“It’s, uh, I don’t even know how to define what it is.” He sighs. “I’m not sure if Sofia filled you in, but we have a witch, Cassidy, who is working through removing the chokers. The spell takes a lot out of her, though, because apparently it’s significantly harder to undo another witch’s spell than her own. She can only do one or two per day. It’s been slow, and Katie is both refusing to get hers removed until the rest have been done while also wanting to go full steam ahead with hunting down the Keepers. So I have had to go with her and make sure she doesn’t get herself killed. Honestly, Katie Clark is the most infuriating female in the world. Not to mention Camille is still struggling mentally. She panics as soon as she sees a male. Even me. It’s awful.”
The idea of what Caleb is still going through guts me. If it weren’t for him, we never would have even known about the missing omegas, but he’s lost so much. One of his brothers died in the rescue mission, and it sounds like his sister can’t even be in the same room as him.
“I’m so sorry I haven’t been there to help more,” I say, wincing at how hollow my words sound. Katie was part of my pack before her abduction. She’s my delta’s sister, and I should be supporting her through everything. I should be helping her come home rather than leaving her in Caleb’s pack because he was the only one with enough room for all of the omegas to stay together. I’m not Alpha anymore, but I still feel responsible for my pack members.
“There’s not much anyone can do,” he replies. “Katie wants to be the one to round them up. I don’t think she could trust if wesent others out to do the job. And the other girls follow her. They don’t want anyone else involved.”
I can understand that. What the Keepers put those omegas through was unimaginable. I would need to see the perpetrators ended personally too.
“But you found your mate after nearly losing everything to moon madness,” Caleb continues. “Priorities, my friend. Focus on what’s in your control.”
“That’s what I’m calling you about, actually. You’ve met more shifters and traveled more than me. Have you ever come across any cat shifters before?”
“Can’t say that I have. Sorry, Ryan.”
Disappointment settles into my bones, but we still chat for a few more minutes before saying our goodbyes. I climb out of my car and head back into Maya’s house, let the dogs out one last time and make sure they have enough water, then climb back into bed with my mate.
Where I belong.
I’ll leave early in the morning before she wakes up, leaving a note to assuage her fears that I won’t come back. I can’t sleep with the mask on, and I don’t want to risk being seen without it. Not yet. My wolf pushes me to shift and stay with her, but I soothe him with promises of seeing her again soon.
“Maya will see you now,” the receptionist lets me know. I shoot her a smile, even though that alone feels like a betrayal. Hopefully this eases once Maya and I are both claimed and marked, because I don’t want to even look at other females right now. But keeping the perky blonde on my side seems like a good idea for winning my mate over, and I don’t want to be rude either.
I head to Maya’s door, taking a breath and pushing my wolf down as much as possible. He already can’t wait to get close to her again. I haven’t seen her in person since I left her place early Sunday morning. Maintaining the masked look is limiting my options with her, and I need to get to the next stage of our relationship. Going back to watching from a distance has left me feeling at odds with myself. My wolf wanted to crash through her window, and I had to urge him to calm down, making promises that this wouldn’t be forever.
Maya opens the door just as I reach it, and freezes momentarily before she steps back, sweeping out an arm to welcome me inside.
“I got you a coffee,” I say, holding one up.
“That’s not necessary, Ryan,” she tells me firmly, her therapist persona back in full force. It’s hot as fuck.
“I know, but I was getting one, and I figured who doesn’t need a pick me up midway through their morning?”
Maya purses her lips but reaches out for the cup. “Just cream,” I say. “You seem like someone who doesn’t need sugar.”
That gives her pause for a moment, but she’s not looking at me any differently than she did before she met my masked alter ego. Her hand trembles a little as she takes the coffee and lets me knowit’s just this once. But she can’t hide the little smile that plays on her lips at the gesture. Or the dampening of her panties since I walked into the room.
“So, do you have any thoughts about what you’d like to talk about today?” she prompts me, ever the professional and sexy as hell.
“I’ve been thinking about what I want,” I tell her, settling into my usual spot on the couch across from her. “Not just about the perfect woman, but about what I want to have with her. Family is important to me, and I want to build that. A family of my own. Somewhere we can both feel webelong.”
She tilts her head slightly and scrunches her brows. “I didn’t get the impression that was something you were lacking. Even after your mother left and your father’s mental health declined, it sounded like your community rallied around you. In your relationship with your sister and friends, it sounded like belonging wasn’t an issue.”
I smile at her astuteness. She remembers every detail I’ve told her. Part of me wishes that were only for me, but I know it’s not. She’s just great at her job. What she did for Emily alone makes that clear.
“That’s true,” I admit. “But it’s about wanting to create that with and for someone else. Wanting to create an environment that’s so right for her that she surrenders to it fully.”
Maya’s breath hitches slightly, and I continue, giving her more of what I now know she craves. Is it messed up? Probably. But I’m not lying to her. I want these things too. I want to build a familywith her. I want to raise pups, or cubs, together in Lunar Eclipse, where we can all belong. And I can’t help but hope that if I drop enough clues, she’ll see the connection. She’ll realize she’s already fucking me and that none of the human shit matters because we aren’t human.
“Have you ever felt like you could let go completely?” I ask, pressing forward. “Show all your darkest parts to someone? Show them the animal inside you?”
“An… animal?”
“Yeah. The parts of you that you need to keep hidden from the world. I want to be able to make someone feel so safe that they don’t need to do that anymore. They won’t need to hide from me, because I’ll love every wild part of them, claws and all.”
Maya’s knuckles are white where she clasps her own hands so tightly they must hurt. She stares at the coffee table between us. Her eyes are vacant and intense at the same time, her chest rising and falling rapidly.
“Have you ever wanted that from someone?” I ask her, and her eyes snap back to mine. Raw and intense. Is this it? The moment she admits what she must already know.
