Maya closed her tightly, as she heard Derek's proclamation. She didn't know whether she should be angry that he had said it out in the open without her consent, or happy that he had known her well enough, even to the extent, of telling that his best pack warrior was her mate. It showed her that he still hadn't really forgotten about their closeness. It also gave her a hope that they could reconcile, maybe later, if her father didn't require anything selfish from her.
"Derek, what did you just say?" She heard her mate ask her cousin, and sighed. This was getting harder by the minute.
"You both are mates." Derek replied Leo, folding his arms.
"How come you don't know?" He queried his friend. "Or are you ignoring the mate bond because of me?" He asked further, voicing his wolf's opinion.