28. Trip To Payson

**MAEVE**

*“Please let me go, please!” the woman begged. Her beautiful, hazel coloured almond-eyes were red and soaked in tears.
A sharp whistle cuts through the air as the whip lashed against her back. This time, she shrieked at the top of her lungs. The pain traversed from the back and down, making her body shake from the impact. And before she could process any more of it, another lash rained down her back.
Ironically, it was dark…so dark that I could barely see the face of the man and could only have a glimpse of his raging green eyes. He taunted her for a bit, grinning over her tortured form as the woman writhed and bucked to get away.
It did not seem like he was done with her.
His hand raised again, ready to strike as the woman let out a final shriek.
My hand reached out at the same time, screaming…*
“Maeve, Maeve…get up! You are dreaming!”
I woke up with a start and soaked up in my sweat.
“Fates, I was almost about to hit you!” Xander cursed, murmuring under his breath, and all the while pulling me into his arms. Hardly able to breathe, I held on to my shaky pants and tried to take in his scent. Something spicy and leather musk.
It was not the first time that he had to wake me up a little more violently than he would like. But of late, the nasty visions crept and crawled into my subconscious state as well, making it difficult for me to strive through. If I would have met someone, one was a victim, and the horrors would penetrate my mind and trouble me often in sleep.
“Sorry, bad dreams again,” I groaned and slowly pushed off his chest and buried my head into my hands.
He kissed the side of my head fondly. “You have nothing to be sorry about.”
Xander held a glass of water in front of me as I gratefully took a few sips before handing it over. “It’s happening too frequently,” he observed, smoothing a hand over my back again and again until all that tension slipped away.
“I know.” Once again, I slipped into his arms, into the solace I desperately needed at the moment. Maybe it was his supernatural powers or whatever the universe conspired, but I always felt an instant gratification being around him.
Or simply because I was in agreement with my heart. It loved Xander with all its might, and I found my peace with him. I did not care anymore if I was in love with someone…someone different. How did it matter anyway?
The world of wolves, witches and monsters could not have been more lethal than the one that lived inside my head. For the first time, I was loved. And it was enough for me to carry on.
“Relax, Maeve,” Xander said with a mix of warmth and chide in his voice. “Overthinking is not going to make it go away.”
I slightly titled my head to look up at his face. “I am relaxed now. But I guess, I have already ruined your sleep tonight.”
A wicked, mischievous grin carved up; his expression lightened. “I can think of a couple of things that can put me back to sleep.”
“Do you, now?” I smiled. I tried to straighten myself, but one of his hand locked me against him. The other hand slowly slithered under my cotton tee as a delicate shiver chased up my spine.
The warmth instantly pooled.
“Maeve…” he whispered in my ear and brushed a finger over my delicate nipples and hardened to his liking.
“Please,” I almost moaned.
The rest of our night gave away to quick lovemaking. We made a short work as he thrust into me and I cried out his name until both of us were adequately spent.

