Moonbound

Chapter Three

Maya sprawled across her bed, fiddling with her hair. Rebecca sat silently beside her, patient, waiting. Her presence was grounding, comforting in a way words couldn’t be. Liam wanted to talk. Tyler too. Maya knew they were worried.

But she couldn’t bring herself to speak. Not yet.

She needed space to process, to breathe. Her wolf had spoken for the first time.

And not just that — she had found her mate, and he had rejected her. Why did bad things always happen to her?

Moon Goddess, why?

Alpha Lucien. Of all people. She had heard the stories — his coldness.

But standing close to him… There was nothing cold about him. He radiated so much heat it felt like you could burn just by breathing the same air.

Burn.

Maya swallowed hard. She hated her father.

She’d spent most of her life feeling indifferent toward him — but now, standing in the wreckage he left behind, she hated him.

Sighing, Maya pressed both palms to her forehead.

“Maya,” Rebecca said quietly. “I’m here. Whenever you’re ready.”

“I know,” Maya whispered. “I just… I can’t talk about it yet. I can’t wrap my head around it. One part of me is over the moon that my wolf finally woke up, the other part of me is furious it had to be like that.”

Her voice cracked, tears welled up, and spilled down her cheeks.

She choked out. “He looked at me like… like I was the worst thing he’d ever seen, and he couldn’t get away fast enough.”

Maya’s face crumpled under the weight of it.

Rebecca gathered her into her arms and held her tight. Maya wanted to curse the Moon Goddess in her face, but now wasn’t the time.

Now, she just let herself be held while she cried. Minutes passed, maybe hours.

Finally, Maya pulled back, eyes swollen and red. “You know the most annoying thing, Rebe?” she croaked out.

Rebecca blinked.

“He’s so f*****g sexy.”

For a second, neither of them moved.

Then they both cracked — laughing so hard they gasped for breath. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to crack the heaviness in the room, even just a little.

Maya’s laugh faded as another thought slammed into her. She turned to Rebecca, her voice suddenly small.

“What if he doesn’t want me?” Her fingers twisted in her lap. What if this is it? He’s not coming back?”

Rebecca shook her head and took Maya’s hand, rubbing her thumb across her knuckles.

“No, Mar. No, you can’t let yourself go there.”

She squeezed Maya’s hand, steady and strong. “He was in shock. That’s all. Give him time. The Moon Goddess knows what she’s doing — she never chooses wrong.”

Maya smiled weakly, but the hurt was still there, plain as day.

“Okay,” she said.

Rebecca stared at her, eyes filled with quiet knowing. She didn’t believe her for a second.

Maya drifted into silence again, trying to piece herself back together, when a knock sounded on the door.

It creaked open. Liam’s head appeared, Tyler right behind him.

“You guys decent?” Tyler asked, already stepping inside. He moved toward Rebecca’s side of the bed.

“Yeah,” she mumbled. “We’re good.”

Maya lifted her gaze as Liam crouched beside her and touched her chin gently, tilting her face up.

She gave him a watery smile. “I’m okay, Lee.”

He smiled back, soft and fond. “I didn’t even say anything, Mar.”

Maya rolled her eyes, managing a weak laugh. “I know you didn’t, duh.”

Tyler, tapping his foot impatiently, blurted, “Okay, but like — what the actual f**k happened in there?” Rebecca slapped the back of his head without missing a beat.

“Use your damn tact, dumbass.”

Maya chuckled, watching the three of them, warmth blooming in her chest.

Liam sat down fully, pulled her legs into his lap, and started rubbing slow, steady circles into her calves through her socks.

Maya sighed, closing her eyes briefly. The boys were dying to know. And they deserved to.

She drew in a shaky breath.

“I found out…” she started, then paused.

“Lucien’s my mate.”

The room froze.

Liam’s eyes went wide. Tyler’s jaw dropped.

“Wait. Lucien? As in Alpha Lucien?” Tyler yelped.

Rebecca groaned, covering her face with both hands.

She muttered something under her breath about this cursed goat.

Maya laughed — she couldn’t help it — and nodded.

“Yes, Tyler. Alpha Lucien.”

She didn’t miss the way Liam’s whole body tensed. She watched him carefully, terrified of what he might say. If he told her to forget it… to reject it… She didn’t know what she would do.

Obey?

Her wolf bristled at the idea.

No.

Not obedience. Not a chance.

If she had to fight for herself, for what this meant, she would. The weight of it sank into her bones. Her smile dropped. Her brows knitted together. She could feel them all staring at her.

“What?” she asked, trying to sound casual, but her voice came out rough.

Liam cleared his throat.

“I asked if… if that’s why your wolf woke up. And if you’ve heard her since.”

Maya’s chest tightened.

She shook her head.

“No. I can feel her now—not like before, when I thought she didn’t even exist—but she’s been silent.

She only stirs when I think about him.”

The room fell quiet again.

She could see the wheels turning in their heads, trying to make sense of it.

Trying to piece together something that had no easy answer.

Liam sat back, lost deep in thought, staring out the window like maybe it held some kind of solution.

And Maya just sat there, her wolf curled tight inside her, waiting.

That night, after everyone had left, Maya lay in bed, restless.

Sleep evaded her.

