AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Maia does a big stretch, and I flinch when her back cracks. “How long have I been asleep?”
“Twenty minutes or so,” I reply. “How are you feeling?”
“Better.” She wipes the sleep from her eyes and brings her knees up to her chest. “How long for food?”
“It’s just pulled up now,” Ben says, narrowing his eyes. “Could you hear that?”
“No?” My adorable mate scrunches her nose up and shakes her head.
“Hm.” Ben narrows his eyes as Topher goes to answer the door. We’ve got pizza from our local place, and the driver is a teenage wolf who is very eager to chat with Topher.
My brother doesn’t rush him along, and Maia watches the interaction with an expression I can’t decipher. Her lips are parted ever so slightly, her eyes a little wide, but there’s a twinkle in her baby blue eyes.
“See you later,” Topher says, finally escaping the chat. He closes the door, and Maia and Ben both grin. One because he’s now got pizza to eat, and the other at my brother.
“That was sweet of you,” Maia says, as Seb sighs. Maia’s head snaps over to him, a hint of panic in her gaze. “What’s wrong with Phoebe?”
“Milk,” he says with a pout. Maia smirks and takes her T-shirt off, nearly elbowing me in the head as she does.
“Sexy mate,” Max says as my gaze drops to her breasts for a moment. “Beautiful body. Perky tits. I like.”
“As do I, but her boobs are not ours,” I say as Seb hands Phoebe over to Maia.
“You’ve lost some weight,” Ben says, looking Maia up and down. “I like it.”
“Stop commenting on my weight,” Maia snaps as she narrows her eyes at Ben.
She undoes the strap on her vest top and helps Phoebe latch properly. Seb starts preparing Maia’s food from the bags, and Topher heads through to the kitchen to grab her a drink.
“Yes, stop commenting on her weight,” I say, giving Ben a glare. He raises his hands in submission and eagerly waits until he can grab food from the table. He’s tried twice, and Seb’s batted his hand away, refusing to let Ben eat before Maia.
“Mate is beautiful.”
“She is.” I watch in awe as she tends to our child. Maia’s full of love and contentment as Phoebe feeds, and those feelings are just as potent in our pup. Phoebe’s thoughts are only focused on Maia and the feeling of safety she provides.
The next ten minutes are a kerfuffle of us all getting organised before, finally, we get to sit down with our food and actually plan out the shit that we’re going to be dealing with over the next few weeks. Phoebe is still feeding from Maia, but she’s got her plate balanced next to her, the pizza all cut up, thanks to Seb.
I’ve got her juice bottle in between my thighs, so I can offer her sips periodically. She’s nursing our child, so it’s our job to make sure she gets her nourishment, too.
Maia makes a happy noise as she chews her slice of pizza, and despite the undercurrent of tension, there’s a peaceful aura surrounding us. We’re now on even footing—mostly—and we’re on the same page.
“So, your mum is thought to have killed my fiancé.” Maia’s words are a bullet straight to my chest, and whilst I flinch, her tone doesn’t falter.
“Apparently so.” Topher’s words sound dry, and Maia’s nose scrunches up, but he’s covering up his anger. I can smell it simmering beneath the skin, feel the desperation from Orion.
My brother is murderous on our mate’s behalf, but with our parents not even in pack lands, he’s got nobody he can truly target. Nobody but memories of the people we’ve made our enemies, that is.
“Is that something you believe is possible?”
“Mum’s always been a little psychotic,” I mutter to Max as I stay silent. I don’t want to be the one to confirm it with Maia.
“Unhinged, one might say.”
“Envious.” I cross my legs, getting more comfortable in my seat.
My mum might’ve gotten over the fact that Morgan was born a wolf where Talia and Iris were not, but she never once let the girls forget it. My sisters have spent most of their lives desperate to earn our mum’s affection and have yet to receive it.
She can be cruel and is a very talented manipulator.
