Chapter 17

Liam’s POV

I took the stairs two at a time, needing to burn off the restless energy that had been building up inside me all morning.

It felt like there was a storm trapped inside my chest, swirling and pushing to get out, and running down the stairs was the only way I knew to keep it all in.

My boots thudded against the polished wooden steps, the sound bouncing off the walls of the empty hallway.

The house was already starting to stir with life. I could hear voices and laughter coming from somewhere in the distance. It made the place feel alive, but it didn’t do anything to settle my nerves.

I reached the bottom of the stairs and was just about to turn the corner toward the dining room when it happened.

Someone slammed into me.

Not hard, but enough to make me stumble slightly and grab the edge of the wall to keep my balance.

For a second, I felt annoyed, ready to snap at whoever wasn’t watching where they were going.

But then her scent hit me.

Vanilla.

Wildflowers.

Soft and sweet and so achingly familiar it made my wolf go crazy in my head.

Lana.

My mate.

The second I realized it was her, every ounce of anger drained out of me, leaving behind something else.

Something raw and painful and desperate.

I looked down, and there she was.

So small compared to me, like a little bird who had flown into a storm.

Her big brown eyes stared up at me, wide and shining with unshed tears.

Her cheeks were flushed, her lips trembling just the tiniest bit like she was holding back a sob.

Her hands were fisted in the fabric of her shirt, twisting it between her fingers like she needed something — anything — to keep herself from falling apart.

My whole body went stiff.

It was like seeing her like that punched all the air out of my lungs.

My heart started pounding hard in my chest, so loud I was sure she could hear it.

What happened to her?

Who hurt her?

The questions flooded my mind so fast I couldn’t even grab onto one before another crashed into me.

My wolf let out a vicious growl inside my head, furious and restless, demanding that I protect her, that I find whoever had made her cry and make them regret it.

Without thinking, my hand started to lift toward her.

I wanted to wipe away her tears.

I wanted to pull her into my arms, tuck her against my chest, and promise her that she was safe now.

That no one would ever touch her again.

But at the last second, I stopped myself.

I couldn’t.

I wasn’t supposed to.

My hand dropped uselessly back to my side.

Instead, I forced my face into the cold, hard expression I had perfected over the years.

The one that said I didn’t care.

The one that said I was strong and untouchable.

Even though inside, I was anything but.

The moment she saw the change in my face, I saw her crumble right before my eyes.

It was like watching a flower wilt in the sun.

Her shoulders hunched, her face fell, and her beautiful eyes filled even more with tears.

“I—I'm sorry, Alpha,” she stammered, her voice so soft and broken it barely reached my ears.

And then, before I could say anything — before I could figure out what to do or how to stop her — she turned and bolted.

Her small frame disappeared around the corner in a blur of movement, like she couldn’t get away from me fast enough.

I stood there, rooted to the spot, watching her go.

The urge to run after her nearly overpowered me.

Every part of me screamed to follow her, to catch her, to make her look at me again — really look — and see that I didn’t mean it, that I didn’t want to hurt her.

But I stayed where I was, my fists clenched so tightly at my sides that my knuckles turned white.

No.

I couldn’t go after her.

I couldn’t let her see how much she mattered to me.

I couldn’t let her see how much it destroyed me to see her cry.

Being my mate would put her in danger.

It would make her a target.

And I couldn’t — I wouldn’t — be the reason she got hurt.

This was for her own good.

Even if it felt like I was ripping my own heart out in the process.

I let out a slow, shaky breath, feeling like the weight of the world was pressing down on my chest.

I leaned my head back against the wall with a soft thud, closing my eyes for a second.

Just one second.

Long enough to try and pull myself together.

It felt like I was falling apart from the inside, like all the broken pieces of me were slipping through my fingers no matter how hard I tried to hold onto them.

Stay strong, I told myself.

Stay strong, Liam.

You have to stay away from her.

You have to protect her.

It was the only way.

It had to be.

If I let myself get close to her, if I gave in to the feelings that were clawing at my chest, I would only end up hurting her.

Just like I had hurt the last person I cared about.

Just like I had failed before.

I couldn’t let history repeat itself.

I clenched my jaw so hard it hurt, trying to push the memories away, trying not to think about the past.

But it was there, lurking at the edges of my mind, ready to swallow me whole if I let it.

I opened my eyes and stared blankly down the hallway where Lana had disappeared.

The place felt colder now.

Quieter.

Like all the light had gone out of it.

My chest ached so bad it felt almost physical, like someone was twisting a knife in my ribs.

I pressed the heel of my hand against my heart, like I could somehow force the pain to go away if I pushed hard enough.

But deep down, I knew the truth.

Even if I didn’t want to admit it.

Even if I tried to pretend it wasn’t there.

I wasn’t going to be able to stay away from her for long.

I was already too far gone.

But I had to try.

For her sake.