AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Most of the time, yeah.” He shrugged but seemed to rein himself in, “Go on. Tell me more about your family.”
Maya sighed, her momentary lapse into laughter feeling inappropriate when she remembered what story she was telling him.
“As the only son and heir, Leo spent a lot of his time being trained to become a leader of the pack. As the oldest daughter, Luna was mostly just supposed to marry well and keep the lineage going. Nova and I didn’t really have a set path like they did, or we shouldn’t have, being the younger siblings, but when she was about four years old my parents realized Nova had the gift.”
“Zoey said it’s pretty rare, right?”
“Yeah, very rare these days.” Maya confirmed. “According to our history, there was a time when every pack had a Seer. It was a gift passed down through the lineage, one generation to the next, but then many moons ago it started skipping generations and then it disappeared from some packs completely. Our lore tells us that one of the Seer’s angered the gods by using her sight for personal gain so they took the gift back and now only allow those born with goodness stitched into their souls to possess that kind of power.”
Zander shook his head, “Sounds like Nova is even more special than I realized.”
“She truly is.” Maya nodded. “All of my siblings are really. Leo’s the Pack Alpha he was always meant to be. Luna is a Queen, ruling at Michael’s side. And Nova is a Seer, literally the embodiment of goodness and light. You don’t get a much more powerful family even among shifters.”
“Hey.” Zander squeezed her hand and when she glanced back up at him she realized his brows were furrowed. “I didn’t hear you mention yourself among that incredible family of kickass shifters.”
Maya felt her cheeks warm and looked away, “That’s because I’m not special like they are.”
“Bullshit.” The vehemence in Zander’s voice surprised her so much that she looked back at him. “You’re just as important and just as powerful as any of your siblings.”
“That’s very sweet of you to say but…”
“It’s not sweet. It’s true.” Zander pulled on her hand until she had to give in and let him turn it over. She winced when she followed his gaze to the scar that ran the underside of her forearm. “Do you really think that just anyone could have survived what you did? I may not know exactly what you went through yet but I know enough to understand that you fought like hell to save yourself and those very special siblings of yours. I know that you not only survived but that you put yourself back together and made a good life for yourself after the horrors you faced. If that’s not power, Maya, what is?”
Her stomach twisted and she had to suck in a deep breath to steady herself when her heart stuttered in her chest. He was right. He didn’t know the story. Not yet. But his belief in her, in her strength and determination not just to survive but to live in a way where her choices mattered, was staggering.
He understood her, she realized. Maybe better than even some of her own family members. Definitely better than some of the people she had known her whole life.
She leaned across the space between them and kissed him. It wasn’t the hot and invading type of kiss they had shared in the alley. It didn’t threaten to burn through her control and set her on fire. Instead it was heartbreakingly sweet and it steadied her in a way that threatened to bring her to tears.
She could taste herself on his lips and she loved it. Love that he had let her taste linger on him rather than wiping it away. It was as if she was already a part of him and in a way, with the bond continuing to strengthen between them and their souls aching to merge, she knew that he was becoming just as much a part of her.
He didn’t try to take the kiss deeper. He simply accepted the soft, lingering press of her mouth against his. He kissed her back just as gently and when she pulled away she watched his lashes flutter open and his mesmerizing green gaze was full of the same wonder he’d shown when she told him about the magic of her world.
“What was that for?” He smiled and she let herself remain close instead of putting the distance back between them.
“For being the man I hoped you would be.”
Zander tilted his head slightly, “I’m not sure what you mean but, I’ll take it.”
She let herself lean against his side and sighed, “Maddox Clary is the name of the man that gave me these scars and the story behind them isn’t a pretty one.”
“Maddox Clary.” Zander said the name as if it disgusted him, “I’ll kill him for hurting you.”
“That’s very sweet but he’s already dead. Darius, my brother’s mate, killed him during the raid that saved my life and rescued me and my sisters.”
Zander made a sound that she would have sworn was a growl if he had a wolf of his own, “Remind me to thank him for that the next time I see him, even if I wish I could kill that Clary bastard again myself.”
“Your bloodlust shouldn’t be a turn on but…” Maya trailed off, hiding a smile against his shoulder and he snorted.
“I can’t stand the idea of anyone hurting you. I know I wasn’t here when it happened and I couldn’t have stopped it but everything inside of me says that I should have been.”
Maya looked up at him seriously, “I’m glad you weren’t here back then. I was a mess. I wouldn’t have wanted you to see me like that.”
“It wouldn’t have changed how much I want you.” Zander reached out and cupped her cheek. “It still won’t, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“It’s not.” Maya reassured him. “It’s just hard to talk about.”
“We don’t have to if you’re not ready to share that part of your past. You can tell me something else. Tell me about your parents, about your childhood and growing up as a middle child. You know technically I’m a middle child too even if I didn’t grow up with my siblings.”
