SOREN

When I heard the knock on the door, I'll admit, I thought Skye had come back early and something was wrong with the code entry panel. But when I opened it and saw Liam, my jaw nearly dropped. I had never told him our new address, so his visit was at best… strange, if not straight-up stalker-ish. A shiver of unease ran down my spine, especially when I saw how horrifyingly thin his face was. He looked scary.

"Liam? What are you doing here?"

He smiled, but it was the kind of smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"I thought I'd pay you a friendly visit."

Wow, strange wording. I swallowed hard. Not good—him being here was something Skye definitely wouldn't appreciate. But what could I do? Shut the door in his face?

"Well, come in then. Skye's not home."

"I know."

Uh-huh, so he knew and waited for this moment. Even more reason to feel uneasy. I let him in, but I stayed close to the wall, one hand over my stomach. It was only the beginning of the third month, and I wasn't showing yet, but I didn't want to risk him… what? Kicking me? Crazy thought, Liam wasn't a monster. Was I overreacting? Probably, but something was off about his energy, a weird vibe surrounding him.

He looked around for a moment. "So, this is where you live."

His eyes scanned the surroundings. I had no idea what he was getting at, but I needed to figure it out quickly.

"Liam, why are you really here?"

Silence. He walked over to the bedroom door and just stared at the bed for a while.

"Visiting a friend of ten years. Is that a crime? So, this is where he fucks you?"

I rolled my eyes. Yep, I was scared, but I was also myself and couldn't stop the comment:

"No, on the fucking floor. The bed's too comfortable."

"Ha, ha, ha. Very funny." His face remained still and cold. "How often do you do it?" And Liam just marched inside, like it was his bedroom, and I followed, feeling incredibly awkward.

"I don't understand why you're asking. Do you want to hurt yourself on purpose?"

His eyes locked onto mine.

"Hurt? Do you think I still care about you? Don't flatter yourself. I'm just curious."

It was all bullshit, his game, but no way in hell was I going to tell him about my sex life—that would be like waving a red flag in front of a bull.

"You're… really thin, Liam. Are you eating properly?" I whispered.

"Do you even care what's going on with me?" He raised an eyebrow.

"I do, Liam, I just… I'm worried. You look very skinny."

"I don't have much of an appetite."

He glanced at my nest, which was pretty big and well-crafted—something I was strangely proud of. I adored when Skye would attentively look at my work, and the genuine admiration in his eyes filled something deep inside me. I loved that he… enjoyed my effort.

"What are you doing here? Nesting?"

My mouth gaped. Seriously? I was stunned he even asked. But he didn't stop there.

"Are you pretending you're an omega… for him? Is this some kind of sexy game? A kink?"

My gaze went to the bed, and I felt incredibly stupid, my cheeks burning. For the first time, I understood why omegas hated it when someone commented on their nests. It was so delicate and intensely intimate, intended only for my alpha to see, and Liam had metaphorically spat on it. It hurt.

"No. It just… happened," I choked out.

He stared at me for a moment, then suddenly sat on the edge of the bed, his hand flicked over the side of the nest. I wasn't sure what to do, so I just stood there. Liam was in a very bizarre mood, and honestly, he was freaking me out more every minute. My hands were getting clammy.

He squinted at me, his gaze sliding over my body.

"Still pregnant? It's soon, right?"

I gritted my teeth. "What's soon?"

"The miscarriage, of course."

A wave of anger and bitterness washed over me. How could he say that so casually? This wasn't Liam; it was like a ghost of him, something terrible. Maybe he was some kind of zombie—his dead body taken over by a demon—out for revenge.

"You say that so lightly," I whispered, devastated.

"Honestly, I'm sort of waiting for it. Maybe then he'll understand he can't start a family with you, and you'll stop fooling yourself too."

Every word felt like a whip's lash. It hurt so much, but I knew I deserved it. I took it as part of my punishment. A wave of almost masochistic pleasure washed over me. Yes, let him punish me, hurt me, humiliate me, because what I did was even worse. There was no escaping that fact.

"I'm sorry, Liam. I have no excuse for myself, none. I led you on and hurt you."

Liam's eyes remained cold, strangely empty.

He was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "I don't forgive you."

Right then, we both heard the door slam, and Liam's face twisted into a strange, empty smile.

I blinked, surprised that Skye was back so soon—I thought he wouldn't be home for a few more hours. That didn't bode well.

He'd explicitly said NO contact with Liam.

I heard quiet footsteps in the hallway and realized it wouldn't look great if Liam and I walked out of the bedroom together. But it was too late to do anything else. I turned away from him and his cold, strange expression, and I stepped out of the room.

