Beneath the Alpha's Moon
Chapter 207: A Constant Shadow

Chapter 207: A Constant Shadow

Liam’s P.O.V.

A loud knock jolted me awake.

I shot up in bed, heart pounding against my ribs. My room was dark except for the faint light of the alarm clock. 2:56 AM. Another knock, weak and slow, echoed through the quiet house.

"Liam?" Becky’s groggy voice came from the next room. A moment later, her door creaked open, and she appeared in the hallway, rubbing sleep from her eyes. "Did you hear that?"

I swallowed hard, the unease tightening in my chest. "Yeah."

Neither of us moved for a second, listening. The wind howled outside, and rain pattered against the windows. Another knock.

Becky frowned. "Who the hell—"

She didn’t finish. We both knew no one sane would be knocking on our door at this hour.

Cautiously, we descended the stairs, each creak of the wooden steps making my nerves prickle. When we reached the door, Becky hesitated before unlocking it.

The moment the door swung open, cold air and rain blasted into the house. But I barely noticed.

Because there, slumped on the porch, was Mai.

She was soaked, her long curls plastered to her face. Blood seeped through her torn shirt, staining her pale skin. Her lips parted, and she whispered something, but the rain swallowed her words.

"Shit—" Becky gasped.

I didn’t think. I just moved.

Dropping to my knees, I scooped Mai into my arms. She was freezing. Her silver eyes fluttered open for a second, finding mine, but then they closed again. My throat tightened.

"We need to get her to the hospital," I said. My voice didn’t sound like mine.

Becky didn’t argue. She ran for her keys while I carried Mai to the car through the downpour. My clothes were soaked within seconds, but I didn’t care.

I slid into the backseat with Mai still in my arms, holding her against me as Becky sped toward the hospital.

"Stay with me, Mai," I whispered, pushing her damp hair out of her face. She didn’t respond, her body limp against me.

Guilt clawed at my chest. She told me she was in danger. She told me someone was after us. And I didn’t listen.

This was my fault.

The hospital smelled of antiseptic and bad coffee.

I paced outside Mai’s room, running a hand through my damp hair for the hundredth time. Becky sat in one of the plastic chairs, chewing her thumbnail. We had been there for hours. The doctors had taken Mai in immediately, working to stop the bleeding. I hadn’t been able to sit still since.

Finally, a nurse stepped out. "She’s stable."

Relief made my knees weak. Becky and I rushed inside.

Mai lay in the hospital bed, her face pale against the white sheets. Her stomach was wrapped in bandages, and an IV dripped into her right hand.

I exhaled shakily and sank into the chair beside her bed.

Becky crossed her arms. "What the hell happened to her, Liam?"

I hesitated, staring at Mai’s motionless form. "Last night... she told me she was leaving. She was going back home to find proof that we knew each other." I swallowed. "But before she left, she said we were in danger. That someone was after us."

Becky frowned. "And you didn’t think to tell me that?!"

"I didn’t think it was real!" I snapped. "I thought she was messing with me like always!"

Becky sighed, rubbing her temples. "This is a mess."

I didn’t argue. It was.

A soft noise made me turn. Mai stirred, her fingers twitching against the sheets. My breath caught.

Then her eyes fluttered open.

At first, she looked dazed, blinking slowly as if trying to make sense of where she was. Then, she sucked in a sharp breath and croaked, "Liam."

I shot up, gripping her hand. "I’m here." The name still felt foreign to me, but Mai had insisted it was mine. And now? I had no reason to doubt her.

Becky hovered near the bed, arms crossed. "Mai, what the hell happened? Who did this to you?"

Mai’s silver eyes darted around the room, scanning the unfamiliar surroundings before landing back on me. Fear flickered in them. "I don’t... I don’t remember."

I stiffened. Not this again. "Nothing? You don’t remember anything?"

She shook her head. But then, in a small, fragile voice, she added, "But I have to protect you from them."

A chill ran down my spine. My grip on her hand tightened. "Who, Mai? Who are they?"

She just squeezed my hand, her gaze unfocused, lost in something I couldn’t see.

Before I could press further, the door swung open, and a doctor walked in, clipboard in hand. She explained that Mai’s memory loss could be a result of trauma but that they would run a head scan to rule out any physical damage.

Then the police arrived.

Two officers—one older, with graying hair, the other younger and taking notes—stood at the foot of Mai’s bed.

The older cop cleared his throat. "Miss, we understand you’ve been attacked. Can you tell us what happened?"

Mai hesitated, her fingers tightening around the blanket. "...I don’t remember."

