His Secret Mate

Chapter 1 — The House I Never Wanted The first thing Maya Carter noticed about the Blackwood house was that it didn't look like a home. It looked like a warning. She stared through the passenger window as the enormous iron gates slowly opened, revealing a long stone driveway surrounded by perfectly trimmed hedges. Beyond them stood a mansion. Not a house. A mansion. Three stories of pale stone rose beneath the gray afternoon sky, with tall windows reflecting the fading sunlight. Ivy climbed one side of the building, while several enormous trees surrounded the property like silent guards. Maya swallowed. "You're quiet," her mother said from the driver's seat. "I'm thinking." "That's usually when you're quiet." Maya glanced at her. Her mother, Elena, smiled nervously. "You'll get used to it." Maya looked back at the mansion. "I don't think I'll ever get used to this." Elena laughed softly. "You don't have to love it on the first day." "I don't love it." "I know." "You married the man who owns it." "I know that too." Maya sighed and leaned her forehead against the cool glass. Everything had happened too quickly. Three months ago, she had been living in the same little house she'd known since childhood. She knew every c***k in the pavement outside, every neighbor who liked to complain about loud music, and every shortcut to school. Then her mother had announced that she was getting married. To Richard Blackwood. Maya had tried to be happy for her. She really had. Richard was kind to her. He never treated her like a burden or tried to replace her father. He had even asked Maya's permission before proposing to Elena. But none of that changed the fact that her entire life was being packed into cardboard boxes. New house. New family. New school. New everything. The car stopped at the bottom of the mansion's front steps. Maya reached for the door. "Wait." She turned. Her mother looked at her carefully. "I know this isn't easy." Maya gave her a small smile. "I'm fine." "You don't have to pretend with me." "I'm not pretending." Elena reached across the center console and squeezed her hand. "You've always been stronger than you realize." Maya looked away. She didn't feel strong. She felt like someone had picked up her life, shaken it until everything familiar had fallen out, and then expected her to rebuild it in a place she'd never seen before. Before she could answer, the front door opened. Richard Blackwood stepped outside. He was tall, silver-haired, and impeccably dressed even though it was late afternoon. He smiled when he saw them. "Welcome home." Maya stepped out of the car. Home. The word felt strange. Richard hugged Elena first, then turned toward Maya. "How was the drive?" "Long." He laughed. "I'll take that as an honest answer." Maya smiled politely. Richard looked toward the house. "Your room is ready. I had everything arranged exactly as your mother described." "Thank you." "You'll have plenty of space." Maya looked at the mansion again. "That's definitely not a problem." Richard chuckled. "Come inside. There's someone I want you to meet." Maya's stomach tightened. Someone? She followed them through the front doors. The interior was even more impressive than the outside. A massive chandelier hung above the entrance. Dark wooden stairs curved toward the second floor. Paintings covered the walls, and everything looked expensive enough that Maya immediately became terrified of touching anything. Then she heard footsteps. Someone was coming down the stairs. Maya looked up. And stopped. A boy stood halfway down the staircase. Black hair. Gray eyes. Tall. Athletic. He wore a black school jacket over a white shirt, with the sleeves pushed casually toward his elbows. There was something about him that made the entire room seem quieter. Maya had never seen him before. But she knew exactly who he was. She'd seen his photograph earlier that morning. Damon Blackwood. Her new stepbrother. The boy who attended the school she would be transferring to on Monday. The boy whose name had appeared more than once when she'd searched the school's social media pages. Popular. Captain of the basketball team. Top student. Rich. Infamous. And apparently, according to her future classmates, completely impossible to ignore. Damon stopped on the stairs. His eyes met Maya's. For one strange second, neither of them moved. Maya couldn't explain what happened next. The room seemed to disappear. There was only his stare. Something flashed across Damon's face. Shock. No. Recognition. But that was impossible. They had never met. Damon's fingers tightened around the stair railing. "Maya," Richard said. Damon didn't answer. Richard frowned. "Damon?" The boy finally blinked. "What?" "This is Maya. Your new stepsister." The words seemed to hit Damon harder than they should have. His jaw tightened. Maya noticed. She also noticed the strange way he looked at her. Not like someone meeting his father's new wife's daughter. Like someone who had just discovered a secret. "Hi," Maya said awkwardly. Damon said nothing. Elena smiled. "Damon, say hello." His eyes remained on Maya. "Hello." One word. Cold. Controlled. Maya raised an eyebrow. "Friendly." Richard cleared his throat. "Damon has had a long day." "Obviously." Damon's gaze sharpened. Maya immediately regretted the comment. She wasn't trying to start a fight. She was just nervous. "Your room is upstairs," Richard said quickly. "Damon can show you where it is." "No." The answer came from both Maya and Damon at the same time. Everyone went silent. Maya looked at him. Damon looked at her. "I can find it myself," Maya said. Damon's expression remained unreadable. "Good." He walked past her. As he did, Maya felt something strange. A