Chapter Eighteen Cory

"A re you sure you're ready for me to meet your friends?" Liam asked, his voice just as shaky as the rest of him. The poor guy had been a bundle of nerves ever since I'd suggested it. "What if they don't approve of me?"

"They will," I said, placing my hand on his thigh as I drove us through town. "I've already talked to them, and they're cool with everything. Besides, my boss knows the whole story now. And I'm sure he's told Andy too. Those two never stop gossiping with one another. There's not a secret between them. Even about their partners."

"Oh god…" Liam pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head. "I… I'm not sure I want them to know everything."

"But knowing everything means you're not at fault," I explained. "It was hard for me to tell them the story too. And even harder to go back and amend it once I'd heard your side. But at least this way, they know you're not trying to hurt me." I squeezed his thigh, giving him a smile. "I'm glad I did it though. You're worth so much more than a few awkward moments."

He looked up at me, his good eye crinkling at the corner as he smiled. "You're worth it too," he replied. "And if you're sure they're going to like me and be okay with us… well… then that's good enough for me."

"Thank you. I know you're going to like them. They can be a handful sometimes, but they're worth it. I've never met a better group of people. They're like family to me."

"I'm sure I'll love them."

I nodded, turning us into the parking lot of Andy's cafe. We'd decided to have our little meeting there thanks to the ample seating. Of course, the coffee and the lack of pepperoni smell was a bonus as well. Parking the car, I got out and came around to Liam's side, opening the door for him. I could tell he was still a bit nervous. So, I gave him a small kiss, took his hand, and led him to the front door.

As soon as we stepped inside, everyone turned to look. Greetings rose up from every corner and we took a few minutes to make introductions. Ace and Matt were there, the pair of them as happy as could be and all smiles to meet Liam. Andy and Josh were next, putting drinks and pastries into both of our hands before we even knew what was happening. And, of course, Vincent and River were there as well. They'd supplied the pizza for the evening.

The only person that was missing was David. I felt a little bad about that, but knowing that there were going to be eight werewolves in the room, I didn't want him to feel left out. Of course, he wouldn't know why, just that everyone was tiptoeing around him all night. But I'd make it up to him. I already had plans to go on a hike with him later in the week and Liam was coming with me. After that, he'd know everyone important in my life.

And then we could start to finally live the lives we'd always dreamed of. At last. We'd both been waiting so long for a chance at normal. Now that we had our shot, I wasn't going to waste a moment of it.

Liam was nervous at first, but it was nice to see him soften and open up as the night went on. If I was being honest, this was as much of a test for me as it was for him. I wanted to make sure he got along with the people most important to me. It wasn't that I thought he might be a bad fit… but more that I was still reeling from our entire situation. Everything had happened so fast. To have Shifter Grove to myself one day and then suddenly my old life comes flying back without warning… well, it made me uneasy.

I was determined to get used to it of course. But that didn't mean there weren't a few deeply buried reservations. Maybe a part of me was waiting for Liam to screw up. Or maybe I was waiting for him to tell me he'd been lying. That he actually had turned me in and tried to have me killed. Of course I didn't want that to be true. However, after two years of doing everything I could to learn to hate him, it was hard to cast all those feelings away without lingering effects.

It wasn't fair to him, but I needed this. I needed to know that he really was a good guy. My heart already believed it. But my head… Well, it still needed a little convincing. Hopefully he could understand that. I'm sure he had just as much emotional shit to work through as I did. Maybe, if we were lucky, we could help each other heal and start living like normal people.

Whatever that meant.

A little over two hours in, I was running out of steam. It was time for Liam and me to make our exit. I still had to work the next day and so did everyone else in the room.

"Everyone!" I said, raising my voice enough to fill the cafe. "Hey!"

The talking quieted and all of my friends… no, my family looked my way.

"I hate to be the one that breaks up this little party, but all of you have places to be tomorrow." I looked at Andy and Josh. "And some of you have to be up in just a few short hours to start baking."

"Good thing it's a short commute," Andy laughed, pointing toward the ceiling. "But I'll admit that bed is calling me."

Josh was right next to him, and I saw his hand slip into Andy's back pocket. "Yes it is."

"Apparently some of us still have some energy," Sam grinned, giving Andy a nudge with his shoulder.

"Me too," Matt added.

"I'll second that," River chimed in.

"Oh my god," I said, interrupting them all. "To horny jail with all of you. Damn."

