There's nothing better than a party. Well, that's not entirely true. I can think of a bunch of things now in my life that might be better than a party. But for most of my life, nothing was better than a good party. The lights, the people, the drinks, the music, the feeling of complete happiness that nothing is left to do but have fun and enjoy. Nothing could spoil a good party for me at this point. Not even ex girlfriends or pack drama. Nothing.
Maya found herself at Emily's one long Saturday afternoon. It had been a couple of days since she had met Jacob and Maya still had so many questions. But Paul had left the next morning to work out the wood distributor issue and he wouldn't be back until Monday. After a frustrating day alone, Maya couldn't take it anymore.
She showed up at Emily's house and helped her with the kids but mostly, they sat around outside while the kids played and Maya tried to pull more information about Jacob's story out of her.
"I still don't get it though. How could he just leave, like that?" Maya asked for what felt like the hundredth time. Emily didn't seem annoyed or tired with the ask though. She was overwhelmingly patient and kind with everyone.
"Back then it was a really different time in pack life. Jacob had split off into a one-man pack until Seth and Leah joined. He took off because he could. He wasn't under Sam's command." Emily said simply sipping her iced tea.
"But it's not just a command that keeps him tied here. Paul always said when he left for places like Thailand or Australia or anywhere for long periods of time, it became this physical ache. Like a call he couldn't ignore. He said after a while it became almost unbearable. Does Jacob not have that because he's his own alpha or something?" Maya asked, trying to get the logic straight in her mind.
"I'm not sure. Part of what Paul is talking about might be the imprint though. Even before they imprint, if their soulmate is here, their spirit knows it. It might have been an echo of that before he even knew what it was. Or maybe it is the tribe and his brothers. I'm not sure. But for whatever reason, Jake was able to choose something different. He was always that way," Emily said, trailing off sadly.
"What do you mean?" Maya looked over at her now.
"Just...different. Different motivations. No fear. Different instincts. Just…..different," Emily said. Maya looked out across the clearing down to the shoreline. "I know what you're worried about." Emily interjected.
"What?" Maya said, caught off guard. Emily gave her a knowing smile.
"You want to be reassured that you can leave the rez for college...leave Paul for a bit...and still feel okay, right?" Emily said knowingly.
"Are you in my head?" Maya said, laughing. Emily laughed too.
"No, but my husband's in your boyfriend's head. And even if you didn't tell Paul that, it's not hard to guess it." Maya sucked in a breath and cringed.
"God, I'm obvious huh?"
"Not obvious, just concerned. You're trying to make sure you'll be okay and by extension Paul. You're protecting him the only way you can," Emily smiled, "But I don't think Jacob has the answers you're looking for."
Maya groaned and leaned her head back against the chair. After a minute she said, "Can I ask you to help me with something else then?"
"Sure," Emily said quickly.
"I want to plan a surprise party for Paul's 29th birthday. I want our summer to be as jam packed with great memories so that we can revisit them when we're apart. I'm thinking a backyard shindig with a little flare. You know, decorate the back with string lights, get some food catered, hire a bartender, make it a little fancy. What do you think?"
Emily stared at her with an elated smile on her face. "Oh I love parties like this! Yes! Let's do it."
When Paul had gotten back from Seattle on Monday, he was exceedingly stressed. Maya could feel it in his body even when they laid down to sleep. It made planning his party a little more difficult because when he was stressed, Paul tended to be on high alert about everything.
On Tuesday morning, the day after he got home, he entered the kitchen with a groan and Maya snapped her laptop shut that she had been working on at the kitchen counter.
"What are you hiding on your laptop there?" Paul said, his eyes shooting from Maya's face to the closed laptop suspiciously.
"Uuuuh, I'm having an affair," she answered quickly with a teasing smile on her face.
"Oh, you are?" Paul said, a twinkling dark look in his eyes. Maya stood with her back to the counter trying to conceal her laptop. Paul crossed the kitchen to her and when he tried to look around her, Maya put her left hand to his jaw and leaned up to kiss him softly.
"Mmmhhmm," Maya said as she pulled softly out of the kiss. Paul let his hand drift down the side of her neck and slowly down her body. "I didn't want you to find out like this," Maya gasped as Paul lowered his head to kiss her neck, his hand easily slipping under the mini skirt she was wearing and stroking her softly.
