“I still don’t like it. You spend way too much time on your own, exploring the woods. We’re worried half to death about the trouble you can get into.”
“Mom, I’m fine. Last night I wasn’t alone. Jordan was with me.”
Leah sighed. “That’s good. Jordan is a good boy. You haven’t had … you know...”
“I’ve told you, Mom, that’s not going to happen. Jordan and I are not mates.”
The cup Luke had been holding shattered within his grip.
Maya sipped her drink while staring at him over the rim.
“I don’t know my own strength,” he said, as an excuse.
Her father was already fussing over him, trying to clean up the mess.
“Let me grab you another one,” Leah said, reaching for a mug. “It’s such a shame. You and Jordan have been friends for as long as I can remember. He’d make a nice mate, I’m sure of it.”
“He’s not mine.”
“I know, but you are aware that some people mate even though they’re not fated mates.”
She chuckled. “I know that, Mom, and when his mate comes along, I’ll be left high and dry. Trust me, I don’t want that.”
“You know, sweetheart, you always talk about Jordan and his mate coming along. What about your mate? Your mate might turn up. I know it hasn’t happened yet.”
She refused to look at her mate, the alpha—the one sitting in their kitchen.
“I will never be mated,” Maya said. She moved to her place at the counter and took a seat.
“I don’t know why you are suddenly so ‘doom on you’. Mates come out of nowhere. Trust us. We know,” Leah said, walking to her own mate.
Maya watched her parents. There was love between them. They were happy and together, but that was never going to happen between her and Luke.
“I’ve been thinking about moving out,” Maya said, changing the subject.
Her parents looked worried again.
“I’ve told you we don’t need to talk about this.”
“I know, I know, but you guys don’t want me ruining all the fun you could be having.” She smiled at them.
“I know several apartments have opened up. Deanna, the florist, told me the apartment above her shop is a nice one, reasonably priced.”
“Actually,” she said, stopping her mother before she could start organizing it, “I think it’s time for me to leave town. You know, go out, explore, maybe learn something.”
“That’s not happening,” Luke said.
Maya ignored him.
“Honey, what about the pack? Your job?” Leah asked.
She shrugged. “I love the pack. You know that, but I … John’s great. The store is great, but I just think it’s time, and we’ve talked about this in the past, remember. Some people move on, they go and find something they’re looking for.”
“This is not happening,” Luke said. “You are not leaving this pack.”
She took a deep breath and got to her feet. “I want you to think about it. I know it will be good for me.”
Her parents looked toward Luke and then her. He’d stood as well.
“You don’t get to tell me what to do. Not now. Not ever,” she said, glaring at him. Spinning on her heel, she headed out of the kitchen and down the hall. She didn’t get far before Luke grabbed her arm and tried to stop her from leaving.
“Let go of me!” She had no choice but to whisper the demand.
If her parents heard, they would be suspicious.
“You’re not leaving town.”
“Do you remember what happened a couple of years ago? Five to be exact. You don’t get to tell me what to do. Not then, not now, not ever.” She looked past his shoulder, hoping her parents were more focused on each other than what was going on between her and the alpha.
“Damn it, Maya, you will do as you’re told.”
“Make me!” She pulled out of his arms. “But if you remember what you said to me that night, you have no right to even order me to do anything.” She looked at him, and then repeated exactly what he’d said to her.“You better have enjoyed that because that is all you’re getting. I don’t want a fucking mate, and especially not someone like you. You keep this to yourself. You tell anyone and I’ll fucking kill you and your whole family, do you hear me?”She glared at him. “Do you remember that?”
She certainly had. Not a day had gone by that those exact words hadn’t played in her mind.
****
Luke didn’t remember the exact words he’d said to her. All he’d been focused on was being cruel to be kind. He watched her run up the stairs. The nightshirt she wore was a little long and covered the curve of her ass.
