Beneath the Alpha's Moon
Chapter 197: Never Again

Chapter 197: Never Again

Liam’s P.O.V.

I woke up to warmth.

It was the kind of warmth that was unfamiliar—solid, soft, and definitely not my pillow. My breath hitched, and my entire body tensed. Someone was hugging me. From behind.

Panic surged through me as I jolted, my muscles locking up. My mind went to every possible threat, every worst-case scenario, but then—

The scent hit me.

Crisp pine. Wild honey.

My racing heart stopped for a beat.

Mai.

I turned my head slowly, and there she was, curled up against me like a cat, her arms snug around my waist. Her eyes were shut, her long curls spilling over my pillow, her face completely relaxed.

For a moment, I just stared.

Mai Blackwood. In my bed. Hugging me.

A deep sigh left my lips, half in disbelief, half in exhaustion. Of course she broke into my room. Privacy didn’t exist in Mai’s world—not when it came to me. And for some reason, I never seemed to mind as much as I should.

I should wake her up. I should.

Instead, I adjusted her slightly, shifting so she wasn’t awkwardly bent. She stirred just a little but didn’t wake. I hesitated, then—without thinking—I reached up and brushed a curl from her face.

What the hell am I doing?

I should have pulled back. I meant to pull back. But my fingers had a mind of their own, trailing through her curls, smoothing down the strands.

Mai looked so still. So peaceful. Like she wasn’t carrying the weight of everything that haunted her.

And for some reason, my heart started beating too fast.

I swallowed hard, forcing my eyes away. I’m a damn creep. Staring at a girl while she slept? That was a new low, even for me.

I forced myself to focus on something else. The ceiling. The sound of birds outside. The fact that I had school in an hour—

Mai shifted.

I barely had time to react before she stirred, a quiet sigh escaping her lips as she pressed her face against my chest.

My body locked up.

Then, as if realizing where she was, she jolted upright so fast she nearly fell off the bed.

"Liam?!"

I sat up more slowly, rubbing my face like this was the most normal thing in the world.

"Morning," I muttered.

She gawked at me, her silver eyes wide. "I—I—" Her hands shot to her head as if she could physically gather her thoughts.

I arched a brow, fighting back the smirk tugging at my lips. "Lost for words? That’s a first."

"Shut up," she snapped, still flustered.

I leaned back against the headboard, tilting my head. "So... any reason you broke into my room in the middle of the night?"

She winced. "Yeah. About that... I, uh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to invade your privacy. I just—" She took a deep breath. "After everything yesterday, I didn’t want to go home. And I was scared. Of the whispers. They get too loud when I’m alone."

Her voice was quieter now. Almost vulnerable.

Something in my chest twisted.

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. "Did you teleport in?"

She nodded sheepishly.

I exhaled. "Mai."

"I know, I know. No sneaking into your room. Got it."

I shook my head. "That’s not what I was going to say."

She blinked.

I reached out and pulled her into a hug.

"If you ever feel scared," I murmured against her hair, "just tell me. I’ll let you in. No sneaking needed."

She stilled against me for a moment before she relaxed, burying her face into my shoulder. "Okay," she whispered.

For a second, we just stayed there.

Then, something shifted.

The air between us grew thick.

Mai pulled back slightly, and our eyes locked.

I could feel her breath against my lips.

I wasn’t thinking. I wasn’t even sure I could think.

I just moved.

My lips met hers.

It was slow at first. Gentle. Like testing the waters of something we both knew we shouldn’t be doing. But then—

Fire.

She kissed me back. Harder. Desperate. Like she had been waiting for this just as much as I had.

I barely registered the moment I ended up flat on my back, Mai hovering over me, her fingers gripping my shirt.

My hand found her breast, and she moaned into my mouth.

Her fingers trailed down, brushing against my pajamas covered morning erection and I moaned shamelessly; her fingers were about to wrap around me again when...

Knock knock knock.

"LIAM, FRESHEN UP AND COME DOWN FOR BREAKFAST!"

We jerked apart like we had been electrocuted.

My breath was heavy. Mai’s face was bright red.

"Okay, Mom!" I croaked.

We sat there in stunned silence as footsteps faded down the hall.

Then Mai bolted upright. "I—I gotta go."

I opened my mouth, but before I could even process what just happened, she vanished.

Just like that.

I groaned, running a hand down my face. "What the hell just happened?"

Throughout my morning routine, all through breakfast, and all the way to school, my mind was stuck on an endless loop, replaying the kiss over and over again. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t shake it. It was like a song stuck in my head—except this one came with a hurricane of emotions I wasn’t ready to deal with.

And as if my day wasn’t already complicated enough, the second I stepped through the school gates—

People stared.

I caught the whispers.

"Did you hear what Mai did on Thursday?"

"She teleported Liam away."

"Why is she so obsessed with Liam?"

"Arthur still can’t speak. Elizabeth barely managed to unstitch his lips."

"Dude, don’t go near Liam if you wanna live."