"Mmmm," Paul said, moving so slowly down Maya's neck that she thought she'd burst. "You're a really bad liar."
"I might be a liar, but I can still have secrets," she said as she parted her legs a little more for him. Paul cupped her and slipped two fingers inside of her. He easily lifted her with his other arm wrapped around her waist and set her on the counter. Her mouth was open in breathy exhalation as he teased between her legs with a hungry, determined look in his eye.
"You don't keep secrets from me," he lowered his head and nipped at her neck, kissing along her jawline, and then gently brushing his lips over hers, "Do you?" The question was posed with an implied answer. Maya knew how to answer, but the mischievous tug that pulled at her swayed her to answer in a way that would play with him.
"Oh, I do," she said. Paul growled playfully and Maya tried to contain the squeal of excitement that shot between her legs as his fingers stroked her. He pulled them out quickly and stared down at her hard, that same look glinting in his eyes.
"I don't think so," Paul said firmly, "But I can think of a way I can get you to tell me what you think you're keeping from me." His hands were pulling at the cropped black t-shirt she wore. Maya's mouth was still open as she smiled at him.
"Not this time, Lahote," she egged him on. His eyes flashed with need now and the overwhelmingly joy in his smile made her heart race as he pushed it above her chest. Maya was wearing a black lace bralette and he easily pushed that up and as well before he lowered his mouth to take her left nipple in his mouth.
His arms were wound tightly around her back and Maya leaned her head back, arching her back to push her chest against his face as she let out a soft sound. When he took her nipple between his teeth and gingerly teased it, Maya let out a huffing breath and brought her head back up. Paul's eyes we're peering up at her and she couldn't help but giggle. He brought his face up to hers, bringing his lips crashing down on her and she put both of her hands behind his head as he pulled her forward so her hips were flush with his against the countertop. She wrapped her legs around his back as his hands roamed over her, squeezing as he went.
Maya loved the hot feeling his hands left across her body. When he pulled back from their heady kiss, Maya's lips red and swollen from the scratch of his stumble he grinned that wicked grin he reserved just for her.
"What?" she breathed with excitement. Paul placed a hand on her shoulder and gently pushed her back so that she laid flat against the countertop. Her chest heaved with anticipation as he let his hand drift down her chest and stomach, coming to rest on her hip. He leaned down and pulled the lace underwear down her legs. Scrunching her skirt up around her hips, he kneeled to take her mound in his mouth and Maya arched her back and let out a loud moan as his warm tongue slipped between her. As he worked between her legs, Maya brought the back of her hand to her mouth and bit down with a smile as the unending moans slipped from her lips.
When he brought his mouth up and starting to suck at the bundle of nerves at the top of her folds, Maya's eyes rolled into the back of her head and she gasped his name. Her hand shot down to grab the back of his head and when he brought her close to her end, he pulled away abruptly, smiling smugly up at her. Maya could have screamed.
"What are you doing?" She breathed.
"Are you going to tell me your secret?" he said in a low voice that always compelled Maya to do anything this man wanted her to do. Her center was throbbing with need and she let out a strangled laugh before she said.
"Fuck you," in a teasing tone.
"If that's what you want," he said gruffly. Maya lifted her head just as Paul entered her and her mouth hung open in spectacular relief at the feeling of him as he filled her. His eyes burned with need as he thrust into her. Maya laid flat back against the counter, her breasts bouncing with each thrust as he brought a hand up to grab one and the other hand on her hip pulling her to him. Maya screamed with pleasure as he rammed into her, exploding pops of lights behind her eyes.
When he slowed his pace Maya leaned up to glare at him, "Are you going to tell me?" he grunted as he moved excruciatingly slowly in and out of her.
"Don't you dare," she warned. Paul gave a short laugh and continued to tease her, making Maya whine in frustration. She knew she could outlast him though. Maya leaned up on her elbows with a glint of challenge in her eyes as she started to wind her hips against him. Paul's mouth fell open for a moment as the feeling of her circling him wracked pleasure through him. When he tried to pull out of her again, Maya wrapped her legs around his back and held herself tightly to him. A moan escaped him as he buckled, his hands on either side of her body as he thrust into her. Maya pulled herself up and wrapped her arms around his neck and started slamming her hips against him, pressing her lips to his ear and moaning his name, begging for him. It only took a few minutes after that before he grabbed her ass tightly and pulled her to him with one final thrust, filling her up. Maya threw her head back and let out a soft sigh of pleasure before she leveled her eyes with his, happy with defeat.
