Chapter 26
1866 Words
Liam’s pov
The park was quiet, the kind of quiet that made my skin crawl. A few street lamps flickered above us, casting long shadows across the empty benches. I leaned against the rough bark of an old oak tree, arms crossed, jaw tight. Lucian stood a few feet away, staring down the path like he could will Aurora into appearing if he looked hard enough.
I checked my watch for the fifth time. “She’s not coming,” I muttered. “I told you this was a waste of time. You should’ve been the one to message her, not me. She hates me more.”
Lucian didn’t even glance at me. “She’ll come.”
His voice was calm, but I could smell the anxiety rolling off him. My wolf was spiraling inside me — pacing, snarling, clawing at my chest like a caged animal. The pain had been getting worse for days, a constant burning pressure right behind my ribs. Every hour it grew sharper.
I let out a low, frustrated growl. “We’ve been standing here like idiots for almost an hour. I’m losing my f*****g patience.”
Lucian finally turned to me. “We wait.”
“No.” I pushed off the tree. “This is pathetic. Let’s just go home.”
“We should go to her house,” Lucian said, eyes hard with determination. “Find her and—”
“I’m not that desperate,” I snapped, cutting him off. “I’m going home. You can chase after her like a lost puppy if you want.”
I turned to leave, boots scraping against the gravel path. My chest throbbed harder, like something was trying to tear its way out. I clenched my teeth against the pain.
Then I heard footsteps.
I stopped mid-step. When I turned around, there she was — Aurora — walking toward us under the dim lights. Her hair moved slightly in the night breeze, and even from a distance, I could see the guarded look on her face. For a split second, something in my chest eased. I masked it immediately. I wasn’t about to let her see any relief.
She stopped a few feet away, arms folded tightly across her chest. Her eyes flicked between us before settling on me.
“Why did you want to see me?” she asked coldly. “What do you want, Liam?”
Before I could answer, Lucian stepped forward. “Aurora—”
Her gaze shifted to him immediately. Something ugly twisted in my gut at how quickly she looked away from me.
I smirked, forcing my voice to stay casual. “Didn’t actually expect you to show up.”
The smirk clearly irritated her. Good.
Lucian spoke again, softer this time. “Thank you for coming.”
“I don’t have all day,” she said sharply. “I need to go before they find out I snuck out.”
I raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean by ‘they’?”
“None of your business,” she shot back.
I rolled my eyes. Of course she’d say that.
Lucian took another careful step closer. “This is important, Aurora. Really important.”
She exhaled impatiently. “Okay, then say what you want to say. I’m listening.”
Lucian hesitated, clearly struggling with how to phrase it. I was done waiting. I looked her straight in the eyes and said it plainly, my tone flat and nonchalant:
“You’re our fated mate. Both of ours. And you’re also our curse. Staying away from us is hurting us. Badly.”
Aurora stared at me for a beat, then burst out laughing. Loud. Real laughter that echoed through the empty park. The sound grated on every nerve I had.
Lucian tried again. “It’s the truth, Aurora. You’re our fated mate.”
“That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard all day,” she said, still laughing, though there was no humor in her eyes now. Just anger. “You really expect me to believe that?”
I shrugged. “Our chests have been in constant pain. When we looked for a permanent solution… the answer was you. You’re mated to both of us.”
“Shut up,” she hissed, stepping forward. “I wasted my precious time coming here just to listen to this nonsense? I’m not fated to either of you. The Moon Goddess wouldn’t be so cruel to me. She wouldn’t tie me to the two of you.”
Her voice cracked with emotion. “The damage you both already did to my life was painful enough. I won’t let you come back and ruin what’s left of it.”
I felt my jaw tighten. “Don’t flatter yourself. I’m not asking you to marry me. I’m just telling you the situation.”
Lucian’s voice softened with regret. “Aurora… I know no amount of apologies can undo what we did to you. But you really are the medicine we need.”
She laughed again — this time sharper, almost bitter. “So I’m your medicine now? You’ll die if I’m not around?” Her eyes flicked to me, and for a moment they widened slightly. “I didn’t know you could be this pathetic.”
I didn’t respond. Inside, my wolf was howling.
“I have a fiancé waiting for me,” she continued, voice ice-cold. “Don’t ever contact me again. Ever.”
I couldn’t stop myself. “Then why the hell did you come here tonight?”
