The next day, Maia was allowed to skip school to rest. (Especially since no one in the pack wanted to train considering Gerard Argent and his hunters were out and about tracking them down.) Scott McCall and his pack were informed of Gerard by Theo, and tried to visit Maia after school at the house. However, Donovan wouldn't allow them inside the home and his overprotectiveness mixed with anger towards Stiles Stilinski and his sheriff father wasn't a good combination.
"Go home." Donovan warned.
"We just wanna talk," Scott calmly explains.
Donovan crossed his arms, and stood in the doorway.
"Come on!" Stiles complains, "we just wanna see what he did to her!"
"Doesn't matter. She's healed already."
"Is it true he branded her?"
"I said get lost!"
Donovan growls, and his fangs almost emerge.
"Just one little peak…?"
Without warning, Donovan's fangs nearly bite off Stiles' head but Scott managed to pull his best friend back before the wendigo chimera could hurt him.
"What is going on?!"
All three boys turn to find Maia walking over.
"Maia! Go back to bed…"
"Why are Scott and Stiles here?"
"They're leaving."
Donovan glared over at the teenage boys.
"Now."
"No, wait."
Scott noticed the small scar on Maia's forehead.
"So he did hurt you? Gerard?"
Maia's eyes slowly start to glow, and she felt herself begin to heat up. She turned away from the True Alpha, and Donovan placed an arm around her waist while she practiced her breathing techniques to calm herself down. Scott realized his eyes were glowing red now, too, and was curious as to what kind of chimera Maia was to warrant Gerard's interests.
"What is she?"
"None of your business."
"Actually it is our business, Donovan."
Donovan rolls his eyes.
"Considering Gerard almost killed her just to figure that out himself, so why not be a little grateful that there are people out there who care about her–"
"You don't care!"
"Hey."
Maia turns her head back around.
"I'll tell you."
"No, don't. Theo will–"
"I don't care."
Maia stares back up at Scott with her normal eyes.
"I'm a phoenix hybrid."
"A phoenix?"
"Like those birds who set themselves on fire?"
"It's more than that, Scott. They're birds reborn from their own ashes."
"Okay, and?"
"And? Scott, she might not be Maia!"
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying how do we know you're really Maia Kent?"
"Because Theo checked."
Both boys look back over at Donovan.
"Anything else, Stilinski?"
"Yeah, jackass. Has she hurt anyone with her fire powers?"
Maia bashfully hides her face again.
"Her parents."
"It was an accident, right?"
Maia nodded. She didn't look up at Scott now.
"Can you leave?"
"Sure."
"What? Scott!"
Scott dragged his best friend back to his old jeep, and Donovan stood there waiting until they drove far away from Theo's place and technically his. He closes the front door, locking it before he and Maia travel back upstairs to their bedroom where she could rest more. Hopefully, those two wouldn't be bothering them again soon.
"Donovan?"
"What?"
"Why do you hate Stiles?"
Donovan raised his head up to look at her.
"Cause he's the son of–"
"It's got to be more than that."
"Sometimes it's not."
Maia sadly sighs, and lays her head down on his chest.
"Please, don't lie to me."
"I'm not."
"You are. I can tell."
"Why? Cause you can hear my heartbeat?"
"No! I never listen to that."
"Never?"
"I trust you."
Donovan felt guilty now.
"Fine. I'll tell you, but no one else can know I said this."
"Why not?"
"It's embarrassing."
Maia stares deeply into his eyes.
"Don't you trust me?"
"I do, Maia."
Donovan kisses the top of her head.
"After my mom left, I was lonely." Donovan explained, "my dad dropped me off once at Sheriff Stilinski's house so I could stay the night. Stiles was there with Scott, and we actually had a good time hanging out together. I thought they could even be my friends."
"What happened?"
"I don't know."
"You didn't stay friends?"
"No."
Maia watched as Donovan's face grew sad.
"Guess we all grew apart."
"That, and one of them killed you."
"I was attacking him."
Donovan and Maia held each other's hands, and Donovan started playing with her fingers. Maia had noticed Donovan had become close with one other person since being resurrected from the dead: Theo. Another person whom Stiles and Scott also treated like a mortal enemy, and wondered if that was a coincidence.
"What about you?"
"Huh?"
"What was your life like before?"
Maia was about to speak, but memories of flames flash across her mind.
"I was… um…"
The heat inside her chest grew.
"I don't know."
"Maia?"
"I'm done talking."
Donovan nodded, but was still concerned.