"Oh, come on!" Vince grinned, putting his arm around my shoulder. He gestured toward Liam. "Are you telling me that this handsome fella with the badass scar doesn't turn you on? Even a little bit?"

I felt my cheeks grow bright red as heat flared under my collar. "That's got nothing to do with it…"

"Uh-huh," Sam chided, booping my nose. "I know that look. You're smitten."

"For Christ's sake!" I bellowed, pulling myself away from the pair of them. "I just wanted to say how happy I was for having all of you in my life! But I'm not sure now!"

"Aww, we love you too, little guy," Ace nodded, tipping his black cowboy hat.

"Anyway," I grumbled, feeling a bit embarrassed that the entire room was focused on me now. "I just wanted to say thank you for making Liam feel welcome. I know our story is a little… odd . But it means a lot to me that you're all so accepting."

"I think we've all got weird stories," Matt said, grabbing Ace's hand. "Not a single person here ended up in Shifter Grove on purpose."

"Speak for yourself," River replied. "I came here to ride the waves."

"Uh-huh. And now you're riding Vince," Andy grinned.

"And we're back to the horny," I mumbled as the room devolved into chatter again.

I shook my head. But then I felt a warm hand on my shoulder.

"They really care for you," Liam said, pulling me close.

"Yeah," I said, leaning my head against his chest. "If only they weren't a bunch of children ."

"Nah. It's more fun that way. Serious people are boring." He glanced down at me, lifting an eyebrow. "Have you turned into a serious person, Cory?"

"God, I hope not."

He chuckled low in his throat. "Good. Let's keep it that way."

"You wanna get out of here? I'm getting tired."

He nodded, patting me on the back. "Yeah. I am too." He looked back at the others. "Should we say goodbye?"

"I just tried to." I let out a long sigh, shaking my head. "No. Let them have their fun. If we interrupt them now, it'll be dawn before we finish up our Midwestern goodbyes and then Andy will have us kneading dough in the back."

"Is that a euphemism for something?"

"No," I grumbled. "Literal dough. Gallons upon gallons of it. It's awful."

"Got roped into that before?"

"Only once. And I'll never make that mistake again."

Liam grinned and laughed as we headed for the door. He had his fingers laced through mine as we stepped out, the door chiming overhead. Everyone turned to wave us off, and we waved back with bright smiles before heading out into the snow.

The inside of the car was freezing, and it wasn't going to warm up before we got back to the hotel. Bundled up and with our breaths fogging the windows, I drove us back through town. The streets were empty, and the few lights were on. The only stoplight in town was blinking yellow now instead of its usual red. But it was something else that caught my eye.

Under that stoplight, about halfway to the hotel, a man stood in the middle of the road in a long dark coat. And he was looking right at us.

"What the fuck?" I muttered, pulling to a stop at the crosswalk. I glanced over at Liam. "What's up with this guy?"

"Go around him," he growled. "Don't let him get near us."

"Do you know him–"

"Just go!"

I cranked the wheel off to the left, hitting the gas pedal. There wasn't time to stop for an explanation and it was plain to see that Liam was scared. I didn't have to see his fur to know the wolf in him had its hackles up. Something about this stranger had put him on high alert.

However, the vehicle had only lurched forward a handful of feet before the man darted in front of us. He slammed his hands on the hood, holding on as the car pushed him back through the snow. I slammed on the brakes, not wanting to run him over. Throwing the car in reverse, I tried to get us out of there. But no matter what I did, the guy held on. Before I knew it, he'd somehow worked his way up onto the hood and was coming for the windshield. It was only then that I saw his eyes had changed.

They were the eyes of a wolf.

"Fuck!" I cried as the car slid to a halt on the icy street.

The man lifted his fist, like he was going to punch his way through the glass. I barely had time to put my arms up before his fist collided with the glass and it spider-webbed across the entire windshield. It was only then that I realized he was wearing a pair of brass knuckles. He hadn't gone through it completely, but the next hit surely would. However, Liam had already sprung into action.

Throwing the passenger door open, Liam jumped out and grabbed the man by the back of the coat. His good eye flared into Alpha gold as he wrenched the stranger off the hood and threw him a good ten feet across the road.

