Levi sprinted away with his puppy entourage.A crash sounded as the first door whacked against the wall stop.The puppies barked in excitement.
“Without noise,” Megan shouted.
Maia burrowed against Henry’s warm chest.He smelled like home, and that prompted questions.Mates?Was that why she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him over the years?And while she felt comfortable with Henry and his family, would other shifters reject her?So many questions.
In his suite, Henry set her on her feet.“You’re exhausted.I’ll help you shower, and then it’s into bed with you.”
“No back scrubbing?”Maia asked.
“We’ll have plenty of time for shower shenanigans,” he said, “because you’re going to marry me soon, and we’ll live together here or at your place.”
“Here,” she said because she cherished having the others around.
“You’ll marry me?”Henry asked, going still.
“You’ll find out when you ask me properly,” Maia said.“I’m too tired and sore to focus on the future.And I have questions.”
“Noted,” Henry said.
He helped her to disrobe and shower before settling her in bed.After taking another of Gavin’s pills, she drifted.Was it safe to take medication prescribed by a vet?She hadn’t argued, and that told her, on some level, she trusted him.Gavin, a vet and doctor for those with dual natures, played a crucial role in this community.He’d helped her without hesitation, even though she might cause trouble for him.Gavin had done that for Henry.
That was her last thought before she slipped into a deep sleep.
When she woke, she tumbled from bed and groaned.Her leg throbbed, and every muscle screamed at her not to move.Impossible when the restroom was her goal.
Unaware of the time, she found herself alone.It was daylight outside.Maia struggled to the bathroom, tended to her needs, and switched on the shower.Warmth might help to loosen her whimpering muscles and at least get her moving.She needed to move without flinching since her coach would direct her to the team doctor for an assessment.
Maia dressed, but every move hurt, and the idea of running the length of a rugby field made her want to whimper.She wondered if Rose had heard about Amanda yet.Probably not.She reached for her phone and, without second-guessing herself, called Rose.
“Hello, Coach.It’s Maia Jacobs.”Maia hesitated over what to say and decided at the beginning.“Since I arrived in Dunedin, someone has been stalking and harassing me.My house suffered damage.My car.And then came the attack and my concussion.Yesterday, Amanda attacked me while I was on a training run.The kids with me got help, and the police took her into custody.”
The line fell silent while she waited for a reaction.
“Rose, are you there?”
“Amanda attacked you?”
“She did.”
“She phoned me last night and told me you assaulted her,” the coach said, her voice emotionless.“She was upset and highly emotional.”
Maia’s stomach sank, and she clutched her phone more tightly.“That’s not what happened.I can get the local police to contact you and corroborate my story.I intend to press charges.She injured me, and I won’t be able to train on Wednesday.I hope I’ll recover enough to attend training on Friday.”
“Can you drop by this morning?”Rose asked.“I’ll make a doctor’s appointment for you.”
“What time?”Maia asked.
“How about ten-thirty?”
“I’ll be there,” Maia said and disconnected.What the hell?Amanda had confessed and taken pleasure in telling Maia everything she’d done.
The bedroom door opened, and Henry entered carrying a tray.
“You’re up,” he said, setting the tray on a side table.“How are you feeling?”
“Sore.That’s what woke me, I think.I had another shower, and that helped.Amanda rang the coach last night and told Rose I’d attacked her.”
“She’s still in Middlemarch, locked in a cell.I spoke to Laura ten minutes ago.Laura is waiting for transport to take her to Dunedin.”
