The deer tribe was throwing their annual end-of-summer bash tonight, so nobody had bothered with dinner.
This whole party was basically their version of Thanksgiving meets spring break.
Stock up on food before mating season turned everyone into horny idiots who couldn’t hunt worth a damn.
Maya had read enough nature documentaries to know how this worked.
Okay, game plan time.
The mating season was coming whether she liked it or not.
If she found Marcus before then, great.
If not, she’d better have enough supplies stored away to survive whatever biological chaos was about to hit.
She was mentally cataloging her storage space when someone’s face suddenly appeared way too close to hers.
Hunter.
Those ice-blue eyes locked onto her like she was the last piece of chocolate cake at a church potluck.
“It’s going to be a madhouse tonight. Let me carry you.”
Maya shook her head.
“I’ve got legs. They work fine.”
She wasn’t about to play helpless princess when her feet functioned perfectly well.
Hunter’s jaw went tight as a steel trap.
He turned away without another word.
Whatever.
He wasn’t dying to play pack mule anyway.
He’d only offered because appearances mattered in public, and he didn’t need other males getting ideas.
Before Maya could take a step, Sage materialized beside her.
The Beast Core had worked miracles on his complexion, trading deathly pallor for actual human coloring.
Without asking permission, he swept her up with the kind of practiced ease that suggested this wasn’t his first rodeo.
“Community rules,” he said quietly.
“When a female shows up alone to a gathering despite having contracted partners, unattached males assume she’s having relationship problems. They’ll start circling like sharks.”
Maya blinked.
That particular social landmine hadn’t been in the previous Maya’s memory bank.
Sure, she planned to break these contracts eventually.
But in unfamiliar territory, surrounded by strangers?
The last thing she needed was some testosterone-fueled pissing contest because everyone thought she was back on the market.
So she didn’t fight it.
Just nodded.
The previous Maya would’ve tried to claw his eyes out for touching her without written permission.
But this version just…
let him.
Relaxed in his arms instead of going rigid with disgust.
Her weight was nothing, but her scent hit him like a sucker punch.
Something faintly sweet that made his chest do weird things.
His brow creased before he smoothed his expression back to neutral.
The smell hit Maya before they reached the clearing.
Charred meat and woodsmoke, the kind of aroma that bypassed rational thought and went straight to your salivary glands.
The deer tribe had pulled out all the stops.
A dozen makeshift grills lined the space, massive chunks of beast meat skewered on wooden stakes.
Fat dripped onto coals below, sending up sparks that crackled like tiny fireworks.
The second Sage carried Maya into the firelight, conversation died like someone had cut the power.
Every unattached male in a fifty-foot radius turned to stare.
Some looked curious.
Others looked hungry, and not for the barbecue.
In a world where females were rarer than unicorns, an outsider with only a handful of partners and a face like Maya’s might as well have walked in wearing a flashing “SINGLE” sign.
The sharper-eyed males quickly noticed something crucial: Maya’s collarbone was bare as a baby’s bottom.
No mark in sight.
In beastman culture, the first partner’s mark always claimed prime real estate at the collarbone.
Hers was virgin territory, which meant despite the five guys trailing behind her, nobody had sealed any deals.
Across the clearing, Noah stood with a meat skewer in hand, his expression souring as he watched Sage cradle Maya like spun glass.
He’d figured the missing marks meant she wanted nothing to do with her contracts.
But seeing her melt into Sage’s arms without protest?
Maybe their relationship wasn’t as rocky as he’d hoped.
Still wasn’t going to stop him from shooting his shot tonight.
Noah straightened his shoulders and strode across the clearing like he was auditioning for The Bachelor.
All easy confidence and million-dollar smile.
He stopped just close enough to be charming, not creepy.
“Maya, right? I’m Noah. Saved you the best seat in the house—right by the fire, perfect view of everything.” His eyes locked onto hers like she was the only person at the party.
“What do you say I show you around?”
He completely ignored Sage, as if the guy currently holding Maya was about as relevant as a potted plant.
Sage’s grip tightened just enough to send a message.
“We’re good. Just point us in the right direction.”
Translation: Back the hell off. Visit g.com for the full chapter.
Whatever drama was happening between him and Maya, they were still technically together.
Noah’s smile flickered.
He glanced at Maya, clearly expecting her to jump at the chance to ditch her current situation for someone with better prospects.
But Maya just stayed put, comfortable in Sage’s arms like this was her normal Tuesday night.
When Maya didn’t bite, disappointment flashed across Noah’s face.
Still, he recovered like a pro, gesturing toward prime real estate near the grills.
“Right over there. Close to the action.”
Sage brushed past him without a thank-you.
Caleb, bringing up the rear, shot Noah a look that could’ve melted steel.
Finn and Jasper just looked bored, like they’d seen this show a dozen times before.
Sage set Maya down on a flat rock near the fire, and she’d barely gotten comfortable when three more guys materialized out of nowhere.
All tall, all built, all sporting the kind of nervous energy that screamed single and desperate.
Maya blinked.
Oh, come on.
The leader was built like he bench-pressed trucks for fun, the kind of raw power that marked him as at least C rank, maybe even C+.
Definitely not someone you’d want to meet in a dark alley.
He stepped right into her personal space, flashing what was supposed to be a winning smile but looked more like he was passing a kidney Stones.
“Hey there, beautiful. I’m Stones. C rank beastman, great provider, excellent protection package.” He sounded like he was reading from a dating profile.
“What do you say we make this official? I promise I’m an upgrade from whatever you’ve got going on here.”
Caleb’s eyes went dangerously dark, his hands curling into fists.
The others weren’t looking much friendlier.
But Maya knew exactly what she wanted: find Marcus, end this nightmare, and get back to her real life.
The last thing she needed was more complications in the form of overeager locals.
She flashed Stones her most polite smile.
“Thanks, but I’m not looking for new partners right now. You guys should head back to the party.”
The relief from her group was almost audible.
Hunter stepped up before things got more awkward.
“You heard her. She’s all set. Maybe try your luck elsewhere.”
His reasoning was simple: whatever drama was going down between him and Maya, these random guys didn’t need a front-row seat.
Until those contracts were officially history, she was still his responsibility to deal with.
Stones’s face fell like a kicked puppy.
Apparently rejection stung in any culture.
He and his buddies exchanged that universal this sucks look before melting back into the crowd.