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“Not exactly.” Maya was chewing her lip again, “Rafe and Zoey were there too.”
“Zoey went up against a bear?” he heard his voice rise and had to work hard to bring it back down. “In her condition? Is she okay?”
“She’s fine. I promise, she’s okay.”
“But how did she…” He furrowed his brow, “I’m linked to her too, aren’t I? Because we’re related?”
“Yeah.” Maya nodded.
“Wow. That’s… they all showed up to save me?”
Maya’s smile was sweet and gentle, “Not just them. Both packs. Leo and Darius had some of their Crescent Wolf Enforcers show up when they felt their Pack Alpha was in danger. And Luna felt it too, that her family was in trouble, and she came running along with Michael and a couple of Moirae Wolf Enforcers. Even Nova fought which, if you knew her wolf, you’d realize is a huge honor. She isn’t a fighter normally.”
Zander opened his mouth and then closed it again without saying anything. He couldn’t find the words. He felt overcome with a wave of emotions. Gratitude for the way they’d all come together to help him but also something else, something more like love and acceptance.
They had all welcomed him when he showed up here. All of them. They’d let him into their lives, into their homes, into their world. They had welcomed him as family and treated him as such since day one and though he’d known that by blood and eventually, through the pack bond and mating, he would be part of their family, he hadn’t realized just what it truly entailed.
“Zander?” Maya was studying his face. “What is it?”
“I just… I feel so very lucky right now.” He swallowed hard. “I’ve never really had anyone that cared about me and now I have two packs worth of people willing to run into danger to save me. I have a family.”
“You do.” She nodded, eyes misting again. “And you have me, if you still want me. If you can forgive me for not accepting our bond from the start.”
“Maya…” He frowned but she shook her head.
“If I had given in to what fate wanted, you’d have had a wolf of your own out there. You’d be turned and you could have protected yourself. You wouldn’t have almost died and I…” her voice cracked. “I wouldn’t have almost lost you.”
“Hey. Hey.” He reached up and stroked her cheek, “You didn’t almost lose me.”
“I did.” She nodded. “It was so close, Zan. So close.”
“Tell me something. If I’d been a shifter instead of human out there, would I have been able to save myself? Would it have been enough with nothing but my own newly born wolf?”
Maya winced but shook her head, “No. It took six of us just to take down one and the others showed up in time to help.”
“See. So you can’t blame yourself. Even if you’d changed me, I’d still have been in way over my head out there.”
She nodded but he could tell that she was still letting the guilt suffocate her. He knew she was scared. She’d told him that first night in the bar that her fear of the bond was partly that she would get attached to him and then lose him just as she had her parents. He changed tactics.
“Maya…”
“Hmm?” She wiped at her eyes.
“One of those bear shifters broke my arm. I remember the snap of bone very clearly. But I’m holding your face in my hands and moving my arms just fine, no cast in sight.” He met her gaze and held it. “How am I healed?”
Maya sighed, “We talked before about how the bond can help strengthen one another. I used it to help heal you.”
“You?” His eyebrows winged up. “You did this? You saved my life?”
“I poured every ounce of healing energy I had into you through the bond and hoped it would be enough.” She took his hand in hers and squeezed gently, “Touch helps the bond grow so I didn’t let go of you. I couldn’t let go.”
“Your touch helps me heal.” He marveled at her words, at the proof of it, “I suppose that explains why we’re naked. I thought maybe you were just having your wicked way with me while I was unconscious.”
Maya snorted at his joke, “Trust me, you weren’t up for anything like that but I figured if touch helped then skin on skin was our best chance.”
“So you went full Monty.” He smiled. “Thank you.”
“I’m just so relieved it worked.” Her gaze darted to the bandage on his stomach and he followed her eyes.
