Maya's Promise

Part 4

The Alpha's office was flooded with natural light coming in from the large bay windows on the two exterior walls of the room. The light flooring and wall paint continued into the room from the hallway, but the furniture contrasted nicely with dark cherry wood and brown leather couches. Monica stood to the side of the desk beside Mason who was dressed in only a pair of joggers. Beside them both, sitting down in an intimidating leather desk chair was a red haired, middle aged man with graying blue eyes. His mouth was pulled into a thin line as he appraised her from head to toe. 

"Where did you come from?" he asked her, his voice fracture the nervous air around her so much that she flinched from his words. She was already having a hard time staring at his hair color, which was much too similar to the man she just left behind with her sweet, innocent cub. 

"If you could tell me where I am on a map, perhaps I could show you, sir. But I do not know," she bowed her head submissively, not wanting to anger the wolf Alpha by staring too long into his eyes. 

"Was it just you they held captive Black Leopard?" she heard the Alpha get up from his chair, his heavy bootsteps come around the desk and stop in front of her. A whine left her throat before she could stop it, her heart clenching painfully. "You are not a wolf, look up into my eyes please." 

She forced herself to look up into his blue eyes, swallowing sharply to keep the helping of food she just ate from coming back up with her fear. "How?" 

"You are just barely able to stand, I can see your limbs shaking from here. Your bones are sticking out everywhere, and I hear from my pack link you ate an entire plate of food so quickly as if it were the last meal you'd ever have. I'll ask again, were you the only one?" Maya felt as though he could read her soul and everyone of her thoughts as he continued to look her straight in the eye and stand no less than three feet away from her. She felt her head shake with her answer, unable to speak as she knew a sob was the only sound that would come out if she were to open her lips. 

"Are they someone you know, that you're close too?" She could only nod. "You are welcome to stay here. No one would dare to set foot onto this territory unless they wish for death, or in your case it seems you had no idea you hunted and fell asleep on pack lands... Monica will show you to a room you can stay, it'll be here on the main floor. Shower, rest, and once you are better we can talk about that person you left behind, and whoever it was who took you. I must go speak with someone who might know about your predicament, I will see you soon young leopard." 

The Alpha ran his eyes down her body one last time, before nodding and leaving his office. Maya's body trembled as a sigh left her throat and she looked up to Monica and Mason who smiled encouragingly at her. She reached a hand out towards the female wolf and she was quick to grab onto her arm and lead her away from the room. They only moved three doors down away from the Alpha's office which spooked Maya slightly, but the first glance at a real bed and the shower peaking from around the corner of a doorway erased all those feelings. 

Monica stayed to ensure she was comfortable enough to stand in the shower, and when Maya was finished Monica helped brush out the seemingly unending knots in her hip length, thick black hair. Once her hair was smooth, Monica handed her a soft t-shirt and a pair of leggings to change into, telling her she was going to leave to allow her to rest, and then she left. Maya got changed slowly before sliding underneath the soft nature themed quilt and fell into a heartbreaking nightmare. 

-- 

When Maya woke up the sun was beginning to take its decent from the sky and was already behind the trees that were outside her bedroom window. While she was exhausted from her nightmare, she woke up feeling the most awake she had felt in years. She sat up slowly, scanning her eyes around the twelve by twelve room, the only furniture the bed she laid in and a small dresser against the opposite wall. There were three doors total, one she knew to be the exit to the hallway, the other to her en suite bathroom. The third she guessed belong to a closet of some kind. After scanning the room, her belly grumbled low, demanding for food it knew it now had the access to. She knew she shouldn't eat so much after being starved, but she ignored that fact and got to her feet to head to the kitchen. 

The kitchen was empty aside from the older woman that had been there earlier in the day. She looked at Maya with a kind smile before silently pulling a tupperware out of the fridge. Maya, guessing the woman was fixing a plate for her, sat at the island in the same chair from earlier. Once the food was microwaved, the plate was put in front of her with a set of silverware and a large glass of water. 

"My name is Wanda," the old woman's voice was warm and motherly, making Maya instantly relax in her seat. "This is my kitchen, so if you need anything, anything at all do not hesitate to let me know." Wanda patted Maya's shoulder lovingly before grabbing a rag from the counter and continued to clean the granite. 

"I am Maya," she replied before digging into her meal of rare steak, corn and other vegetables, much slower and controlled than she did this morning. 

They stayed in a comfortable silence as Maya ate her dinner and watched the old woman clean and work around the kitchen that was obviously being closed for the night. Every now and then the old woman would let out a hum of a song to break the silence. When Maya was almost finished she felt a pair of eyes latched onto her back from the entrance of the room. Her body became tensed and she curled in on herself to appear smaller than she already did, in hope that whoever was stalking her would think her uninteresting. Unfortunately it didn't seem to work as Wanda looked up as someone walking into the room, a bright smile warming up her face. 

"Sebastien, what are you doing here? You know the kitchen is closed after dinner." Wanda waved her rag in his direction. 

A deep hum sounded right behind Maya's shoulder, and she was amazed at how silent this male could move to have been able to get so close to her without her realizing as her whole body flinched. 

"I am just checking in on you Wanda, seeing as how someone has left you alone with the stowaway," his words were threatening, his baritone voice echoing off the granite and the wooden cabinets. 

Wanda took a glance at the petrified Maya, who had slowly placed her fork down and was sitting with her head down and hands hidden in her lap, and then back to the towering male behind her. "She cannot hurt me, Seb. Why don't you come to this side of the island so she can see who is threatening her as you are?"

The male scoffed, "Threatening you say. No, I'm just warning the leopard to keep her claws out of my pride." 

Maya perked up at the sound of that word, pride, why would he call them his pride? 

"I'm not here to hurt anyone, I just need a place to get my strength back." Maya spoke softly, hoping to not anger the male further. She had yet to get the courage to glance back at him, but she knows he would terrify her more than she already was. 

"Yes, the Alpha told me you left someone behind," the male was suddenly on the other side of the island, directly in front of her with his arms stretched out against the granite towards her. "A sibling? A mate perhaps?" He watched her expressions as he kept going, "A parent? Your cub?!" 

He watched her icy blue eyes crumble away as they filled with tears and anger. She hissed as she stood, marching to his side where he turned to face her. Her small stature was nothing compared to his towering height and the width of his broad shoulders. His emerald green eyes were piercing and watching her every move as she attempted to go chest to chest with him. 

"You know nothing about me," Maya snarled. 

"I know plenty, Maya," his voice was a taunting lure that she took without thinking of the words that she would confess to this stranger. 

"My son is stuck there with his bastard of a father, a weak leopard who used the man power of others to break me down, to hold me down. I took my chance to escape and nearly took a bullet to my head. I will get stronger, and I will go back for him, and I will tear that Alpha of Vorici's head from his shoulders!" With her whole heart out in the open, a tear escaped from her eye and she swayed against the counter, all her energy suddenly gone from her outburst of anger. 

Maya heard Wanda yell at the irritating male and she fell to the ground, sliding down the counter to avoid any injuries. Who the hell does he think he is anyway, was her last thought before her eyes went black.