Chapter 106: Tease

~This can’t be happening~.

Maya’s lips tightened, her foot rhythmically tapping the floor, her arms folded defensively across her chest. If he was expecting her to break first, he was sorely mistaken. She could engage in this staring contest ~all day~ if that’s what he wanted.

And he would be the first to break.

Sure, his injuries were healing, but—he wasn’t at his best. She could outlast him any day.

She held his gaze, unyielding, her eyes challenging him. If he had any plans of getting some rest, he would have to accept that he was ~not~ getting her bed. Okay, they had to share a room. Okay, she had to keep an eye on him. ~But as she had made clear to Alex—~ she wasn’t sharing her bed and she sure as hell wasn’t sleeping on the floor.

“I’m sick.”

“You’re fine.”

“I have bruises.”

“Do I look like I give a damn?”

“Wow, how did I get so lucky to have such a caring mate?”

Her eyes narrowed. "We're not official yet, pal. Don't get ahead of yourself." She stretched her neck, her fiery red hair flipping over her shoulders. "And trust me, if we were, I'd expect to be treated like a queen—which means the bed would be mine anyway."

“Fair enough.”

She blinked. “That’s it?”

He nodded. “That’s it.”

“Well, alright then.” Damn straight she won.

“So, what else is on the agenda, boss lady—or mate? Maya? What do you prefer?”

Her eyes narrowed as she studied his face. He was amused—he found this situation ~funny~. He was on the brink of death, he had lost all his memories, ~but~ he was somehow entertained by this predicament. What the hell was his problem?

“~Maya~ is fine.”

Was it the memory loss that made him so unaffected by all this? What about his survival instincts? Maybe he felt safe around her because of ~what~ she was to him? Ugh, her head ached trying to figure this out.

Yet, there was something about her behavior that she couldn’t quite pinpoint. ~What was it~?

"And I don't know what else is on the agenda because apparently, I have to babysit you all day. So I can't do any of the shit I usually do."

He turned to the side, heading for the forest green cot on the floor. He bent ~way too much~ to sit on it, leaving him just a few inches off the ground. “Why not?”

She blinked. “I just told you. I have to babysit you.”

“I got that. But that doesn’t explain why you can’t multitask. Or were you ordered to keep me indoors?”

“Excuse me?”

“The Alpha? Did he tell you I wasn’t allowed to leave the house?”

No, he hadn’t. He had said she couldn’t patrol and leave someone else in charge of him but… he had never specifically said that she couldn’t ~take~ him with her. Sure, it was implied—strongly implied… but it wasn’t explicitly stated.

Yes, she wanted to go out there—she wanted to find the bastard responsible for that massacre, she wanted to know if he was coming for them. To some extent, Maya should be safe with Julian; he was her mate. Granted, that didn’t mean he couldn’t betray her but—~it should be okay.~

Her pack, however, was a different matter.

She didn’t know how he got his injuries, how he survived what happened in the forest. How much trust could she place in him?

“It’s not safe. If we get ambushed, you’d be a liability. I can’t be bothered.”

“It might trigger something. Wouldn’t this be a whole lot easier if I knew who I was? No one trusts me, right?”

It felt like a taunt—because it was one. She could see right through him; he was trying to bait her into taking him outside. His argument wasn’t entirely flawed; it might trigger his memory. And then what?

She would find herself stranded in the middle of nowhere with either an innocent man or a killer.

Yet, despite the logical part of her screaming in her head, there was a tiny part of her that ~wanted~ to say yes. As if agreeing to his request would give her some sort of satisfaction. It bothered her. The nonchalance, the recklessness, that pull towards him…

He had to be an Alpha, he just had to be.

She didn’t give a damn if they couldn’t sense it, couldn’t understand. There was no other explanation for the sensation burgeoning in her heart. ~If he was~… she was in deep water. The implications of it all… Maya shook her head, pulling herself back to reality.

She wouldn’t ponder on it, not yet.

Not until she was certain.

“Are you hungry?”

Julian’s laughter echoed in the room, his teeth gleaming as he tossed his head back. “That’s a smooth way to shift the topic.”

“Are you hungry or not?”

“I could eat.”

His words sent a shiver down her spine, his gaze fixed on her. ~Why did it feel like he wasn’t referring to food~? Her breath hitched, her lips slightly parted as she held his gaze. She was immobilized, her body frozen while her skin blazed with warmth.

~Amnesia, Maya~. It wouldn’t be fair.

~Remember that—focus on that~.

“I meant food, you pervert.” Deflection. That should do the trick.

His eyebrow arched while a smirk played on his lips. He grunted, his face contorting in pain, as he stood up. "I meant food too. Now, who's the one with their mind in the gutter?"

“Don’t flatter yourself.”

“Really?”

His footsteps echoed, shoes clanging against the floor as he bridged the gap between them. There was no hesitation, no fear in his demeanor. He reached out to her as if he had known her forever, his large hand gently cradling her left cheek.

Maya’s initial instinct was to lean into his touch—but she stopped herself just in time.

“Really.”

“So your heart isn’t racing? Your skin isn’t getting clammy… you don’t want my fingers to trail down your arm?”

If he tried to kiss her, if he tried to touch her more… would she resist? Logically, she should, but the wolf inside her was telling her she would ~enjoy~ it. He could dominate her, he could pursue her, he could challenge her and emerge victorious…

But what a fucking pursuit it would be.

He could handle her, she ~knew~ it.

She could surrender, she could disregard the tiny voice that was growing fainter and instead heed the beast within her. It would be simpler. Screw logic, screw morality. She could be what she was meant to be and then…

~No~.

No way.

It would feel good in the moment but then—

Maya raised her hands, placing her palms on his chest. If she hesitated, if she didn’t exert enough force, she might get sucked in. So, she pushed as hard as she could, causing him to stumble a few steps back.

Distance.

Distance was ~good~.

"Is pushing how you escape tricky situations, Maya?"

She hated feeling cornered. Even though she was a Beta, Maya cherished her independence, her autonomy. Alex was the leader and she had no problem with that. He allowed her to push the limits, but in the end, she did toe the line when necessary.

Something about Julian was stifling. Perhaps it was the fact of possessing him but not really having him. It wasn’t as if Maya had been scouring the earth for her mate, impatiently awaiting her turn. She had no objections to finding the ~one~ but she thought she had time.

The fact that she had found him wasn’t the issue. The inability to have him was the problem.

She could overlook all the missing pieces, the fact that he was a mere shadow of his former self. She could move on. ~He would let her~. He had demonstrated his attraction towards her—not that she ever doubted it. Yet, she couldn’t.

It felt wrong.

She needed to know who he was—what he was.

She couldn’t bind her life to him if she didn’t know his true nature.

“Let’s get food.”

She had to escape this cramped room—it wasn’t spacious enough for both of them. She walked past him, their shoulders brushing as she did so. She didn’t sense him following but she knew he would eventually.

What the fuck was she supposed to do?

Follow her head or her instincts?