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“Yeah.” I wished he would be here for me, but I couldn’t hate Liam for looking after himself when his grip on the world was already so tenuous.
But god, I missed him, a surprising amount. I leaned my elbows on the railing and looked out over King territory. Liam was the one who was intimately connected to my mind, the one who had raced to protect me from Stone.
I hadn’t realized who Liam King really was.
And I was beginning to think no one else—not even these brothers and this sister who loved him so much—really knew him either.
Shaw hesitated. “I should go.”
“You might as well,” I agreed. “There’s nothing to say.”
He frowned down at me, his dark hair blowing in the breeze. “Amelia, I’m sorry I wasn’t able to stop Stone. I didn’t know—”
“I know. You couldn’t stop him. No one can stop the pack’s alpha, right?” My lips twisted bitterly. I had to get out of here, away from Stone. No one could stand against him, the same way no one could stand against Nathan.
Stone was a thousand times better of a man. I knew that even after what he had done to me. But that didn’t change the fact Stone was dangerous. Stone had good intentions to go with his cruelty. I massaged my wrists, still feeling the way his weight had crushed me down to the stone altar.
Shaw’s jaw tightened. “I’m not weak.”
“I didn’t say you were. I’ll never be an alpha, and I’m not weak.” My hands tightened on the railing as I straightened to my full height. I had to run. I had to be free, on my own, so no man could crush me down again and make me weak.
I had loved Brennan so very much, but his memory had been the thing that made me weak. That love itself, that had sustained me through so much darkness, was dragging me down now into the endless undercurrent of my grief.
Shaw raked his hand through his hair. “How do I make this better?”
His voice sounded raw.
“You can’t.” My voice came out hard, because as I spoke, terrible reality crystalized around me. “In the end, Stone will do whatever he must to convince himself I’m innocent. But there are no memories where I betrayed Brennan, Shaw. So when he can’t find any evidence of guilt, he’ll have to rake through every memory to know I’m truly innocent. If he ever believes me…”
Shaw stared down at me in horror, but he couldn’t argue with me. He knew it was true as much as I did.
“Every bit of happiness I’ve clung to… he’ll have handled it all, weighed and judged every moment. And it’ll turn to dust. I’ll never be able to see those moments again without seeing Stone.”
My voice curled into disdain on the nameStone.
Shaw looked shocked. “He won’t do that. I won’t let him.”
I couldn’t hold back my laugh, even knowing it would hurt him. Shaw pulled back as if I’d slapped him.
But we both knew he couldn’t stop Stone.
“Louisa would never do that.” He was grasping for straws now. There was no point in claiming Stone wouldn’t do something. He was as implacable. The asshole was aptly named.
“She’ll do what Stone tells her.”
He shook his head. “Amelia, I promise, you’ll be safe here—”
“Don’t.” I whirled on him so fast he looked stunned. “Don’t lie to me. I felt safe here!”
“You are safe.” He rested his hands on my shoulders, his face tortured but his eyes intent. “Amelia, I know seeing those memories again was horrible, but your body is undamaged. Your son is sleeping in that bed—”
“Don’t tell me I’m safe!”
“You are safe!”
I brought my hands up inside his grip and snapped outward, pushing his hands off my shoulder. “Don’t touch me! Not when you’re going to lie to me. Do you know how much worse it is because I let myself feel safe here? Because I washappy?”
“I won’t let him hurt you!” Shaw’s gaze locked on mine, full of promises. “Amelia, please, believe me. Stone can see reason. And if he doesn’t—I’ll stop him.”
