Liam’s P.O.V.
My heartbeat thundered in my ears, a steady drum of desperation I couldn’t shake off. The mory of last night—the confession, the kiss, the raw promise I had made—still lingered on my lips. But what ca after had been worse.
Eldur was coming for Mai. And I didn’t know how to stop him.
I had my mories back—the ones he stole from . And I sure as hell wasn’t going to let him take anything else. Not my life. Not Mai.
No one was going to know I had my mories back. Not my parents. Not even Mai. For now, I intended to keep things the way they were.
Because if anyone found out, they’d try to take her from .
And that? That wasn’t happening.
I wasn’t sure when this fierce possessiveness had settled in my chest, but I wasn’t about to fight it.
Mai was mine.
And I would do whatever it took to keep it that way.
*********
Breakfast with the pack was as loud and chaotic as ever. The long wooden table was crowded with warriors, their voices overlapping in an endless stream of jokes, taunts, and conversations. Dishes clattered, chairs scraped against the floor, and the scent of freshly cooked at and bread filled the air. Soone, probably Caleb, was arguing with Lucas about a training match, while another group was roaring with laughter at sothing ridiculous Mason had said. It was always like this—wild, energetic, and impossible to ignore.
My parents had never been fond of these gatherings. Not since Mai. Not since everything she had done to . They had avoided these breakfasts like a plague, unwilling to share a table with the Alpha, his family and the pack after all the pain I had endured. But now, with my mory loss, things had shifted. My mother and father had co, their eyes lingering on , watching like they were trying to morize my every movent. It made feel very guilty.
They were here for . Because of . Because I had lost my mories. And yet, I knew I wasn’t the sa son they had protected so fiercely before. I didn’t want to have any mories of the bad things that had happened between and Mai, I wanted no recollection of the pain that had once drawn such a thick line between us. There was only one thing I knew now—Mai mattered. More than anything.
I had barely tasted my food, too lost in my own thoughts, though I had made an effort to smile when my mother placed an extra helping on my plate. My father, ever the watchful one, had studied in silence, as if trying to read sothing beyond the surface. But there was nothing to read. I was lost in a storm I couldn’t blow away, caught between the past I had once forgotten and the future that now included Mai.
By the ti breakfast ended, I was relieved to escape the noise and the heavy weight of my parents’ gazes.
And then I went to find her.
This morning, Mai had been whisked away from by her teacher Elizabeth even though she had protested; and, I had been practically forced by the Alpha to join him for breakfast just so I wouldn’t go with Mai.
Thankfully, Mai was back and waiting for outside my room, leaning against the doorfra. She wasn’t looking at , though. Her silver eyes were fixed on the hem of her sweater, her fingers absentmindedly twisting the fabric. She looked exhausted, lost in thought. And yet, even like this, even standing in silence with her guard down, she still carried herself with that sa quiet strength. Like she could take on the world.
Good. She was going to need that strength.
She glanced up as I stepped closer. "Hey," she said, tilting her head. "You look worried. What’s going on in that head of yours?"
I took a slow, steady breath. "I have been thinking all morning." I said, before continuing, "You rember the boy in the mirror yesterday?"
Mai tensed. The restless movent of her fingers stilled. "Yeah. He creeped out."
I nodded. "He’s real, Mai."
She scoffed, rolling her eyes. "I know he’s real. I just don’t know what he is."
I clenched my jaw. "He’s going to kill ."
The smirk vanished from her lips. "What?"
"He said he was coming for you in a few days. That he was going to take you away and kill ." I watched her carefully. "And he ant it."
A shadow passed through her silver gaze, her expression darkening into sothing hard. Unyielding.
"No," she said. "I won’t let him."
I exhaled sharply, shaking my head. "That’s the thing, Mai. You won’t be able to fight him."
She frowned. "What are you talking about?"
"Last night," I said, stepping closer. "When he spoke to you, you were in a daze. Didn’t you feel it? That pull? Like you wanted to get closer to him?"