When I saw Skye, I managed to stammer, "Oh, you're back quicker."

"Yeah, Alex didn't have to wait in line; the therapy chamber was ready to use."

Suddenly, his expression changed slightly, his brow furrowing a bit.

"I hope you don't mind—I invited Liam over for a quick chat…"

As soon as I said it, I realized I should've clarified that Liam had invited himself over. Especially when I noticed the weird look on Skye's face.

"You know, I only ever told you one thing, Soren, that could make me not want to be with you!" Skye choked out in a strained voice.

What was going on? Why did he look so stressed?

"What are you talking about?"

"Cheating, Soren."

A wave of shock hit me. Something was wrong.

"What are you saying? We were just talking!"

"Really?" Skye groaned in a pained voice.

For the first time, I turned to look at Liam—and nearly jumped when I saw the hickeys on his suddenly naked skin. The sight was so surreal that my mind went into a strange daze.

"What the hell?"

Liam must have taken his clothes off in record time. Stunned, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Now he was standing there fully naked, showing off his thin body covered in red love bites. But being closer to him, I realized they weren't real hickeys; they were probably smeared lipstick. Still, from where Skye stood in the dimly lit hallway, they could easily be mistaken for the real thing.

And then I heard a loud, almost demonic roar… Skye's face changed in seconds, and I registered in shock what was about to happen—he would kill Liam. I knew he would, no doubt about it.

What I did next was nothing short of miraculous. My reflexes were lightning fast. In a strange impulse, I jumped and intercepted Skye's leap, colliding with him mid-air. I knew I was risking the pregnancy, that if he hit me with full force, I could miscarry, but I couldn't let Liam get torn apart. I knew that no matter what Liam did, no matter how stupid his stunt was, he didn't deserve that kind of death. And Skye didn't deserve years in prison.

Our bodies slammed together in the air, and I felt Skye's hands grab me, preventing me from falling. The force of his momentum was somehow halted, but that didn't mean it was over. As we landed on the floor—fairly smoothly, which was a miracle in itself—his body shuddered immediately, getting ready again. I knew he wanted to break free and continue the attack, but I didn't let him, holding on tightly.

His red eyes met mine for a split of a second, he let out a deep growl, then jumped back, dropped to all fours and stormed out of the apartment in that awkward way. I could still hear his gnashing teeth from the hallway.

What the hell just happened?

Only then did I turn to Liam.

"What the fuck?!"

He was curled up in a ball on the floor.

Now he was scared, the fucker? Now he understood what a killing machine an alpha is when enraged?

A bit too late for that.

I rushed over to him, hissing, "You idiot! You would have been killed! Don't you get it?! This is an alpha, we don't mess with alphas!"

Liam's face was pale and strangely tragic as he looked back at me. He was so small, and a chill ran down my spine as I thought about what could have happened. Liam was 5'6", and Skye was 6'6". My alpha would've torn him apart with his bare hands. No beta could stand against an alpha in a fighting mode without a gun in hand. They were as strong as gorillas.

"Maybe that would've been for the best." Liam blinked, and smiled ruefully.

I cupped his face and locked eyes with him, my gaze intense.

"He really would've killed you! You would have been dead now if not for me!"

He twisted his face into an ironic grimace, and I dropped my hands.

"So, I guess, thanks for saving my life, Soren, but if you think that evens the score, think again."

"Why the hell are you doing this, Liam?!"

His face remained hard to read.

A strange silence crept over us, only our breaths breaking the stillness, ragged and shaky. My mind went to the child I was carrying, and the realization slowly sank in. Today, I was close to losing it again, and the thought made me tremble.

"You don't understand, Liam…" I whispered. "If I lose Skye, I'll lose this baby too."

But Liam's face didn't change, not even a flicker. He just shrugged.

"You're going to lose it anyway, Soren. So I don't even know why we're having this conversation."

"No, no! You have no idea what you've just done!" I snorted angrily, realizing that time was ticking, and I had already lost a lot of it talking to Liam.

Reeling, I ran to the door, but of course, it was too late. Skye was already gone. With trembling hands, I dialed his number, but he didn't pick up.

Liam just watched me as I kept frantically hitting the call button.

"Fuck, fuck!" I groaned, throwing the phone down onto the key stand. I couldn't believe this was happening. A sob broke out of my mouth. Desperate, I rushed back to Liam, grabbed his thin shoulders, and shook him fiercely.

"You just don't get it!" I whimpered, tears streaming down my face.

