Page 26 of M.A.Y.A (After the End #4)

Chapter Seventeen

Maya had to focus to stop herself from hyperventilating.

The longer she was away from Isaiah, the harder it was to keep her cool.

From the moment they’d met, she’d been drawn to him.

His smell. The way that his large hands cupped her face as if she was the most beautiful person, despite all her hardware that took away her humanity.

The way he wanted to tease her, take her on dates, and feed her.

She may not have believed in soulmates or fated mates before, but she believed in them now.

Maya was loved, and that love was being threatened.

By the time she approached the edge of the bunker portal, Maya felt like she was coming out of her skin. If it wasn’t for the Betas, she would’ve never been able to execute her plan.

Alex had taken the lead on securing the ammo for her hairbrained idea, and he’d then used schematics from the buildings in New York to ensure they had enough. Sonya was going to be her shadow, while the rest of the Betas split up into different teams.

“Let’s move out,” Maya said. Even though her knees shook, she stood at the edge of the glen next to the metal grate, her shoulders pushed back, and her hands braced on the knife at her hip.

“I think if you jump into the bunker portal, you’ll land on solid ground.

Once you have your bearings, move forward through the narrow passage in the dark until you see a ladder, which will lead you up into the new dimension. ”

“I’ll go first,” Alex said. He looked back at the team of junior soldiers he’d assigned to watch the portal from the glen. When they gave him the clear, he ticked two fingers off his forehead in her direction and jumped in.

Sergei and Nako went next, then Cindy and Sonya followed. Maya and Drayden were after that with six other senior soldiers from the pack.

When Maya surfaced in Control Dimension 0 with the Betas and packmates, she saw a slew of disarmed unconscious or dead Coalition guards littering the floor of the mechanical chamber.

“They were waiting for us,” Alex said, his mouth set in a grim line. He was out of breath, and a trail of blood dripped from the corner of his mouth. The sleeve of his shirt was torn, and his wolf was in his eyes. “We’re clear to the stairwell.”

Maya nodded, then motioned to Drayden. “Plant the devices around the portal entrance, and through both of the basement levels.”

“Roger.”

It took them almost twenty minutes. They worked fast, and didn’t need to be discreet or precise, but the truth was that the Empire State Building had a huge footprint, and they needed to spread out the bombs accordingly.

“Brace yourselves for witnessing the worst kind of destruction,” Maya said as she led the team out of the sub-basement, into the stairwell and across the lobby. “This is what nightmares are made of.”

She knew she was apologizing for something she had no control over, but she could hardly believe it herself that this was the world she’d lived in before she crossed dimensions.

The subtle suck of air, the twisted horror that radiated off the Betas and packmates came just as they exited the building. The city was consumed by shadows, and because there were no more streetlights, not even building lights to chase the dark, they had to use their superhuman vision.

“This is awful,” Drayden said quietly, staying in the shadows while they walked toward the underground lab. “I can’t believe humans let it get so far in this dimension.”

“Maybe it’s because we didn’t have shapeshifters or other species to act as a counterbalance,” Maya said quietly. The sirens that went off every three hours made it difficult for her to even hear herself.

“I believe you now more than ever that we have to close the portal,” Sergei said grimly. “We can’t let this happen to our land.”

“Consider yourself lucky that your world wasn’t one of the first they raided,” Maya said.

“After this?” Nako said quietly. “I’m buying a fucking gratitude journal.”

They carefully navigated past surveillance cameras and two sets of guards before Maya started feeling the steady rhythm of Isaiah’s heart, as if it beat in her chest with her own.

Tears prickled her eyes at the realization that he was still here.

He was okay. She was going to find him and bring him home.

I’m coming, Alpha wolf. I’m sorry it took me so long to realize what I’d found with you.

She didn’t let her desperation show to the team. “He’s close.”

“We can also feel him,” Nako said at her back.

When they reached the corner of the nondescript government building, they tucked themselves in a narrow alcove to avoid any eyes that might have been stationed at the entrance.

Maya turned to face her mate’s seconds in command.

They all wore battle gear comprising of synthetic, breathable material with metallic thread that would serve as a basic barrier against shrapnel.

