Chapter Seventy One - Never Again - Maya's POV

As I grab my clothes from my closet, I wonder if I should take more with me than I am. It's just one set and will only last me through the night. I'll just have to come back tomorrow and get more. But I don't know if I should. It would make it feel too final and too real. Plus, as far as I know, this room is still my room. We're not moving in officially. I don't think… A ragged sigh escapes me as I find a loose gray t-shirt and a pair of lilac sleeping shorts. It's not much, but enough to cover the important parts. I stand and turn with the clothes in my arms, moving back into the bedroom. My eyes scan over everything and take it in once more. It's all so different since the attack last night, yet I can still feel the way the room was last night. Tense. Overwhelming. Frightening. Even though the furniture isn't the same, I can still see Evelyn fighting the wolf. Everything replays over in my mind, distracting me from leaving. I clutch the clothes tightly to my chest, holding the towel there. My heart begins to race as my eyes move across the room. I suck in a breath and close my eyes, trying to steady my pounding heart. It's too much. It's all just too much. When I open my eyes, the door to the bedroom is open and there stands Damian. He's still dressed in his workout clothes and sweat drips from his forehead. There are a few gashes on his arms with blood slowly trickling out. Everything in the room fades as I see the marks. 'What happened to you?" 'Eh, I got into a little fight," he claims. But I know it's something more than that. They were going to discuss me, and he left with Simon. I wonder who he got into a fight with. His eyes roam over my body, checking me thoroughly, but then his cheeks blush red when he realizes I'm in nothing but a towel. 'Oh, you were about to get dressed. Oops." 'It's fine. I just came back to my room for clothes and noticed that it doesn't look like before. All of my things are in the closet, though, so whoever cleaned did a good job," I say, my voice low. It's like I'm trying to think of something, but the scratches on his arms. And how they make me feel. I want to protect him. Shaking my head, I dismiss that thought. 'They cleaned everything up last night and got the blood along with the bodies. Today, they redid the room entirely because it might be a reminder of what happened if they didn't. I hope you like the new bedspread and furniture. If you don't, I'll find you something else." 'No, it's fine," I say quickly. 'It's all fine. It would be a reminder, so it was a good call to make. I was just surprised." He looks down at me as if he's debating something. I don't wait long before he opens his mouth to say it. 'Do you want to stay in here or do you –" His words trail off and I know why. He wants me to stay with him again. Honestly, I've had every intention of going back to his room, but I'd keep this room just in case. 'I thought you and I were sharing a room from now on?" His brows raise. 'That is what I planned, but I want to take your feelings into consideration." The words seem awkward for him to say. I don't know much about packs or their dynamics, but I know in the books I've read, alphas have a hard time letting go and not being in control. It seems the books might be more accurate than I realized. 'I want to stay with you, but I want to keep this room as my safe space. It's close by, and I can come in here maybe for girl time with Evelyn or something. Otherwise, I'd rather stay in your room for safety reasons." I feel stupid for saying it like that. It's definitely not for safety reasons, or at least, not all of it is. His gaze narrows as he studies me and that familiar smirk tugs at the corner of his lips. 'Right, safety reasons." He doesn't buy it for an instant. 'So, I'm going to shower. You can come back and get dressed in my room or in here. I'll see you when I get out." 'You're being calm," I whisper. 'I don't get it." 'Because I want you to be comfortable," he says as he turns to leave. And by leaving me this soon, he's leaving me in confusion. He's said it multiple times that I'd stay by his side, or I have to stay with him, but now he's giving me a little freedom. What happened out there and why? I shake my head and walk toward the door, shutting it before turning and taking a breath. 'What in the world is wrong with that man? I feel like he's hot, then cold." I move to the center of the room, dropping the towel to the floor, but holding onto the clothes. It only takes me seconds to slip the soft shirt over my head and pull the shorts on. Once I'm done, I look around the room once more, examining every single detail from the tie-dye curtains to the new pictures on the wall. It's almost like I'm taking an inventory and trying to commit it to memory in case something happens again. Sighing, I pick up the fluffy white towel from the floor and fix the one back on my head again. My bare feet barely make a sound against the hardwood floors as I creep back to the door. There's a slight tremble in my hand as I reach out for the doorknob. I shouldn't be this fearful, but I guess this room does hold bad memories for me. It's more than I want to admit, yet something I'll have to get over. Because I doubt that I'll ever live in a world without bloodshed and death again.