Page 125 of A Female Alpha for the Lycan Prince

Aryanna looks worried. “I knew this was a bad idea,” she mutters.

“I take full responsibility,” I tell her. “And I promise I’ll be back in bed once I’ve talked to Liam.”

She nods and sighs.

Walls II

*MARIUS*

Itakeadeepbreath, gathering my courage before knocking on Liam’s door. I expect him to call me in, having already recognized my scent, but to my surprise, he opens the door himself, staring in disbelief. He frowns deeply at the walking stick in my hand, and my trembling figure… and probably the sweat… and I bet I’m grimacing in pain too.

I’m a sight to behold, for sure.

Celine darling, you’ve got the hottest mate in the universe!

Liam looks to Aryanna in question, but she just shrugs. I hope he doesn’t give her shit for accompanying me. “I thought it’d be better if I came with him, rather than he tries to come here on his own later,” she admits.

“Shouldn’t you be resting?” Liam asks me, slightly annoyed.

“I can’t.”

“Why?”

“Because you know,” I say quietly.

Liam stares at me, his gaze boring into mine before understanding finally settles in. His gaze softens, and he opens his door further. “Come in.” He nods towards Aryanna, who leaves, before leading me toward the sitting area in his office. He fetches some water after helping me get comfortable. “Nothing but trouble with you,” he mutters under his breath. “Hopefully, your mate will be able to control you.”

“Let’s see if I still have a mate,” I say, my voice hoarse at the thought of maybe having lost Celine forever.

He doesn’t say anything and just sits down opposite me. I gather my thoughts briefly before breaking the silence. “You know, don’t you?”

He nods, the look in his eyes turning sad. “I saw glimpses in your mind and put two and two together…”

“I felt you in my mind… when I was dying.” I was drifting through the darkness, when I felt Liam breaking down my walls, one after another, in an attempt to guide my wolf and me back to my body. He did what he had to do to save us.

Liam reaches out his hand as if to touch me, then drops it, looking unsure what to do.

“Are you not touching me because you don’t want me to think you’re using your gift on me, or because you think I won’t like it?”

“The latter,” he admits quietly.

“I don’t fear your touch,” I mutter.

“But you’ve already recoiled from me once before,” he points out.

He’s right. I did that once after training, but it was more an instinctive reaction due to being drained and tense. “That was different.”

Liam looks down at his fingers. “Mom and Dad were so busy preparing me for all the powers that come with being the first-born full-blooded lycan, that no one realized you needed us.” Guilt flashes in his eyes.

“It’s not your fault, Liam, or Mom and Dad’s,” I point out. It’s true that I envied my siblings for living in peaceful ignorance. I wished for someone to save me, and when no one did, I succumbed to my fate. Mostly, I blamed myself though. I hated myself so much at one point; I wanted them all to hate me. I wanted my family to despise me the way I despised myself. I lashed out at my siblings, and I was absolutely shit to my parents. I neglected my duties, I stopped training... I did everything to make them hate me, but to my shock, they’re all still here.

“I should have paid more attention; I should have seen what was going on. I…” Liam looks pissed all of a sudden, his eyes shifting between black and their usual blue color. “Shit. I should have helped you. I swear, I would have burned everything down for you. If you’d talked to me, I would have believed you.”

“I thought no one would ever believe me,” I mutter.

Liam looks sad. “I know.”

I look down at my hands. “I was so ashamed. I was a boy, and of alpha blood. It’s pathetic… it shouldn’t have happened to me. I should have been stronger. I… I’m so weak.”