Chapter Three Liam

W hen I came to, I fully expected to find myself in hell or something similar. I didn't really believe in religious things, but I also knew that there was no way I'd survived that encounter with the bear and the car. And considering I'd woken up, that had to mean I was in the afterlife, right? Whatever that might be, I figured it probably wasn't going to turn out good for me. As far as I knew, I hadn't exactly done what everyone told me was "good" in my life. In fact, just being myself seemed to be the wrong thing to do all together.

As I opened my eyes and the room became clear, my suspicions were confirmed. All the overhead lighting was on and there wasn't a single floor lamp to be seen. Clearly, this was hell.

But then I started to notice other things in the room. A desk covered in paperwork, a filing cabinet, a mini-fridge, and an office chair that was currently inhabited by a sleeping man with his face resting against his hand. The walls were white and everything was fairly stark and straight-edged. It looked like a completely normal, boring office. I caught myself wondering if hell was like the "back rooms" I'd read about online. Just a never-ending series of dilapidated offices and cubicles that were impossible to escape. That truly would be awful.

I lifted my head, feeling a sudden wave of dizziness. I stilled for a moment until it passed. My paw was itchy, and I lifted it to my mouth only to find that there was an IV on the top of it.

Why would I need medical care in hell?

Aches and pains flooded back into my system as I shifted to a sitting position. The rawness of my paws had healed mostly, but they were still sore. However, all my joints and muscles still felt like I'd been hit by a truck. And I guess technically I had been, although it was only a sedan. I was thankful to find I hadn't been mauled in any way, though. At least the bear hadn't gotten to me.

The more my body came back online, the more I realized I wasn't actually dead like I suspected. I was still close, but not dead yet. And I wasn't yet sure if I should be thankful for that.

The scent of werewolves was all around me. Even the man in the chair smelled like a wolf. He wasn't an Alpha, that was easy to tell. But there were so many scents mixed in the air and my body ached so much that I couldn't tell much else. All I knew was that I was hooked up to an IV and there were lots of werewolves around. If my father had caught me, I'd be dead. So, there was really only one place I could be.

Shifter Grove.

A deep sense of relief flooded through me. If that's where I'd finally gotten to, then I was safe. The town was known for being full of werewolves and a sanctuary for rogues like me. In fact, there was a hotel at the center of town where wolves could stay until they got back on their feet. Ever since the love of my life disappeared, I'd been doing all the research I could to try to figure out where he went. My final conclusion was that Shifter Grove was the only place he could've gone. I'd used my father's title to check with all the other packs and nobody had seen him. So, this was the only logical place left to check if he was still alive.

I had to find him.

Still, there was a feeling of trepidation at the thought of searching him out. Maybe he didn't want to be found, or maybe he'd moved on. We'd cared about one another, that was certain. But two years ago, we were barely more than children. It wasn't a long time in the grand scheme of things, but for two wolves who'd had their hearts broken and the shit scared out of them, it felt like forever. Several times I'd wondered if it was a good idea to go looking for him at all. Every time I doubted myself, I remember how intense the feelings were between us. If anyone in this whole wide world was my mate, I knew it had to be him. And no matter how much it would make my life easier to forget about him, I couldn't.

So, I had to find him. And I was certain he was still alive. He had to be.

I was confident too that the moment he saw me, he'd fall back into my arms once more. There was no way he couldn't. Not after how much love we'd expressed for one another. Just because we didn't get to mate and seal the bond didn't mean it was gone. I was sure the moment he saw me, it would all come rushing back and we'd live happily ever after.

We had to. I'd been dreaming about it for too long for it to go any other way.

But I was never going to find him if I kept lying on this table for all eternity.

Taking a deep breath, I gathered my strength and tried to get to my feet. I got my front paws under me first, my exhausted muscles shaking as I attempted to stand. The movement shifted my IV tube, which flopped it over the edge of the table, taking a small stack of paperwork with it. In a flutter, the papers spread over the floor, a few of them striking the ankles of the sleeping man in the chair.

With a snort, he came awake, startled by the sudden movement. His eyes blinked a few times before he focused on me. In a flash, he was up from his chair, coaxing me back down onto the table.

"You're okay," he cooed, petting the top of my head. "We know what you are and we're gonna help you get back on your feet. You're at the hotel in Shifter Grove. Don't worry."

Relief washed over me as those words seemed to sink into my very skin. After all that time wandering through the wilderness, I was finally exactly where I needed to be. Now all I needed to do was find my mate. I tried to push myself to my paws again, but the man held me down.

"Hold on," he said, his arms keeping just enough pressure on me to stop me from going anywhere. "You've had a pretty rough night. Attacked by a bear and hit by a car. My car. Not to mention, you're nearly starved to death. We weren't sure if you were gonna make it through the night."

I let out a low growl, but my heart wasn't really in it. I knew he was right.

"Now, now," he smiled. "Don't be grumpy. We're gonna get you fed and taken care of so you can do whatever it is you need to do."

Who was this we he kept talking about? Wasn't he the owner of the hotel? Was there more than one?