"I guess my secret stays a secret then," she said to him. He pushed his hot lips against hers for a moment, his hand wound in her hair before pulling back and saying gently,
"Fine, you win this time," a smile played at the corners of his mouth and Maya giggled. "What am I saying? You always win." He said pressing his forehead to hers and panting.
Maya kissed his cheek and rubbed the stubble along the side of his jaw, letting this feeling encapsulate her.
The night of the party was upon them. Maya had planned every last detail with the help of Emily and organized a catering company to come and help transform the backyard into a twinkling, glittering, warm and inviting space. She had purchased an outdoor teakwood furniture set from a recommended carpenter that Paul admired and arranged the set on the back landing. There was a long couch with white cushions and a few reclined chairs that could rock set around a carefully crafted fire pit.
The catering company set up a long wooden table that could seat up to thirty people and Maya helped dress the table with oversized glass blown votives, wine glasses, stone dinnerware, and fern leafs draped over the table. They hung lights in the large tree that helped cover the lower patio with the new furniture and set up hanging buckets around the backyard packed with ice, beer, chilled wine, and canned cocktails.
Before the caterers left, they set up one area laden down with tons of food, buffet style. Pleased with the look of the backyard, Maya darted upstairs to get ready. Sam had pulled Paul away from the house all day with the excuse of distanced rounds that took them farther out of La Push than they would normally go. She hoped none of his brothers would give away what she had planned, but trusted that, no matter what, he would just be excited to celebrate his 29th birthday with Maya and his family.
After carefully curling her hair in billowing waves, doing her makeup in a smokier, sexier look than she normally did and dotting her lips with a dark red lipstick, she pulled on a floor length dark green sundress that clung to her body. A slit ran up on either side of the dress to her thigh and it swooped down across her chest to show the top of her cleavage. The thin straps of the dress crossed behind her neck and halfway down her back in a thin X. She put on some dark brown strappy sandals and checked her phone.
Jeremy: He's on his way back. Be there in 5.
Maya hurried downstairs and glanced toward the backyard where everyone had gathered while she was getting ready. She waved her hand at Emily who nodded and told everyone to quiet down as they turned the lights off, leaving only the soft glow of the candlelight glittering in one long line down the main table. Maya walked to the front door and just as she pulled it open,
Paul was there, reaching for the handle.
"Hi," he breathed with a smile like he'd just seen her for the first time again. Maya always lost her breath when he did that.
"Happy Birthday," she breathed, giving him a warm smile.
"Oh yeah, it is that day huh?" he said feigning ignorance. Maya laughed and grabbed him by the hand pulling him to her. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her lips. "You look amazing. Don't tell me you dressed up on just my account." He kissed along her jawline and traced a line with his index finger down her bare back.
"Ah, maybe," she said gently. "Come here, I want to show you something."
He raised an eyebrow at her and gave a suspicious smile. "Oh? Do I finally get to know the secret?" Maya didn't answer, she just pulled him toward the backyard. Paul could see the glittering candlelight and couldn't help but smile. When she opened the back door and got him out onto the porch, she flipped on the lightswitch that washed the backyard in the warm light of the twinkling lights hanging from the tree and throughout the backyard. His pack was spread out around the yard and all simultaneously yelled, "SURPRISE!" once the lights came on.
Paul started laughing and pulled Maya into a hug, kissing the top of her head. Everyone cheered and came toward him, Jared setting a beer in his hand and pulled him into hugs. Maya was thrilled with the success of pulling it off and the smile on Paul's face let her know that she had truly done something right. There was nothing but pure happiness that filled this moment for them.
The night carried on in true party fashion after this—Maya was glued to Paul's side, smiling up at him as he chatted happily with his brothers and turned every once in awhile to brag and kiss her forehead or her mouth.
Just before they sat down for dinner along the giant table, Jeremy and Becks entered hand in hand to welcoming cheers. Maya gave them both a quick hug, playing hostess, and made sure to get them drinks. After piling their plates high with Paul's favorite foods from the buffet—lobster mac and cheese, red beans and rice, chili powdered corn on the cob, steak tips and crab legs—the table was filled with laughter and loud crosstalk that only came from people sharing food and drink with those that they loved. Every chance Paul got, he made sure to touch Maya, wrapping his arm around her shoulder or grabbing her hand with an elated smile. He'd lean over next to her and say softly in her ear 'I love you' before planting a kiss to her lips. More than once, this would draw the attention of his brother's who were nearest and they would holler and wolf whistle at them, making Maya laugh.
