Blood Bound

by Tay T

  Although they didn’t voice their opinion, she could tell they were very excited to see her fail. It was too bad she’d have to prove them wrong and make an example out of the cocky male.

  Her wicked grin widened.

  Maya stood stock-still with an aloof expression on her face, while Wilbur circled around her like a shark in the water. There was a smug look on his face as he evaluated her stance and dismissed her because of her shorter frame.

  He’d give her ten seconds, tops, before he’d have her flat on her beautiful little ass, Alpha Female or not.

  “No using your magic now, Alpha Female. This is just a hand to hand spar,” he informed, thinking this would be the easiest fight ever.

  What witch could fight without their magic?

  None, he thought gleefully.

  “I only use my magic against worthy opponents. Fighting with you…just a pinky is enough.” Maya fluttered her thick lashes and flashed him an innocent smile, showcasing a set of perfect white teeth.

  His cocky expression fell for a split second and was quickly replaced by building rage. As he charged at Maya with an inconceivably fast pace, a harsh growl burst from his throat.

  Ah, just as easy to rile as the white witches.

  Maya remained in her spot, waiting for him to come closer.

  Just when he stepped within a foot of her, she brought her arm up over her chest and swatted him away with the brunt of the side of her pinky, like a flyswatter batting down a pesky fly.

  The momentum and force of her new powers at full capacity caught Wilbur off guard.

  His right cheek hollowed and his head thwacked to the side in the aftermath. He was forced to stumble back several feet, before he fell on his butt with a stupendous look besmeared on his face.

  It almost made Maya break into laughter, but she quickly reigned in her emotions. “See, I told you I’d only need a pinky.”

  After Wilbur managed to stand back up, Maya had dashed in front of him and swatted him away again. This time, the sound of his jaw dislocating sent a spike of excitement surging uncontrollably through her veins.

  For the next couple of minutes, Maya toyed with the lanky male, pushing him to his limit without completely breaking him in.

  It was worse than a cat batting a mouse around.

  To the viewer’s eye, it was entirely pathetic and glaringly obvious the dark sorceress was way, way out of Wilbur’s league. Yet, how she had this kind of power puzzled the group of werewolves watching the entire debacle known as Wilbur.

  When Wilbur landed on his back again, Maya’s booted feet dug into his throat, keeping him pinned to the ground like a flattened cockroach.

  The feeling of the Southern Lord’s power traveling through her lithe body, flowing through her heated blood, filled her with absolute glee. It made her feel like she was on top of the world, like she was the king of the jungle.

  “I think everyone has learned their lesson today, don’t you?” Xavier intervened before Maya could rip Wilbur a new one.

  Although he could have stopped the fight earlier, he didn’t. He had been waiting for a chance to teach Wilbur a lesson, to show the younger werewolf how being so arrogant and foolish could cost him in the long run. But Maya had done it for him, exceptionally well at that.

  Why cut her fun short?

  “Do you forfeit?” she asked, staring down her tall nose at the traces of blood dripping from every crevice on Wilbur’s face.

  The werewolf said something, but Maya couldn’t make it out through the annoying gurgles coming from his throat. So she lessened the pressure on his throat and let him talk again.

  “I-I…fo-forfeit,” Wilbur croaked, painfully swallowing mouthfuls of metallic blood.

  It was a pity he didn’t beg, she said to herself. That would have been a much more delightful victory.

  Maya removed her foot and stepped back, sweeping her eyes across the crowd of stunned werewolves.

  CHAPTER 21

  After the Cardinal Alpha let his members take the rest of the day off, he’d offered to spar with Maya, who, after contemplating and hating the idea, accepted with a nod of her head. She wanted to see how she fared against him anyway.

  Since she had been able to defeat Wilbur so easily, Maya thought she would have a better chance against the big bad Alpha. But in reality, that was simply wishful thinking.

  As they sparred, the Alpha did everything with little to no effort and Maya was forced to retreat more than attack.