"Can you shift back?"

I didn't look up. Instead, I focused on pushing the wolf back. I knew it would take several minutes to make the transformation happen, considering how long I'd been in wolf form. But I needed to try.

However, after a few seconds of straining, I collapsed on top of the table, not a single bone or muscle closer to being human.

"It's okay," the man said, patting my head a bit more. "You just need some food. How long have you been in wolf form?"

I lifted my paw, tapping on the table twice.

"Two days?"

I growled in response.

"Two weeks?"

I made a subtle nod.

"I see… Well, you probably won't be changing back today then. And that's okay. We'll get you fed and cleaned up. Sam will get a room prepped for you too if you want to stay alone for the time being. I'm sure you've had a hard journey."

For a moment, I just let my muzzle rest on my paws, letting out a short sigh. The guy was right. I was exhausted and so fucking hungry I thought I might die. My thoughts were sluggish, and my vision shifted in and out of focus constantly. Not to mention, my legs wouldn't stop shaking, even when I wasn't using them. As much as I wanted to run out and find my mate, I needed to eat something first. Maybe then I could think straight.

"Do you think you can keep some food down?"

I whined in reply, licking his hand.

"Alright, let me tell Sam you're ready to eat. I think he made some rice and beef for you already."

The man got up and stepped out of the room, but I was so in shock I barely noticed. The moment my tongue touched his skin, an electric shock went through my entire body. While my sense of smell and sight might've been useless at the moment thanks to my intense state of exhaustion, my sense of taste was apparently working just fine.

It was him . The one I'd been looking for. My mate .

My brain was doing so many backflips that my first inclination was to deny what I'd tasted. Maybe there were other werewolves in the world that always smelled and tasted of sweet, dark cherries. Wolf smells had a tendency to overlap. Alphas always had an earthy and musky scent, while other males tended to have more wild scents. However, it wasn't very often that a male took on a fruity scent that wasn't citrus. In fact, I'd never met another male wolf in my life that smelled of cherries.

It had to be him, right?

My heart began to race a mile a minute. Energy surged through my body, and I wanted to leap off the table and run him down. Then I'd tackle him and lick him until he realized who I was! After that I'd get healthy again and we'd live happily ever after!

I paused.

Why hadn't he recognized me? Surely, after we'd been through so much because of our love, he would remember me. I was skinny and weathered by my time on the road. But he should still recognize me, right? It wasn't like I'd changed that much. Well, except for the scar across my face. That was something he'd never seen before.

I started to doubt my senses. Was this man really him? Maybe I was just a victim of wishful thinking. Either way, I made the decision to keep it to myself for the moment. I needed to scope this guy out a bit more and make sure he was the one I was after. Besides, it wasn't like I could turn back at the moment. I'd need to regain my strength for that. Then, once I was finally back in my human form, I'd confront him. For now though, I'd just keep my feelings locked away inside. I was good at that after living under my father's thumb for the past two years.

"Alright," the man said, coming back into the room with a bowl. There was another man behind him with darker, long-ish hair that I'd never seen before. "If you can keep this down for an hour, I'll get you more. But we're gonna have to take this slow until your stomach gets used to food again."

"Did he try to shift back?" the other man asked, looking me over.

"I don't think he can. He's too weak."

"Most likely." The man adjusted my IV bag and made sure the tube was still taped firmly in place. "Once he's done eating, I'll take this IV out. Then you can take him outside and give him a bath afterward." He glanced down at me, patting my head gently. I got the feeling he was a soft-hearted kind of wolf. "Because he fucking stinks."

Okay… well. Not that soft, apparently.

"Don't say that! You'll hurt his feelings!"

"I'm not saying it to hurt him. Just telling the truth. He's obviously been running for his life. The dude needs a bath."

"Okay, well, I think I've got it from here. He doesn't need any more insults from you."

"I wasn't–"

"Sam," the man said, cutting him off. "Can you please go get a room ready for him?"

"When did you become the boss around here?" The man just gave him a stern look and Sam laughed. "Alright, alright. I'm going. I guess we don't need to take him to the vet, anyway. As long as he eats, he'll make a full recovery. I'll make sure there's a room ready for him."

"Thank you."

As soon as Sam was out of the room, the man turned back to me, his green eyes apologetic as he brushed that familiar red hair out of his face. My heart skipped a beat, recognizing not only his features, but the way he raked his fingers through his hair.

"Sorry about him. He's a little blunt sometimes. He means well though, I promise." He placed the bowl of food down in front of me. "Eat slowly. Once you're done, I'll take you upstairs and give you a bath. If that's okay with you that is."

I gave him a nod and lifted my head, dipping my muzzle into the bowl. The moment the food touched my tongue I felt instinct take over and I gobbled it down before he could say anything. When I was done, I licked my chops and looked back up at him, my vision clearing enough to make out the details of his face.

My heart soared as I realized I'd been right all along. This man was my long-lost mate. He was the one I'd been searching for all this time.

Finally, I'd found my Cory.