sudden warmth moved through her chest. She stopped breathing for half a second. Damon stopped too. Neither of them looked back. Then he continued walking. Maya frowned. What was that? She pressed a hand against her chest. Her heart was beating strangely fast. "Maya?" She looked at her mother. "Are you okay?" "Yeah." "You look pale." "I'm just tired." Elena nodded. "Go upstairs and rest." Maya picked up her bag. As she climbed the stairs, she couldn't shake the feeling that Damon Blackwood had recognized her. But how? They had never met. At least... She thought they hadn't. --- Monday morning arrived far too quickly. Maya stood in front of the mirror, staring at her reflection. New school. New uniform. New life. She adjusted the collar of her white shirt and pulled her long brown hair over one shoulder. "You can do this," she whispered. Her reflection didn't look convinced. She grabbed her backpack and left the room. The moment she entered the hallway, she nearly walked into Damon. He was standing outside his bedroom, checking something on his phone. He looked up. Their eyes met. Again. That strange feeling returned. Maya immediately looked away. "Morning." "Morning." She walked past him. "Wait." She stopped. "What?" Damon slipped his phone into his pocket. "At school, don't tell anyone we're related." Maya stared at him. "What?" "You heard me." She folded her arms. "Why?" "Because it's easier." "Easier for who?" "For both of us." Maya studied him. "So you're embarrassed?" "No." "Then what's the problem?" Damon stepped closer, lowering his voice. "You don't know what the girls at school are like." Maya almost laughed. "I've survived high school before." "You haven't survived this one." His tone was serious. Maya's smile disappeared. "What exactly does that mean?" Damon didn't answer. He walked past her. Maya turned. "Damon." He stopped. "The mysterious act is getting old." He looked over his shoulder. "Good." Then he walked away. Maya stared after him. "Unbelievable." --- By the time they reached school, Maya understood exactly what Damon meant. The moment he stepped out of the car, people noticed. Girls turned. Guys greeted him. Someone called his name from across the parking lot. A group of girls immediately surrounded him. Maya watched from several feet away. She understood. Damon wasn't simply popular. He was the center of the school. And apparently, everyone wanted a piece of his attention. Maya quietly walked toward the administration building. She wanted absolutely no part of it. "You're Maya, right?" She turned. A girl with blonde hair stood beside her. "I'm Chloe." "Maya." "I know." Chloe smiled. "You're the new girl." "Apparently." Chloe laughed. "You're funny." "Sometimes." "So..." Chloe leaned closer. "How do you know Damon Blackwood?" Maya's heart skipped. There it was. The question she had been hoping nobody would ask. "We're..." She stopped. Damon's warning echoed in her mind. Don't tell anyone. "We're family friends." The lie came out more easily than she expected. Chloe's eyes narrowed. "Really?" "Yeah." Before Chloe could ask another question, someone screamed from across the parking lot. "Damon!" Maya looked instinctively. Damon was standing near the school entrance. A girl had thrown her arms around him. Maya looked away immediately. Why did she care? She didn't. She barely knew him. He was her stepbrother. Nothing more. Absolutely nothing more. She turned toward the school. Then she heard a voice behind her. "Interesting." Maya stopped. Damon stood several feet away. His eyes were fixed on her. "What?" "You lied." Maya frowned. "So?" "So you're terrible at it." She crossed her arms. "You told me not to tell anyone." "I didn't say you should lie badly." "Then teach me." Damon stared at her. For a moment, his expression softened. Then his eyes suddenly changed. Maya blinked. Gray. They had been gray. But for one brief second, they looked almost silver. Damon stepped backward. His breathing changed. "Maya..." "What?" He looked around the parking lot. His expression became tense. "Nothing." "You look like you've seen a ghost." "I said nothing." He turned away. Maya watched him disappear into the crowd. She touched the small crescent-shaped mark near her collarbone. It was burning. She had never felt anything like it before. And she didn't notice the pair of eyes watching her from the second-floor window. Someone was standing behind the glass. Watching. Waiting. And smiling. --- That night, Maya couldn't sleep. She sat beside her bedroom window, staring at the moon. Something had changed since she arrived at the Blackwood house. She could feel it. The strange dreams. The unexplained heartbeat. The mark that wouldn't stop burning. And Damon. Especially Damon. She closed her eyes. A whisper suddenly reached her ears. Not from outside. From somewhere inside her mind. Run. Maya's eyes snapped open. Her room was empty. She stood slowly. "Hello?" Nothing. Then— A knock sounded at her door. Maya froze. Three slow knocks. She approached the door. "Who is it?" Silence. She opened it. Nobody stood outside. But at the end of the hallway, Damon was standing in the darkness. He looked terrified. Maya had never seen that expression on his face before. "Damon?" He stared at her. Then his gaze dropped to the mark near her collarbone. His face went completely pale. "What?" He took one step toward her. "Maya..." "What is it?" His voice dropped to a whisper. "Where did you get that mark?" Maya touched it. "I've had it since I was born." Damon stared at her as though the answer had confirmed his worst fear. Then, from somewhere downstairs, a deep growl echoed through the house. Maya's blood ran cold. Damon's eyes flashed silver. And he whispered one word. "Mate."