*NOT EDITED*
There was nothing left to be said after my breakdown. And I was perfectly okay with that.
After I had told him I needed him, he simply pressed a kiss to my temple and placed me on the bed, tucking me in as if I was some small child that just had a nightmare.
If I would have been acting normally, I would have told him to stop. That I was a big girl and I didn't need to be treated like a child.
I wasn't strong enough to push him away at that moment. It was true what I said. I needed him. And the realization of that was daunting.
It was all so unfamiliar. The gentle whispers, the comforting touches, and most importantly, the feeling of needing someone. And them needing you.
He sat in the chair next to my bed the whole night. Pressing kisses to my face and gripping my hand tightly in his.
But that was all I really needed to calm down. It was his presence that soothed me into a dreamless slumber.
I wondered what had happened to my master plan to stop Liam from ever getting close to me. To stop the feelings that were trying to creep up on me when I let my guard down.
But did I ever really believe I could keep him away? We were mates after all. Mates.
Now that was something I would never get use to.
I still worried about Alpha Beckett. I questioned what he would do if he found out that I had been staying with Liam.
Alpha Beckett had become too unpredictable. Just like my life had.
It's when I wake in the morning that I sit and think about telling Liam. Maybe, we could come up with something to end this madness.
Though I'm sure Liam's plan would be to kill Alpha Beckett.
And it's not like I was against that. I wasn't. I just wanted to be careful. What I should have been that night of the ball.
I can't bare the thought for more than thirty seconds before those faces of the six men appear in my mind.
I can still feel the imprint of the blonde man's - who appeared to be the leader - hands wrapped around my throat as he tried to strangle the life out of me.
I remember all their words. How they chimed in ideas of how to kill me.
"Why not have some fun with the girl?" One man with black hair whispers sadistically, "I've been dying to cut her pretty little face up."
I shivered involuntarily as the words replay over and over again in my head. I imagined a horrifying scene too. Of the man with hair as black as night, looming over with me with a knife in his hand, slowly bringing it to my face.
I bet he'd laugh while I screamed and cried for mercy.
I wonder if they're all plotting not only my death right now, but Liam's.
Indeed, Liam had killed Caden, but I was the cause of it. Nonetheless, I was the weaker link and I knew for a fact they wouldn't give up till I was buried six feet under.
They'd do the cliche thing and capture me, perhaps. Drag me back to their lair and then coax Liam into being heroically stupid. He'd fall perfectly into their grasp.
And then, when The Purgatory pack had him, they'd sit him down and make him face the worst torment known on this planet. Watching the person you care for die.
Liam decides to wake up at that moment just when the horrifying scenes start to leak into my mind. He asks how I feel and so on.
The morning mostly consists of him trying to coax some food into him. And each time, I tell him I'm not hungry. He doesn't listen. But that's nothing new, then again.
Liam carries me around his cabin, since I started to whine once he tried to put me back in bed. And obviously, after last night's events, he's not willing to take a chance with me trying to walk again. He takes me to his room, giving me another spare change of clothes before he rests me on the couch in front of the TV.
He departs then, and takes a place at the kitchen table and pulls out some sheets of papers and sorts, though I don't see what's so special about that.
I decide I've bugged him enough, so I sit and watch dumb soap operas for an hour or two before I start to become restless.
I twist myself around as best as I can to get a look at Liam, resting my head on my arms.
Liam doesn't seem to notice that I'm staring straight at him. All he does is keep scribbling down on the long paper that's splayed across the small, white table.
I give time to notice me, but he's completely oblivious. That's when I finally voice, "What's that?"
Liam finally glances up at me, meeting my questioning gaze. He's quiet for a minute. Then he shrugs, "Just some papers."
"Just papers?" I raise a brow at him, "Doesn't seem like that. You've been working on them for hours."
"Jealous pieces of paper have my attention and you don't?" He teases, obviously trying to turn the subject around on me. Typical.
"No," I roll my eyes. "What are on the papers? Are they that much of a secret?"
I push myself up slightly and manage to catch a peak of what appears to be map. One with many 'X's covering it. I also see a name a recognize.
Riverwood.
Riverwood was some stupid little hang in the other side of town. It was pretty much a venue for all things bad. I had heard of it from Anna, who was very much so eager to even be able to get a glimpse of what happened over there. I was for a while, until I learned who exactly hung around there.
I knew werewolves lurked there. I had heard it from Adam a few months ago at some pack meeting. That's where they believed The Purgatory pack was hanging around at. They were trying to recruit more rogue's.
