“Please.” I dropped to my knees as tears streamed down my cheeks. “I don’t want to hurt anyone.”
“Liza,” Sabrina’s voice cut through the chaos, drawing everyone’s attention. She hurriedly made her way to my side and brushed my hair out of my face. “What’s happening to you?”
106
TY
My heart pounded as Liam’s fingers dug into Nico’s throat. I braced myself to intervene, but before I took another step toward them, the desperation in Sabrina’s cry froze me in my tracks.
With just one word, she commanded my full attention.
“Liza!”
My focus went straight to my mate. She was pale, pained, and her face covered in sweat. Instinctively, I rushed toward her, my body moving before my mind had fully processed the situation. To my surprise, Liam reached her side at the same time, his worried look mirroring my own.
“What’s happening Liza?” he asked calmly.
I grudgingly admired his ability to keep his cool under pressure. I had never been so completely powerless, and I hated it.
The powerful scent of fear surrounded all of us, and her muscles were taut. She was fighting against something inside her.
“I... don’t know,” she said through clenched teeth, her brows furrowed in confusion. “It’s like I’m shifting… I can’t… It’s hardto fight her. I can’t control it.” Liza’s mouth was clenched tight, her body tense and rigid. She was fighting an internal battle. Sweat beaded on her forehead, and her breaths came out in short pants. I hated seeing her like this, hated feeling helpless,
“Her wolf...” Realization dawned on me. “It’s trying to take over and force the shift.”
Liam’s face paled, and he took hold of her hand. Leaning down, he said something to Liza I couldn’t quite make out, but it sounded like he was talking directly to her wolf. I drew closer and watched intently. The tension in the air was like a ticking time bomb, waiting to explode.
“Easy there, girl,” Liam said in a soothing, calm tone, apparently relaxed despite the dangerous situation we found ourselves in. “I get it. You want to protect your family, but I’m safe. Ty’s safe. You need to trust Liza to handle this. She’s strong enough to keep you both safe.”
“Keep talking to her,” I said out loud while silently praying that whatever connection he had with Liza’s wolf would be enough to help her regain control. The thought of losing her to the beast within terrified me to my core.
I sent thoughts and memories through our mating bond to remind Liza of who she was.
The first time I saw her at the mating party, when she entered the room from the kitchen. How mesmerizing she was.
How glorious she looked when we were making love.
Reminding her of all who loved her and valued her: me, her parents, brothers, Liam, Sabrina—anyone I could think of to remind her of her importance in this life.
I marveled at her strength, and how she remained resilient despite all she had endured, and I told her she was the strongest person I knew and loved.
Something shifted in Liza, and the wildness in her eyes receded, her breathing slowing down just a fraction before sheslid to the floor, and I went with her, holding her in my arms. Her muscles relaxed, leaving only exhaustion and vulnerability in its wake.
The tension in the room crackled like a live wire, the air heavy with the scent of fear and desperation. Liza’s ragged breaths filled my ears as she struggled to contain her wolf, her body shivering violently in my arms.
“Stay with us.” Liam’s encouragement was soothing, like a calming breeze on a stormy day. “We need you here.”
I watched as Liam recognized something within Liza’s wild gaze—a flicker of understanding shared between siblings. A melancholic half-smile played on his lips, the corner of his mouth twitching ever so slightly.
“Your wolf… she was trying to come to my aid, wasn’t she?” he asked, almost incredulously. Liza nodded slowly, the effort clearly taking its toll on her.
A heavy sigh escaped my lips as it all clicked into place. Of course. Her wolf was reacting to Liam’s distress. He was her brother, and the aura he was emitting must have been unbearable for her sensitive instincts. Nevertheless, the danger for Liza remained just as potent.
“Damn it,” I said, my voice hoarse with worry. “You need to keep your emotions in check, especially around Liza. She’s already got enough to deal with.”
“I realize that now,” Liam admitted. “I’m sorry. It didn’t even occur to me. I never imagined it would provoke such a strong reaction from her.”
“Neither did I.” I glanced down at Liza’s drained face. “But we need to be more careful from now on. We can’t afford to make any more mistakes.”
