Maya's POV
Maya's hands shook as she dropped the tea cup, hot liquid splashing across the kitchen floor. The thought of Kai's kiss from the night before made her knees weak all over again.
"Careful!" Martha scolded. "That's the third cup you've broken this morning. What's gotten into you?"
Maya couldn't tell her the truth. That Alpha Kai Sterling had kissed her. That he'd held her like she was precious. That he'd whispered her name like a prayer before disappearing into the night.
"Sorry," Maya mumbled, stooping to clean up the mess. "I didn't sleep well."
That was the biggest lie ever. She'd barely slept at all, replaying every second of those perfect moments in Kai's arms. His smell still clung to her skin, making her wolf purr with happiness.
"Well, get your head together," Martha snapped. "We have the Cross Pack delegation coming today. Everything has to be perfect."
Maya's stomach dropped. The Cross Pack. She'd heard whispers about a possible union, maybe even a marriage between Alpha Kai and Victoria Cross. The thought made her feel sick.
But surely after last night, that couldn't happen. Kai had felt the same connection she had. He'd kissed her like she was the only woman in the world.
The kitchen door swung open, and Beta James entered with a serious look. "Maya Rose, Alpha Kai wants to see you in his office immediately."
Maya's heart jumped. He wanted to see her again. Maybe he was going to tell her about the mate bond, make everything official.
"Now?" Maya asked, trying not to smile too widely.
"Right now," James answered. "He seemed... urgent about it."
Maya quickly untied her apron and followed James through the pack house. Her mind raced with possibilities. Would Kai claim her publicly? Would he stop the Cross Pack meeting?
She knocked on his office door, her hands sweating with nerves.
"Come in."
Maya opened the door and stepped inside. Kai stood behind his desk, looking strong and handsome in the morning light. But something was wrong. His face was cold, detached. Nothing like the gentle man who had kissed her last night.
"Maya," he said politely. "We need to discuss what happened."
"Okay," Maya said softly, closing the door behind her. "I've been thinking about it too."
"It was a mistake," Kai said frankly.
The words hit Maya like a slap. "What?"
"Last night was a mistake. It can't happen again."
Maya stared at him, confusion swirling in her chest. "But... we're mates. I felt it. You felt it too."
"I felt attraction," Kai corrected coldly. "Nothing more. You're a beautiful omega, and I'm a man. It's biology, not fate."
"That's not true," Maya whispered. "What we felt was-"
"Was what I feel with any attractive woman," Kai interrupted. "Don't make it more than it was."
Maya felt tears prick her eyes. This couldn't be happening. "You're lying."
"I'm not." Kai's voice was strong. "I have duties to this pack. The Cross Pack delegation is coming today to finalize my engagement to Victoria Cross."
The words broke Maya's heart. "Your engagement?"
"A political union. Something that actually matters, unlike one night with a kitchen omega."
Maya flinched like he'd hit her. "Is that all I am to you? Just another woman for one night?"
"Yes," Kai said, but Maya caught the small hesitation in his voice. "That's all any omega is to me."
"You're lying," Maya said again, stronger this time. "I can smell it on you. You're afraid of what we have."
Kai's eyes flashed dangerously. "I'm not afraid of anything. Especially not of you."
"Then prove it," Maya challenged, stepping closer. "If I'm nothing special, then touch me again and tell me you feel nothing."
For a moment, Kai's mask slipped. Maya saw desire and pain flash across his face. Then he stepped back, putting space between them.
"Get out," he said quietly. "And don't ever come to my office again unless you're summoned."
Maya left his office with tears running down her face. She ran to the bathroom and locked the door, crying quietly so no one would hear. How could she have been so stupid? Kai was exactly what everyone said he was - a guy who used women and threw them away.
But even as she cried, Maya couldn't forget the way he'd looked at her. The pause in his voice when he called her nothing special. He was fighting the mate bond, but it was still there.
For three days, Maya tried to forget about Kai. She worked extra shifts in the kitchen, avoiding the main areas of the pack house where she might see him. She heard the Cross Pack had come and that Victoria Cross was beautiful and perfect for an Alpha.
On the fourth night, Maya was cleaning dishes alone in the kitchen when she heard footsteps behind her.
"Hello, Maya."
She spun around, her heart pounding. Kai stood in the doorway, his eyes fierce and hungry.
"What are you doing here?" Maya asked.
"I don't know," Kai admitted, his voice rough. "I tried to stay away. I tried to forget about you."
"But you can't," Maya whispered, understanding rushing through her.
"No," Kai stepped closer. "I can't. Every night I lie in bed thinking about you. Your smell drives me crazy. I can't focus on anything else."
Maya's heart soared. "Kai-"
"This doesn't change anything," he said quickly. "I'm still marrying Victoria. But I... I need to be with you. Just tonight."
Maya should have said no. Should have protected her heart. But looking into Kai's desperate eyes, she couldn't resist.
"Just tonight," she agreed softly.
Kai crossed the room in two steps and pulled her into his arms. His kiss was desperate, hungry, like he'd been starved for her touch.
"Come home with me," he whispered against her lips.
Maya nodded, lost in the magic of being wanted by him again.
That night was perfect. Kai was gentle and intense, holding her like she was made of glass. He whispered sweet words in her ear and made her feel like the most beautiful woman in the world.
When morning came, Maya expected him to leave and not return. Instead, Kai kissed her goodbye and said, "I'll see you tonight."
For three weeks, Kai came to her every night. He would appear at her cabin after dark, spend hours making love to her, and leave before dawn. During the day, he was the cold Alpha planning for his political marriage. But at night, he was hers.
Maya knew she was falling in love. She tried to protect her heart, but it was impossible. Every night with Kai made her believe more deeply that she was special to him.
"Maybe I'm different," she told herself. "Maybe I'm the one who will make him change his mind about marriage."
Other omegas in the pack started noticing changes in Maya. She glowed with happiness, and her smell had changed slightly - sweeter, more content.
"You look different," her friend Sarah noted. "Like you're in love."
Maya just smiled and said nothing.
On the morning of her missed period, Maya stared at the pregnancy test with shaking hands. Two pink lines looked back at her.
She was pregnant with Alpha Kai's baby.
That same morning, the pack met for a special announcement. Maya stood in the back of the crowd, her hand pressed to her still-flat stomach, planning how to tell Kai the wonderful news.
Alpha Kai took the stage with Victoria Cross beside him, beautiful and royal in an expensive dress.
"I'm pleased to announce my engagement to Victoria Cross," Kai's words carried across the silent crowd. "We will be married next month, uniting our packs in a powerful alliance."
The crowd cheered, but Maya couldn't hear anything over the sound of her heart breaking.
She was pregnant with Kai's child, and he was marrying another woman.