12. Liam

Ishove my phone into my pocket and flop down onto my bed, staring at the ceiling as I contemplate this new twist in my so-called ‘boring' life. Yeah, I've dated plenty, had fun, enjoyed the perks of being an alpha without the constraints. But this moving in with Ben under the pretence of losing my place is a whole new level of plot twist in the drama that's been dull up until now.

Of course, I want to help out my friend, but the thought of Zara under the same roof is a pull I can't let go of. Her voice is like a melody that's stuck in my head.

I push myself up and start packing a few things into a duffel bag—just essentials for now. I can't arrive at Ben's looking like I'm moving in permanently straight off the bat, even though that's the ultimate goal.

Losing myself in the rhythm of pulling stuff out of the drawers and wardrobes, I end up packing up most of the room when the clock strikes midnight. I'm not a hoarder. I like things minimal and clean. It will make the move easier as I can probably fit everything in this flat into one room anyway. Minus the furniture, obviously, but I won't need that.

I glance around the mostly bare room. It's funny how a place can simultaneously be full of memories and yet feel so empty once you've decided to leave it behind. Crawling into bed, I close my eyes and try to get some sleep. I'm going to have to approach this carefully with Ben, not spring it on him. It's out of the blue, and I don't want him getting all flappy about it. But I'm glad Henry came to me about it. We need to help him all we can now, and while I'm as useless as a chocolate teapot with Mia, I can help out with other stuff apart from the bills.

When day breaks, what seems like only moments later, I'm up and stretching the sleep from my limbs. It's going to be a weird day. I've got that antsy feeling like I'm on the verge of something significant – new starts are always like that, aren't they?

I shower quickly, thoughts of Zara filtering in again with the steam. There's something about her that's different, refreshing. She's not like anyone else I've dated or messed around with. She's here for Ben and Mia, but there's an edge to her, a fire that makes my inner alpha sit up and take notice.

After dressing for work in a dark grey suit and white shirt, I grab a protein bar for breakfast and head out for the short walk to Ben's. The air is crisp, with that Lake District bite that wakes you up faster than a double shot of espresso.

Arriving at Ben's house, I let myself in and head to the kitchen, where things are already a hive of activity. Zara is making toast again, and this time doesn't try to attack me with the butter knife. Her hair is up in some artless bun thing that looks like it shouldn't work but utterly does on her, and she's wearing one of those floaty tops that suggest rather than scream her curves.

"Liam," she says, not turning around.

"Morning," I say, aiming for nonchalant but probably hitting awkward instead. "Ben here?"

She giggles. "Well, he does live here, so yeah. He's upstairs with Mia."

"Thanks."

I turn to leave as she gives me a curious stare. "Everything okay?" she asks, her brow furrowed with concern.

"Yeah, just some shit going on. Need to talk to Ben." It's casual, not setting off alarms, I don't think.

"Oh, okay," she says and goes back to the toast.

Heading up the stairs, I make my way down the hall to the nursery. I knock lightly, and he looks up from the chair where he's feeding Mia. He frowns. "You're early."

I stride in, all purposeful. "Yeah, got something to discuss with you, mate."

Ben's eyes narrow a bit suspiciously. "Alright," he says slowly. Mia gurgles in his arms, oblivious to the tension that's suddenly whirled into the room along with me. He passes her off to this contraption that rocks her gently, and she seems right chuffed with the swap as he straps her in.

"So, what's up?" Ben asks, turning to face me and crossing his arms, almost defensively, like he expects me to launch at him.

"My contract is up on my flat next month, and Vic isn't renewing it."

He frowns. "Oh, shit. Do you know why?"

"He wants to sell it and needs me out so he can get it up to code, or whatever."

"Is he allowed to do that on short notice?"

Well, fuck. I don't fucking know. Damn you, Henry!

"Uhm, well, the notice is four weeks…"

"That doesn't seem like a lot," he says, his frown increasing.

Okay, this is spiralling. "Regardless, I need a place to stay while I find something else. He's got people coming over and all sorts of crap I don't need."

I mentally roll my eyes at myself. This wasn't a well-thought-out plan.

"Well, I don't suppose I blame you. So you're looking for a place now?"

"Yeah, I wondered if I could move in here temporarily, you know, just while I find something."

"Here?"

"Yeah, you've got the space, I need somewhere to live that's not going to have contractors crawling all over it for the next month and I'd obviously help with the bills and shit." I shrug.

Benjamin rubs the back of his neck, looking pensive. "Well, I guess we could arrange something," he finally says with a shrug, though there's a hint of hesitation in his voice. "Might be good to have another pair of hands around here anyway."

"Thanks, mate," I say sincerely. "I appreciate it. It's just until I sort shit out."

"No worries." He claps me on the shoulder, the gesture firm and reassuring. "It's not like we don't have the room. But..." He frowns again. "Zara. Don't complicate things with her, please."

"What do you mean?"

"You were flirting with her yesterday. Don't. I don't want her mooning over you when she's supposed to be watching my daughter."

Every alpha cell in my body wants to tell him to get fucked, and that he doesn't dictate to me who I can and can't see, but the problem is, I know where he's coming from, so I nod. "Of course."

"I mean it," he growls. "Stay away from her."

I chuckle and hold my hands up. "Promise." It's a lie. I know it is. I intend to insert myself into Zara's life one way or another because I'm infatuated with her on a level that makes my cock stiff but also makes my heart jump. I've never had the heart thing before, so I think it has to mean something.

"I'll leave it to you to tell Zara we've got a housemate," he says and grins, the first real smile I've seen on his face in months.

"Nice, I'll remember that."

He waves me off and picks Mia up again as I make my way back downstairs.

Ben's warning is like a neon sign flashing in my head, but it might as well be background noise. I can already feel the pull toward Zara, some magnetic force that doesn't give a shit about anything but drawing me into her orbit.

She's still fussing over breakfast like she's head chef at some fancy restaurant. She looks over her shoulder and gives me a half-smile that does funny things to my stomach. "Hey."

"Hey. So, it looks like it'll be breakfast for four tomorrow."

"Huh?" She wrinkles up her nose as she stares at me.

"I'm moving in. Gotta get out of my place, and Ben said I could stay here until I sort something out."

"You're moving in?" Her voice goes up an octave, which tells me she is nervous about that prospect.

"Yep."

"I see." She takes a sip of coffee, eyes searching mine. "Well, that's up to Benjamin, obviously, but don't get in my way. This is my job, and I won't have anyone messing with it."

"Understood," I murmur, giving her a sexy smile that I can see affects her.

This is going to be fun.