“Maya, no matter what happens, no matter what she says, we will figure it out. There is nothing we can’t handle. You are the most important factor here, so whatever you need to be comfortable is what we are going to do,” I promised softly as her face morphed from anxious into soft within moments, making me already feel ten times better. I wasn’t even positive what I was saying fully, just wanting her to know how I feel, but apparently it was working.
“What if she says there is something wrong with me?” she quietly persisted. “My mother always said there was something wrong with me, and I’m terrified that someone from your realm is going to confirm that. Is going to confirm that I’m not worthy of being your mate, especially because it’s clear how important you guys are.”
“You don’t need to ever worry about being ‘worthy’ of being our mate.” I frowned at her concern, wanting to hurt anyone who thought they had the right to pass that judgement. “You are without a doubt our mate, and I could give a fuck what anyone else thinks.” My hand tightened in her hair as I spoke softly. “Angel, I could never feel the way I do about you with anyone else. That has never been in question.”
“The way you feel?” she whispered softly.
I hadn’t planned on telling her this way, but I could tell it was what she needed to hear, and I was more than happy to oblige. It was the truth, and I was tired of her not knowing it.
“I love you.” My voice dipped into a rough cadence as her eyes sparked with gold streaks, making me realize that I’d authentically surprised her.
“You love me?” she questioned, her hands tightening on my jaw.
“Yes,” I confirmed without a doubt in my mind. Her magic tightened around me as she examined my expression with warm hope and affection in her gaze.
“Atlas, I love you,” Maya’s voice softened as she quietly spoke.
Surging forward, I kissed her hard again until she melted into me completely, making me want to do exactly what I had mentioned earlier. I wanted to pin her against the wall and show her how much I loved her. A clearing of a voice had me letting out an annoyed sound at whoever was interrupting us. Just because it happened to be Sai didn’t change anything.
“You know I wouldn’t if this wasn’t important.” Sai put up his hands as I let out a snarl of annoyance, making Maya let out a soft giggle. I stood up, walking her ahead of me by the hips as my cock pressed against her perfect ass, making her jump slightly before she cast me an adorable smile.
It only made it that much worse.
“Are the others busy right now?” Maya asked, reminding me of her other comment regarding the appointment as we walked towards the door. Croy was talking to the guard that seemed to be monitoring the royal physician’s door. I was very glad we had arranged for discretion with this, because I could already see the interest from the guard regarding Maya.
“Of course they can go in.” The man’s voice was a bit squeaky as Croy watched him with amusement. “It’s you I have a problem with.”
Sai shook his head. “This is ridiculous, he is part of our group—”
“Why aren’t you okay with it?” Maya’s voice had strength to it, which had Croy letting out a rumble of approval from the back of his throat.
“I mean, he’s a wolf, for one,” the man bit out before regarding Maya and frowning. “Secondly, neither he nor you have the approval of being part of a royal guard unit.”
“She’s our mate,” I finally spoke, drawing his gaze up as his eyes widened in realization. Sai, the twins, and Henry had been a bit younger when we left, but Marco and I had built somewhat of a reputation, and for once I wasn’t going to complain about it. Plus, even if this guy hadn’t heard about us, it was clear he was scared easily, which was why it was funny in the first place that he was attempting to stand up against Croy. If the man hadn’t been alive for so long, he probably would have already been knocked out cold because of how damn frustrating he was being. Luckily for the guard, Croy had a lot of patience.
“Lane,” a voice from the room called out, “stop causing problems and let them into the office. They have an appointment.”
Flashing a smile, I led Maya forward and answered her question from before. “The others are going to be here, they just had to do a few things in preparation for our meeting tonight.”
And I was hoping they showed up sooner rather than later because I did not trust myself to sit through an entire conversation about Maya fucking us without doing exactly that. Even the most clinical of situations couldn’t take away from the innate sexuality that she carried. If I heard her say the phrase ‘mating heat,’ it may in fact be enough to set me off. I just didn't know and I didn’t trust myself, which was the true problem.
“Meeting? With the queen?” Maya’s voice was soft and edged in curiosity.
While we tried to make it seem so, meeting with the queen was anything but casual. There were factors we hadn’t had to consider in years, everything from etiquette to the fact that I knew we were going to be subjected to questioning by her mates and guard for why we had left in the first place, what we had been doing during our time on Earth, and how other members of the council were interacting. Most of the time the crown left us alone, but when we came back voluntarily, they absolutely expected a report. I was just hoping that they told them what a piece of shit the other council members were.
But instead of being here, Marco and Henry were aiding in that process while the twins helped them, leaving the three of us to Maya’s appointment. I was thankful I wasn’t known for dealing with people well, because I was much more equipped and happy to handle this type of situation than fucking politics.
“Yes,” I confirmed as we entered the large office that was headed by the royal physician herself. It was nothing like you would expect from Earth realm, but then again, the entirety of the Dreki realm was essentially as ‘un-Earth like’ as one could get. This room in particular was large, with spacious four-story ceilings and a comfortable seating area that was in front of a desk where a woman had been sitting, until she stood at our entrance.
Immediately I felt defensive, noticing the surprise that lit in her gaze before it turned clinical, running over my mate analytically before she offered a small smile. I knew it was in this woman’s nature to be observant, but I still found it annoying. My dragon rumbled in my throat as Maya squeezed my hand tighter, Croy and Sai both following us in, the guard grunting as if someone had done something. I wasn’t one to make bets, but I was going to guess Sai’s annoyance with the man had bubbled over.
I didn’t blame him.
“Maya, correct?” the physician asked as she rounded the desk. My mate jolted slightly at her name, having been distracted by examining the room. I had to trust this woman was good enough to be trusted with my mate. I mean, if the queen trusted her… that was something, at least. Although, I found trusting anyone with my mate difficult, especially after everything she’d been through recently.
“Correct.” Maya leaned into me, flashing a hesitant smile at the physician. I knew that Maya was hesitant around other women, and while I would have preferred her to never have a reason to feel caution around others, I was thankful that she viewed me as someone she could rely on for support and safety. It meant more to me than she would probably ever realize.