Page 32 of M.A.Y.A
Without bothering to change out of his clothes, he shifted and took off into the forest. Drayden caught up with him first and took the lead with his map in hand. The Betas were close on their heels.
When they reached the safe house, Isaiah waited for a signal. Drayden shook his head. “She’s already near the clearing. She’s as fast as a Beta shifter, so it’s hard to keep up with her.”
Isaiah’s wolf snarled. Through fractured, hyper-focused eyes, he recognized his mate’s marker on the outstretched tablet. It headed straight towards the enemy intruder. The human part of him knew he had to keep a clear head. Maya spent so long in a glass box that if she faced an intruder trained in military combat, there was a good chance that she’d get hurt.
“We have to go,” Drayden said grimly. He left his tablet between the roots of a neighboring tree before he shifted as well.
They moved as one with Isaiah leading, until they heard the sounds of a gun firing, and a feminine battle cry. Isaiah charged forward and reached the glen just in time to see his mate defeating her enemy without any help.
He watched at the edge of the tree line as his tiny warrior snap the neck of an enemy combatant twice her size. Isaiah’s heart swelled with pride. This woman was strong enough to stand by his side, and he was such a fool to make her think that, even for a second, she wasn’t good enough to sit with his Betas. To be part of their plan to protect his pack.
He watched as shock and horror reflected in her glassy eyes. He nearly went to her when she threw up in the trees. He could feel her despair, and he wanted to cradle her against his chest and take away the pain. His wolf could smell blood and knew she needed medical attention, too. Maya was limping and favoring her right leg.
Both her heart and her body were his responsibility, and as soon as she was ready, he’d cherish both.
When she passed out, Isaiah left his Betas to handle cleanup in the glen. He shifted and carried his mate back to his rooms. There, one of the pack’s doctors checked her from head to toe after which Isaiah stripped her and tucked her under the covers. Her injuries were minor, but any hurt was unacceptable. Maya had already suffered enough in her life; he felt it was his responsibility to ensure she enjoyed every moment going forward.
As night fell, Isaiah kept watch, and for the first time in his tenure as Alpha, he ignored the messages and the phone calls. His focus was strictly on the woman in his bed. She was a shifter in her own right, and the greatest gift he’d ever been given. More importantly, he knew that even though it had only been a week, even though they’d shared a bed for less than that time, the life he’d envisioned for himself had changed. Maya was his priority, and he’d do anything and everything to protect her first.
ChapterThirteen
Maya awoke to the feeling of a palm pressed on her waist and the deliciously hot warmth of a hard body against her side. She knew it was Isaiah. His deep-brown eyes focused on hers, and his sharp angular face was covered in a thick beard. It was unruly after a few days of growth. His wavy hair fell over his forehead as he looked down at her.
Before she could say anything, Isaiah nipped at her lower lip. His sharp teeth stung, and he quickly ran the tip of his tongue over the bite to sooth her.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I was an idiot, and I never should’ve treated you that way in front of my Betas. I was worried for you, and I let that cloud my judgment. It won’t happen again. You belong at that table for every conversation, no matter what. I won’t let my fear hurt you again.”
Maya digested his words for a moment, then let out a sigh. “You couldn’t have held back on that apology, so we could’ve at least fought about it?”
His mouth curved in a wide grin before he nipped her chin. “If you want to, I’m happy to oblige, but I’d rather use our time in other ways.”
She was about to tell him no out of principle, when she remembered what she’d done. The details of the fight came crashing down on her, and she was forced to contend with her unwanted reality. She could still hear the sound of bone crunching when she’d snapped the intruder’s neck. She remembered the taste of bile in her mouth when she’d thrown up in the trees. Her heart filled with horror, and her voice cracked when she said his name.
“I know, baby,” he crooned, and cupped her face in his wide palms. “The first time is hard. I’ve only had to fight in my territory twice, and in both circumstances, the deaths disturbed me, even as an Alpha with predatory DNA.”
“I can’t believe I did that,” she whispered. Her eyes began to burn and then filled with tears. Her throat was raw, and her chest tightened to the point where her arm panel beeped. Isaiah crooned as if soothing a child, before he shut off the alarm on her control panel.
His thumb brushed away the first tear. “You were so brave. The fact that you feel guilty is a testament to your humanity, Maya.”
“He made the most horrific sound when he died, but he had to go. He was dangerous and he could’ve risked everything. He wanted to take me back. I’m not going back there, Isaiah.”
“No, you’re not,” he replied. “I won’t let you go anywhere without following right behind you. You’re my mate, my forever, and without you, there is no Alpha Isaiah. Neither man nor wolf.”
She looked up at his face and wanted desperately to believe him. “I still don’t know if I’m good for you,” she whispered.
“If you don’t trust fate, then trust me to know what I want,” he whispered back.
“You want a robot killer?”
He shifted closer to her, and she felt safe in his arms. Her muscles relaxed when she heard the soft rumble of his wolf before he spoke. “Maya, you have to realize that this is the way of shifters, too. What do you think we would’ve done when we found him?”
The thought hadn’t crossed her mind, but he was right. No matter who the intruder fought, he had to die. Hewould’vedied.
She pressed her cheek against his chest. “Am I weak for wanting to stay with you like this for a few more hours? I know we have to figure out a solution now that we have a ticking timeline, but I don’t want to go anywhere just yet.”
“Then we won’t go anywhere.” Isaiah looped an arm over her hips. “And no, you’re not weak. You’re simply acting the way a person does when they find their mate.”
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