Thoughts of Lucien kept storming through her mind, the bond between them pulsing like a drumbeat under her skin.

She felt everything sharper now.

The covers brushing her legs felt like silk.

Her nightdress had bunched up around her waist, and for a wild second, she was tempted to slip her hands lower.

But no. She wouldn’t. Not tonight.

Her wolf paced restlessly inside her, stirring up emotions Maya didn’t know how to handle.

Should she be excited?

Elated?

She was too confused to know.

Her wolf had finally spoken.

She had found her mate.

And he had rejected her.

Maya’s heart twisted painfully at the thought.

Lucien Thawne.

He was more than she had imagined.

More dangerous.

More magnetic.

God, he was sexy.

Dreamy in the kind of way that could ruin a girl. His darkness pulled at her, wrapped around her like a noose.

She had almost touched him.

Heat rushed to her cheeks as she pictured running her fingers through his ink-black hair, tracing the sharp angles of his face, memorizing the heat of his emerald eyes.

My God, those eyes.

Hot enough to burn.

A sharp contrast to the cold, brutal aura he carried.

Maya sniffed the air suddenly.

What was that smell?

There was a musky, sweet scent hanging around her room.

“It’s you, dumbass,” a voice said dryly inside her head.

She jerked upright, gasping.

That voice.

Had… had she?

“Yes, I spoke,” the voice answered.

Her wolf.

Her wolf had spoken again.

Joy exploded through her chest as she leaped out of bed.

She threw open her door and bolted down the hall, feet pounding the floor.

She didn’t knock—just slammed the door open to Liam’s room—and froze.

“Oh s**t!”

Maya spun around, covering her face with both hands, “I’m so sorry!”

She caught a glimpse of Liam pushing a woman off him, whispering something in her ear.

The woman smirked, tossed her hair, and winked at Maya as she sauntered out.

“Lee, lock your damn door!” Maya groaned, still facepalming.

Liam laughed, unbothered, pulling a shirt over his head as he sat up

“Marr, you gotta knock first,” he said. “It’s, like, a rule.”

Maya sat on the bed, cheeks flaming.

“You good, Mar? It’s almost midnight,” Liam said, raking a hand through his messy hair.

“I didn’t check the time,” she said, breathless with excitement. "I was too hyped. Lee—she spoke again. She spoke to me!”

Liam blinked at her, confused.

“Who?”

“Isn’t he a bright one?” Maya muttered under her breath, then squealed, bouncing in place.

“My wolf, dumbass! My wolf spoke!”

Realization finally clicked on Liam’s face.

He grabbed her arms, grinning widely.

“Your wolf spoke again?!”

He was practically shouting now.

“Shhh!” Maya laughed, clapping a hand over his mouth. “It’s late, dumbass! Bring your volume down.”

Liam chuckled behind her hand, nodding.

“Okay, okay,” he said when she let go. “But damn, Mar, that’s huge!”

“I know!” she said, almost vibrating with happiness. “I was just lying in bed thinking—”

“Just thinking?” her wolf said mischievously.

“Yes, just thinking!” Maya snapped, blushing furiously.

“She’s still talking," Lee. I can hear her. Finally. It can’t be a coincidence that the moment I find my mate, my wolf appears.”

Maya grabbed Liam’s hands tighter, her voice dropping seriously. “I need to go to the Lync Pack tomorrow,” she said “I need to talk to Lucien. I need answers.”

She sucked in a deep breath, steadying herself.

“I can’t be the only one feeling this, Lee, the bond is driving me crazy already.”

She waited, her heart thudding painfully, praying Liam wouldn’t try to stop her.

He squeezed her hands back and smiled.

“I get it, Mar. "I’ll escort you—” he raised a brow—

“—Only if you need me to, you know I’ve got your back. Always.”

Maya smiled, the tension bleeding out of her chest.

“You found your mate, Mar,” Rolling his eyes, he continued, “Leave it to you to always choose the hard way.”

“Of course!” Maya retorted, smirking, “Why choose easy when hard is more satisfying?”.

Shaking his head, they both laughed, easy and real.

But when the laughter faded, Maya shook her head.

“No, Lee. I need to do this alone.

I have to face him.”

Liam nodded without hesitation, giving her the support she needed without question.

Relief crashed over Maya.

She wasn’t alone in this, she had her brother behind her.

Always.

First thing tomorrow, she was going to the Lync Pack.

To face Lucien Thawne.

He couldn’t reject her.

She wouldn’t let him.

Maya stood and kissed Liam goodnight.

He hugged her tightly and kissed the top of her head.

Walking back down the hall, a shiver ran down her spine, facing Lucien made her want to s**t her pants, if she was being honest.

The Lyncs Pack was known for being fearless. Callous. Untouchable.

And Lucien Thawne? He was the worst of them.

The Lyncs were feared, respected, and hated all at once, but even then, they had never harmed women or children.

There was a strange code buried under all that brutality.

Maya sighed as she crawled back into bed. She needed sleep,

Tomorrow was coming fast.

And she wasn’t going to run from it.

She pulled the covers tight, tucked the pillow under her arm like a shield, and whispered into the dark:

“Goodnight, Wolf.”

Her wolf stirred warmly inside her.

.