Mai hesitated. Her brows furrowed, like she was rewinding through the mory, tracing every detail. Then, slowly, her lips parted.
"Yeah," she admitted. Her voice was quieter now, more uncertain. "I don’t know what he did, but it was like... I couldn’t move away."
Her fingers curled into fists, and for the first ti, real fear flickered in her eyes.
Eldur had already begun his ga.
And we didn’t even have ti to prepare.
"Exactly," I said, my voice firm. "That’s why we need to get stronger. Fast."
Mai folded her arms, her sharp gaze locking onto mine. "And how do you expect us to pull that off? You planning on waking up tomorrow with superwolf strength?"
I clenched my jaw. "No. But sothing happened yesterday—when I looked at the boy in the mirror. A mory ca back."
Her eyes narrowed. "Wait. Are you saying you actually rembered sothing?"
A slow smile crept onto my lips. "Yeah. Not everything," I lied. I didn’t want her feeling like she was the only one struggling to recall her past.
She stared at , waiting.
I took a breath. "I rembered that you’re more than just Mai. You’re a witch. A powerful one. And a fae." I let that sink in before adding, "If you could tap into that side of you, you wouldn’t have to run. You could fight him. You could fight Eldur."
She blinked, clearly taken aback. "A what?" she scoffed. "Liam, I haven’t been able to do anything remotely useful except teleport. And even that barely works half the ti."
"Then start practicing," I said, my tone leaving no room for argunt. "Now. Before it’s too late."
Mai hesitated, biting her lip. "And what about you? What’s your brilliant plan?"
"I’ll train," I said simply. "Get stronger. Push myself until I’m ready. And you—" I looked at her seriously, "—you need to do the sa. We can’t afford to wait around anymore."
She shook her head, exhaling. "Or... we could just tell my parents. And yours. You know, the people who actually might have a clue about what’s going on? Everyone here seems weird like us. Maybe they can help."
"We’ll tell them," I agreed. "But we still need to be strong on our own. No one’s going to save us, Mai. Not this ti."
She let out a sharp breath but nodded. "Alright."
We had a plan—or at least the start of one. But plans ant nothing when fate had its own agenda.
It all ca crashing down the very next morning.
I woke to the soft murmur of Mai’s voice. Still half-asleep, I barely registered her words as she sat at the foot of my bed, rambling about sothing I couldn’t quite grasp yet.
Then the air shifted.
A cold shiver clawed its way up my spine.
The scent of winter and burnt embers coiled through the room, suffocating, unnatural.
And then—
He was there.
Eldur.
He stood just inside the doorway, his presence warping the very air around him. His silver eyes—duller than Mai’s but no less piercing—landed on her first. Then flicked to .
A slow, knowing smile spread across his lips. "Mai," he said smoothly. "Co with ."
Mai stiffened—but then sothing changed. Sothing was wrong.
She blinked. Once. Twice. And then her silver eyes dulled, her body easing into unnatural stillness, her posture relaxing as if the tension had never existed.
My stomach lurched. No.
"Mai?"
She didn’t respond.
My blood turned to ice. "Mai!"
Eldur’s smirk widened. "She hears you, Liam." He tilted his head, amusent flickering in his gaze. "She just doesn’t care."
A fiery rage surged through as I bolted upright, reaching for her. "Mai, snap out of it!"
She moved.
Not toward .
Toward him.
The panic hit like a physical blow. "MAI!"
Eldur barely spared a glance. He didn’t have to. His smirk never wavered as he t my gaze, his words a whisper of doom.
"You should have stayed in the dark, Liam."
And then—
They were gone.
Vanished.
The silence that followed was deafening.
I stood frozen, my pulse pounding in my ears, my breath ragged, my entire body shaking with fury and helplessness.
Mai was gone.
Eldur had taken her.
And I had failed.
But I wasn’t about to lose her.
Not now. Not ever.
I was going to bring her back.
Even if it killed .
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