Chapter Fifty Four

Liam

“I think I can feel it.” My eyes shot up in surprise at her words. “What?” she asked reading my expression.

“I just didn’t think you could feel the bond. I thought you were only feeling a small pull not that you could feel the connection…” I explained. Human mates were not known to feel the wolf’s feelings as much as the opposite. I guess we really were in some unknown territory.

“Liam, what did your uncle mean earlier? What would be the most important part to my recovery?” she said. I could tell by her hesitation she was not sure about my answer. I knew I had to be honest with her, but it didn’t make me any less nervous.

“Well… he thinks that… you would be able to recover faster if our bond were… stronger.” I was struggling on how to phrase this gently.

“What does that mean?”

I guess I should just be direct. “He thinks… that I should… mark you…” I held my breath waiting for her response.

After an agonizing minute she simply said “Oh.” Looking at her I could not tell what was going through her mind. An awkward silence hung between us. I sat down in the chair next to the bed and rubbed my hands over my face. Azalea played with her fingers in her lap.

“What happens if I never let you?” she asked quietly. I looked up. Her eyes were locked on me.

“Well, if you mean will you still recover, of course. It's just once the mate bond is completed with the marking, a mated couple can be a significant aid to each other in healing and other things” I explained.

She thought for a minute. “And besides my current situation, what would happen?”

I swallowed. I did not want to guilt her into this after everything. My uncle’s reasoning made sense, but it did not change the situation. “Well, we could face some adverse side effects and your heat could return.”

“Oh,” she said again. I needed to know what was going through her head. Before I could figure out how to ask her, Lily and Damien came in the room.

“You’re awake! Azalea we were so worried!” Lily yelled, rushing Azalea.

“Calm down, she is recovering!” I yelled at her. Azalea giggled. My heart eased a little hearing that sound. It felt like it had been ages since I heard it. Lily and Azalea hugged each other. Damien stood next to me.

“Glad you’re feeling better, Azalea,” Damien said to her. She smiled at him.

“Thank you,” she said nodding. As if it was not crowded enough in here, a nurse appeared in the doorway. She was holding a tray of food.

“Oh, Alpha, Beta,” she said, bowing her head. “I just brought Miss Simmons some dinner.”

“I will take that. Thank you!” said Lily grabbing the tray from her hands. She brought it to Azalea and started fussing over her like a mother hen. I could tell by the look on Azalea’s face that she was letting it happen to make Lily feel better.

“We need to talk,” Damien linked me. I looked at him. “It’s about Kol.” I looked to Azalea and Lily. Lily was talking her ear off now. “Lily is with her. You got to step outside the room for a few minutes. She isn’t going anywhere.”

“Okay, let’s make this quick.”

We left the girls in the room to eat and chat. Damien closed the door behind us.

“So, what is so pressing? I’ll handle that mutt when I am ready,” I said irritated.

“It has been 36 hours since you accepted the challenge,” Damien said.

“I am aware. Right now, my concern is my mate,” I said.

“Liam, if you aren’t prepared for this....”

“No. I will end him.” I said.

Damien sighed. “We need to send your response before he tries to take her back. We have no reason to doubt that he will come after her.”

“Damien, what aren’t you telling me?” He gave me a strange look.

“Your father knows. He knows Azalea is here and he knows about the challenge.”

“Liam,” came my father’s voice from behind me.

Azalea

Lily was finding anything and everything insignificant to talk to me about. She was clearly trying to distract me. She finally stopped fussing long enough to let me eat by myself although I did not have much of an appetite. I finally had to stop her charade.

“Lily, what are you trying to distract me from?”

She stopped and looked at me. She sighed. “I am sorry. Damien asked me to keep you occupied for a few minutes while he got Liam out of here.”

“If they needed to talk, I would have been okay…”

“No, it's not that…'' She said nervously.

I grabbed her hand. “Please tell me. Please do not lie to me,” I pleaded.

She sighed. “Alpha Robert knows about the challenge, Kol, and that you are here…”

I could feel the blood draining from my face. If Liam’s father knew about everything then he also knew that Liam and I were mates. Surely, this time he would force Liam to reject me and cast me out of the pack.

“Don’t worry. Azalea, Liam will not let anything happen. He is going to take care of Kol and then you two can figure things out…” Lily tried to console me.

There was shouting outside the room. Lily and I looked towards the door. The door slammed open and Liam rushed in. I could see Damien and Beta Declan outside holding back a very angry Alpha Robert before the door swung closed.

