Ivy stared at Maya with an emotionless expression. Maya stared back, eyes dull and empty. The harder Ivy looked for answers on Maya's face the more lost she got. Maya was impossible to read when she didn't want to be read.
Despite the heavy tension in the room, Hazel refused to leave Maya alone with Ivy. Zac and Lucas wanted nothing more then to leave, the tension making feel as if they were suffocating. The tension began to grow thicker with each passing second. Neither of the girl seemingly wanting to break away.
"Ivanna," Ivy finally introduced herself.
Maya clocked her head to the side, taking in the strangers appearance. She was beautiful beyond words. The way her entire appearance screamed luxurious and gorgeous, which left Maya in awe of her. "Maya, but I'm guessing you know that already."
Ivy nodded her head with a soft chuckle. Her eyes finally left Maya and moved on to Zac. Her eyes darted back and forth between Zac and Hazel who was glued to Maya's side. "You can leave now. I'd like to speak to Maya alone." Ivy paused Turing her head towards Maya yet again. "If you don't mind that is."
"No at all." Maya confirmed.
Hazel snapped her head towards Maya with a surprised look. "You sure, Ma? I'll stay if you want." Hazel was hoping deep down inside of her that Maya would agree, but was soon disappointed when Maya shook her head with a small smile.
"I'll be fine. Plus, she won't hurt me." Ivy raised a brow at Maya as the words rolled off her tongue and out of her mouth.
"What makes you think that?" Ivy asked. She lifted her right leg over her left; resting her elbow on her upper thigh so that she could place her chin into her palm.
Maya shrugged her shoulders before turning back towards Hazel. "Go upstairs and wait for us. We'll be fine."
With hesitation, Hazel stood up, following Zac and Lucas up the stairs to the guest room that Charlie had. "So. What's up? Why'd you want to meet me, of all people?"
"Simple." Ivy dropped her leg from off top of the other one and stood up. She moved so that she was seated right next to Maya. Maya didn't flinch, nor did she move. Ivy was pleased, she wasn't afraid of her. "Off topic, you know what I am?"
Maya hummed with a curt nod. "Why? Should I not? If so, pretend I ever said anything." Ivy chuckled at Maya who faked a face. "What were we talking about again?"
"No no. It's fine, I don't mind. You're already dragging into this world- why not give you the depth of it all?" Maya gave Ivy a look of understanding before ushering her to continue. "But I came here to know the real reason as to why you rejected Ace."
Maya froze for a second. It's been a long time since she thought about how everything ended between them. There have been times where she thought about talking to him about everything, hoping that he'd understand. Yet. There was another part of her that couldn't even bring herself to even think of him. She hurt him. He hurt her. She just wanted things to go back to way things were before she and Ace even met, even if it meant burying her pain and feelings.
"I never did, technically." Ivy opened her mouth to speak but Maya was quick to cut her off. "Yes. I am with someone. Yeah I mated with someone else. No I no longer want to be with Ace, and no, I couldn't bring myself to do that to him."
Ivy adjusted herself on the couch so that her body was now completely facing Maya. She was curious to what she meant. "Explain, please."
Maya gulped before continuing. "It was never my intention to hurt him. I genuinely wanted to give the whole 'forced mate' thing a try, for the sake of Ace, but even when I tried falling in love with him, I couldn't. No matter how hard I tried. No matter how much time I spent with him, or how long I would force myself to think of him. I couldn't love him in the way he wanted me to. I knew that I wouldn't before I even agreed. But. I was hoping that I could." Maya explained.
"Why would you try to force yourself to love someone?" Ivy questioned, not being able to piece the puzzle together on her own.
"That's simple." Maya breathed out a short laugh. "Zac." Ivy's eyes widened. "Shortly after I agreed to be with Ace, Zac was talking to me about his mate rejecting him. He told me the pain that he went through. Both him and his wolf. He said it was unbearable and something he'd never wish in anyone else. He told me he was happy that I didn't reject Ace, that I didn't allow him to suffer in pain." Maya inhaled sharply not sure if she wanted to continue or not. "So I stuck around, hoping that I wouldn't make Ace go through what Zac went through. Now mind you this entire time I was madly in love with my bestfriend. Shhh, don't tell him that- he doesn't know all that." Both of the girl chuckled at that.
