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It was the least I owed Liam after everything.
As time passed and the night only continued to get colder, I couldn’t stop the panic that continued to rise within me.
Countless men were around me, yet hardly any of them said a word. I heard no indication of how things were progressing, and that made me nervous.
I wondered if Liam didn’t know I had been taken yet or if he couldn’t be bothered to step in and try to get me back. While it was a painful thought, I reminded myself that regardless of how he felt, he wouldn’t be that cold.
He had feelings for me, whether it was difficult to believe or not. If there really was a connection between us, then that meant he wouldn’t be able to stand the thought of me being captured.
I could only hope that I didn’t ruin everything and that there really was something there.
The longer I was forced to stand against the tree, the more I started to worry about my safety. I had been more concerned about Liam and whether or not he could face off against all the armed men hidden in the woods, but it dawned on me that I was the one tied up. If he didn’t cooperate, I would likely be the one to face the brunt of it.
I couldn’t help but think I might’ve deserved it. Maybe being captured by those men was exactly the justice I was owed.
Through the waves of panic, a moment of clarity struck me and left me with a sliver of hope.
If I was right and we were still in town, then I wasn’t too far to be helped. Whether they knew it or not, Rose Valley was teeming with shifters and witches, among others.
Even if it took time, sooner or later, someone would find me. Someone would help get me away from them.
While it wasn’t the most sound plan to get out, it was enough to keep my spirits up.
Desperate for water by then, it was all I could think about. I needed something to keep my mind off the topic.
“Soon enough, someone will come looking for me,” I said, growing more restless with every minute that passed. “You don’t know what you’re up against here. Liam will fight, and it won’t end well for you and your men.”
Presumably, Zain laughed from behind me. “A bunch of freaks, right? Look around you. We’re more than prepared.”
That seemingly small insult made my blood boil, but from my position, there wasn’t much I could do about it.
Despite not fighting my restraints like I could’ve been, I started to lose feeling in my hands, and the discomfort only mounted while paired with the bitter cold and how tired my legs were from standing.
Right when I started to abandon my hope, a faint flash of light in the distance pulled me back out of it.
It was Liam.
My heart started up all over again, relieved to see him and his glowing eyes. But it felt like more than relief that time—more than gratitude.
Something pulled in my chest, so overwhelming that I couldn’t feel anything else. I could only see and think about him. My skin ran hot, and there was no way to describe how badly I needed to be closer to him. To feel his skin against mine.
Remembering how intense the reaction had been for my friends when they realized who their mates were, I had the feeling I had just experienced the same thing.
I had spent so long trying to ice him out that I had never stopped to really understand what that feeling was in my chest every time I saw him. I never gave any possible connections the time of day.
But as I watched him approach, walking through the woods like he was prepared to take on the world, no inch of me could reject him. No part of me wanted to go a day without him.
I wanted him. I needed him, and I couldn’t keep pretending otherwise.
The moment I accepted him for his flaws and all, that invisible pull between us became more pronounced, and that tether seemed to have a life of its own.
More than ever before, I was desperate to get out of there. To run into Liam’s arms and never deal with another one of these men again.
But before I could celebrate, whispers moved through the crowd of men around me, signaling their next moves.
With his eyes on the two men who approached him, dressed just as darkly as the others, he didn’t seem aware of the sheer number of bodies in the woods.
Instead of coming in with force, Liam went straight to them and started speaking. They were too far away to hear what they were saying, but I tried to follow his expressions to glean any idea of what was happening.
