The walls of the pack house were designed with beautiful drawings of wolf-like art, which Maya thought was excellent and aesthetic as she and Derek walked towards the place where she had left her warriors an hour ago to heed to her father's call to follow the way up to the Pack's conference room.
She was at least happy, that her Uncle, Derek's father, had still managed to uphold the pack, even better, since the last pack war. She was also happy that her betrayal hadn't caused Derek much mayhem later, other than a broken heart and a dismembered trust pattern.
Watching the bustling activity going on in the pack, the children running up and down, a group of women talking and laughing, she concluded that the her cousin's pack was warmer than hers. Her father had stopped pack members, children mostly, from trouping into the pack's main house. His excuse was that they were too distracting and disturbing.
She came to a halt, her mouth dropping open, as she saw a human male carrying a pup, or rather playing with a pup. Unconsciously, she tapped Derek.
"What's a human doing in your pack?" She asked him, still bewildered at the sight.
"As you can see, he's playing with a pup. " Derek replied, slightly amused at the look on his cousin's face; his earlier resolution of hostility towards her forgotten.
The funny look on her face reminded him of what had happened some years ago, when they were still inseparable.
He still remembered the day, like it was yesterday, when they were competing on who was the better trickster. He was 8years old then.
She had almost won, until she had tripped on her own trap of pebbles under the welcome mat. The look on her face as she digested what had then happened, had been phenomenal.
Seeing the look again on her face, he couldn't blame her for it. Knowing his uncle, he was sure that the older man wouldn't let humans anywhere close to his pack. He would kill them off.
Although he was still getting over his dislike for humans, moreso since his mate was one, he still knew that his uncle's hatred for the wolfless beings was babaric.
"I can see that." Maya said rolling her eyes at him; forgetting for a second that she was supposed to be hostile to him. "I'm asking why he is allowed to do that." She stated, her eyes still fastened on the scene in front of her.
"Well, he is the little pup's teacher. He must have come for his private lessons." Derek said, watching at the scene too.
The human male, who was oblivious of being an object of spectacle, now carried the lively male pup into one of the houses that laid on an adjacent position to the main pack house.
"Your father allowed it? Wouldn't the human notice some irregularities about us?" Maya questioned further, still finding it hard to believe. Her father would never allow it.
It took some hard-core interventions from her mother, before they were allowed to leave the pack house to attend high school at the neighbouring county. It had come with a price tag though; no dating a human. Flings were allowed, but not a relationship. She had done neither, busying herself with training and pack duties. She wondered whether it was why she was mateless till now; her naviety that is and her resistance to advances from the opposite sex.
"No. We are very careful about that." Derek replied, wondering what she would now say if she found out that he was working for a company owned by a human.
"But why would your father allow it? We don't really need the education." Maya said, quoting her father's response when her mother had pressed him on letting she and her little brother go to college. He had said that the education wasn't necessary, that they had lots of pack duties to perform. Her mother had still pressed him further, until he agreed to consider it for a while.
"Well, maybe." Derek replied. "Or maybe not." He added, after an afterthought. College was the only way he could be seeing his little witch, and he wouldn't want that to stop. So it was important.
A smile cut across his lips, unknowingly to him, as he thought of their moments together, especially the kiss. He had been totally lost by her second kiss; he had to admit that his little witch was a good kisser. He hoped that she hadn't kissed any other guy like that.
The thought of another guy's lips on her, made him growl. A growl that snapped his cousin's attention to him.
"What's wrong?" Maya asked worriedly, her caring mode overtaking the hostile counterpart. She had been suprised at his instaneous growl.
"Nothing." Derek muttered, slightly knocked off by the worry he had seen on his cousin's face. 'Was she ever sorry for what had happened seven years ago?' He thought, then shook his head negatively. He concluded that she was only just pretending to get on his good side. Well he will play along with her then, for it takes two to tango.
"Okay then." Maya replied, shrugging her shoulders to depict a fake nonchalancy to what had just happened. It wouldn't do the both of them well, if her father discovered that they were fraternizing already.
"So are you attending college then?" She asked, deciding to change the topic.
"Yes. Is there any problem?" Derek queried, taking up his steps again, wanting to see the new visitors already. He knew that his friends might have stopped by there already.
"Not really. Just curious." Maya replied, wishing that her father would just let her attend college. Perhaps, she might find her mate there; if the moon goddess wills it.
"Or maybe you're trying to get information for your father, as usual." Derek stated sardonically, increasing his pace, as he walked with his face towards the pack's meeting hall, never for once glancing at her; an action that communicated a strong contempt for the opposite party.
"Yeah, maybe.." Maya said bitterly, as she assimilated his action; increasing her pace too, until she walked past him.