"Am I too late?" A voice from the back door said halfway through dinner. Maya whipped around and Paul did too at the familiar sound. Shock pulled at Paul's face as he said with overwhelming hesitance from his seat at the table,
"Rachel, what are you doing here?" His eyes darted from Maya to Rachel and when a smile broke across Maya's face as she stood up and walked over to her, the shock turned into confusion.
Rachel held a bottle of wine high in the air and Maya climbed the steps to wrap her in a hug. "You're not too late. Thanks for coming," Maya said just so she could hear. With her hand around her waist she led Rachel down the steps and toward the table. Everyone who had previously fallen quiet at Rachel Black's sudden appearance began to welcome her with Maya's encouraging smile and when Rachel leaned down to hug Paul and wish him a happy birthday, Paul looked to Maya with utter appreciation.
Emily squealed and wrapped Rachel in a warm hug before begging her to sit next to her and suddenly they were all back to eating and drinking and joking around the table. After dinner, everyone lingered around on the lawn or on the patio near the firepit, drinks in hand. Maya was talking with Kim and Sadie by the firepit when Paul walked over.
"Excuse me, can I please steal my girlfriend for just a second?" he asked. Maya let out a little laugh and bounded out of the chair and into his side. He pulled her down the lawn and then stopped to turn and kiss her, his hands on either side of her face. When he pulled back, his thumb stroked her cheek and his eyes twinkled in the shimmering light.
"You are amazing, Maya Sun," he said softly before kissing her again. "Thank you so much for this incredible night." Maya held onto his wrists and beamed up at him.
"You're welcome. I thought we deserved a celebration and you are definitely something to celebrate." She could tell he was a little tipsy from his lopsided grin and when he said,
"Promise me I'll never have to spend another birthday without you," she knew he was lost in the love of the imprint. She giggled and nodded,
"I promise. Every birthday, forever," he kissed her roughly again and wrapped his arms around her. Maya never wanted to fall out of his strong grip. As they lost themselves in each other's kiss, Maya thought she heard the loud growl of a motorcycle. Before long they were interrupted by someone clearing their throat. When they pulled apart, their eyes half lidded in that warm soft love, Becks and Jeremy were standing behind them. Jeremy's arm was wrapped around Becks' waist and he was beaming.
"We're gonna head out, but we wanted to say happy birthday to the birthday boy one more time before we dipped," Becks said extending her arms. Paul gave her a hug and then relinquished her to Maya.
"Thanks for coming!" Maya said in her ear. "You guys are so fucking cute together. When she pulled back to look at Becks' face, she saw the light and happiness that shone there. It filled Maya with so much hope for her and she gave her a short knowing nod. After giving Jeremy a quick hug and kiss on the cheek, Jeremy started to steer Becks toward the door, but suddenly there was a commotion by the back door.
"Well, well! Look who finally made it!" Quil teased, clapping Jacob on the back who gave one of those heart stopping grins.
"Ah! He came," Maya said, looking up at Paul delighted with herself. She'd gone out on a whim inviting him to the party. Emily mentioned that it would be a good faith effort in bringing Jacob back into the fold of the pack and Maya agreed. She still wanted to know him better for some strange reason but she never thought that he'd take her up on it. Seth had provided her with Jake's number and she invited him via text. When he had replied with just a curt 'Thanks', Maya thought he was definitely not going to come.
Rachel shouted from her place on the couch by the firepit and waved to her little brother enthusiastically. And then he looked over toward Paul and Maya. He gave a short wave to Paul and small nod to Maya with what she thought was a tight smile, but nonetheless, she appreciated the gesture.
Then, as if in slow motion, his eyes floated over to the figure of Jeremy and Becks who were starting to walk toward him to leave. They only made it a few steps away from Paul and Maya before Becks' eyes connected with Jacob and then the whole backyard went quiet. An electric feeling made Maya's hair on her arm rise, just like the instinctual feeling you sometimes get before a thunderstorm that prickles at your inside and tells you to run, find cover.