  Within the span of seconds, she got her ass handed to her again and again, ruthlessly, to the point that her confidence deflated to nothing and she started to think Wilbur had let her win.

  Maya’s left arm jerked up, barely blocking the tall Alpha’s muscled forearm. Her shoulder sockets bore the weight, and the stinging ache made her jaw clench tightly. It felt like her arm was going to get ripped off if he pushed down any harder.

  Maya stumbled back, the heels of her feet dragging mercilessly on the ground, before she came down hard on her knees. Her teeth were gritted as sweat trickled down from the sides of her temple, chilly on her face from the cold wind of late fall.

  Maya found herself floundering to retaliate.

  But the Alpha didn’t give her a chance. His left leg cut across the corner of her shoulder, barely grazing the fabric of her shirt, and she was forced back several feet.

  He didn’t even have to physically touch her to send her to her knees; just his massive aura was enough.

  At this point, fighting back seemed virtually impossible.

  He was still so much stronger than her.

  Why was that?

  “Don’t control the energy, Maya. Let it flow through you, and become one with you. Otherwise, you will only receive half of its strength,” Xavier advised, pausing to look down at her from above.

  He’d kept the beating to the minimum extent possible, barely letting her see glimpses of his power, because he didn’t think she was quite ready to take the full brunt. But even so, Maya’s breath came out in harsh pants and she couldn’t keep up with the speed of which he fought.

  His brows furrowed.

  “It’s not that easy,” she wheezed, wiping the sweat from her temple with the sleeve of her shirt.

  Maya didn’t like the thought of losing control, especially if it meant surrendering to something that had complete access to her body. It made her feel uneasy and fearful, because it was so new and unknown to her. So, she tried her best to tap into what she needed and keep the rest of it contained in the deepest part of her.

  But what was the point of attaining his powers and storing it away in fear of using it?

  Perhaps, she wasn’t as tough as she’d thought.

  “What are you so scared of, Maya?” he asked. His mouth set into a thin line and his luminous eyes bore into her own.

  Glancing at him from the veil of her lashes, she replied, “I don’t want to lose control.”

  The worry was evident on her face, speaking volumes about her anxiety and nervousness.

  It was strange to know she feared his powers and what it could do, but didn’t fear him, not in the least.

  “You won’t. Trust me. I won’t let anything happen to you,” he assured.

  The sincerity in his voice and the conviction in his eyes sent a strange feeling through Maya, making her want to give in and believe him.

  After a moment of consideration, Maya decided to trust him. She relaxed her body and focused on finding her center, where the pool of energy burned endlessly like a blazing inferno.

  The moment she tapped into it and let it out, it rippled through her veins and filled every artery with overwhelming power and warmth. It felt like she was on a hot sugar rush that pushed her higher and higher, without the sudden and draining crash.

  Xavier watched as her aura expanded in size and forced out darkness through every pore on her beautiful body.

  Although she remained the same—visually—he could smell her prodigious powers intertwine wi
th her scent of spring blossoms, giving it an extra edge of heat.

  In his eyes, she resembled a war goddess.

  Maya glanced at him, the corner of her vermillion lips curling upward in a pleased manner.

  When Xavier approached again and made an attack, Maya was able to easily and precisely block him, tit for tat. She wasn’t breaking a sweat, this time, and everything seemed way easier than it was moments ago. But regardless of this, she was still not as skilled as he was.

  After a minute or so of dodging him, the Alpha was able to send her to the ground again.

  Maya fell back on her left side and choked out a pained breath, grimacing as her body weight settled on her bloody arm. Her ribcage ached painfully, as did her tailbone and every other bone in her body, but she stood back up and gritted her teeth, determination lighting her green eyes.

  “Why was it so easy to defeat Wilbur?” she asked, assured the Alpha had done something to make the fight so effortless.

  Xavier glanced at her and said, “Wilbur’s a new recruit. He hasn’t trained with the pack for very long. And he’s only fourteen in human years.”

