Captain Liam's Treacherous Mate

A Weak Moment

Maisie had allowed herself to momentarily forget about her mission during their visit to the ocean. She listened to Liam talk about his childhood. Maisie was surprised to find that she practically hung onto his every word as he spoke. Liam did let her know about the unfortunate death of one of his siblings. Her heart broke for him as well as his mother and father. Losing a loved one could cripple a person for the rest of their lives. She was happy to hear that his mother was able to pull herself out of the darkness.

Liam quickly changed the subject and went back to explaining all of the mischief that they had gotten into. Some of his stories also involved Maya and her other siblings. Maisie understood that they had grown up together and were obviously close. She would make it a point to learn more about her mate from Maya. Things that Liam may want to leave out.

They soon returned to the castle. Maisie had decided to walk the horse back through the gates along with Liam. She was not as accustomed to being on a horse's back. She had not been permitted to ride after her parents' deaths. She remained in the castle for most of the time, unless her duties required her to move about the bailey.

As Liam and Maisie drew nearer the gate, Maisie noticed a guard that was standing near the door. His gaze never left hers. The action suddenly made her feel uneasy. She looked back at Liam to see if he had noticed the guard, but Liam's attention was on the other side as they walked along. The guard moved a step closer to Maisie as they passed. His gloved hand pressed against hers. She could feel a piece of parchment being passed between their hands.

Maisie closed her hand instinctively. She wondered who the guard was. Did he happen to work for Alpha Kai? She was suddenly very uncomfortable. Maisie followed Liam back to the barn and handed the reigns to one of the men. She turned towards Liam. She shifted from one foot to the other.

Liam's brows pinched together as he noticed her change in behavior. "Are ye alright?" Liam asked as he raised a hand to touch her shoulder. Maisie moved slightly as she stepped back from his reach.

"Aye. My apologies. I believe that I might just need a lie down." Liam slowly nodded his head. She had not stepped from his touch this entire time, until now. He was curious if he had done something to make her nervous, but he couldn't think of anything.

"Would ye like me to gather ye for luncheon?" He asked Maisie.

"Yes thank ye," Maisie said as she turned on her heel and headed in the direction of the castle. Liam was left to stand in the middle of the bailey confused.

Maisie quickly made her way through the great hall and up the main staircase. She raced down the hall and opened the door to the room that she was currently occupying. She closed the door and leaned against it. She did not know how to lie to her mate. The bond that they had seemed to be growing with each interaction and it was becoming harder not to confide in him about her true intentions.

Maisie wondered if not for the first time, if Liam knew of her real reason for coming to their clan, would he be forgiving or throw her out on her arse? She quickly shook her head as she recalled the parchment that she held firmly in her hand. She opened it and read the message that had been scribbled. Maisie recognized the Alpha's handwriting right away.

"Remember your assignment." Only three words, but they held the threat well enough. Maisie was being watched from the inside. She did not understand how Alpha Kai had been able to place a guard inside. If that was the case, why use her to get close to the Alpha in the first place? Did Alpha Kai have more than just one? She could not chance it. She needed to watch her actions more closely. Maisie thought about her sister and her stomach twisted. She could not imagine the torment she was being put through while Maisie was being forced to trap the Alpha Rowan.

Maisie did anything but have a lie down. She paced the room as she thought about what her next move would be. She needed to trap the Alpha, but how? She was mated to his brother. Maybe if Liam was in danger, it would lure out Alpha Rowan from the castle. But how would she do that? She did not have a pack of wild wolves that could happen upon them. Even if she did, they would all be killed and that would be the end of that.

Maisie finally dropped herself on one of the chairs that sat in the corner of the room. She was out of ideas. She also would not risk trying to find that guard again to ask him for help. If she was honest, the last thing she wanted to do was put her mate in danger. She suspected once he found out what she was doing, he would reject her like he was afraid she would do to him.

For once, since being put in this situation, Maisie allowed herself to cry. She pulled her legs up on to the chair and rested her forehead on her knees as she allowed the warm salty tears to fall down her cheeks. It was an impossible situation and she cursed her parents for dying and leaving her to be put into it.

Maisie cried for sometime, and was surprised to find that she felt slightly better for a moment, but now she was tired and wanted to lie down but knew that Liam would be round soon enough to collect her. Maisie sighed and walked over to the basin of water that sat near the door. She dipped her hands in and looked at her reflection in the water. She looked a fright after allowing herself a moment of weakness. She splashed her face with the cold water in an attempt to help bring down the swelling and redness that usually accompanied tears.

There was a light knock on the door that made Maisie jump slightly. She patted her face dry and opened the door to find Liam standing with his arms crossed. His brows were drawn together and he regarded Maisie with a seriousness that she had not witnessed before. He looked like a sea captain at that moment.

"Care to tell me why it is my mate is in here crying?" He asked Maisie.

"How did ye ken?" Maisie asked quietly. She worried that he must have been standing outside of her door and overheard her.

"The mate bond. I can feel your feelings if they are strong enough. Now why is it ye are crying so?" He was not going to be deterred from finding out the reason for her sadness. Partially because he worried that she was unhappy finding out that she was mated or who it was she was mated to.

Liam was not the type to doubt his confidence. But where Maisie was concerned, he found himself second guessing at almost every turn. Not for the first time, Liam worried that there might be a rejection around the corner. Maisie chewed on her bottom lip for a moment. She wanted to confide in her mate terribly, but she knew that her sister's life depended on her keeping her mouth shut and doing as she had been told.

Maisie thought it might be easier to try and stick closer to the truth. "I am missing my sister." She said simply. It was a complete understatement. Liam's expression instantly changed. Liam had not realized that Maisie had a sister. If he had, he would have asked about her.

"My apologies for my tone. I did not realize that ye had a sibling. Where is she?" Liam spoke more gently than before.

"Not here." Maisie responded. She almost rolled her eyes at herself. Obviously, she was not with her. Liam must have taken her words, meaning she perished with their parents.

"I am so sorry." Liam gently grabbed her shoulders and drew her to his chest. Maisie allowed his scent and the mate bond to calm her down even further. It was risky to do so but Maisie needed comforting and Liam was offering it.