Maya looked from Becks to Jacob. Jeremy's face was set in a hard line, his jaw clenched and his arm tightened around her waist. Becks' mouth had fallen open slightly as she looked upon the man who had undeniably imprinted, tethering her to the spot, and undoubtedly beckoning her closer. But as Maya realized what was happening, she saw the look on Jacob's face change from one of overwhelming relief and recognition—a look she viscerally remembered from the first time she'd set eyes upon Paul—to seething anger.
"Are you fucking kidding me?" Jacob said, relief plainly laced with shock in his voice as his eyes rested on Becks. Maya could clearly see the shimmer in his eyes indicating he was fighting angry tears.
Jeremy stood in front of Becks now, his hand gripping hers tightly, possessively. But Becks was peering around him, unable to help herself as her eyes found Jacob's once again.
"No. Fuck you!" Jeremy boomed suddenly, causing Maya to jump and grab onto Paul's forearm. He squeezed her hand as he watched the situation carefully. She could clearly see the tremors waving through Jeremy's body.
"Becks," Maya gasped as she took an automatic step toward her. She wasn't safe by Jeremy right now and she knew it. Paul grabbed her quickly around the waist and pulled her back behind him roughly as he said:
"No. Not you. Brady's got it," Paul said under his breath, his eyes hard. Maya look around his bicep and watched Becks worriedly. Brady was slowly making his way toward the couple, his palms facing forward as if he'd be ready to grab Becks as soon as Jeremy made the attempt to phase. She could see Becks was shaking, but Maya didn't know if she was scared or overwhelmed.
"Fuck you! You don't get her, you deserting piece of shit!" Jeremy yelled now. Becks' lower lip trembled. Brady was close enough to grab her now. Jacob's face was contorted in pain for a half second at the solidifying realization of the imprint. He dropped his eyes to the ground, breaking the connection between him and Becks. She made an audible sound, guttural, painful and surprising when he did it and Jeremy couldn't help but flinch at the sound.
When Jacob looked back up at them, his face was hard as stone, the pain had disappeared and only anger was present in the firmly knit line of his brow, the hard line of his mouth, and the clenched V of his jaw.
"Trust me. There's nothing I want less than this," he said a little too harshly. Becks swallowed hard. "So you can relax, loverboy. I don't want her. Imprint or not." Jacob's face was almost unreadable at this point, the stone facade was placed so well, but his voice was laced with venom. Each word was meant to strike and hit it's listener with snide precision until there was nothing left.
Maya's eyes were trained on Becks, tears falling plainly down her cheeks, one arm wrapped around her stomach. Maya knew that pain and she wanted to take the bounding steps to reach Becks and pull her into her arms and tell her over and over again that she would be okay. She wouldn't break apart. Maya would hold her together. But Paul's hand was tightly wound around her wrist, holding her place behind his back as Maya kept trying to inch around him. Jeremy's tremors were shaking him so badly that his figure almost blurred in front of Maya's eyes.
"You don't even fucking deserve her. You don't deserve to be near her let alone look at her," Jeremy seethed between gritted teeth. Becks was crumbling at Jacob's words. Jacob looked from Jeremy to meet Becks' eyes again, causing a visible shudder to run through Becks. And somehow, sickeningly, Jacob let out a harsh laugh, his eyes black pools of malice before he closed them tightly and looked down at the ground again, unable to keep eye contact.
Becks couldn't contain the sob that escaped her throat.
Everything that happened next went almost too quickly for Maya to see. But what she did see was a flickering look of pain, the falter of that malicious smirk on Jacob's face fell as Becks choked on a rising sob. Maya thought she even saw Jacob take a step forward toward her, but it was hard to know because in a split second, Jeremy, all rage, bellowed and took two swift steps forward before exploding into a mass of fur and fury.
Brady had snatched Becks at the last second, turning his body with her in his grasp and folding her underneath him as he crouched to the ground with her underneath him. Paul had done the same with Maya. He had turned to quickly pull Maya off of her feet and down to the ground in one swift movement so fast that Maya thought she only saw sky after Jeremy had exploded.
There was a volley of screams as Maya shut her eyes tight. Paul's entire body was over hers and his chest was pressed against her face. A loud crash and procession of booms sounded and Maya could only assume that Jacob had phased and was fighting Jeremy. After what felt like a lifetime but was probably only a few seconds, Paul lifted his body off of Maya and leaned back onto his knees. His hands were on her face and he was frantically looking over her body and face.
