3. Liam

I satin my cramped car, the sounds of traffic buzzing around me like a swarm of angry bees.

My mother"s voice crackled through the phone, her concern evident even through the static.

"How are you settling into your new place, Liam?" she asked.

I hesitated for a moment, then lied.

"It"s... fine," I replied, forcing a note of assurance into my voice. "I"ve temporarily checked into a motel."

The words tasted bitter on my tongue, a sharp reminder of the reality I was trying so desperately to hide.

I couldn"t tell her the truth—that I was planning on crashing at Ollie and James" house for the night, because I couldn"t even afford to stay in a motel.

All the mages in our family relied on a monthly stipend to make ends meet, and since I had been cut off, there was no cash coming in.

I glanced out the window, my gaze lingering on the crowded streets outside. Ollie and James had offered me a place to stay for the night, but I knew it was only a temporary solution.

They lived on pack lands, and as a mage, I wasn"t exactly welcome there.

I couldn't even imagine what the rest of my family would think, if they found out about my current living situation.

A McGowan mage, relying on a shifter's generosity because he couldn't afford a motel room.

I would end up being the joke of the family, if they ever found out.

But for now, it was all I had. And as much as I hated to admit it, I was grateful for their help, even if it came with its own set of complications.

"This is just temporary, Liam," my mom reminded me. "I need to go. I'll call you soon."

Then she ended the call. I quickly checked my phone if I had any messages from Luca.

Luca had a studio apartment in town, and I was hoping I could crash there after staying with Ollie, but he hadn't replied to any of my text messages.

As I left the main town area behind, the comforting hum of civilization faded into the distance, replaced by the eerie silence of the forest.

Old trees bordered either side of the narrow road. Despite the warmth of the afternoon sun, a shiver ran down my spine as I entered the woods, the territory of the fox shifters.

I had been here only once before, and that had been under less than legal circumstances.

I remembered the rush of adrenaline as I used my magic to sneak past the guards and help Ollie identify a rogue mage"s mana signature.

But now, as sweat beaded on my forehead and back, I couldn"t shake the sense of nervousness that gripped me.

As I approached the compound, two fox shifters emerged from the shadows, their eyes watchful and wary.

I rolled down my car window, my heart pounding in my chest as I prepared to face their scrutiny.

"I"m a guest of James and Ollie"s," I explained, my voice coming out in a shaky whisper.

The shifter closest to my car looked guarded, his gaze assessing me with a mix of curiosity and suspicion.

"Wait here," he said curtly. "I need to phone James and confirm."

I nodded, my palms clammy against the steering wheel, as I watched him contact James using his cell phone.

Minutes stretched into eternity as I waited, every second feeling like an eternity.

Finally, the guard returned, his expression softened slightly.

"James confirmed your story," he said, stepping aside to allow me entry. "You"re clear to go."

With a sigh of relief, I drove through the gates of the compound, grateful to have finally made it past the first hurdle.

One thing was clear. I didn't plan on staying here for long. Moving in and out of the compound, felt too much of a hassle.

I really hoped Luca would eventually come through for me.

I pulled up to James and Ollie"s address, relieved to have made it without encountering any other fox shifters along the way.

The last thing I needed was to stir up trouble. While the pack might have grown accustomed to Ollie living here, not all of them would take kindly to a new mage invading their space.

Sitting in the driver"s seat, I hesitated before getting out of the car. Despite my eagerness to see Ollie and James, a nagging sense of apprehension gnawed at the edges of my mind.

What would Ollie think of me now, knowing that I had been cut off from the family and had nowhere else to turn?

As I took a deep breath and mentally prepared myself for the conversation ahead, my phone rang again, startling me out of my train of thoughts.

My mother"s name flashed on the screen, and for a moment, I worried that something had happened.

Worried something might be wrong, I answered the call without hesitation. "Mom? Is everything okay?"

"Liam, I just came back from a meeting with your grandfather," she said.

Uh-oh, I thought. This possibly couldn't be good.

"Fergus had just informed me that he made an arrangement with Sheriff Owen," my mother began, her voice tinged with a hint of hesitation.

My mind raced with questions. Sheriff Owen, the lead alpha of the Fox Haven Pack? Why?

There was a deep seated distrust between shifters and mages for as long as I could remember.

"What arrangement?" I asked, my stomach twisting with a sense of unease.

Deep down, I knew that I wasn"t going to like what she was going to say next.

With one hand, I held the cellphone tightly against my ear, the plastic casing digging into my skin.

My other hand gripped the steering wheel hard, my knuckles turning white with tension. I had never been a fan of surprises, especially when they came from my mother.

"As you know, that incident put our family in a terrible position," she began, her words slicing through the air like a knife.

I clenched my jaw, hating the way she always referred to it as "that incident." Still, I understood what she was saying.

Representatives from other mage families had been present when my grandfather and I were targeted by unknown assailants in our own home.

The fact that we had failed to anticipate such an attack painted us as weak in the eyes of the other mage families.

