Beneath the Alpha's Moon
Chapter 189: The Prisoner and the Whispering Girl

Chapter 189: The Prisoner and the Whispering Girl

Liam’s P.O.V.

I didn’t even hesitate.

The instant Mai’s back was turned, I took off. My heart pounded in sync with my footsteps, the rough terrain threatening to trip me with every frantic step. Every fiber of my being screamed one thing—run. The cave’s exit loomed ahead, an open maw of darkness promising freedom.

I lunged forward—

And crashed into something.

Something solid.

Something unmovable.

It was like slamming into an invisible barrier. The shock rippled through me, rattling my bones as I stumbled backward, my breath hitching.

I reached out, fingers trembling, skimming over what should have been empty space—but it wasn’t. Something was there. Something I couldn’t see.

"What the—?" My hands flattened against it, pressing hard.

Nothing.

No movement. No cracks. No way through.

Just an unseen force, cold and hard, sealing me inside.

A slow clap echoed behind me.

"Congratulations," Mai said, her voice dripping with amusement. "You just discovered my barrier spell." She added, leaning against the old wooden bed, arms crossed. Her silver eyes shinning with amusement.

I whirled around, rage and disbelief burning through me. "You—you locked me in here?!"

She tilted her head, her smile never falling. "I told you. You’re not leaving until we make up."

I stared at her, struggling to process the insanity of the situation. My jaw clenched. "Mai, drop the spell."

"No."

"Mai."

"Liam."

I clenched my fists. "Drop the barrier, now!"

She tilted her head again, feigning thoughtfulness. "Hmm. No."

"I swear to god, if you don’t—"

"You’ll what?" She crossed her arms, looking entirely too smug for someone who had just kidnapped a person. "Hit the invisible wall again?"

I wanted to scream. Instead, I took a deep breath, clenching and unclenching my fists. "This is ridiculous."

Mai shrugged. "I’m aware."

"You’re crazy."

She smirked. "Also aware."

"Let me go."

"Make up with me."

I exhaled sharply, my patience fraying. "For the last time, I don’t owe you anything!"

For a split second, something flickered in her eyes—something almost... vulnerable. But just as quickly, it was gone.

"Why?" My voice was tight with frustration. "Why does this matter so damn much to you? Why can’t you just leave me the hell alone?"

Mai’s smirk didn’t falter, but there was something behind it now. A crack in the mask. A hint of uncertainty.

She let out a dramatic sigh, pushing off the bed and strolling toward me, slow and deliberate.

"Fine." Her tone was deceptively light. "Since you’re so stubborn..." She stopped just inches away, her gaze steady.

"I’ll have to do this the hard way."

I braced myself. "What the hell does that mean?"

Mai walked toward me slowly. I tensed, instinctively stepping back—only to hit the barrier again.

Her voice was different when she spoke this time. Quieter.

"I’m going to tell you something. Something I’ve never told anyone but Eldur. But you cannot make fun of me."

I raised an eyebrow. "Not promising anything."

She rolled her eyes but continued anyway.

"All my life, I’ve known I was different. Not in a ’special’ way—no, that would be too easy. I mean different in a way that’s...wrong."

I let out a short, humorless laugh. "Yeah, no shit."

She ignored me and exhaled sharply. "My parents know it too. Everyone does. But no one will tell me what it is."

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

She hesitated, then looked at me, her usual arrogance stripped away. "I hear voices."

The cave suddenly felt too small.

I took a cautious step back. "What?"

"They whisper things to me," she said. "Wicked, terrible things. And the worst part? I don’t always know when I follow through."

A cold shiver crawled down my spine. Damn, ghost stories, I hated ghost stories.

"When I was a kid, I told my parents. My teacher, Elizabeth. They all acted like they knew something I didn’t. Instead of explaining, they just threw me into more training. ’Master your witch side,’ they said. ’Then you’ll stop hearing them.’" She let out a humorless laugh. "Spoiler alert: they were wrong. The stronger I got, the louder the whispers became."

My throat felt dry. "You’re telling me...you don’t always remember doing things?"

She gave a small nod. "Sometimes, I just...black out. Then I wake up, and suddenly, people are accusing me. Demanding I be punished. And I have no memory of what I did."