The Purgatory.
Was that map full of their locations? Was Liam marking it down so he could take them out?
Well, it surely isn't a map of America, I think sarcastically.
Liam tries to cover it up, throwing countless books on top. But I've already seen enough.
"It's nothing, Ronnie," His voice is gruff and cold. "Drop it."
"No," I shake my head frantically, "Are you thinking about going to Riverwood? That's a death wish!"
"How do you know about Riverwood?" Liam asks, his eyebrows furrowing.
"I heard about it from Adam," I say, "But why-"
Liam cuts me off, "What did he say about it?"
I don't reply. I'm afraid if I do, Liam will do something incredibly stupid. Like go over there looking for trouble. But by the looks of it, Liam is set on going. It was practically the only location on the map without a red 'X' over the name.
I could only guess that those X's stood for the locations that Liam already cleared out; It didn't make sense.
Like a angry hive of bees, erratic thoughts swarm around fill my head. All consisting of, why did Liam have a map of the Purgatory? When did he make it? And how long has this been going on?
Was it possible that Liam was hunting the Purgatory pack before he even met me? Sure, the Purgatory pack was bad, but there was plenty of other packs that were just as worse. Why did Liam take an interest in them?
He must have a motive of some sort. One that didn't only include me.
Did it have to do with Liam's past?
Has I ever really thought of why Liam had ended up in Portland? No, I hadn't. Maybe I just always pushed the lurking question into the back of my mind. I guess I just assumed it wasn't important.
But now it was.
What if Liam hadn't stumbled across my town on accident? What if he was looking for something, or more particular, someone?
I swallow roughly, looking up to meet Liam's intense gaze. He's practically warning me not to ask. To not bring up the subject.
He should know by now I'm not the type to drop a heavy subject easily.
"What do you want with Riverwood?" I breathe shakily and shift my eyes to the map on the table.
If only I could get my hands on it.. I think warily, and as if he can read my mind, he snatches it up and disappears into another room.
I hear the shuffle of his feet, his slow breathes, and then the slam of a drawer. He appears again moments later and heads off to the table, clearing off the rest of the papers. "Never mind. Just forget I asked. It's not important, anyway," He says nonchalantly.
I don't reply. I simply stare at this man I know absolutely nothing about. Who is Liam, really? Where did he come from? And well, did he have a family? Friends?
Curiousity itches at me. But I force it go away. Forget about the map, Ronnie, I think with a shake of my head, you have enough problems.
Liam keeps the rest of our conversations casual the rest of the day. Mostly consisting of what I want to eat or what I want to watch.
And though I tell myself to forget about what I saw, I can't.
I ponder it for most of the day. None of it really adds up. And that's what frustrates me the most.
We sit currently on the couch, silently watching some TV show I'm not the most interested in.I still keep my eyes on the screen. I don't want to arise any more questions from Liam about how I'm feeling.
He already knows. I'm completely confused and I honestly have no clue about what's going on around me anymore.
Who is there to believe, anyway?
"I never did understand why girls loved this movie so much," Liam suddenly says. I glance towards him with furrowed eyebrows before I look back at the screen to see the Notebook playing.
"Yeah, me either." I retort slowly. We fall back into silence until I can't take it anymore and I blurt, "Do you have a family?"
"Doesn't everyone have one?"
"Yeah, but, do you know yours?"
He shrugs, "Do you?"
I pinch my lips together. I know he's just trying to turn this around on me. Like he always does."Yeah, I do."
"I don't see your dad much over at your house."
Now it's my turn to shrug, "He's.. busy, I guess."
"And your mom?"
My throat suddenly feels tight. And I can only imagine this is how it must feel when I ask Liam questions he's not comfortable with answering. Now I've just witnessed a piece of my medicine.
It's been four years. The subject shouldn't bother you anymore.
I agree silently. Though I still suck in a shaky breath before I say, "She's gone."
Liam eyes me hazily. But as always, I can never guess what he's thinking. "Mine too."
His reply takes me by shock. Mostly because Liam has never shared something so personal with me before. But I guess it's a start.
Maybe I'm not the only one who guards themselves. And maybe, Liam isn't only breaking down my walls, but I'm breaking down his.
An unfamiliar feeling rises in my chest. I don't know what it means, but something about Liam trusting me with this information makes me.. happy.
But that's what is. The beginning of us starting to trust each other with foreign feelings, secrets, everything. And though it may take a while to get all the answers I want out of Liam, I'm willing to wait. Because I know that's what he would do for me.