"Wow, how nice," he sneered, closing his eyes. "Finally, your hands are on my naked body. It was worth it, just to feel a little of your touch. I'd rather have your brutality than your indifference, Soren."

That was… so fucking twisted.

I let go of him immediately, wiping my hands on my pants.

"How could you do this to me?!" I screamed.

"How could you do this to me?!" he screamed back.

Agonizing silence crept up on us again as we locked gazes. This madness, this absolute insanity—it couldn't go on.

Closing my eyes, I whispered, "This is the one thing Skye can't forgive. The moment he leaves for a few hours, you show up. It's going to be damn near impossible to explain."

He shrugged again, almost robotically. "From my point of view, it's a good thing. If you two aren't together, my chances go up."

"Go up? You've just ruined them forever! Do you want me to hate you?!" I gritted my teeth. "My pregnancy is different this time—I actually have a chance of carrying to term! My hormone levels are high, and my uterus is growing. The doctor said it's because I have such an intense relationship with Skye, the chemistry. The sex stimulates my hormonal system—it's called Omega Awakening Syndrome."

Another heavy silence fell between us. For the first time since he arrived, Liam's expression softened. His eyes widened, and he pressed his lips together. Then slowly, he averted his gaze, staring at the wall as if something there demanded his attention. His breath hitched.

"Congratulations. Looks like your dream might actually come true," he said, clearly fighting back some strong emotion.

"Did you really want to do this? Break Skye and me up in such a petty way? I can't believe you'd be so vindictive! You were always kind, caring… Have you had this in you all along?"

"Me? Vindictive? What you did to me is a thousand times worse than anything I've done to you. Don't even try to compare, Soren, because you'll lose. You have no idea the hell I've been through—"

"And you want me to go through the same thing? Believe me, I've been through hell too. I've tormented myself over this—"

Liam laughed bitterly and cut in, "You? Tormented yourself? Hmph. And what came of it? Nothing. He fucked you into forgetting I even existed. You never cared about me, Soren. You were repulsed! You treated me like trash after everything I did for you. I fucking saved your life, and this is how you thanked me!"

For the first time since the day he found me in the bathroom with slit wrists, he brought it up… The shock hit me like a slow-moving icy wave, and my body quivered. My hands clenched into fists as I fought the reaction, fought the bitterness.

I stared at him for a long moment. Yeah… From his perspective, it must've looked exactly like that. He sacrificed so much for me, waited for years, and I betrayed him, abandoned him.

"Tell me the truth, Soren. Why did you even agree to be with me this summer?" His question hung between us like a thin blade, cutting into my chest, my throat.

I was silent.

"Well? Say it, Soren! Tell the truth. Did you ever really feel anything for me? Did you ever genuinely want this to work? Or were you lying all along, just using me because I was convenient while you wrestled with whether to be with him or not? Was I just a shoulder to cry on? Someone to serve you food and do your laundry, wash your fucking dishes?"

I swallowed hard, feeling almost physically sick. Slowly, I sank to my knees and bowed my head.

"Yeah. I'm messed up, Liam. Ever since Anton left me, something inside me broke. I LET him break me. I've never been able to get over it, to trust again. I thought I could only be with a beta after that. It was my own mental trap, and I dragged you into it."

Liam squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head.

"Enough with the excuses, Soren. Everyone has excuses to justify the shitty things they do. Excuse after excuse, with zero responsibility, zero decency, zero consideration for anyone else… No moral standards, a fucking jungle law."

"Liam, I'm sorry. I know how empty that sounds, and I have nothing to justify myself beyond… that I just think—" And suddenly, wait a minute… I was ready!

Blinking, I stared at Liam and knew I could finally let it out!

The one, impossible thing.

My eyes widened, and my breath quickened as I primed myself to say it, to face it.

"I think Skye is my True Mate," I croaked out.

There was another moment of silence, different this time. Liam closed his eyes, then slowly opened them. The words I had spoken seemed to hang between us like a giant red exclamation mark.

But then he just snorted dismissively, as if I'd said something silly and inconsequential.

"Really? So that's your excuse for all the messed-up stuff you've done? 'I couldn't do the right thing because he's my True Mate'? You think that's gonna shut me up? Find a better, made-up excuse."

How strange. I finally found the courage to say the fucking impossibility out loud, and this time it wasn't me who denied it. Skye must've felt it every time when I twisted myself into mental gymnastics to avoid admitting what we were.

