Chapter 13: MAYA

***POV Maya:***

A small smile appeared on his face. "It's my job to take care of everyone, but the king didn't ask for it. He's smart enough to know that I can't conduct a full exam without equipment in the middle of the woods, but there are other ways to help monitor you. I noticed you didn't eat much for dinner."  

I stared at her for a moment, trying to force myself to relax. She didn't seem to be a threat. "Nice to meet you, Tessa. I'm not used to eating in wolf form, and I wasn't sure how the raw meat would settle in my stomach after I transformed."  

"Don't you eat in wolf form?" She bit her lower lip. "This can be a problem out here since we can't cook much. We'll have to rely on our wolves to sustain ourselves, and you'll need to eat to maintain your strength."  

"I'll keep that in mind."  

"Are you feeling unwell right now?"  

I shook my head. "No. I think my fears were unfounded."

"We teach our young people to adapt to this, but sometimes early experiences can make them sick. I'm surprised your pack doesn't do that."  

Now she was trying to gather something. I just shrugged. "What questions did you have?"  

Blinking, she looked over her shoulder. No one was paying attention to us, so she settled on the floor in front of me and took her cell phone out of a waterproof bag. "I realized that I can't make phone calls, but my whole life is here. I just hope I don't break it," she confessed. "Okay, when was your last menstrual cycle?"  

"Seven weeks ago."  

"And when do you believe the child was conceived?"

"Six weeks ago."  

She did not judge or question the facts while making a note. "Did you take a pregnancy test?"  

"I did when I realized I was late. It's usually very punctual." With that, her head rose. "Are you?"  

Most of the wolves didn't stay because of the shift. It messed with hormones. I nodded. "I don't spend much time in wolf form."

"Got it." She typed a few more things into her phone. "Any physical symptoms? High sensitivity or morning sickness? Fatigue?"

"Fatigue and a bit of sensitivity." I lowered my voice so the others wouldn't hear.  

"Any stains?"

"No."  

"Very well. Everything seems pretty normal. Without equipment, I can't conduct an exam, but I'll likely question her daily and keep a record of her responses. It might feel a bit invasive, and I'm sorry about that."  

"You don't need to apologize. I think I'm glad someone else is taking care of the... um... he... baby... cub... in short, whatever it is."  

A small smile appeared on his face. "If you need to talk to me, feel free to do so. You're in a high-stress environment, and these stress levels can also affect your baby. I'm not a therapist, but sometimes talking can help. Before I signed with the king, I was a midwife."  

"Really? How lucky I am."  

"Hmm." She gave me a strange look. "All right, you should sleep."  

I hadn't dressed since I got back, and I wasn't willing to sleep naked, so I searched for a change of clothes in my backpack. "Maya? You're not sleeping in human form, are you?"  

After a pause, I turned my head. "Yes, I am. Is that a problem?"

"It's safer for the baby if you transform. You know that, right?"  

"I've taken a nap a few times as a wolf, but I've never spent the night as one. I feel more comfortable as a human."  

She frowned. "But we are sleeping on rocks. There is no mattress." I reached back to grab some clothes. More than shapeshifters being comfortable being naked with each other, I didn't spend much time with others, and I wasn't as comfortable with my nakedness. "I'll be fine. I sleep on the floor a lot."  

Tessa didn't respond immediately, and I looked up to see her studying me. "Is that a problem?"  

Blinking, she shook her head. "Of course not. I'm sorry. Please make yourself comfortable."

She left like that, and then everyone began to barter. I hurriedly dressed and turned to see that everyone had settled down except for Rhyson. His massive black wolf stared at me without blinking until I lay down and turned my back to him, facing the wall.  

He didn't look any better than my father, but at least I could turn away from him. Here, I thought, maybe no one would attack me while I slept.  

The night was cold, and I woke up shivering. There was movement in the cave, and I turned to see that almost everyone was outside except for the other female. "Juniper," she said quickly as she watched me. "Rhyson's third."  

"Maya. Rhyson's despised one-night stand." She smiled. "You have a sense of humor. That's a relief."  

"Why? I'm not allowed to speak unless I'm told to, so I won't be making any jokes along the way."  

She just grunted. "There’s a river nearby. I must accompany you there so you can wash, pee, and throw up, or whatever you need to do. Nash is trying to make breakfast, although he's a bit of a jerk, so it might just be charred meat when he's done."  

My stomach churned at the thought of breakfast, but I was grateful that at least it would be cooked. Tessa had said I needed to eat.  

I followed her out of the camp, carefully ignoring Rhyson's gaze. Once we were out of earshot, I seized my chance. "What are you doing here, anyway?"  

"Looking for someone," she replied quickly.  

Oh. Polite, but not yet ready to be overly friendly and share. It could be worse. I shivered again from the cold in the air. The river water was just as frigid. I would probably have to change immediately, or I would get hypothermia. "I... Uh... Didn't bring many clothes, and I don't want to lose the ones I have. I didn't bring my backpack," I said in a low voice.  

"I've already washed it. I can bring it back to you. Why is your transformation so painful? It's bizarre to see that."  

"You don't have much of a filter, do you?"

"Shit, sorry. Did I say something wrong? It seemed better to ask than to speculate about it behind your back. I've never seen anyone transform as slowly as you."

"It's a pleasure to talk to you all," I mumbled as I quickly undressed and dipped my toes into the stream. As I suspected, it was very cold. Holding my breath, I submerged as deep as I could and rubbed my skin with my hands. After peeing in the water, I hurried out. "I don't know why it's like that," I told her before I began to change. She eventually walked away, giving me some privacy to catch my breath.

I took my first step toward her before stopping and turning my head. I smelled cooked meat, but it wasn't coming from the camp behind us. Grunting to get Juniper's attention, I turned and headed down the river.

"Hey! Where are you going?" asked Juniper, grabbing my clothes as she followed behind me. I ignored her, but I noticed the moment she caught the same scent; she stopped complaining, and her eyes glowed silver as she released her wolf. We walked in silence for almost 800 meters before spotting something.

On the other side of the river, there was a small village with wooden structures and thatched roofs. A large campfire burned in the middle, surrounded by several humans.

My ears sharpened, and I turned my head just in time to see a man emerge from the forest with a fishing rod in hand. He looked at us and smiled. "We didn't want to surprise you, and we don't pose a threat. We have extra food for you and your companions. Join us for breakfast. Maybe we can help."