"What do you want, Buckley?!" he screamed, his form seeming to swell as his muscles flexed. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

The man pushed himself to his feet, dusting the dirty snow and slush off his coat. "You know why I'm here, Liam." He lifted his gaze, his own eyes golden, but significantly duller than Liam's. "Your father sent me with an ultimatum. Either come home willingly or in a box. Your choice."

I was out of the car now, standing only a few feet behind Liam. I wanted to go to him, but I could smell the fury rolling off him in waves. He was dangerous to be around right now. Even for me. An Alpha backed into a corner was a bomb waiting to go off.

"You can tell my father to go fuck himself," Liam growled. "I'm never going back."

"That's not an option I'm allowed to accept." He glanced around Liam at me. "Oh. And you have to leave that piece of shit behind."

Liam took a step forward, fangs lengthening and claws appearing at his fingertips. "Don't you ever talk to my mate like that again. Or you'll be the one going home in a box, Buckley."

"Bring it on, faggot ."

I barely saw Liam move before Buckley was flying through the air once more. In a matter of seconds Liam was on top of him, claws slashing down in an attempt to kill.

"Liam!" I cried. "Stop! Don't kill him!"

He looked up, his intense golden eyes fixed on me. For a moment I thought he was going to ignore me. But then he pushed himself off of the stranger and to his feet. Buckley looked slightly damaged, but intact enough to be just fine in an hour or so. I was glad for that. Even though the man was threatening us and calling us terrible names, killing him would cause a lot more trouble. I didn't want Liam taken away from me again. I couldn't let that happen.

"Liam," I said again, holding out a shaking hand. "Come on. Let's go home."

He took a step toward me, the fangs starting to recede.

"Don't worry. We'll be okay. They can't get us here."

I kept my gaze fixed on him, still holding out my hand. Behind him Buckley got to his feet, but I ignored him. The man obviously wasn't a considerable threat to us. Liam overpowered him so easily. I was surprised the old pack would send such a useless wolf to try to carry out the Alpha's orders.

But that's where I underestimated him.

I was so fixated on Liam that I didn't notice how quickly Buckley moved. In a flash he darted around Liam and headed for me, his brass knuckles reeling back. All I could do was pull my arms up to shield myself, but it didn't look like I'd make it in time. I braced myself for impact, knowing it was going to hurt like a motherfucker. Not to mention, break a bone or two.

However, the impact never came. There was a grunt as Liam caught him by the arm, stopping his fist only an inch or two from my face. Then, in a sudden whoosh of air, Liam lifted the man off his feet and threw him down the road. This time he didn't land only ten feet away, but nearly twenty. And he didn't have time to brace himself either.

Buckley hit the pavement hard , his body turning over and over as he rolled through the slush. He didn't stop until he struck the curb headfirst, a bright red gash opening across his forehead. In a matter of seconds, he was drenched in blood and Liam was stalking over to finish the job.

I dug my heels in, sprinting to Liam and grabbing him by the wrist. He tried to pull himself away, absolute bloodlust in his eyes. But I held tight. Finally, after a few seconds of struggling, he turned to look at me, that one golden eye shining brightly. His features were twisted in a partial shift, giving him an almost monstrous look. I'd never seen a wolf do that before, but I knew Alphas had special powers. Still, what I saw wasn't a normal Alpha. Instead, it was an Alpha who'd been tortured for the past two years until the wolf inside him was nearly feral.

He was on the edge, and I had to bring him back.

"Liam," I said softly, pulling his clawed hand to my face. "I'm okay. He didn't hurt me. See?"

The creature in front of me stopped growling but didn't move either. I took his other hand, lifting it to my chest and placing it over my pounding heart.

"Come back to me," I whispered.

A shuddering breath escaped him as I saw the wolf inside him break. All at once the claws, fangs, and twisted features melted. He seemed to almost shrink as he took a step toward me. Then, without warning, he collapsed into my arms. Thankfully he hadn't regained all his muscle because he was almost too heavy to keep upright.

"I love you," I whispered, hugging him tight to keep him on his feet.

"I… I'm sorry…"

"It's okay. You didn't do anything wrong." I hefted him up a little higher. "But I need you to help me, okay? I can't carry you alone. You need to walk."

He nodded against my shoulder, his legs shaking as he tried to keep himself upright. Before we turned back to the car, I glanced over to where Buckley had landed in the snow.

All I saw was a red stain and a pair of tracks heading southwest. And that was just fine with me.

"Come on," I nodded, turning Liam back toward the car. "Let's go home."