  Maya’s face paled.

  She had been viciously beating up a fourteen-year-old in front of his entire pack?

  They must’ve been disgusted with her!

  “He surely didn’t look fourteen!” she exclaimed, disturbed by the idea of her recent win.

  “Everyone in his family looks older than their age.” Xavier shrugged his shoulders. “And besides, the brat needed to be put in his place. You doing it looked a lot better than if I were to do it.”

  “You used me to teach him a lesson,” Maya accused, glaring at the smirking Alpha.

  “That was all your choice, little sorceress. If you hadn’t chosen to challenge him, I would have found an occasion to do so anyway.”

  “You could have at least said something,” she muttered, acknowledging the truth in his words.

  The Alpha shrugged his shoulders again.

  Maya frowned and channeled all her frustration into the fight, using every knowledge she had gathered from hand-to-hand combat over the years.

  She punched, blocked, high kicked, low kicked, roundhouse kicked, and tried to sweep his legs out from under him. But each attack failed.

  Nothing she had used to defeat Wilbur was useful on the Alpha, and the excitement that had come from such an easy victory faded until the reality of how undertrained she really was came to the surface.

  “Although you know the basics, it’s not enough in a real fight. If you want to defeat the Coven, you’ll have to work harder than that,” Xavier said, knocking her off balance again.

  Maya toppled over and managed to catch herself with her palms, ripping open the delicate flesh until blood leaked out and mixed with the dried patches on her entire forearm.

  “I know that,” she muttered.

  The Alpha reached out a hand and stared down at Maya with warm pools of gold. “I can help you solidify your stance, if you want to train together. ”

  Maya lowered her gaze and nodded solemnly.

  Without a second thought, she put her hand into his and let him pull her back up before standing into position again.

  She was not about to give up.

  Not now.

  Not ever.

  _______________________

  The Alpha’s room was dimly lit, casting a warm, yellowish hue against the cream-colored walls.

  Having made herself at home, Maya sat on the large bed, dressed in a strappy, amaranth-colored nightgown that barely covered her bottom. Her spindly fingers weaved through long locks of red hair as she dried the sopping strands with a white towel.

  After she had redeemed herself at the training grounds, the Alpha led her back to his home and the two had dinner together. Although this wasn’t what Maya really wanted, she didn’t have any reason to decline.

  Xavier cooked the food, of course, and cleaned the dishes with her magic; even though, she had offered to clean them herself.

  Suddenly, the doorknob turned and the heavy door was pushed open.

  Maya remained in her position, slowly rubbing the towel on her hair. She didn’t have to look to know it was Xavier, half-naked with water still dripping down from his short hair.

  “We could have saved water,” he teased. A smug smirk formed on his regal face as his golden eyes traced her steadily reddening ears and flushed cheeks.

  Earlier, the Alpha had offered to shower together in a means to “save water and help the environment,” but she had outright refused. The last time she’d “bathed” with him, they ended up mated in an irremediable way.

  What made him think she would do it again?

  She shot him a sharp glance from the corner of her eye.

  “Your jokes aren’t funny,” she retorted, tossing her hair over her shoulder to reveal smooth, alabaster shoulders and defined collarbones the Alpha wanted to taste.

  As his fervid gaze danced from her pouty lips to her braless chest, Maya immediately crossed her arms, unable to stop her nipples from hardening under his gaze.

  “Also, I think we should sleep in different rooms,” she announced, before he could take another step into the room. “And by ‘we,’ I mean you.”

  Although she wanted to sleep in another room, the bond between them didn’t allow her the privilege.

  If she was away from his scent for too long, the taut, achy feeling would form in her temples and the serrated blades would start to emerge like thorny ropes around her body, digging into her delicate flesh.

  Maya wasn’t a masochist; she didn’t enjoy any type of bodily pain.

  Since his room was the only area in the house carrying an overabundance of his scent, she chose to stay in it until the bond settled.

