,” Maxim assured her. “I am still yours, and you are still mine. Nothing will ever change that.” As he stared into her worried gaze, a thought struck him. “Do you regret it?”
Alice’s brow furrowed. “What? Regret what?”
“Mating me. Letting me mark you, binding your soul to mine. Is that what this is about? Are you using this trip as a way to figure out how to get out of our relationship?” Just asking the question made Maxim nauseous. But how could he truly expect her to feel the way he did? This washisworld, not hers. He’d known his entire life that he was destined for a soul mate. For Alice, it wasn’t about finding a soul mate in the human world. There wasn’t even such a thing, at least, not that he knew of.
Alice shook her head and strode forward until she stood right in front of him. “No.” She placed her hands on either side of his neck and stared up into his eyes. “I will not lie and say that I am not sure how this is going to work. I have no freaking clue. The divorce rate with human relationships is astronomical. I do not know what a healthy relationship looks like. My mother and father didn’t even attempt to make it work. And that was just with everyday issues, not issues that involved the end of mankind.” She shrugged slightly. “So am I a bit apprehensive? Yes. But that doesn’t mean I regret it or that I’m throwing in the towel.”
The tightness in Maxim’s chest loosened. He could work with apprehension. They would have struggles and disagreements. That was a given. How could two people with different thoughts, expectations, and experiences not have trials to face?
“I’m no relationship expert either. But I’m committed to you. I’m committed to us.”
Alice pressed her forehead to his chest. “Thank you.”
He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. “Now, will you come with me to meet our pack?”
“Only if you promise not to threaten them if they don’t like me.” She pulled back to look up at him.
He couldn’t help the grin that stretched across his face. “But that is one perk of being alpha. Just ask Fane.”
Later, Alice stood next to Maxim in Fane’s office, surrounded by a room full of people. Some she knew, and others she didn’t. Despite the large space, the people crowding in made Alice feel cramped. It didn’t help that all the males were huge.
“How are things in Wonderland?” Jen looked at Maxim and raised her eyebrows up and down suggestively.
Alice chuckled. “You’re trouble.”
Jen winked at her. “The best kind.”
