In a world where humans and werewolves are enemies and mates are no longer a luxury afforded to werewolves, Liam is shocked when he feels that unfamiliar bond upon meeting Maeve.
What ensues seems like fate's way of keeping the two apart, but Liam...
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"So, we never did talk about living arrangements," Liam said awkwardly as he eyed my position.
I had been so fixated on actually getting into the pack that I didn't stop for a second to think of what would happen after that. Where would I live? What would I do? I mean, I guess it was a good thing that I had a life to live, but this all felt like some kind of weird dream.
"Will I be staying here?" I asked quietly.
His lip twitched in humour for a second as he stood on the other side of the room in front of the couch, "Is that okay?"
I nodded, taking the space in again, which was actually quite warm and cozy. I never thought I'd ever step foot in a wolf's house but least of all did I expect it to look like this. This looked like a home.
"Thank you," I smiled.
His gaze was fixed on mine before he forced his eyes to look away, "Of course." He looked back at me briefly, "Sorry it's such a mess," he joked.
I laughed, "I think your not being home for two weeks is a solid excuse."
"Can I show you around?" He asked politely.
I nodded and he led me to the kitchen, "That was the living room and this is the kitchen. It's small," He warned. I walked into the quaint kitchen with the table tucked at the side with cozy, wooden countertops. The black wood burning stove had a chimney that climbed through the ceiling.
"It's really cute," I let him know and he smiled at me.
"I'll just show you the bedroom," he murmured uncomfortably. Liam grabbed my bags as he led me up a winding wooden staircase with log railings that reached the top of the small staircase with a door that opened to the bedroom.
A small bed lay in the middle of the room, a small wooden side table next to it. A single closet was tucked on the side and a large window overlooked the mini-fended in backyard. Under the window was a small window seat.
"The bathroom is right outside the door," He explained, placing my bags on the floor. "You can unpack if you want. There's a lot of room in the closet and dresser. I'll just be downstairs if you need me." Liam closed the door behind him without a single glance in my direction.
I felt bad for kicking him out of his room but before I could linger on that feeling for too long I noticed wolves in the forest near the backyard. I walked closer to the window and could count eight wolves staring right back at me. I walked away from the window and collapsed on the bed. What did I get myself into? It felt like I'd jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire.
There was so much unsaid between Liam and I. I decided to tackle what I could actually deal with on my own so I jumped out of the bed and walked downstairs and into the kitchen where Liam was with his brow furrowed over a book he was reading as he leaned against the counter top. I admired his kind features and the way his hazel eyes studied the pages he was reading. His curly hair dangled a little longer than when we first met as he brushed it back with a rake of his hand. He eyes met mine as I walked tentatively into the kitchen and leaned against the wall.
"Hey," I began.
He placed the book face down and I noticed he was reading a cook book. "Hey," he responded smiling at me with hesitation.
"There's wolves in the forest," I informed him.
He nodded and stood straighter, "I know. This will take a while to settle down."
I nodded in return. "What are you doing?" I asked curiously.
He waved his book at me, "I was working on dinner."
I smiled walking closer so I was standing next to him and looking at the book he was holding. "French onion soup?" I asked.
"I didn't know what you liked but I figured soup would be nice after a day like today," he explained in a nervous fashion. I thought it was so cute.
"That sounds great," I responded. "Can I help?"
He looked surprised before he covered it up with a shrug.
He pulled out a few onions and began chopping before pulling out an extra knife and handing it to me. I sliced through the onion and peeled the skin back. "I feel like you're avoiding me."
He stopped chopping immediately before shaking his head. "I could never. I just want to give you space. I know today was a lot and I know tomorrow will be worse."
"Tomorrow?" I inquired.
"And the day after and the day after. How long until you start to resent me for bringing you here..." He trailed off almost horrified that he'd given me the idea himself.
I paused my chopping before I continued slowly. "I wouldn't ever think to resent you. You're dragged into this as much I am."
"Except I'm not dragged into this, Maeve. Believe me, I'm a willing participant in all of this." He spoke quietly his words were full of meaning. "I could never resent knowing you."
"Let's just take it one day at a time, Liam. I can't handle more than that right now."
He didn't say another word and I was grateful for that. As thankful as I was for everything Liam had done for me, I wasn't sure I was on the same page as he was about us. I had a fiancé waiting for me at home and though I was in a wolf pack now, that didn't change the commitment I made to him. I wasn't sure what I'd expected to feel being apart from Charles but I didn't expect not to think of him at all until now. He felt so disconnected in my mind. Like a lifetime ago.
Liam began to caramelize the onions as I grated Gruyère cheese. He had the broth simmering on the wood stove. "Should I set the table?" I asked as I finished with the cheese.
"Sure," He responded warmly gesturing to the cabinet where the bowls were.
I opened the door and found two white bowls with flower designs on them. "I like these," I chuckled, not having imagined Liam having such dainty dishwater.
"Thanks," he laughed in return. "They used to belong to my parents." I paused looking at him. He met my gaze and continued, "They passed away when I was young."
I nodded, taking the bowls to the table and setting them down gently, "I'm sorry."
He didn't say much as he added the onions to the broth but brought the pot and the bowl of shredding cheese to the table. I sat down and watched as Liam took the bowl from in front of me and filled it with the steaming liquid. "Spoons," he mentioned quietly as he walked back towards the sink and tugged open a drawer next to it.
He returned to the table and used the spoon to put a lot of cheese on top of the soup, placing it gently in front of me. A loaf of sliced bread was placed in between us. He did the same for himself before sitting down in the chair across from me.
He looked at me sitting across from him with a look of wonder on his face that I thought could only be described at the wonderment of the situation we had found ourselves in.