Damn it. He should have stayed away. He knew this, and yet, here he was, once again butting his fucking nose where it didn’t belong. The wolf inside him was getting pissy. Five years without a mate. Without a good hard fuck. He’d been taking care of his own needs, and he wanted her. The truth was, he could blame his wolf, but he was the one who craved her. He’d never felt lonely, until he met her. The nights were long and the days even longer. Maya Simpkin played in his mind and damn, he missed her all the freaking time.
He stepped into the kitchen to find Leah and Ben sitting at the counter. There was a plate of breakfast for him, but he didn’t see one for Maya, so he asked.
“She won’t eat now,” Leah said, sighing. “She … I don’t know what’s going on with her.”
“She doesn’t like being the big girl,” Ben said. “That’s how some people see her. The big one.” Ben winced. “She will always be my little girl.”
“Maya is a beautiful woman. There is nothing wrong with her body.”
Leah cut into a piece of bacon. “I know that. I loved cooking for her. Growing up, she always had an appetite, and she was a pleasure to feed. Until her transition.”
Luke stopped eating. “Her transition?”Leah dropped the cutlery onto her plate and covered her face.“We don’t know exactly what happened that night,” Ben said, reaching out to his woman. He rubbed her back, trying to offer her comfort. “From what we’ve heard from her friends and even Jordan, the night was a huge success. They were celebrating.”“I heard her, Ben. I know you heard her too.”“Heard her?” Luke asked. He was tired of hearing Jordan’s name already. The urge to crush him was so strong, but he gained control of himself. He could understand why the boy was besotted with her. Maya was a fucking dream.“She came home,” Leah said. “We were … in the back garden, but she came home, and we listened.”“She sobbed herself to sleep,” Ben said. “The next morning, her face was red and swollen from all the tears.”“And suddenly she doesn’t want my food anymore. I can’t even bake. It’s been so long since I baked anything.” Leah covered her face again. “She won’t even have her favorite, c
By Monday morning, Maya pressed the back of her hand to her mouth to try and stifle a yawn. Yesterday she’d spent all day away from home and arrived late. Her mother had been worried, and had saved her a large dinner of beef, vegetables, and gravy, but she’d not been able to eat.She’d been worried about going home in case Luke was there. He hadn’t left town and she didn’t know why. She hadn’t slept well wondering what he was up to. Putting the nails on the shelf, she began cleaning away the loose ones, picking them up and placing them in the multi-box. Customers could come and grab a handful, and would be charged by the size of the bag. John was really excited when he came up with the idea. Maya hadn’t cared. She’d been smiling and encouraging, but it was still just a bag of nails and bolts. Boring.With the shelf full, she straightened the rest of the boxes before heading toward the other supplies on her list. John had given her a list of items to check for stock. Checking each item
Was he going to say something mean? Cruel?“Like what?”“Like you’re going to fall down. It’s not a good look, babe. You need to eat something. I bet your wolf gets tired easily on a run, right?”It was none of his business what happened to her. Why was he even talking about this?She picked up a fry and popped it into her mouth. It tasted good, but her stomach churned.“See, it’s good.” Luke picked up his burger and took a bite. “I fucking love coming here. The food is always good.”“Is that why you were always passing through?” she asked.“Pretty much. Good food on the road can be hard to come by, but then you have these little delicacies, and you never forget good food.”She shoved another fry into her mouth and started to chew, trying to think of ways to keep him talking. If he was coming to the DIY store, there was no a chance of her avoiding him. Was he doing this on purpose? Rubbing in the fact he didn’t want her? There was no one she could tell. A quick glance around the diner,
