A couple of yelps from inside the house are the only warning I get before the door behind me opens. I bolt for cover, narrowly avoiding being seen by Maya as she leaves the house with her dogs. Wearing tight leggings, a sports bra, and sneakers with her hair tied in a ponytail, she looks so damn sexy.
She pauses for a moment, inhaling deeply with her shoulders back, then clips the dogs onto leads which she secures to a waist belt. I watch as she takes off running with the dogs following behind. I stay to the shadows, watching and maintaining pace as best I can while staying out of sight. The sun hasn’t even risen yet, but the amber glow of the streetlamps illuminates her. I hate the thought of her out here in the dark, unguarded save for her dogs who don’t even seem to notice that there’s a damn wolf in their midst.
Maya continues a loop of the suburban area she lives in, then returns home after roughly an hour when the sun is about to rise. I need to shift back before it gets too bright, but I can’t drag my wolf away from gazing through the window, watching her moving about in the early morning light. Not as she feeds her dogs. And definitely not when she strips out of her running clothes and throws them in the washing machine in her kitchen. My mouth waters as she walks toward the stairs, completely naked.
Her toned physique, the curve of her breasts, her dusky pink nipples, and her bare pussy are fully displayed to me where I lurk outside her window. This is so wrong. So fucked up. And yet, I can’t tear my eyes away. Time slows down as I drink in the sight of my mate, but all too soon, she disappears up the stairs and out of view.
I move to my car, scanning the area until my wolf is satisfied there is no one watching. Then he finally relinquishes control and allows me to shift back into my human form. I grab the key I had hidden behind the driver's side wheel and climb inside, where Iquickly pull on my sweats and t-shirt. Slouching down in my seat, I wait for Maya to leave the house again.
My cock aches and leaks pre-cum, but jerking off in my car seems to be the line I’ve decided not to cross. An hour later, Maya steps out of her home wearing nude heels and a wine-colored dress with a bow near her neck that’s fitted on top and flares out at her hips. Her silky hair is braided and resting over her shoulder. I want to wrap it around my fist and tug on it. Her makeup is subtle, with her lips painted a light pink, only a couple of shades darker than her rosy nipples.
Goddess, she’s stunning. So prim and proper looking, yet she waltzes around the house naked with no care for who could be looking in. My mate is a complicated little creature; one I can’t wait to unravel.
The day goes by uneventfully, and I don’t listen in on her patient sessions. Again, that feels like a step too far and something she wouldn’t be happy about. She’s a professional, her ethics are important to her, which means they’re also important to me. Outside of convincing her to let me claim her, of course.
Instead of waiting around while she’s with her patients, I shoot to my hotel, shower, change, and make it back in time to watch her head out for lunch.
She walks down the street to a small restaurant with a glass front and greets a red-headed woman with a young child, maybe three or four years old. They exchange hugs, and Maya picks up the little girl, who melts into Maya in that floppy kind of hug only toddlers give. The sight of Maya holding a small child has my wolf thinkingof pups already, and I’m not far behind him. Part of me wants Maya to myself for a while, but the other side of me can’t help imagining how our pups would look.
I remain outside when they go in, not wanting Maya to know I’m following her yet. I strain my ears, trying to tune out all the background noise, but it’s no good. Even with enhanced shifter hearing, I can’t get past the sounds of the city.
Fates, I hate being here. Hate being away from the pack and the woods and the natural acoustics of the forest. I miss how alive I feel running through the thick undergrowth and the dense trees, the scent of damp earth and decaying leaves filling my lungs. How dappled sunlight filters through the canopy before hitting the forest floor.
I miss the ache in my muscles, and the rush of adrenaline coursing through my veins. I miss the pack. The sense of belonging I have felt my entire life. I’m not the alpha currently, but I’ll always have a place in the Lunar Eclipse pack.
And so will Maya, when I convince her it’s where she belongs too.
But I need more. I need my mate. And for now, she’s here in this sprawling urban jungle. The air hangs thick and heavy, a suffocating blend of exhaust fumes, the acrid tang of too many people, and the metallic scent of industry. Unnatural noises reverberate through the canyons of buildings—the blare of car horns, the incessant chatter of humans filling the silence, and the distant, rhythmic throb of music spilling from a nearby shop.
How does she tolerate it? Does she have a pack? And where are they? My mind is in overdrive, working to comprehend the mystery that is my mate. I need to know more. I need to knoweverythingabout her.
Chapter Nine
Maya
I can’t shake the feeling of eyes on me. It’s been there all day. Burning into me. Piercing through me. It’s a sensation I usually love. Crave even. But not now. Not when I was running this morning with my dogs. Nor when I was walking into my office. And especially not now, with my sister and niece.
It’s unsettling.
Unnerving.
I glance over my shoulder, but there’s no one there. Just buildings, cars, and people scurrying past, getting lunch or coffee before rushing back to their offices. No one is watching me. No one is watching anyone. They all have a singular focus. Get to their location as quickly as they can with as little human interaction as possible.
“So, Sunday?” Pippa asks, dragging me back to the present. “It’s only for a couple of hours.”
“Of course, you know I’ll take every minute possible with my favorite girl,” I say, squeezing Maddison and pulling her onto my lap. Four years old, and this girl has my entire heart. How could I ever say no to spending time with her? Maddie giggles and snuggles into me.
The love I have for her is overwhelming, but I can’t help the sorrow that chases me after spending time with her. Knowing I’ll never have this. Never have a child of my own. It guts me. Growing up as an adopted person who looks nothing like my family, I always dreamed of becoming a mother. Having even one person who looked like me. One person that others would see and not instantly know I wasn’t related to them. One person I shared biology and blood with.
I don’t even know what my ethnicity is. I don’t know anything about where I came from other than I was left at a fire station as a newborn. As a kid, I dreamed of finding my birth family and having kids of my own, but the fairytale happily ever after isn’t on the cards for me. It never was.
“So, what are you up to on Sunday?” I ask, pushing down the emotions that have the power to overwhelm me if I let them. I’ll deal with them later on my own.
“I have a date,” Pippa responds, stirring her coffee and pointedly not looking at me. She hates how much I see through her defenses. I can’t turn off being a therapist, but this goes back a lot longer. Ever since I can remember, Pippa has hated that I can tell what she’s feeling.
“That’s a big step.”
“Please don’t therapize me right now,” she says with a sigh. “You know I wouldn’t change a thing about the world’s most amazing four-year-old, but I never planned to do this on my own. It’s lonely.”
