Rejected and in Heat

Good Morning

Maya slid off her float and did a few laps across the pool. The cool water felt good against her skin. After a while, she crossed the pool to Josh. He joined her in the water, and they sat on the bottom step, the water lapping at their waists. "You know, the night of my party, I was looking at the stars, thanking the Goddess for everything I have in life. I told her the only thing that would make the night more special would be to find my mate. I never even considered that it might not go right. I mean, she gave me what I asked for. I guess I should have been more specific. I think what I'm getting at is that you need to find out what you're missing in these relationships. You can't find it if you can't even say what it is." She leaned against his arm and turned her eyes to the same stars she had admired a few months ago.

The next time she spoke to the Goddess, she would be more precise in her request. Josh wrapped his arm around her, pulling her up against his side. "You know what, you're probably right." They sat in comfortable silence, each in their thoughts. So much had happened today, and it was a lot to take in. It was a relief to let the mind go empty, and the eyes take in everything around them. Maya found peace in the night's stillness and the night sky's beauty. Their property sat on the outer edge of the pack land. It was a large two-story house set in the middle of a clearing. Behind the house was a vast forest they could run in without much threat. Josh admired the home around him. His eyes took in the large house and patio to his left and the pool house to his right. He spent his younger years in a happy home like this one.

Once his mother died, his father couldn't handle being alone. He avoided coming home and found comfort in every woman that would give him a good time. After a couple of years, he came home with a new mate who hated the sight of him. She did everything possible to make him miserable until John and Mary visited. It didn't take them long to figure her out, and they devised a plan to take him home with them. They convinced his dad, the pack alpha, that he would have more opportunities in their larger pack. His stepmom encouraged the idea just to get him out of the house. His dad agreed, probably to make her happy, but he said it would help him become a better alpha when he took over.

Maya's head sagged against his shoulder, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Hey, let's get to bed," he gave her a little shake to wake her up. She nodded sleepily and followed him to the poolhouse to change. She changed quickly and flopped onto the couch in the living room. Josh glanced at the clock, almost 4 am. Maybe they could get some sleep before her symptoms took over again. He didn't want to be too far from her, so he covered her with a throw blanket and kicked back in the recliner. He was asleep within minutes.

Josh woke up in the early afternoon and was surprised to find Maya cooking pancakes. She had her earbuds in and was dancing around the kitchen. His brow furrowed; how had she made it so long without his help? He flopped his head back down on the recliner and closed his eyes. He was still tired, but the smell of food called him as he drifted back to sleep. Maya put everything on the table and called out to him. This time, he got up and went to the bathroom to freshen up before joining her at the table. "You look good this morning. How did you sleep?" He shoved bacon and pancakes into his mouth.

"Like the dead for quite some time. I woke up at one point and took care of business myself, then went back to sleep." She wiggled her eyebrows as she said it. Josh choked on his orange juice, and tears ran down his face as he tried to catch his breath laughingly. Maya shrugged her shoulders. "Well, you asked. I think it will keep me comfortable for at least a few hours. I'm sure you have things to do, and I need to devise a plan for future events. So, I might as well practice now, right?"

Josh shook his head, "If you say so. I will go for a run and then try to finish that English assignment. If things get overwhelming like they did yesterday, I will never get it done, so I had better take advantage of the time I have. Thanks for breakfast. You have been doing all the cooking, so let me get lunch today. I'll set a timer on my phone so I don't get lost in thought staring at the computer screen." Maya nodded, "Okay, see you in a few hours. If I need any help, I will text or call you. I'm going to shower and find something to do around the house."

With that, they parted ways for the afternoon. Josh was feeling pretty hopeful that she could control her heat independently. He would still stay in case she needed him, but she seemed different mentally after yesterday. Like going through all of that, she found some inner strength. Josh pushed his thoughts of Maya to the back of his mind and sat in front of his computer. As he started to type, his phone rang. "Hey, babe. Sorry, I was up late last night and slept in this morning. I'm just getting my day started. How about you?" Josh put Cathy on speaker and gave an "Mmm, Oh yeah?" or "That's crazy" where appropriate while trying to finish some schoolwork.