"Are you okay?" he gently moved her face from side to side, his eyes flickering around her face looking for any sign of injury.
"I'm fine," Maya strained. "Let me up." Paul stood up and pulled her to her feet, continuing to inspect every part of her until she pulled out of his grasp, spotting Becks. "Becks!" she cried as she darted toward her. Brady was still in the same crouched position, his arms protectively wrapped around her shoulders. Becks had her face covered with her hands as she leaned into Brady, muffled sobs coming from her place on the ground. "Becks, come here." Maya said as she pulled her out of Brady's grasp and into her arms. Keye was there next to them now and as they all kneeled on the ground next to Becks, both girls covered her with their bodies, mumbling reassurances as everyone stood in temporarily stunned silence.
When Maya looked up, peering over Keye's bent head that was lowered to speak in hushed whispers to Becks, she surveyed the damage. They'd clearly collided with some of the trees that skirted their house and there was a huge gash in the tree that shaded their now mangled patio furniture.
"Come on, let's get her inside," Maya said as she hauled Becks' limp body off of the ground. Keye got on the other side of her and helped Maya take her toward the house. Emily was already a flurry of activity in the yard assigning clean up duties and Sam was talking to Paul, Jared, and Collin about splitting up to go after them and come at them from all different sides.
Paul shot Maya an apologetic look and she returned it sadly. This night was so beautiful and perfect and once again the tragically beautiful destructive nature of a fresh imprint had ripped that to pieces.
Once they got Becks upstairs and onto Maya and Paul's bed, Maya put her hands on top of her head and took a step back. Becks was gutted and wouldn't open her eyes as she continued to sob into the sheets.
"What do we do?" Keye said, her eyes wide with uncertain fear.
"I don't know," Maya choked out, tears springing to her eyes now.
"Well, what did you do when this happened to you and Paul?!" Keye said a little too aggressively.
"This didn't happen to me and Paul. This is way, way different," Maya said as she turned and started to pace the room.
"He can't just reject the imprint can he?" Keye said roughly. Maya grabbed her arm and tugged her out of the bedroom shutting the door behind them as she said in a hushed whisper out on the landing,
"Jesus Keye, can you be a little less fucking moronic?! She's right fucking there!"
"Oh, I'm sorry! I'm just trying to fucking figure out how to not go kill some fucking reject alpha who just shattered my fucking best friend to pieces, EXCUSE ME."
"Okay, okay stop. We need to think about this," Maya said, putting a hand over her mouth as she tried to concentrate. She wound an arm around her stomach instinctually and felt the pang of anxiety there at Paul's obvious absence. Maya didn't know if Becks could withstand that kind of feeling constantly. Especially without the reassurance that it would ever go away. It would destroy her life.
"I'm not going to think about this. I'm just going to rip that guy to pieces," Keye said angrily.
"You'd have to get to him first. I think Jeremy's already taking care of that," Maya's mind went wild with ideas, but nothing felt like it could come close to fixing whatever Jacob had just done to Becks. "We just need to stay with her. Let her tell us what she needs. I don't see any other option right now," Maya finally said. Keye groaned and nodded.
"Okay. I'm going back in there," she nodded toward the door.
"Okay, just talk...less," Maya advised. Keye rolled her eyes and pushed past her. Maya walked downstairs and out to the backyard. The rest of the pack who had stayed behind were finishing chucking the now spent wood from their patio furniture into Paul's scrap wood pile. Emily, Kim, and Sadie were finishing cleaning in the kitchen and had cleared the table outside. Maya took in her surroundings and felt the well of emotion build up in her again. How had things gone so spectacularly wrong?
Everyone had filtered out and left except for Keye and Becks after they had cleaned up. Emily had pulled Maya into a hug so tight she thought she might have cracked a few ribs. Before she let her go, she whispered urgently in her ear:
"This will fix itself. Don't worry. Jake has always been looking for a reason to come back and maybe this is the universe's answer."
Fuck the universe. And fuck whatever Jacob needed. Maya had thought to herself angrily as she nodded and closed the door behind them. She had sunk back onto the couch, too exhausted to climb the stairs to check on Keye and Becks. It was past midnight before Paul walked through the door. And before she knew it, she had been sitting there with her feet tucked up under her dress, staring at the wall for hours until Paul snapped her from her reverie. The ache in her stomach dissipated immediately and when he came over and sat next to her, Maya gave him a sad smile as she wiped a tear that had freshly fallen onto her cheek.