I tuned them out. I didn’t care.

All I could think about was the kiss.

I needed to talk to Mai. I needed to see her, to figure out what this meant—what we meant. But by the time the first bell rang, she was nowhere to be found. One class passed. Then another. By mid-morning, I was spiraling. Was she avoiding me? Regretting it?

By lunch, I felt like I was on the verge of losing it. But I forced myself to breathe. Maybe Mai was just as shaken as I was, trying to process everything, just like me. That had to be it. So I made a decision—after school, I’d find her. We’d talk.

During art class, I got some paint stuck under my nails, and on my way to the restroom to scrub it off—

Mai appeared.

Just like that.

One second, the hallway was empty. The next, she was standing in front of me.

I blinked. "Where the hell have you been?"

She hesitated. "We need to talk."

Before I could say another word, she grabbed my hand—

And suddenly, the hallway vanished.

When I blinked again, we were in an empty classroom.

"Mai—"

"I’m sorry."

I froze.

She took a deep breath, eyes locking onto mine. "For the kiss. It shouldn’t have happened."

For some reason, that hurt more than it should have.

I frowned. "I kissed you."

"I know." She exhaled, looking away. "But I kissed you back. We’re not eighteen yet. We don’t know who our mates are. If we keep doing this... what happens when we do find them?"

My jaw tightened.

She was right.

But why did it feel like I was losing something?

I forced out a sharp breath. "Fine."

She looked surprised. "You agree?"

I smirked, though it felt hollow. "What, did you think I’d fight for you?"

She punched my arm.

I chuckled, rubbing the spot. "Alright, alright. We put it behind us. Never happened."

"Never happened," she echoed.

**********

After school, Mai asked me to walk her home. And being the emotional support werewolf that I was, I agreed without hesitation. No questions, no second thoughts—just a quiet nod and a steady presence by her side.

Ollie, never one to miss out, decided to tag along.

The Alpha’s residence loomed ahead, its towering presence as intimidating as ever. But the moment we stepped inside, Mai grabbed my hand, her fingers latching onto mine like a lifeline, and led us straight to the living room.

That’s when I realized we had an audience.

Alpha Lucian. Luna Teresa. Beta Rylan. Even Elizabeth. All seated in a hushed discussion that immediately stopped the second we walked in.

Mai squared her shoulders, her grip on my hand tightening. "I need to talk to you all."

Intrigue flickered across the Alpha’s face. "What’s wrong?"

Mai didn’t hesitate.

"I’ve decided to stop being stubborn and work with Elizabeth," she declared. "I want to master my magic before my eighteenth birthday."

Silence fell over everyone.

Then, Luna Teresa practically beamed.

Alpha Lucian exhaled, tension seeping from his frame. "I promise, we’ll find a way to rid you of that vile spirit. You’ll be free again, princess."

He and the Luna stood, closing the distance between them and Mai in a heartbeat, pulling her into a tight embrace. Ollie joined in seconds later, wrapping his arms around his family as they murmured their thanks.

From the side, Beta Rylan and Elizabeth looked on with quiet pride, as if they were witnessing something they’d been hoping for all along.

And then—just as the warmth of the moment settled—the Alpha’s sharp gaze landed on me.

His expression darkened.

"Mai," he said slowly, "this is a sensitive family matter. Why is Liam here again?"

I stiffened.

Mai, completely unfazed, simply shrugged. "Because he makes the whispers stop."

The entire room froze.

Every single pair of eyes snapped toward me.

The Alpha’s voice dropped, careful, measured. "What do you mean?"

Mai tilted her head. "Like I said. When Liam is around, the whispers stop. So I want him around me. All the time."

The Alpha and Luna exchanged a look.

A look I definitely wasn’t supposed to see.

A second later, they were all smiles, nodding in gratitude. "Thank you for helping Mai," Alpha Lucian said. "We appreciate it."

I accepted their thanks, but something about it felt... off. Forced.

And when the Alpha promised to reward me for it, I declined—but that uneasy feeling in my gut didn’t go away.

Because they kept looking at me.

Then at each other.

Like they knew something I didn’t.

Like I was missing a piece of a puzzle I hadn’t even realized existed.

That night, after leaving Mai at her house, I tried—really tried—to push everything out of my mind.

To ignore the strange looks.

The unspoken words.

The way my name felt like a question on their tongues.

But even as I lay in bed, exhaustion pressing in, the air shifted.

A whisper of movement.

I turned—

Mai stood there.

Barefoot. Hair a little messy. Face slightly red. In her pajamas.

"Mai?"

She shifted on her feet. Cleared her throat. "So... even though we agreed not to get involved romantically again, would you, uh... mind cuddling me?"

I stared.

She looked away, mumbling, "Forget it, it was stupid—"

I opened my arms.

She stopped.

And then—without hesitation—she ran straight into them.

I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her close, breathing her in.

Maybe I couldn’t kiss Mai Blackwood again.

But this?

This was enough.