He wasn’t used to being rejected. On the road, women were more than willing to share a small amount of time with him. Even with the scars on his face.“Maya?”She got to her feet. “Look, I know you’re clearly used to getting what you want, but I’m not going to have dinner with you. Please, just leave me alone.” She went to walk away and he reached out, grabbing her arm.Did she not feel anything when he touched her?“Will you stop doing that? People will start talking and I don’t want to be the gossip. Stop touching me, stop sitting with me, and stop … just stop.”“You’re my mate, Maya.”“And you didn’t give a fuck about that before, so why bother now?”There was so much he wanted to say to her, but instead John arrived. He had no choice but to let her go, and he was pretty sure in the back of his mind his wolf whimpered. They’d been so long without her.“How was everything?” John asked.“Everything was fine,” Maya said. “Can I talk to you for a moment?”John looked at Luke who smiled
“A wolf’s first time is hard,” Luke said.“So I left. I … I think I felt you before you were cruel to me. Before you said what you did. Before you rejected me. I felt you, and then, what were you going to do?” she asked. “Strangle me? Get rid of the evidence that you had a fucking fat mate?”Luke frowned. “What are you talking about?”“Don’t do that,” she said.“I’m not doing anything. I never once told you, you were fat.”“You better have enjoyed that because that is all you’re getting. I don’t want a fucking mate, and especially not someone like you. You keep this to yourself. You tell anyone and I’ll fucking kill you and your whole family, do you hear me.”She didn’t say it in his voice, but even as she spoke his words, exactly as he said them to her, she heard his gruff, rough voice. They had played in her mind on repeat for so long. She couldn't not remember them. He’d been so angry.“Fucking hell,” Luke said.“I know you’re disappointed in who you were given. I’m not pretty. I’m
“That sounds like an amazing idea.” Ben shook his head. “Her mother and I don’t want her to leave. We get that young wolves like to go out and explore, and get all that wanderlust out of their body, but she is our baby girl.”“I’m going to take care of her,” Luke said. “I promise. I better go and ask for Maya’s help.”Ben nodded. “Er, my daughter can be quite stubborn, and I don’t know what hurt her, or who, but she has a good heart. She loves this pack. I know she’ll be a huge help to you.”Guilt swirled in his gut. Deep down, he knew he was the problem. He forced a smile to his lips. Luke wasn’t used to having to put this much effort in, or to even want to give this much effort to people.Heading across town, he stared at the DIY store and saw it wasn’t particularly busy. For his plan to work, he would need to ask her when she was surrounded by the pack. The only way to do that was at lunchtime.Crap.What he was doing wasn’t fair. He knew that, but he had to keep Maya close to him.
“Thank you.” He wasn’t raised with a pack. He’d learned at a young age to fend for himself, so the pack doing this for him, being so open, was new to him, and hard to comprehend.He took a seat opposite Maya. She glanced around the diner and he offered her a smile.“I know what you’re doing,” she said. “My parents are not happy with my decision either.”“There is no reason for you to leave.” He put his hands flat on the table. “It’s good to see you eat.”Maya sighed and picked up a fry. “So, is this a real job or something you’ve cooked up?”He chuckled. “Trust me, it’s a real job and I don’t think you’re going to like it a whole lot of the time.”The house was in need of some serious TLC.Luke was not wrong. On the outside, the house looked amazing, beautiful, a little unkept, but on the inside it was a mess, and that was putting it nicely. Walls were missing. Electricals were exposed, and it looked like there had been a few animals using it as their sleeping grounds.Maya had dresse
“Okay, so we can now condemn the bathroom sink,” she said.“I think it would be best if I actually purchased a whole new bathroom.”She nodded. “You’re right, because, wow, my ass must be strong.”He chuckled.“I wouldn’t complain about your ass being in my hands.” He winked at her, and Maya didn’t know what to do. Was he flirting?“We’re going to need to … you know … deal with all of this, so we’re going to need help. I can call John. He’ll be able to send reliable hands. He’ll also know how to dispose of it as well,” she said.“Then call him,” he said.“I think it would be best if I told him in person.” She wanted a reason to leave and to put some much-needed space between them.Luke smirked and took a step toward her, then another. She refused to move back, and not because she was worried about breaking more of his home.“Do I make you nervous?” he asked.“No, you don’t make me nervous, but I want to make sure this is done properly.” The lies fell from her lips easily. “Don’t you w