"Is he gone?" she whispered.
Paul's face was etched with concern and before Maya could even move, he pulled her into his lap and wrapped his arms around her. Paul kissed her hair and her temple before saying in a low, firm voice:
"Maya, I will never, ever, ever, do that to you, do you hear me? I will love you forever, I'm so sorry." She thought she heard his voice crack a little and this made Maya devolve into tears as she pushed her face into the side of his neck. Her arms were wound tightly around him as she cried and he continued to whisper how much he loved her in the darkened living room.
Maya felt so many things but overwhelmingly so she just felt relief. Relief that Paul, as much as they had unconsciously fought the imprint, still chose to love her and continued to choose her every day. The unflinching pain she felt wrack her body was brought on by the fact that she didn't know if Becks would ever feel such relief if Jacob chose to reject her as he did tonight.
After a few minutes of Maya letting Paul hold her as she cried, she took a deep breath and pulled her face up to look at him. She ran her hand down his face and he turned it to kiss her open palm softly.
"I will never stop loving you," she whispered. "I promise. I'm so sorry if you ever felt like I rejected you like that Paul, I didn't know.." she choked. Paul shook his head,
"Don't take this the wrong way, but I knew you'd always come back. There was already too much there, My. I've loved you since the first time you set foot in this house. Nothing was going to change that. And I knew you felt it too." Paul said reassuringly as he petted his broad hand through her hair.
Maya sniffled and let out a strangled laugh and said "Okay, okay, okay, good," repeatedly before she leaned her face down to put her mouth on Paul's. Paul held her to his lips for a long time after that and they revelled in the feeling that just this small connection made between them. Paul held onto her tightly but Maya realized that she never wanted him to let her go again if he could help it.
At some point that night they fell asleep on the couch together—Maya was draped over the side of Paul's body as his arm looped around her shoulder and down her back to cradle her to him.
Maya woke up a little bit before dawn and got up to check on Keye and Becks upstairs. The room was quiet and cool and the two dark lumps on the bed indicated that they were still asleep. Maya changed out of her dress into some jeans and t-shirt and hurried back downstairs with a yawn. She tied her mess of hair up into a high messy bun before starting some breakfast at the kitchen.
After the coffee had fully brewed and she finished mixing up the pancake batter, the early light of dawn was creeping over the horizon. Her eyes were drawn to the backyard where out the double french doors, she saw the shirtless, broad figure of a man, sitting on the steps of her back porch with his hands wrapped around the back of his neck as he looked toward the ground. Maya almost jumped out of her skin when she saw him but instead, she picked up her coffee and quietly made her way outside, glancing over her shoulder to make sure Paul was still asleep on the couch.
Once the door was safely shut behind her she took a sip of her coffee and said gently, "I was wondering when you'd show up." Maya stood behind him for a moment and when he didn't answer, she took the few steps forward and sunk down next to him on the steps. He wouldn't look at her and Maya let the silence open up between them as she let her eyes scan the horizon and the cold dark water. While the sun was rising, she could see a rolling mass of dark storm clouds coming in from the west offshore. After what felt like a lifetime, she heard the muffled sniffles of clear upset next to her. Maya wrapped her arm around the man's shoulder and leaned her cheek against his shoulder.
"Is she okay?" Jeremy managed to finally choke on. Maya stayed quiet for a minute and then said softly.
"She will be...I think...She just needs some time Jer," Tears were present in Maya's eyes now. Jeremy took a deep breath and finally lifted his face. Maya sat up straight and looked at him. A long dark red line ran down the center of his face that made her gasp. Jeremy choked out a huff of a laugh and shook his head.
"I'm fine. You should see the other guy," he rubbed the tears out of his eyes and set Maya with a firm stare. "Can I see her?" Maya inhaled a sharp breath and thought about this for a moment.
"I don't know if she'd be up to it just yet, Jeremy. But I can tell her you came by to see her and if she wants to see you, I'll call you right away and you can come over." Maya placated. She wanted to minimize as much damage to her friend in her fragile state right now as possible. No answer seemed like the right one.
"I just need to see her," Jeremy said quietly. Maya bit her lip and clutched her coffee mug.