What a turn of events. I guess my karma has come back to bite me. I just laughed bitterly, still kneeling. "Yes, Liam. Yes! However impossible it sounds, it's not made-up. From the first day I met him, I knew. On some level, I just knew. But I couldn't let myself believe it because nothing miraculous ever happens in my screwed-up life. Nothing of that magnitude. By continuously denying that reality, I hurt myself, you, Skye—and the misery kept going, dragging everyone into the hellfire because I refused to accept the damn truth!"

Liam stayed quiet for a moment.

"Soren, it sounds like delusion, it really does. You're all over the place."

I still laughed, struggling with the painful irony of it all. "I'm absolutely sure it's true. Everything adds up. All the signs are there. Then, we even had the First Orgasm, with those fucking electric sparks—like freakin' New Year's fireworks!"

Liam slowly lowered his head, staring at his hands.

There was a long pause as he let it sink in.

All the tension left my body, and I slumped down, leaning against the wall next to him. We sat like that for a while, saying nothing at all.

Finally, he whispered, "Why didn't you tell me? Last time I asked—you denied it."

I scoffed. "Exactly this reason. I kept refusing to accept the truth. That's where it all started. The essence of this whole mess. If I'd just admitted it from the beginning, back when I first met him and felt something I'd never felt before—not even with Anton—that pull, that connection, feeling his thoughts, his energy… things would've ended up differently. But I kept lying to myself and making it worse."

Liam studied my face in silence. I sighed and closed my eyes, feeling strangely relieved to be able to rant about it, to let it out.

"You know, there were even these small, silly things that gave it away right from the beginning. Even the first time I blew him and tasted his cum, it was sweet like whipped cream, and it just hit me because that's one of the signs, as they say. But I brushed it off, laughed at myself for even suspecting it. Then other things happened, one after another—the way I could feel him, my crazy libido I'd never experienced before, and many more. But it still wasn't enough for me. I even rejected the fucking First Orgasm!"

"But why? If you had so many signs?"

"Well, for starters, I'm a pessimist by nature. My line: ‘Expect the worst, not the fucking miracle.' But there was this one thing that confused me the most: I could be away from him for two months. It didn't make sense—it made me question everything. But I've read more about it since, and I know now that with betas, the Pull works less intensely than with omegas. We can be separated for longer. Plus, Skye and I didn't sleep together before graduation, so the Pull couldn't fully kick in until then. After we had sex, we could no longer be apart. I'm a beta, he's an alpha, but we're still True Mates. We're that tiny percentage in the statistics!"

I paused, out of breath, purging myself of the lies, denial, and self-deception. It was liberating.

But that's when I saw Liam's tears, streaming silently down his cheeks.

"Well… congratulations again, Soren. It's truly the magical solution to all your doubts and fears. You've become that one percent who gets to stay together forever. He will never leave you. A fucking happy ending. For one of us."

I had no idea what to say as I stared at his face. I remembered our conversation from months ago—he had wished that one day both of us would have happy endings. I guess I left him behind now, with my perfect HEA and riding off into the sunset, but no HEA for Liam… more like a fucking hell for him.

"One more thing, Soren. I wouldn't have done this if I'd known your pregnancy depended on being close to him. I'm not a monster. I wouldn't want you to lose the baby because of me. I just wanted you to feel my pain for a moment—the pain I feel all the time. Nothing more," he whispered, his voice trembling. "Despite all this, I still have feelings for you, and I don't want you to go through this loss again."

With that, he turned, went back to the bedroom to grab his clothes from the bed, pulled them on, and brushed past me as he walked out.

But I couldn't let him leave. I leapt to my feet and ran after him.

"Liam!"

He stopped but didn't turn to face me.

"I met my True Mate, and that's the only reason I left you. I would never have chosen any alpha over you. You were my best friend, my family, and I… loved you. You don't have to believe me, but it's true. We would still be together if Fate hadn't decided otherwise and arranged for me to meet him. But you were the next best thing in my life, and I thank you for all the love you gave me, Liam."

Liam didn't look at me. He just started walking and disappeared around the corner of the hallway.

And I…

…I sank to the floor, feeling like the ground was crumbling beneath me. Sobbing, I tried to make sense of it all, to come up with a way out of this mess. One thing I knew: I had to find Skye. I had to fix this.

I had to tell him we were meant to be.

From the beginning to forever.

Then I thought of one more rare talent True Mates have: they can always track the other mate. Regardless of where they are, if they listen to their intuition—to that inner compass—they can find each other. No matter the distance, no matter how many walls, streets, or miles separate them.

I clenched my jaw and left the apartment.

I knew exactly which direction to go.

Once and for all: toward Skye.