Lucien

•25•

Maia swallowed loudly.
She suddenly didn't want to be in his arms.

She didn't feel worthy- and a sick feeling in her gut told her that Bambi had something to do with this upcoming confession.
She loved her to the moon and back... but to bring back those memories.
She felt sick, physically ill, and somewhat manic when she realized she did need to confess.

The guilt wasn't easy to live with. Her Noona could attest from the hundreds of nights she'd wake to nightmares, or when she couldn't watch normal television or read a normal book because anything without a fairytale ending could trigger her.
She couldn't be around people her age because one wrong word and she'd be back there. Back with him.

Mia...

She'd feel the broken bond again.

No. It wasn't a mate bond.
Yet- she felt like half of her died that day. Half dead, unable to properly move forward... grow up.
Everyone always told her she needed to grow up; yet how could she?
How dare she smile and allow the embrace of a mate, enjoy her first shift, her first anything... without her?
Losing your parents is hard.
Losing a twin- an identical twin- is impossible.

Lucien slowly lowered her, as Maia took a step back to try and calm her breathing.

If he was back... to finish the job... then he earned an explanation.

"Alright" Maia barely recognized her own voice, it was so... much more sure sounding than she felt.
Lucien's dark eyes peered down at her seriously before nodding, and gently guiding her inside the room she had earlier slept it.
It was simple and small, but the faint traces of Lucien's delicious scent told her he occasionally used it.
Lucien sat on the bed first, before bringing her between his legs to stand.
They were eye to eye.

Somehow it made it worse for her- and she had to disconnect her own first.
He was so big. So confident and caring. So easy to love.
Would he not want her anymore? Should she lie?

The thought of lying made even her wolf howl in disagreement.
She shouldn't lie. Not like this, never for this.
It'd be dishonoring the dead even more so.

The dead.

Maia clasped onto her mate to keep her sanity. His touch, his scent, even his breathe. He kept her grounded.

"I...we... it was in the fall. Bambi and her mother were visiting. Everything was normal... nothing.... it came out of no where" Maia began, and she couldn't stop the memories anymore.

Small hands clapped together as two sweet identical little girls were chased in the front yard by a small blonde.
Bambi loved playing with Mia and Maia, as both girls were always so energetic.
Though, Mia had always been the more ornery one, while Maia was the follower. The alpha in the dynamic was obvious.
Bambi didn't mind. They were their own little pack of three, and together they were strong.

Two lovely young mothers sat on the porch watching the trio play, and while it had been getting colder out, the girls were still wolves and kept hotter than normal. They worried little as they chatted over tea and snacks that Jasmine had made earlier in the day.
Carol was happy to bring by some imported tea her husband had gotten in his trip with the Alpha to another pack.
She was excited to try it with her best friend since diapers.

Now their own children played together.
Normally, Carol would bring her eldest son too but he had been hitting his rebellious and independent stage of his youth and wanted to play football with his own friends.
It was a girls day then.