Regretted Rejection : Wrath of the Moon
Chapter 33

After spending time with the were panther group, the family of three - Maya, Xavier and Sam, wentroaming in the forest some more.

Sam was running in the forest at his full speed while Maya and Xavier were following him at anormal pace. The simple act of running as a pack made Maya's wolf calm and happy. Shereminisced about the days when she used to run in a pack in her childhood. Maya could see tracesof herself in Sam's innocence and his nature.

Maya's wolf had started seeing Sam as her own child instead of her nephew. She also knew thatSam carried in his blood a potential to be a true Alpha. She made a decision to hone his skills andhis nature to become that of a leader.

Xavier was following Maya's wolf as she trotted after Sam. Her tail kept brushing against his nose.Xavier was enjoying her scent and her touch. His wolf pushed for control of the body from Xavierand in a moment of weakness Xavier allowed the wolf to reign over him. His wolf pushed ahead andstarted walking shoulder to shoulder with Maya. He lightly jostled and guided her onto a differentpath and gave a mental command to Sam to follow them.

Maya was amused by Xavier's insistence on guiding the path and allowed him to lead her. Theyunexpectedly stepped into a small clearing in the forest. In the middle of the clearing werecountless small lights just flying around. Sam and Maya were both awestruck by the thousands offireflies buzzing around the clearing. It seemed very dream like and Sam dashed in middle of theclearing to chase fireflies. Maya sat on her haunches to observe the beautiful vista. Xavier's wolf satbeside her, his tail swishing around to engulf her body and then flicking back again and again.Maya turned to look in Xavier's eyes and realised that Xavier's wolf was the one in charge. Instincttold her to give over the control to her wolf and she followed that feeling. Maya's wolf leanedagainst Xavier's body and sniffed his scent deeply. Both of them could feel small sparks in the touchthey shared. Xavier's tongue brushed against Maya's face and licked her lovingly.

Perhaps it was at that moment that Maya realised that even her wolf required a mate by her side.Even though her wolf was all powerful, she truly craved the gentleness and the love that a matebond could bring in her life. She realised that her inability to replace trust in their relationship was notonly hurting Xavier and his wolf but also was affecting her own wolf badly.

'A werewolf is a strange creature; it's a wolf and a human mind staying in one body. Then are thewolf and human different or are they the same?’ Maya questioned herself. As if reflecting on herselfshe realised that this strain of their relationship has reached the point where she has to make adecision to move forward or to step back and away.

Calmly she lifted herself and trotted towards the bushes. Changing back into her human self, shewore the long t-shirt she had carried tied to her leg. Although a little wet from the river, it wasenough to keep her modesty. Sensing her need to talk, Xavier to changed in his human form andwore a pair of track pants. Maya was lounging on the ground with her arms supporting her andstaring at Sam's antics. A smile garced her beautiful face and it was at that moment Xavier fell a littlemore in love with her.

"Maya" he called out softly breaking her trance.

Turning towards him, she beckoned him closer and patted the ground beside her. When Xavier satbesides her, she leaned her head against his shoulder. Xavier went still as a statue. Admitted that itwas the most innocent form of intimacy but it was the first ever gesture from Maya's end.

"It hurts.” she whispered, "It hurts not being able to trust our own mate. It hurts not beingcourageous enough to take next step. It hurts not being able to be a part of a pack. But most of all,it hurts to see the pain of an unfulfilled mate bond in your eyes. It hurts most not being able to giveSam a stable family. It hurts, Xavier." Pain laced her voice and though it wasn't spoken loudly, Xavierfelt the impact of those words in his very bones.

Hope had blossomed unbidden in Xavier's heart at her action and it further grew by her words. Hedesperately wanted to ask her if she was finally allowing him in her life. He wanted to hug her in hisarms and kiss her so very badly. But he retained a bit of control and spoke softly, "Take your time toheal. I am here. Besides you. Whenever you need me."

"When a mate bond is completed, we are able to hear each other's thoughts...” Maya spoke just assoftly as him.

"Yes." Xavier replied not understanding where this was going.

"If we complete the mate bond, then I will be able to hear your unfiltered thoughts.” Maya said."Yes." Xavier was still confused. He felt that she was asking for him to complete the mate bond butfor that they would be required to make love. And Xavier knew that because of her trauma Mayawouldn't be able to cope with love making part of mating process.

"To complete a mate bond we just need to bite each other on the joint of neck and shoulder. It isenough to complete the mating process. There's no need to have sex.” Maya said

"First of all, mating process doesn't involve having sex, it involves making love. And second, we canskip that part but if we really do skip it then we would be in great deal of pain till the bond formscompletely.” Xavier said soberly.

"I know... It will be painful, I know. But I don't see any other way to learn how to trust you again. Iam sorry Xavier. I know it isn't what you would want but I don't know how I can...” Maya's voicebroke as tears escaped her eyes.

Brushing away her tears with his thumbs, he cradled Maya's face in his palms carefully. "I love youMaya. You have no idea how much. I want to give you the whole world. Please... Don't apologize forsomething that isn't your fault. It was my mistake, I shouldn't have abandoned you when youneeded me. It is my punishment to bear.” He said, sadness tinting his voice.

"Please Xavier I want to heal. I want to feel happiness again. I don't want to be broken anymore.”Maya whimpered softly.

Xavier took a look at Sam, he was busy sniffing the clearing curiously. He issued a mental commandto Sam to not leave the clearing without informing him. Sam looked at them and nodded slightly.He loomed at Maya's teary eyes and gave in to her demand. He pulled down the neck line of the t-shirt and bit her on the collar bone.

Immediately Maya felt a deep burning in her heart. It was as if her heart wanted to reject the newbond that her soul was forming with Xavier. Xavier then bared his shoulder to Maya and Maya bithim emphatically to give away some of her pain. A pain started in Xavier's neck and spread to hisheart. It felt like the heart was burning on an open flame.

Soon their breathing became ragged and Maya collapsed in his arms. Xavier hugged Maya tightlyand fell on his back. It took a couple of minutes for the pain to become bearable.

"Xavier" Maya called out tentatively in her mind.

"Yes, Maya?" she heard Xavier replying in her mind.

"I can hear you." Maya said excitedly in her mind. She felt a chuckle rumble through his chest.