6. Shane

I clickedmy tongue as I watched Liam drive off in his car. I wanted to stop him, to grab him before he went off alone to who knew where.

But then what? Drag him somewhere he didn't want to go? Force him to stay with me, someone he clearly didn"t want to see or talk to right now?

No, Liam clearly needed to cool off.

The image of Liam chasing after the man with the camera at the diner lingered in my mind.

What was that about? Was that guy after him? I made a mental note to ask Liam about it later.

A buzz from my phone snapped me out of my thoughts.

Owen: Have you made contact yet?

I cursed under my breath. How could I forget to get Liam"s cellphone number? What kind of bodyguard was I? A mediocre one, it seemed, or even worse.

"Okay, relax, Shane," I muttered to myself, trying to calm my racing thoughts.

Liam wouldn't go back to his family's place; from what he told me last night, he was practically barred from entering the mansion.

He wouldn't be going back to Ollie's and James' either, as he could only enter the pack lands with special permission.

Well, okay, he could call Ollie, but considering he didn't even ask what he wanted to last night, the chances of Liam reaching out to Ollie might be slim.

And he wouldn't be leaving town either. Like he said, he didn't have any money.

That meant he'd probably just drive around town to cool off. That's what I would do, at least.

I decided to head to the town square at the center of Main Street and take a seat on one of the benches, giving me a 360-degree view of the town.

Fox Haven was small, so if Liam was driving around the area, he'd surely pass by a couple of times.

Sure enough, I spotted his car moving slowly along Maple Street.

Leaning back into the bench, I planned to wait until he grew tired of driving around. It might not be the best plan, but it was all I had for now.

In the meantime, I shot Ollie a quick text, asking him for Liam's number. Drumming my fingers on the seat next to me, I constantly checked my phone for messages.

For now, I chose to ignore Owen's text. A couple of messages came in from my boss at the bar, giving me my schedule for the week and something about the pack festival. And there was one from the realtor who agreed to take on the listing for my house.

But none from Ollie.

I took another look around the town square and spotted Liam parking his car in front of the public library.

Should I go after him, or should I let him be? I wrestled with myself, remembering the expression on his face when he told me he needed some space.

I decided to grab a coffee instead and wait for him again at the cafe across the street from the library.

After a couple of hours, I saw Liam exit the library, holding a phone in his hand as he headed into an alleyway.

I finally decided to follow him, choosing to approach from the other end to avoid surprising him. I really didn't want him running away again.

The dimly lit alley was strewn with debris and refuse. Not the first place I had in mind for confronting Liam.

I had expected to find Liam alone. Instead, to my surprise, there was someone else with him.

Liam looked oddly stiff, his head slightly turned to the side as he talked to the man behind him. The man had their arm raised, pressing something against Liam back.

With their backs facing me, I couldn't tell what it was. It could be a knife or a gun.

My shifter senses were prickling, my fox wanted to run towards the assailant and throw him against the wall. But I had to think rationally.

Neither of them seemed to have noticed me yet. I tried to take note of any distinguishing features or smells, but the overpowering stench of garbage clouded my senses.

I growled low, signaling my presence. Startling the assailant was the last thing I wanted, fearing any rash actions that could surprise the assailant and risk endangering Liam.

The assailant"s body stiffened as he swiftly turned, securing Liam with one arm across his chest and a tight grip on his shoulder. Liam"s hands clutched the assailant"s arm, while a gun remained pressed against his temple.

For a moment, my breath caught in my throat, but I immediately pushed the feeling down.

I tried to get a better look at the assailant, but the hoodie he was wearing covered most of his face, and the bottom half was obscured, as if he were wearing a mask.

It was risky, but I cautiously approached them, taking slow, measured steps forward. Close enough to catch the assailant"s scent. He smelled like any normal human, definitely not supernatural.

Now, I just had to get the gun away from Liam. I took a few more steps, shorter this time. The assailant flinched, moving the gun from Liam's temple to me and then back to Liam.

"Don't come any closer!" he warned, pressing the gun harder against Liam's temple.

Tsk.

Liam trembled, his eyes wide with fear. The color drained from his face, and his breaths came in shallow, rapid bursts.

My fox wanted to burst out of my skin. Liam was mine. Mine to protect and my fox growled in agreement. It was tempting to remind this mugger that fact, but I forced myself to calm down.

Yet, I couldn"t help but wonder why Liam, a mage, didn"t attempt even a simple barrier spell. Was he that scared? Anger surged through me.

I took another step, and the gun shifted back to me. Good.

Closing the gap quickly, I covered half the distance in a split second, my focus solely on reaching them.

The assailant aimed the gun at me, his hand shaking as he pulled Liam closer, using him as a shield. Liam winced in pain as the grip on his shoulder tightened.

Moving swiftly once more, I closed in to just a few feet away. The assailant reeked of sweat and panic, his eyes trembling with fear.

Seizing the opportunity, I grabbed the gun by the barrel. I wanted to pull him toward me, but instead, he shoved Liam harshly towards a dumpster before turning to flee.

I hesitated, torn between pursuing the assailant and staying with Liam, who was clearly in pain.

Glancing back and forth between Liam"s groaning form and the now-empty end of the alley, I realized the assailant had already slipped away.