The Betas didn’t really need it since they’d most likely shift if under attack, but Maya felt better knowing they all had some sort of protection.

“Does everyone know what to do? How to proceed?”

They all nodded in unison. “Good.” She glanced at the time piece she’d strapped on her wrist; the same one she’d found in Isaiah’s dresser drawer that made her feel close to him.

“Fifteen minutes until we meet at the portal entrance. Keep your earpieces in for communication. Don’t shift alone unless you have no other choice. ”

“Five minutes until we hit the button,” Drayden said as he tapped his watch. “Stay safe.”

“You stay safe, too,” she said.

In a move that shook her, Alex stepped forward and nuzzled her temple.

One by one, the rest of the packmates did the same.

Their touch felt warm and healing, but it just as quickly served as a reminder of what was at stake.

After the brief show of affection, they slipped away until only Maya and Sonya were left.

“You ready?” Sonya asked as she adjusted a knife sheath on her thigh.

“I’m ready,” Maya replied. They rounded the corner and after a brief pause in front of the double doors, they walked through the main entrance of the government building. The first camera caught their movement and focused in on them as Maya hit the button for the elevator.

“This is a really bold move,” Sonya said. “You’re basically spitting in their face by returning to the lion’s den.”

“They have my mate,” Maya said simply.

As she said the words aloud, she realized how right they felt.

This wasn’t about trauma bonding or attaching herself to the man who saved her.

This was so much deeper than that. She knew his feelings intimately.

She’d spent time with him to learn his heart, his loyalty to his family and pack, and the sheer capacity for love that he possessed.

“Sonya?” Maya said as the elevator doors opened.

“Yes, Alpha’s mate?”

“Why did you choose to stay with me?” she asked as they stepped into the car.

She couldn’t look at the shifter as she asked the question that had been weighing on her since their emergency strategy meeting.

“You could’ve partnered with your packmates.

You know them, you’ve fought with them, and you probably like them better. ”

Sonya turned to her and smiled. It was the first genuine one that Maya had received from the prickly woman since the day they met in the safe house almost two weeks ago.

“I am with a packmate,” she replied in her sweet Southern drawl.

“The most important one we have. And I’ve fought with you, I know you, and I like you just fine. ”

Maya felt her throat burn at the unfamiliar sound of affection from a wolf she thought would never accept her into the pack. “Thanks,” she whispered.

“Don’t thank me yet,” she said as the doors slid open to reveal a corridor. “We have to make it out of here safely, and you’re responsible for all of our lives.”

“That’s fair,” Maya said. She blinked away the slight sting in her eyes and marched to the end of the corridor and stood in front of the steel enforced entrance into the lab.

“Maya?” Sonya said as she kept pace.

“Yeah?”

“Just know that after these two weeks, I don’t believe there is anyone who is a stronger match for my Alpha than you.”

“Thanks, Sonya.”

The words were out of her mouth just as the doors opened, revealing half a dozen soldiers and the man who’d tortured and tormented her for most of her time in the bunker.

His mouth curled in amusement. He’d looked at her just like that when he’d strapped her to the bed and was shoving long needles under her skin, or when the anesthesia had worn off while he soldered her arm back together.

“Hello, Unit 13.”

She was tempted to turn and run, but the steady feel of Isaiah’s heart, the easy beat, was soothing to her nerves. There was no way she was going anywhere without him.

“I thought my soldiers would have to bring you back, but it looks like you were smart enough to come on your own,” he said.

She was going to enjoy killing him. Even though the idea of murdering someone still made her ill, she knew that he had to go, otherwise he’d haunt her and Isaiah for the rest of their lives. And she deserved a happily ever after. This man did not.

“You took something that belongs to me,” she said as her hands fisted at her sides. “And I’m never letting you take from me again.”

His soldiers moved into a semi-circle position. It was an intimidation tactic.

“Are you really that invested in another being?”

“Of course. I mean, you’re invested in me.”

This time he let out a belly laugh. It made her skin crawl. “Clever girl. But in this case, I’m not obsessed with you. You’re just a means to an end. If you’re looking for the human claiming to be a leader in Dimension 6, how much is he worth to you, Unit 13?”

“More than your life.”