"It's not a good idea. She's not….she's not Becks right now. And while I know you love her and I would never want to stand in the way of that, she just had a monumentally life changing moment that did not go well. She needs a break," Maya said softly. She hoped she was right but it felt like the only thing she could do at this point.
"Fine," Jeremy finally said, anger clearly lining the edges of his voice, "But I'll be close by." he nodded toward the treeline and Maya let out an exhausted sigh and rubbed her forehead.
"Okay," she finally breathed. Jeremy stood, somewhat shaky on his two feet for a second and then bounded off toward the forest, but before he disappeared Maya called out to him. He turned and looked at her, his face contorted in pain, "Is he gone?" she asked him the same question she had asked Paul last night. Jeremy fitted her with a hard stare before shaking his head noncommittally and saying,
"I don't know. I don't think so," and when Maya looked at him confused, he said, "We can't hear him. We've never been able to, not after he broke off into his one man pack, so there's no way of knowing if he's in the area unless we come across him. For both of our sake's, I hope he isn't." And with that he turned and left.
Maya sat on the porch for awhile after that looking out over the sea, thinking, trying to figure out how best to help Becks in this moment. The pain of rejection from her imprinter wouldn't go away any time soon, and Maya wasn't even sure that he could reject Becks for forever.
When she finally stood up, the sun was well above the horizon now. She walked back through the french doors and spotted Paul in the kitchen working over the stove. Her heart swelled at the sight of his large broad shoulders working away, a stack of pancakes, bowls of fresh fruit, and cups of coffee already stacked on a tray. Maya came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his midsection, pressing her lips to the center of his back. He paused what he was doing and turned in her grasp, cupping his hands on the other side of her face and kissing her so softly on the lips that she felt momentarily dizzy. He pulled back and looked into her eyes, all love and enamour coating it's hue and Maya warmed at the look.
"Can you manage to get this upstairs, or would you like me to carry it?" he said as he nodded toward the laden down tray. She smiled,
"Nah, I think I got it. Thank you for making all of this." He kissed her forehead in response and Maya untangled herself from him before grabbing the tray and walking carefully up the stairs to their bedroom. She gently nudged the door open and heard Keye in the shower. Becks stirred a little bit and Maya set the tray carefully on the end of the bed, grabbing the cups of coffee and setting Keye's on the nightstand. She sat next to Becks in the bed and brushed the tangled mass of hair away from in front of her eyes.
"I brought you coffee. And pancakes," Maya said softly. Becks' eyes fluttered open, red and swollen from her night of crying and looked at Maya sadly. "You need to eat, Becks." Maya said as she stroked her hair. Becks pulled herself up and leaned back with a great sigh against the headboard, taking the cup of coffee and pressing it to her lips. She closed her eyes and Maya knew she was fighting the urge to break down into tears again.
Maya let silence fill the room, the only sound being the slapping of the water on the cool stone in the bathroom as Keye finished her shower. Once they heard the faucet turn off, Maya pulled the breakfast tray toward them and handed a bowl of fruit to Becks. Keye came out wrapped in a robe, a towel wound around her head and gave a sigh of relief at the sight of food. She grabbed her coffee from the nightstand and sat cross legged at the other end of the bed facing Becks and Maya, tucking into her plate of pancakes and popping a raspberry into her mouth.
Becks picked at the fruit in the bowl while Maya took bites of her pancakes. The girls sat and ate in comfortable silence before Maya took a deep breath and finally said,
"Jeremy stopped by this morning." Keye looked at Maya in disbelief and her eyes flitted to Becks', searching for her reaction. Becks just nodded knowingly and continued to take sips from her coffee. "Did you want to see him?" Maya asked gently. Becks swallowed hard and said,
"No. Definitely not. Not right now. I don't even want to see Paul if I'm being honest. No offense." She croaked out. Keye let out a sigh and shook her head. Maya and Keye made eye contact and a silent look of understanding passed between them.
"None taken. I completely understand," Maya said gently. And she did. Being around a member of the pack wouldn't necessarily clear Becks' head any sooner. After a beat, Maya eyes widened in revelation and she said, "Do you want to get out of here?"
Becks looked up at her in surprise, exhaustion and complete defeat written on her face. When she nodded sadly, Maya looked at Keye.
"What did you have in mind?" Keye asked curiously.