20. The Lurking Danger

**MAEVE**

Last night was incredible. One of my worst fears crystallined into an enormous relief as sat by Xander under the moonlit night. A blanket of peace and warmth surrounded me, and all this while the existence I have been looking for.
I wasn’t certain what to expect initially, but when the blanket of peace and warmth surrounded me in utmost care, every part of me tingled. A part of my brain screamed at the absurdity that I should never be with someone like him, an inferno of feeling burning within me.
I was in a *war* with myself.
With two steaming mugs of coffee, I slowly padded into the living room of my apartment, where Xander had already made himself comfortable on the couch. Before the first ray of sun could kiss the earth, his wolf nudged me awake as I watched him transform with the same bewilderment as earlier. Yes, I could see it as many times as possible and still won’t get over the magnificence of the phenomena.
Smiling, I handed him the cup and candidly snuggled into his arms. Xander placed a soft kiss to the side of my face before pushing the stray hair behind my ear.
“Do you believe me now, Maeve?” I asked, hopefully.
“I do.” I bit on my lips and then boldly met his pool of brown eyes. “But I still need to talk to you. We need to communicate better, Xander. I understand that everything happens fast among you guys...the…”
My brain was fumbling for the right word when he suggested with a small chuckle. “The wolves.”
“Right, the wolves. I do like you, Xander, and I am ready to give this a chance, to see where it leads me…” I admittedly sheepishly.
He pulled me further closer into his arms, lifted my chin, and stared intently into my eyes. I could tell that there were so many things he wanted to say, yet he had no idea how I would take them.
At last, he breathed, “Thank you.”
I quickly pressed a hand to his chest and fixed a mock stern look. “But you can’t do that. You can’t go all alpha possessive wolf and cuff me to the bed if I don’t agree with you. I am still a human, and you have to respect my personal space.”
He blinked, as if absolutely dazed. “I can do that,” he spoke slowly. “For you, I can absolutely do that. But I have my own set of concerns for you.”
“Like?”
He breathed a deep breath before releasing it. “Your safety.”
It almost made me crack up in laughter. “I am a nurse practitioner, not a fireman. My job is to save lives.”
“And yet you manage to stumble upon danger on a daily basis.” The frown upon his face was truly unnecessary, and yet it remained. “Now that my wolf has found you, talked to you, it can sense your danger as well. It would make him insane if there is a slightest threat to your life.”
My eyes almost bulged as I heard him. “Really? Can he do that?”
Of course, it was stupid of me to ask, after all, that I witnessed. And Xander’s reaction only made it obvious.
“Okay, okay,” I conceded. “I will try and be really careful to keep your…wolf…calm and quiet.”
His face softened in adoration, leaning down to place a quick kiss over my lips while rough pads of his thumb grazed my jaw.
It was a delicate, beautiful moment, rudely interrupted by the shrill of my ringtone. I quickly yelped, jerking out of his hold and, in the process, spilled a coffee from his cup.
“Shit. My phone.”
“It’s alright. Take it,” he said as I picked up the device.
It was from the hospital.
Apparently, there was a shortage of staff members, and since I took a couple of days off without prior notice, I had to report back.
“Do you mind if we catch up later?” I asked, almost apologetically.
“You should go,” he concurred as soon as I detailed.
And just as he reached the door, Xander turned back briefly and called out. “And Maeve?”
“Huh?”
*“You are not alone anymore. You will never be alone.”*
I smiled as the door shut behind him with a small thud.

**XANDER**

I was halfway with a bottle of beer when the door lock clicked open and in walked Blaize. He looked like he had not gotten an hour’s sleep since last night, and I didn’t blame him entirely. He was busying, taking care of my errands, and shielding Maeve from the rest of the brethren I have in town.
“You are home,” I commented as he plopped himself down on the couch beside me and lifted his feet on the table. Grabbing my drink, he took a long, lazy swig out of it and relaxed.
“Carter has been blasting my phone since yesterday. Are you going to join him at the club?” he inquired.
“I don’t think so.”
My would-be beta was under the false impression that Maeve was just a human girl I was slightly interested in. Of course, no wolf in my clan, least of all an alpha like me, would indulge in mating with a human. So, Carter thought it was just a passing affair and nothing else.
And I was not exactly ready to break the news to the community other than my trusted brother.
“What was about the envelope?” Blaize asked out of the blue, toppling my thoughts like pieces of dominos. “Carter went on and on, saying it was from our father. Is it something really important?”
I sighed, rolling the beer bottle between my palms. “Father is trying to politically arrange a mate for me - the next Luna of our pack. He wants me to go through the details, whether I would add any new clause to the existing treaty.”
An arrange mate would not be a novelty. It was done several times, especially between alphas, in order to maintain good relations with the neighbors or extend political boundaries. The couple was consensually bonded on an auspicious full moon night, sealing the link with a ceremony and joined till eternity. But it only happened when the alpha either rejected the mate or she died before the mating ceremony.
“Are you crazy?” Blaize asked in utter shock. “You can’t do that now.”
“You don’t have to tell me that, I already know.” I scowled and downed the rest of the drink. “I have to figure out a way to tell him about my mate.”
“A human mate...” He mused slowly.
“Well, it was the will of the Moon Goddess. What could my wolf do? I couldn’t sever the connection without a valid reason.” Nor would I ever. My soul, spirit, and my wolf were eternally connected to her, craving her each passing second that rejecting Maeve would ultimately kill me.
“You have to mention the precedents,” Blaize suggested. “It is not uncommon that a wolf has been mated with someone else. I am sure that the Council would consider that.”
I wondered if he was completely right. “I don’t remember a single incident when a wolf has been mated with a human,” I said thoughtfully. “None of the Elders will ever concede to such a proposition, at least not easily. They will take it as a hostile act.”
Any act that could potentially expose us—our race—would be a hostile act. The sole reason we existed because our faction was hidden for centuries from human society.
“A hostile act dictated by the Goddess herself?” Blaize asked rhetorically and shook his head. “Fates, this is completely irrational. But, Xan, do you have any plans?”
I slowly bobbed my head. “Maeve is just starting to settle into this new arrangement, and I don’t want to push her into a hot-blooded domain of conflicted wolves. I will take her home only when she is ready. And then I will bring her in front of the pack.”
The idea seemed to have echoed with him as he absorbed my words with acquiescence. “This sounds logical.”
Only time would tell, I thought carefully.
“Blaize, I want you to contact Esmeralda. She is one of the oldest and most knowledgeable Elders. And someone who would probably favour us in front of the Council.”
He pulled his brows together. “What do you want me to ask?”
I shifted around to face him. “Has any wolf, especially an alpha, ever been mated to a human? I heard of other shifters and witches, but never a human. If we have a backing, I can challenge anyone who comes in my way.”
Theoretically, yes, it was a plan. I just didn’t know if I could execute it.
“Okay. I will leave immediately—”
A sharp pain splintered through my skull. “Ah!” A fever of sorts rose higher, burning up my skin in an instant. It was my wolf, I knew for sure.
“...Xander, are you okay?”
“No,” I gritted out in pain. “My wolf. He needs to shift.”
“Now? What happened?” he exasperated. Maybe it was my eyes that started to turn color because Blaize somewhat understood the signs. “Did your wolf sense anything dangerous?”
“Maeve...” I barely grunted. “My wolf wants her. I think she is in danger.”
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***Thank you my lovely readers for reading the chapter. I am truly awed by your support.
Any ideas...what danger could have possibly come for Maeve?***