While my instinct urged me to run after him, I couldn"t leave Liam alone in his injured state.

"Are you okay?" I asked, reaching out my hand.

"I'm fine," Liam replied, ignoring my help and instead grabbing the side of the dumpster for support.

I grabbed his arm to help him up, but he moved his elbow away from me.

"I said I'm fine." Liam winced in pain, rubbing his shoulder where the assailant had been gripping him earlier.

"We need to get you to the hospital."

"It's just a couple of small cuts. It'll heal."

I noticed he was trying not to look at me. Was he still mad?

I clicked my tongue in annoyance. I was honestly getting frustrated with this whole thing. I didn't want him getting into any more trouble or accidents, not under my watch at least.

No more waiting on benches and in coffee shops for him.

"Either you come with me to the pharmacy," I said, bending down to grab the gun that the assailant dropped and wrapping it in a handkerchief, "or I drag you there myself. Your choice."

"Fine," he mumbled.

"Good." I tucked the gun into my inner jacket pocket, making a mental note to pass it to Owen.

"Over here," I gestured for Liam to follow me to the first-aid aisle. He walked toward me slowly, a little too slow for my liking.

Despite feeling impatient, I softened my gaze. He looked so vulnerable, and I couldn"t help but feel a pang of concern.

"Come on," I urged gently, "let's get you patched up."

My grip on his hand was light, not wanting to hurt him. I couldn't help but think that what happened in the alley was my fault.

I always left things to the last minute, unable to make a decision when it counted.

If only I had gone after Liam when he drove off in his car. If only I had followed him into the library right away.

As someone who typically just goes with the flow, I tended to brush things off, thinking that certain things were out of my hands.

If something went wrong, I told myself that everything would just work itself out in the end. But will it really?

It didn't seem to matter before because usually, I was the only one affected by my own decisions.

And I haven't really had to take care of anyone, not even Cliff when we were younger; he could already take care of himself since he was four.

Now, I had someone to look after. The incident in the alley made me realize that my hesitation led to Liam getting hurt.

I should have taken this bodyguard thing more seriously from the beginning.

After everything that happened between us since last night, my inner fox was calling for me to keep Liam safe.

It was like an instinct deeper than duty, beyond mere obligation, something I couldn't quite define yet.

I wanted to laugh. Look at me, having an existential epiphany right in the middle of a pharmacy.

We stopped in front of the rows of band-aids. I lifted his hands, inspecting his wounds.

Liam didn't resist or shake my hand off. I took my time, slowly turning over his arm.

It was as if any anger and tension between us disappeared into thin air, leaving only the warmth of his skin against mine and the lingering memory of his soft lips from last night.

I scolded myself, reminding me to stay focused on his injuries and nothing else.

Right. His hand. Upon closer inspection, it was just as he said earlier—only shallow cuts and some scrapes along his arm and elbow. Nothing too serious.

Yet, when Liam still didn't resist, I found myself rubbing my thumb slowly over his palm, as if I were trying to memorize the feel of his skin. Liam sucked in a breath as our gazes met.

"It's fine, really," he said softly, attempting to retrieve his hand.

In an instant, I snapped out of whatever trance had come over me. This wasn't like me at all.

Nonetheless, I held on a little tighter when he tried to pull his hand back again. I turned towards the shelf full of first-aid supplies, searching for band-aids in an appropriate size.

"I'm your bodyguard, so just let me look after you," I said.

I noticed Liam stiffen at my words.

"This is what it is. I was told to guard you, and I'm sure your family told you the same, so we might as well try to get along," I added, frowning at my own words, wondering if I was saying them more for him or for myself.

Liam"s face took on a complicated expression, as if something had changed.

At the diner and even earlier at James' and Ollie's house, he had seemed mostly annoyed at me or embarrassed, but now it was different.

I wondered if something else had happened between the diner and the alleyway when I wasn't with him. Was it that phone call he received?

"Thank you for saving me," Liam said, his voice strained and forced.

He took the box of bandages I had chosen and immediately started walking over to the cashier.

"Where are you going?" I asked, concerned.

"Anywhere but here, maybe back to my home," Liam replied.

I reached for the box in his hands, forcing him to turn and look at me. "I know about your situation. I know you can't go back there."

I ran a hand through my hair. "You don't know how long this thing is going to go on. You didn't even ask Ollie last night about wanting to stay over. You"re not going to stay in a motel because you told me yourself you don't have the money."

"I'll live in my car then." Liam crossed his arms.

I mirrored his action, crossing my arms too. "After that guy with the camera, and the alley, who knows who else is after you. I don't think you need me to tell you what a bad idea that is," I said.

I felt bad laying it all out like this, reminding him how shitty his situation was, and not giving him much of a choice. I would have preferred if it didn't come to this, especially after seeing the hurt on Liam's face.

I sighed. "I have a spare room at my place. You could stay there for now," I said.

Staying at my place might not be the most ideal situation for either of us, considering how he seemed to be unable to stand being with me for more than five minutes.

But for now, it seems like the only option until we could think of a better one.

Liam"s expression tugged something deep within my chest. He looked as if I had handed him a lifeline, a mixture of relief and gratitude evident in his eyes.

Right. This was the best course for now — to protect him and stay by his side. Only as a bodyguard, of course. And nothing else.