I don't need all the answers right now. It's like I said the night before. All I want and need right now, is Liam.
And coming to terms that I can't get through everything alone is crazy. But exciting, in a weird way.
A smile creeps it's way onto my face. And when I look at Liam, he returns my smile with one of his own.
The next few days are peaceful.
Liam and I spend practically every moment together. And slowly, he helps me with walking again. By the second day of practicing, I can stand on my own. And the bruises covering my body, are starting to heal.
We talk somewhat. Really at night when we both settle down. It was on Thursday that we had both taken a seat on the couch and he begun to dive into his childhood.
"I use to climb trees a lot," He told me once the credits of a movie we just watched rolled onto the screen. "I would climb so high that I could see all the houses in my neighborhood."
I softly laugh, "Must have been dangerous."
"It was," He nodded and then said, "My nickname use to Squirrel."
"How lovely," I replied, quite sarcastically.
"Didn't you have any weird habits as a child?"
I shook my head, "Not really. But I remember painting a lot when I was a kid."
"So not much has changed then, huh?" Liam mused. And again, I shook my head.
"No, I guess not."
He continued on about that. Asking questions about my painting, while I asked about his childhood obsession with climbing.
The days continued on like that, with simple and subtle conversations. And I never questioned him again about The Purgatory pack. I liked how things we going just then, and I didn't want to ruin it.
On Saturday, I can fully walk again with only little pains. Nothing I couldn't handle. And that's when Liam declares that it's safe to go back to school.
"No," I say for the millionth time. "I still think I need more.. practice."
Liam laughs, "You don't need anymore 'practice'. You can walk perfectly fine."
"Really?" I make the effort to trip, of course, once I attempt to do so, Liam grasps my arm and sits me down.
He turns to me with raised brows, "Okay, so tell me, what are running from?"
"Nothing," I retort defensively. My tone is harsh. "I just don't think I'm ready."
"Is it because of Adam?" He presses, pursing his lips. When I don't reply, he quickly nods and points an accusing finger at me. "It is!"
"It is not!" I spat, "Why would I be running away from Adam?"
"Aren't you supposed to know that instead of me?"
I roll my eyes at him with a huff, "You're an idiot. And I'm not scared of facing Adam."
I'm not. I repeat over and over again in my head. But I never seem to believe it.
Why would I be scared to face Adam? Well, maybe I'm just scared of what he'll Alpha Beckett.
Liam's scent was all over me. It didn't take a lot to put together that Liam had been helping me. And I worried that once Adam caught his scent on me, he'd run to his daddy and tattle. Then, something would happen to Liam. And I couldn't allow that.
I owed him.
Liam had helped me and I was in his debt. And the only way I could repay the favor is making sure Alpha Beckett didn't hurt him.
I still hadn't made up my mind if I was going to tell Liam about what was going on. About how Alpha Beckett was black mailing me.
For now, the only I could do, was keep Liam safe.
Sunday night rolls around all too fast. And though Liam has brought up the pestering subject about me going to school tomorrow, it's still in the back of my mind. Just like the rest of my problems.
"I'm going to have to go tomorrow, aren't I?" I mutter as I climb into bed. I glance behind me to see Liam leaning against the door way with his arms crossed.
"Well, do you want to go?" He asks. I roll my eyes.
"That's a stupid question," I say, "Obviously not. But I can't run away, can I?"
He shakes his head, a frown tugging at the corner of his lips. I let out a pathetic whimper. Immediately, Liam flutters to my side like he has done this whole week. "What are you scared of?"
"Everything," I reply.
He doesn't question what I mean. He simply tugs me into his arms. I don't push him away like I usually would.
I know I should spare myself the heart break. I can't keep Liam by my side for long. And he can't keep me either.
But for now, I'll take what I can get.
With a sigh, I rest my head on his chest. Molding my smaller body into his much bigger one. And as corny as it sounds, I feel positively safe right now in Liam's grip.
I hear the thumps of his heart beat where my head rests. I take comfort in it, but of course, I can't shake the thought of tomorrow.
I can only wonder what's to come.
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Yes, another sappy chapter. As you can see, the romance between Ronnie and Liam is kicking into play. This is just a preview of what's to come, really. :P
And I'm so sorry it took so long! :( I had some trouble writing up this chapter. Thankfully, I managed to push threw my horrible writers block.
It's not edited. So if you see any mistakes, sorry.
And check out the song on the side. It kinda represents the chapter. (:
Until next time, which can be soon if you vote, comment, and fan,
- CeCe.