Chapter 77

(Thomas POV)

Maya moved so suddenly and quickly that neither I nor Noah could catch her before she was gone. The doors to the council hall burst open and she stumbled out into the light. She stopped and dropped her hands to her knees and began to breath quickly. I could see her body trembling slightly as we ran up behind her and stopped at the doorway. Noah and I looked at each other and paused waiting for the right time to approach her. She looked as if she was panicking, and if we approached her too soon, she could feel trapped and panic more. We needed to give her some space for just a moment for her to breath before surrounding her with comfort.

I had not seen this often, but I knew that sometimes panic can also feel like you are trapped and trying to hug someone panicking could worsen things. We had to be very careful. Her breathing started to slow, and she began to sob, and I knew then that the initial panic was over and now she would feel weak. So, I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around her from behind and she instantly collapsed in my arms. I held onto her tight and let her cry and she did not pull away. Noah walked around to stand in front of her and he kneeled down so he could look up at her.

“Maya? Baby we are right here ok? You are not alone.” He says taking her face in his hands gently.

That is when she pushes my arms away and wraps her arms around Noah’s neck and clings to him. He looks up to me and I turn to look at the council members who have not moved an inch from where they sat as they told us everything. Maya had tried to be strong, but it was a lot for her, and as powerful as she is she was still just a girl. She had lived as a human for most of her life and had been thrown into this world expected to just accept everything. If she had been human, this would eb the reaction I would have expected sooner. She had been trying so hard not to let everything get to her, but I knew she couldn’t take it any longer. I could see the tears she held back as the council explained everything.

I wish I could have let her rest, take things slow but there was no time. We had to act soon, which meant she had to take all of this on her shoulders at once. Noah and I would stand with her no matter what she would have to face going forward but so much was on her shoulders, her mother had made her the most powerful supernatural creature on this planet just to protect her. Maybe her mother did not realize what she was doing at the time, but now she was gone, and Maya was living with the consequences of that choice.
I let out a sigh and looked down at my beautiful soulmate falling apart in the arms of her wolf mate and I wanted to take her away and hide her. Keep her bundled up and protected from the world, but Tommy and Eli were in danger and I knew she would not rest until we had them back. Before I could offer to take us back home, a guard walked up to us.

“The council has offered a room for you all to rest in for the night. They will meet with you again tomorrow.” He says extending his hand to show us the way.

Noah stood slowly lifting Maya to her feet, but when her legs trembled, he picked her up in his arms instead. We followed the man down the ivory steps of the council hall and down the path that curved to the side of us and lead to a grove of trees in full bloom. It was the season now when all the trees bloomed this baby blue flowers that had the most amazing scent. The smell lingers in the air and makes me smile to myself, because it just smelled like home and it smelled a lot like Maya. Maya had this natural sweet scent, and now that I was back home, I realized why I felt so drawn to her. It was because she smelled like the newly bloomed Fae world, my favorite scent.

It was a short walk along the path and we soon arrived at a small little cottage comfortably sitting in a grove of those beautifully bloomed trees. A human would say that the scene looked right out of a fairytale the way it all looked so welcoming. In truth, the Fae world was beautiful and untouched by any other supernatural creature, so it thrived in all its beauty. As Fae we do not alter nature in a negative way, we feel the bond to nature and work along side it. Humans and other creatures seemed to enjoy destroying and building things that destroy their natural home. We built where trees no longer grew, in the natural gaps of the forest. We let the vines that travel along the branches to cling to our homes and grow and move freely.

So yes, it looked like a scene from a dream because nature is beautiful, and we relished it. The guard walked to the door and opened the door for us.

“Everything you shall require is already inside.” He says bowing his head slightly before turning and walking away.

Noah lowered his head and carried Maya inside, while I took one last look around and let another smile form. I missed this place more than I realized. I turned and walked inside, and natural sun light was streaming in from the cuts in the roof. We did not use electric lighting in the Fae world, there was no need for it and come night fall my companions would see why. The whole thing was one big room, with a large circle bed to one side and a small sitting are on the opposite side. A stove sat against another wall and a table with four chairs sat not far from it. It was a typical Fae home for a family without children.

It was very similar to the home I lived in before it left for the huma world. In the corner of my eye I see Noah set Maya down on the bed. I walk over to join them and glance over her for a moment. She seems calmer now and I feel my own body relax at the sight of her less upset.

“Maya? How are you feeling?” I ask her softly.

“Ok. I’m so sorry. I don’t know what came over me. I-I felt trapped all of a sudden.” She says tears forming in her eyes again.

“Please don’t apologize. Anyone would feel overwhelmed after everything they told you. It was a lotto take in all at once! Now you just rest, ok? Are you hungry?” I ask her, brushing her hair away from her face gently.

She shakes her head. “I think I will just lay down for a little while.”

I nod and help her climb further back on the bed and cover her. Her eyes fall instantly. I look to Noah and he smiles softly as he looks down at her. She had a way of making us smile even when she was sad. It seemed silly but she looked very cute when she slept, and we often caught each other smiling at her sleeping form. I stood and walked over to the couch like seat and dropped down on it with a soft huff. Noah walked over and pulled a chair over sitting it next to me and let out a sigh of his own. A lot had happened, and we were feeling the exhaustion now too.

“I can’t believe everything they told us.” Noah says just above a whisper.

“I had no idea that this had all been planned when we were children. My parents never mentioned Maya or that I even had a bonded mate. I don’t understand why they never told me.” I reply shaking my head.

“Mine never mentioned it either. The alpha never mentioned it to any of us ether and he had been the one to arrange it all. Why had they all kept it secret? If they had told us sooner, we could have been more prepared. Maya could have learned about her powers sooner and this all would have been easier on her. I hate that she is expected to be some kind of savior when only a few months ago she was a normal girl without a care in the world. This isn’t fair to her.” Noah says, clearly keeping his anger at bay.

“She was never normal, but at least she had a calm life before all this. Maybe it would have been better if she knew sooner but imagine her as a child learning what she was. No child should carry that kind of burden.” I reply.

He nods in agreement. “That’s true. She seemed to have had a happy childhood for the most part. What do we do now? Is the council going to help us get Tommy and Eli back?”

I breath in deep. “I don’t know. The council has happily turned a blind eye to the fighting among the other supernatural clans in the world, but this is different. Maya is a very important part of our world and if she is going to become the person, she is they will need to help. She could bring all of us together in peace again, but we all have to agree to put our differences aside. So many have lived letting their want for power lead them, and the urge for power is hard to give up. It will be a hard fight, but it is one that will save us all. So, we let her rest for now, because there is a long road ahead of us.”

“The let’s get Tommy and Eli back. We are going to need them.” Noah adds looking to me.

“Yes, we will.” I agree.

We will need each other.