"Okay..." I trailed off, my voice barely above a whisper.

I had apologized enough for not reacting fast enough, for my magic failing me at such a critical moment, and I was sick of saying sorry.

"The sheriff agreed to assign a shifter to protect you," my mother continued, her tone somber. "Your grandfather and I discussed this situation thoroughly, and we agreed that whoever attacked us might target you and him again. The family can protect Fergus, but you, on the other hand..."

Her words hung in the air, heavy with unspoken implications. And finally, in that moment, I understood the entire situation.

I was a liability, a potential target for those who wished to undermine our family"s power and reputation.

"Who"s the shifter? Is it James?" I asked, a flicker of hopefulness lacing my voice.

If it turned out to be Ollie"s mate, then maybe this arrangement wouldn"t be so bad.

"We"ll talk more later," my mother said, her tone final as she abruptly ended the call before I could say more.

I sighed, feeling a mix of frustration and apprehension settle in the pit of my stomach.

Knuckles rapped on my window, making me jump in my seat. I let out an involuntary squeal, my heart racing as I turned to see a dark-haired shifter standing outside my car.

He must have been a shifter because despite being a well-built guy, I hadn"t seen or heard him approach the car.

Taking a deep breath, I finally exited my car, my nerves still on edge from the unexpected interruption.

"Hey," he said, his voice surprisingly gentle as he offered me a small smile. "You must be Liam. I"m Shane, James"s brother."

I relaxed a little at the familiarity of his name, recalling Ollie mentioning Shane before. What Ollie had neglected to tell me, however, was just how attractive Shane was.

He had a square jawline that seemed chiseled from stone, his sharp blue eyes piercing through me with an intensity that sent a shiver down my spine.

His dark hair was tousled in an effortless way, and as he stood there before me, I couldn"t help but feel a flutter of attraction stirring within me.

Me, attracted to a shifter? The thought sent a wave of panic coursing through me. What would my mother, my family, think of me if they knew?

But then, a new voice echoed in my mind, cutting through the haze of doubt and insecurity. As if their opinion matters after they cast you out, it whispered, a bitter reminder of the rejection I had faced.

Realizing I hadn"t introduced myself, I cleared my throat, summoning up the courage to speak. With a tentative smile, I held out my hand.

"Liam," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

Shane"s gaze met mine, and for a moment, time seemed to stand still. His handshake was firm and unexpectedly warm, sending a jolt of electricity coursing through my veins.

Shane"s eyes met mine, a soft smile playing at the corners of his lips, and my heart raced a little faster.

In my world, marriages were usually arranged by my grandfather and other high-ranking members of the family, all for the sake of forging alliances with other mage families.

We didn"t have a say in the matter; love was certainly out of the question.

But at that moment, as I stood face to face with Shane, I realized that being cast out of the family, even temporarily as my mother had claimed, had certain benefits.

A kind of freedom that I had never experienced before. I wondered if Ollie always felt this way, because it was... liberating.

For the first time in my life, I allowed myself to entertain the possibility of something more, something beyond the confines of duty and expectation.

Of course, I wasn"t naive enough to believe that Shane was "the one", or anything serious like that.

There was no denying we lived in different worlds, and if I had to be honest, shifter or not, a guy like Shane seemed way out of my league.

Even in marriage interviews conducted by the family, Luca had always been the first pick. I wasn"t even second or third best.

No one wanted a mediocre mage with average looks for a partner... But that didn"t matter now.

"So how long are you going to stand there, gawking at me?" Shane asked, breaking through my thoughts. "Dinner"s getting cold."

He sounded casual enough, but I had a sneaking suspicion he was teasing me. A guy with Shane"s looks probably didn"t have any problems in the relationship department.

I cleared my throat, trying to come up with something witty to say.

"You have a bit of meat on your mouth," I blurted out, feeling a rush of satisfaction when Shane looked momentarily surprised.

Then he easily recovered, wiping the offending bits with the back of his hand. A grin spread across his face, and suddenly, butterflies erupted in my stomach.

What... was happening to me?

Thankfully, Ollie arrived at that moment, breaking the tension that had been building between Shane and me.

"What are you two doing out here?" Ollie asked, his brow furrowing in concern. "Liam, did you just get here?"

"Yeah," I lied, avoiding Ollie"s gaze as I spoke.

Shane flashed me a knowing smirk, silently acknowledging that he knew I"d been here for a while, but he didn"t comment.

Ollie walked up to me, and without a word, he enveloped me in a tight hug. Relief flooded through me, and I hugged him back, grateful for his understanding.

"I"m sorry for what they did to you," Ollie whispered, his voice filled with sympathy as he released me from the embrace.

"I"m okay," I reassured him, trying to sound convincing even as doubts lingered in my mind. "My mother says it"s just temporary."

I didn"t miss the look of momentary pity in Ollie"s eyes, and I was pretty sure he didn"t buy my lie.