"How'd you manage to get yourself into something like that?" Ivy asked.
Maya cranked her neck with an awkward smile. "A week or so before I meet Ace, my best friend confessed his feeling for me. I couldn't accept it though. I would have ruined everything if I did, plus I had just found out he was a werewolf and was very much still in shock. So when I met Ace and he told me that I was his mate, Hazel told me to try to be with him. That if I was destined to be with him, I'd fall in love with him. That wasn't the case. The more time I spent with Ace the more I missed and wanted Charlie. I couldn't fight it. So when things went down the way they did I was kind of ... pleased." Maya peeked over at Ivy would was listening very intently to Maya's story, interested in what happens next. "Then there was Noah who was out to kill me. So Charlie marked me, temporarily. But for some reason after he marked me I craved him more. Like overall him, his touch, his voice, his smell. Everything. So when we were faking in front of Noah, I can say on my behave, I may have went to far; hoping that it was real." Maya finally confessed.
Ivy held her hand up. "Wait! So you're telling me that Noah, the rouge king, wanted your head on a platter?" Maya hummed yet again. "Woah. You got some crazy life for a human."
Maya laughed at her comment. "I'm not a human."
"Then what are you?" Ivy asked as she raised a brow. "I can't sense anything from you. If you were supernatural, I'd be able to tell."
Maya tilted her head before sending Ivy a smile. "I'm a healer."
Ivy's eyes visibly widened. "No way. I've never met one of you in person before."
"But what about you and Ace?" Maya questioned wanting to know her story as well.
Ivy tilted her head in questioning. "What about us?" Maya sent her a knowing look making Ivy's eyes widen in realization. "Well. Our story is a classic. As you know, our kind don't like his kind, sworn into enemies before we were even born. Yet, that didn't stop us from destroying every single rule. My parents hated the idea at first but soon grew into it, but Ace's father." Ivy released a humorless laugh at the memories. "He loathed it. Everything about it. We started out as friend and by time we were thirteen, we were dating. We ending up falling in love, we were together almost six years. Ace's birthday was only a few weeks before our six year anniversary. But sadly it never came."
Ivy paused, taking a deep breath as all the memories came flooding back. "His father ended up forcing him to break up with me. See- when a wolf turns eighteen, that's when they can sense their mate and Ace's dad didn't want me in the way of him finding his mate. He was afraid that Ace would deny his mate because of me. Ace refused at first but ending up having no choice because of Alpha Orders. So we parted ways and haven't seen or spoken to each other since. There isn't a day that goes by without him flooding my mind. It hurts. I know what a great guy Ace is, so I couldn't believe that his mate rejected him. But I don't blame you. I probably would've done the same, especially since you aren't one of them, you don't feel the bond the way that they do."
"So I've been told." Maya said.
Ivy smiled at her. "I'm glad I got to meet you, Maya. Thank you for agreeing to speak with me."
Maya sent Ivy a smile back. "Of course. When you want to talk, let me know. You're pretty cool." Maya nudged Ivy's shoulder.
Ivy muttered a thank you, her cheeks stained pink, before standing up. "Well, I should get going. I have work that I have to get back to."
Maya walked Ivy to the door. They bid their farewells and before Maya could close the door completely, Hazel was clinging onto her. "She didn't bite you, did she?"
Maya laughed before patting her best friends head. "No I'm perfectly fine. But she seemed pleased with with I had to say."
Zac and Lucas secretly high-five each other, ecstatic that Ivy was pleased. The front door was slammed open and a pissed Charlie stormed in, slamming the door shut behind him. "Who the hell was that walking out of my apartment?!"
"Oops." Maya and Hazel whisper to each other as they stared at the angry Charlie who was waiting for an answer.