Aurora paused. For a second, something vulnerable flashed across her face before she buried it.
“Because I was stupid enough to think this might be important,” she said quietly. “I blame myself for showing up. It won’t happen again.”
She turned on her heel and started walking away.
Lucian moved to follow her. “Aurora, wait—”
I grabbed his wrist, yanking him back. “Let her go.”
He looked at me like I was crazy. “Liam—”
“I knew this was a stupid idea from the start,” I growled. “The chest pain will go away eventually. She isn’t needed.”
The words tasted like a lie even as I said them.
Lucian’s eyes flashed with frustration. “This isn’t just about your pain, Liam. The pack’s stability is already shaking. We need her. As beings, we need her.”
I yelled, voice raw. “What the hell do you want me to do? Go beg her?”
“This isn’t about your ego right now,” Lucian said, voice low and urgent. “We have to do what’s right.”
I laughed bitterly. “If you want to go beg her to stand beside you, be my guest. Count me out.”
Lucian stared at me for a long moment, then shook his head. Without another word, he turned and walked away, following the path Aurora had taken.
I stood there alone under the flickering lamp.
A deep growl tore from my throat — pain and anger mixing together. The burning in my chest suddenly worsened, like a knife twisting between my ribs. I pressed a hand to it and felt something warm. When I pulled my hand back, there was a small streak of blood on my palm. A literal hole was forming.
At this rate… I might actually die.
But begging Aurora?
No. That was never going to happen.
I didn’t bother going after Lucian. Instead, I dragged myself back home, each step heavier than the last. The moment I stepped into my room, I collapsed onto the bed without even bothering to remove my shoes. I stared blankly at the ceiling, the faint shadows from the window dancing above me.
My wolf stirred, voice low and insistent in my head.
We were married to her before. That’s why the bond never broke completely. She’s ours. Go get her back.
I let out a tired scoff. “Nah. Be quiet. That’s not happening.”
The wolf growled in frustration but eventually retreated. I rubbed my face with both hands, trying to push everything away.
A small knock sounded on the door.
I sat up slowly. “Come in.”
The door opened, and Ashley stepped inside with that bright, familiar smile on her face. She was wearing one of my old t-shirts, her hair loose around her shoulders. I adjusted myself on the bed, leaning back against the headboard.
“Where have you been?” she asked softly, closing the door behind her.
“Out with Lucian,” I replied.
She let out a small laugh. “Lucian is taking all of your attention like always.” Her tone was light, teasing, but I caught the slight edge beneath the smile.
I forced a small smile in return but didn’t say anything.
“I cooked dinner,” she said hopefully. “Your favorite.”
“I’m not really hungry,” I muttered. “Maybe next time. I’m tired tonight.”
Disappointment flashed across her face for a brief second before she covered it with another smile. “Okay. No problem.”
She walked closer and sat on the edge of the bed. “Actually… I wanted to talk to you about something. I’m thinking of applying for a job at Lucian’s company. There’s an opening that looks really good.”
I frowned slightly. “If you want a job, you can always have one at my company. You know that.”
“I know,” she said, playing with the hem of the t-shirt. “But I don’t want that. I want something more challenging. This position at Lucian’s company seems perfect. I already planned to submit my application.”
I stared at her for a moment, too drained to argue. “Fine. If that’s what you want.”
Her face lit up with excitement. “Thank you!” She leaned in and kissed my cheek. “Goodnight, Liam. Don’t stay up too late.”
“Goodnight,” I mumbled.
Once she left and closed the door, I lay back down, eyes returning to the ceiling. My mind immediately drifted back to Aurora.
She had changed. She was a lot bolder now. The old Aurora used to avoid my gaze, but tonight she had stared straight at me — defiant, angry, and completely unbothered. The image of her walking away without looking back kept replaying in my head.
My chest suddenly tightened again. The pain flared up worse than before, sharp and burning, like something was eating away at me from the inside. I clenched my jaw and pressed a hand against my ribs.
Even thinking about her made it worse.
If I begged her to come back, what good would it do? She had a fiancé now. There was no way he’d let her be anywhere near me or Lucian. And after everything we did to her… she hated us. Genuinely hated us.
I let out a bitter laugh that turned into a low groan of pain.
At this rate, maybe I should just start preparing my final rites. Because dying slowly like this felt inevitable.
- Writer