  It was either that or attach herself to Xavier Thaeos, and Maya didn’t find that appealing. In fact, it was kind of embarrassing on her part.

  Xavier’s brow raised.

  He slouched against the side of the door and watched her straighten her posture, as if she were going to attack if he said “no.”

  “You want to discard of me now that you have no use for me? I didn’t expect you to be so cruel,” he said, brushing a droplet of water from his eyebrow.

  Maya arched a dainty brow and replied, “I’ve always been this cruel. Or did you forget who bled you for nine days straight?”

  The Alpha chuckled and shrugged his broad shoulders. “How could I possibly forget?”

  Maya’s bright green eyes bore into his, and she stubbornly stood her ground. She could tell he was stalling, waiting for her to change her mind and tell him to stay, but Maya wasn’t about to do that. And so, the room became quiet as the standoff continued.

  After several seconds of unbearable silence, Xavier sighed under his breath. “Alright, if that’s what you want, then I’ll be happy to oblige you.”

  Xavier moved from his post and slowly turned around, glancing at Maya from the corner of his eyes.

  “Wait,” the dark sorceress called from over his shoulder, before he could leave the room.

  Hearing her call, the corner of Xavier’s mouth lifted and he turned to face her.

  Perhaps, she wanted him to stay after all.

  He smirked roguishly. “Changed your mind?”

  Maya shook her head.

  “Leave your shirt,” she said, ruining whatever thought running wildly through his head.

  Even though she was against the idea of wearing his clothes, the bond needed to be appeased in any way possible.

  Slightly disappointed, the Alpha’s arms came up, biceps flexing in unison with his movement. He lifted the corner of his dark blue t-shirt and pulled the fabric over his head, revealing the contours of his sculpted muscles and defined abs. “I can leave you myself, too, Maya.”

  “No, thank you,” she replied.

  Upon noticing the crestfallen look on Xavier’s face, a complacent smile stretched across her blood-red lips.

  Why did she find
it so immensely satisfying to ruin the Alpha’s mood?

  With a haughty air of confidence, the Alpha stated, “You know, little sorceress, one of these days I will make you love me.”

  “We will see, won’t we?” Maya sniffed in a deprecating way.

  “If you need anything, I’ll be in the room next door. Feel free to join me,” he invited, knowing she wouldn’t take up his invitation, but tried anyway. “Good night, little sorceress.”

  “Good night, Alpha,” she replied politely, for once.

  Xavier sighed again and headed out of the room.

  CHAPTER 22

  ‘Why did you agree? I want to sleep with our mate,’ Xavier’s beast whined in his head.

  ‘We will be back. She cannot be gone from us for too long,’ he answered confidently.

  Xavier had only acquiesced to Maya’s demands because he knew he’d be back in her room in very little time.

  One of the perks of their current mate bond included the inability to leave each other for long periods.

  Even though she was surrounded by his scent, it wasn’t enough to keep the mate bond satisfied. Skin to skin contact was a requirement until their souls completely accepted one another.

  He wasn’t too sure what it would be like after it settled, but before then, he hoped it would close the distance between him and his little sorceress, enough for her to put down her barriers and love him as her mate.

  _______________________

  In extreme frustration, Maya huffed out a breath of air for the umpteenth time, shoving a pesky strand of hair off her heated cheeks. She turned back and forth, rolling from one side of the bed to the other until her face was entirely smothered by Xavier’s pillow.

  Even though she was wearing his t-shirt and trying to cover her body and senses in him, the mating bond was still suffocating her around the throat. It was gnawing at her consciousness and eating away at her sanity. Maya was forced to lie wide awake on his bed while pushing down the ineffable instinct to join the Alpha in the guest room.

  It’s so unfair, she thought to herself.

  Why was she the only one suffering from this bond while the Alpha was completely immune to its effects? Was it because she was always trying to fight it and he wasn’t? So it wanted to punish her more?