The younger cop scribbled something. "Nothing at all? Do you recall where you were before the attack?"

Mai’s eyes flickered to me. "I was with Liam."

The older cop glanced at me. "And you are?"

I met his gaze evenly. "Her...friend."

He nodded. "Alright. And you last saw her... when?"

"last night when she came to tell me she was going back home," I said. "It was late when she left; and she had mentioned something about some people who were after both of us."

Mai flinched slightly.

The younger officer looked between us. "What people?" he asked, and I told him I didn’t know.

"Do you remember where your family lives or how to contact them?" The older cop asked Mai but she said no and he jotted something into his note.

The younger cop wrote something in his book as well and then asked Mai, "So you don’t remember anything about the attacker? No faces? Voices?"

Mai swallowed. "I—" She hesitated, then shook her head. "No."

The officers exchanged a glance.

"Miss, if you remember anything—even the smallest detail—it could help us," the older cop said.

Mai lowered her gaze. "I’m sorry."

They asked a few more questions, but without Mai’s memory, there wasn’t much to go on. Eventually, they promised to investigate but didn’t sound hopeful. I wasn’t holding my breath.

After all the tests and scans, Mai was discharged the next day.

She had nowhere to go.

Becky, despite her usual tough exterior, refused to let her fend for herself. "She’s coming with us," she declared, leaving no room for argument. It was the same thing she had done for me, and I had no doubt she’d do it again if needed.

But Mai didn’t just move in—she latched onto me.

If I left the room, she followed.

If I ran an errand, she insisted on coming along.

If I so much as shifted on the couch, her gaze snapped to me, like she was afraid I’d disappear.

It was suffocating.

But more than that... it was terrifying.

Because whatever she couldn’t remember?

It was still haunting her.

At first, I couldn’t stop asking about her family, but every time, she just shook her head and said, "I don’t remember."

The guilt clung to me like a second skin. If I had only listened to her that night or the other times she tried to get me to listen to her—maybe, just maybe—things would’ve turned out differently. She wouldn’t have gotten hurt.

But there was something else, something that felt familiar but wasn’t right. Apparently, Mai didn’t like being alone in her room, so she started sneaking into mine every single night.

The first time she did it? I nearly had a heart attack.

I woke up to the feeling of someone next to me. I turned to see her lying in my bed, looking completely at ease.

I freaked out. "Mai! What the hell are you doing?"

She blinked at me, wide-eyed, like I was the weirdo who was out of place.

"Mai, get out!"

She did as I asked without arguing, but when I woke up the next morning, there she was again, curled up on my bed. This time, her face was buried in my chest, her body nestled against mine.

I groaned, rubbing my face. "You’ve got to be kidding me."

I had no idea when she’d snuck in again. It was like she had a secret entrance to my room that I couldn’t even detect or maybe she did that her appearing and disappearing act she should me before losing her memories.

And she didn’t stop. No matter what I said, no matter how many times I told her to stay in her own bed, Mai always ended up back in mine. Eventually, I just gave in. I figured it was probably some kind of trauma response and let it slide. Besides, North seemed to like her well enough. He even joked that she was growing on him like a stubborn parasite.

To keep her occupied, Becky put Mai to work at the coffee shop.

At first? Yeah, it was a total disaster.

She spilled drinks. Forgot orders. Nearly broke the espresso machine.

But, somehow, the customers adored her. It was like she had this way of looking at people, like they were the only ones in the room. The regulars even started asking for her by name.

"See?" Becky smirked one afternoon. "She’s got charm."

I rolled my eyes. "She’s got something, alright."

One day, I decided to take Mai into the woods.

Before the stabbing, she’d hinted that she knew about North. So, I thought maybe, just maybe, letting him out would help jog her memory.

Under the thick trees, I let the change take over. My bones cracked, my vision sharpened, and within moments, I was standing on four legs, gray fur rippling in the breeze.

Mai gasped, then, to my surprise, grinned.

"That... is so cool," she said.

I blinked, not expecting that reaction at all.

She circled me, her eyes wide with fascination. Then, hands on her hips, she gave me a sly grin. "So... can I get a ride?"

I huffed, but lowered my body anyway, letting her climb onto my back. As I sprinted through the trees, her laughter danced through the air, filling the silence of the forest.

But when it was all over, she still didn’t remember.

A month passed.

Somewhere along the way, I stopped questioning it.

Mai was just there. A constant. My shadow. My pain in the ass.

And, weirdly enough, I didn’t mind it.

Maybe—just maybe—I liked having her around.

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