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A day later, Esmeralda left, but our lives did not seem any easier ever since she appeared at the door. Although Xander and I were truly grateful for the heads up, a fear constantly loomed behind our head. One, we could not let Janelle rat out my ‘humanity’, and we had to win the loyalty of his people.
“Just think of them as a big family,” Xander had said when I asked about his pack. Apparently, they lived closed by, having the entire land to their name. It was an age-old tradition that families were meant to stay together, almost like a close-knitted group. The arrangement was done centuries ago when the humans and other supernatural creatures constantly hunted the wolves. The pack gave them discipline, dimension and unity.
I had no intention to leave behind my life, uproot everything and go with Xander, but after a long, careful thought, I gave in. I could always come back to Prescott I knew, but right now, Xander needed me to be in Payson.
How could I have denied him when he rescued more times than I could count? Besides, there was a hankering pain in his absence that nagged me. It was like I did not want to be away from him. For better or worse, Xander and I were in it together.
Two days later, we packed our bags and left for Payson. The travel was temporary though. The idea was to introduce me to his family—his pack—and come back for a few days. We were yet to conclude how we would approach The Council and place it forward. Esmeralda did promise us a fair audience, but nevertheless, Xander seemed a little unsure.
The sky was cloudless when we reached our destination. If there was any takeaway from this long drive that Xander and I ventured, was that werewolves were great drivers. How he could drive for more than eight hours straight were beyond me.
I slowly stepped out of the car as my eyes wandered around the place. The houses were extremely closed to one another, simple with a mandatory garden in front of the porch.
*Note to self: Werewolves were pro gardeners.*
“I still think this is a bad idea,” I muttered, wring my hands nervously. “A really bad idea for me to be around them.”
Xander rounded the car to take out bags from the back, but I knew that he heard me just fine. Apparently, his heightened hearing power was pretty powerful.
“You are just nervous,” he said, slamming down the lid and stalked closer to me.
“Isn’t that obvious?” I threw him a dead-panned sarcastic look as he simply grinned away and took my hand. The mere touch of his warmth provided momentary relief.
“I’d say, don’t make it obvious, little red riding hood.” He winked before pecking the corner of my mouth and steered me towards the house.
“This joke is getting boring now,” I grumbled. Apparently, some fairytales were so accurate to reality. If only children knew.
“We will see about that.” He was smiling ear to ear as just as widely nervy I was.
“Xander!” A gleeful shrieked tore through us as a young girl ran towards us. She instantly threw her arms around Xander, climbing on her toes to place a kiss on his five o’clock shadow. “I still can’t believe you are here.”
“Kia! Holy Goddess,” he exclaimed. “You are so grown up now.”
It was only then I chanced a good at this exuberant girl. She was about seventeen years, at least by the human age. Her soft, warm skin was natural freckles while dark as night black night was roped differently.
Soon after her, there was a bunch of other people who greeted Xander and me with the same enthusiasm and passion. There were hugs, rejoice, shrieks and laughter. Amidst the chaos of happiness and smiles, I droned out and wondered – is this what family looks like?
“So good to have you back!” another elderly voice cuts through my musing as I turned around and saw someone clapping Xander’s back.
And before he could say another word, an older woman beat him to it. “I see you have brought someone as well…”
“I did,” Xander acquiesced with a smile as his eyes settle over mine. “I want all of you to her meet her. This is Maeve – my mate.”
No sooner he revealed, a collective murmur broke out. With seconds, I was crowded by the group of women – hugging, congratulating and grinning in every fashion possible.
*Wait, where did Xander go?*
“So, how did you two meet?” one of them asked.
And another. “And how come Xander never told us about you?”
“Oh, he is my neighbor…” I stammered. “Just across the hall. The rest is just a really long history.”
I tried to crane my neck, looking around the room, but Xander was nowhere to be found.
“And what about your pack?” the girl, Kia, asked.
“Do you stay with them?” Another boy, of about fourteen, added on to the pile.
Xander, please come back.
“I…I don’t actually…”
“Oh, don’t burden the poor girl,” the elder woman chided before coming over to smooth a hand over my shoulder fondly. “Maeve, we are not that old school. We don’t judge rouges. Pack or not, you are welcome here by all means.”
“Thank you,” I smiled, almost awkwardly. “That’s really kind of you.”
“Oh, there’s Alpha,” someone pointed out, and everyone turned their head in that direction.
There was Xander, and beside him, what I perceived was the Alpha. He had an uncanny similarity with his son, except for the salt and pepper hair and really intense expression etched over his.
Xander walked over “Maeve, this is my father, Alpha Lucas of the Night Pride,” he introduced and turned to his father, whose eyes were fixed on me. “And this is my mate.”
There was a long pause until he finally spoke. “*She is a human*.”
And just like that, the bubble burst out and replaced by a collection gasp in the room.
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