I stared at her, trying to process what she was saying.

Mai Blackwood—menacing, arrogant, untouchable—looked almost...vulnerable.

My mind spun. "That doesn’t make sense. If your parents knew something was wrong, why wouldn’t they tell you?"

She shook her head. "I don’t know. And after a while... I stopped asking. People saw me as a monster anyway, weather I knew why I was born this way or not, I decided to embrace my fate."

Silence stretched between us. I swallowed, my throat dry. "So, what? You just started owning up to it because you were sick of denying it?" I asked

Her lips twitched into a bitter smile. "Ding, ding, ding. Figured I was screwed either way, so why fight it?"

There was something disturbingly logical about it.

Still, my chest tightened. "And what does this have to do with me?"

Her silver eyes locked onto mine. "I made peace with all of this. The whispers. The blackouts. The punishments. I accepted that no one would ever understand." She hesitated. "Until you came back."

I blinked. "What?"

"At first, I thought I was losing it. I couldn’t understand why I kept thinking about you. Why I wanted to be near you." She gave a self-deprecating laugh. "I thought maybe it was guilt for what I did to you. But that didn’t make sense. I don’t feel guilt for anyone else I’ve hurt. So I followed you. Studied you. I wanted to know why I was so...obsessed."

I swallowed hard. "And?"

Mai took a deep, trembling breath. "The whispers stopped."

I blinked, my chest tightening. "What?"

She held my gaze, her expression confused by also happy. "When I was with you—or even thinking about you—they went silent." Her voice was just above a whisper. "No urges. No blackouts. No punishments. Just... silence."

A lump formed in my throat.

"But then you ran," she continued, her voice wavering. "That night at the movies. You left. And the whispers came back."

Her eyes darkened with something raw, something broken.

"Yesterday, I blacked out again, Liam." She clenched her fists. "I don’t know what I did. Or who I hurt. But I know I’ll find out soon."

My mouth went dry.

For years, I had feared her. Hated her. Avoided her at all costs. And now, she was standing in front of me, telling me I was the only thing holding her back from becoming a much more terrifying witch?

"What—" My voice cracked. "What do you want from me, Mai?"

She exhaled slowly, closing her eyes for a moment before meeting mine again.

"I want you to bear with me."

My breath caught.

"Until I figure out how to control this, I can’t stay away from you. And I’d rather us be acquaintances than whatever this is." She gestured between us. "I don’t expect you to forgive me. Hell, I don’t even expect you to like me. But I can’t do this alone."

For the first time since I’d known her, Mai looked completely...defenseless.

I didn’t know what to say.

Then, as if she realized she had been too raw, too exposed, she straightened. Her usual smirk returned.

"Oh, and if you tell anyone about this?" Her grin turned sharp. "I’ll make your life a living hell."

Something in me snapped back to reality, and I scoffed. "What could you possibly do to me that you haven’t already done?"

Mai’s eyes glinted. "Oh, Liam. You underestimate me."

I rolled my eyes. "Enlighten me."

She grinned. "I’ll move into your house."

I froze.

"I’ll pack all my things," she continued cheerfully, "and live right under your roof. We’ll be inseparable. You’ll wake up, and I’ll be there. You’ll go to school, and I’ll be next to you. Everywhere you go, I’ll be right there, making your life as humiliating as possible."

A cold shudder ran through me.

Her smirk widened. "Imagine explaining that to your parents."

I scowled. "You’re evil."

"I try."

I sighed, rubbing my temples. "Fine."

She blinked. "Fine what?"

"I won’t tell anyone and I won’t push you away anymore."

A slow, satisfied smile stretched across her face.

"Really? You’re the best Liam."

I glared at the invisible barrier blocking the exit. "Now can you let me out?"

She stretched, looking obnoxiously comfortable. "Mmm...maybe later."

I groaned, sinking onto the bed. "I hate you."

She sat beside me, nudging my shoulder. "Liar."

I let out a long breath, staring up at the cave’s ceiling.

Somehow, against all logic, against everything I thought I knew—I believed her.

And just like that, I realized something horrifying.

I was absolutely, utterly doomed.

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