Liam was almost instantly by my side. He looked at Lily. “We need to go, now!” he said urgently.

“Liam, what is going on?” I asked worried. Him and Lily began unhooking the monitors from me.

“I am taking you out of here Azalea. My father disagrees with how I am currently handling the situation,” he said.

“I don’t understand…” I said.

He looked at me with pleading eyes. “I can’t lose you. Please just let me get you out of here.” I nodded my head at him. Lily handed him a coat. He nodded thanks at her before helping me put it on. It was huge and smelled like Liam so I could only assume it was his.

Liam gently picked me up, holding me to him. “Hide your face against me, okay?” he said softly to me. I did as he asked, burying my face into his chest and grasping his shirt. I let his scent ease the tension I was now feeling.

“We’re going out the back, give me 2 minutes then open the door. Damien knows the plan, alright?” he said to Lily.

Liam moved quickly, exiting the room through another door. I kept my face hidden in his chest as he walked. I knew we exited the clinic when I felt the chilly air against my legs that weren’t covered by his coat. I could feel Liam’s unease. I wanted to know what was going on and where we were going but I knew it was best to wait for Liam to get us away from his father.

In no time, we were entering another building and Liam was climbing a flight of stairs. Something felt oddly familiar about wherever we were. A door closed and I felt Liam sit down with me still in his arms.

“Okay, we’re safe for now,” he said, shifting so I could lift my head. I looked up into his blue eyes. They were clouded with worry and a part of me wanted to fix that for him.

“What is going on?” I asked quietly.

He sighed. “My father has an idea on how to handle the current situation with Kol and I do not agree.”

“What does he want?”

Liam closed his eyes. I could tell he was struggling with all this and it made my heart ache. I was the cause of so many problems for him. I reached my hand up and placed it on his cheek. “I will never put you in danger, Azalea. Not knowingly. I would give up my title if it meant I could guarantee your safety,” he said softly, not opening his eyes.

“I know. Liam, what does your dad want to do with me?”

He was quiet for a minute. Finally, he said, “My father wants to use you as a means to rid us of Kol. He wants me to allow Kol’s time limit to run down so he will come and take you back again. His plan is to have a witch curse you so that when he takes you, you both die.”

I gasped in shock. I had no words. How could someone hate another so much as to use them like that? Liam grabbed my face in his hands. “Azalea look at me. He will not take you from me. I don’t know why he is so against us as mates, but I will not let him do this. Damien and his father are trying to get him under control, so we don’t have to arrest him. But if he continues this, I will do so. Azalea, you are my mate and rightful Luna to this pack. His mere suggestion at something that costs you your life is a crime.”

I nodded my head. “Liam, how does he know?” I asked, finding my voice.

“I am sorry, but I told him a while ago…”

“Oh.” I sat quiet for a moment. I was not sure how to feel about everything and I had only been awake for an hour or so. “So, what about Kol?”

Liam sighed. “I accepted his challenge. So, I will set the time of our confrontation.” I grabbed his shirt and laid my head on his chest. “What’s wrong?” he said stroking my hair.

I sniffled. “I haven’t forgiven you, but I can’t stand the thought of losing you,” I whispered. “This is all my fault.”

He wrapped his arms around me tightly, holding me even closer to him. “No, it’s not. And it will not be like this forever. I promise.” We sat there like that for a while.

Liam

I held her close to me. I hated that she felt this was her fault. This was happening to her not because of her. The longer I held her, the better I began to feel. Her presence was giving me energy that I had not felt since she left me at the lake house.

“Why don’t we get ready for bed?” I asked her softly. She nodded her head. I realized she was still wearing my coat and hospital gown. “Would you like to change?” she nodded again. I stood up and placed her back down on the bed. I went over to my closet to grab something for her to wear. I would ask Lily to get me something for her later.

“Where are we?” she asked now looking around the room. I came out of the closet and rubbed my hand nervously on the back of my neck.

“We’re in my bedroom…” I said. I was hoping to put this off. I walked over to her with one of my t-shirts.

“Wait, does that mean…” she said, her eyes getting a little wide.

I kneeled down in front of her. “Yes, I had to bring you to the pack house. I am so sorry. No one other than Damien and Lily knows you are here though.” She swallowed hard and nodded. I knew this was making her more nervous which could not be good for her right now.

There was an urgent knock on the door. “Liam, we need you now!” came Lily’s voice urgently on the other side.