Beneath the Alpha's Moon
Chapter 245: Reasons To Celebrate

Chapter 245: Reasons To Celebrate

Liam’s P.O.V.

Mai’s beautiful green eyes were wide, glowing in the moonlight as she clutched my arm. "Ollie is losing his damn mind," she whispered, breathless.

I blinked. "What do you mean?"

"He’s screaming," she said with a laugh, shaking her head. "Like, full-on screaming in excitement. He keeps saying, ’Oh my goddess, you can hear me? You can actually hear me?’"

I smirked, trying to imagine Ollie freaking out. "Sounds like he’s more excited about this than you are."

"Oh, trust me, I’m excited," she said, pressing her hands to her temples like she still couldn’t believe what was happening. "I never thought I’d be able to use the mind link. Ever."

I hesitated for a moment before asking, "Do you think... I could try it with you?"

Mai’s eyes snapped to mine. Then she nodded excitedly. "Yeah, of course! let’s try."

I smiled then took a deep breath and closed my eyes. Reaching out, searching for her presence, the way pack wolves described it—like a thread of energy connecting two souls. I had never thought I’d be able to connect with Mai this way.

Then I heard—

"Liam?"

Her voice was inside my head. Inside. My. Head.

I stumbled back, eyes snapping open. "Holy shit."

Mai clapped her hands over her mouth, barely containing a shriek of excitement. "You heard me! You actually heard me!"

I laughed, running a hand through my hair, still dazed. "I did! I really did! Try again."

"Liam, you’re a dumbass."

I barked out a laugh. "Okay, you didn’t have to go that hard on me."

She grinned, her eyes shining. "It worked, didn’t it?"

I didn’t even think. I just grabbed her by the waist and spun her around, lifting her off the ground as she let out a startled yelp. "It worked! You’re finally fully connected to the pack! You’re fully—"

"A werewolf," she whispered, awe in her voice.

I put her down gently, keeping my hands on her waist, unwilling to let go just yet. She looked up at me, a smile forming—real, unguarded, not one of her usual smirks. It made my chest ache.

"Liam," she whispered. "This means I’m not broken."

My breath hitched. "Mai, you were never broken."

Her eyes shimmered, and for a second, I thought she might actually cry, but then she smirked and bumped her forehead against mine. "Shut up and be happy with me."

I chuckled, pulling her into a tight hug. She buried her face in my chest, her arms squeezing around me. We stayed like that for a long moment, just breathing each other in.

Finally, she pulled back, still grinning. "Ollie wasn’t even calling me for anything important, by the way."

I raised an eyebrow. "Seriously?"

"Yeah, he was just messing around, trying to see if it would work." She laughed. "Guess he got his answer."

I shook my head, exhaling. "Well, at least he gave us a reason to celebrate."

"We have many reasons to celebrate today. Your birthday being one of them. Happy birthday my love." she said and my heart swelled with love and happiness.

"Thank you my love." I replied kissing her cheeks.

The excitement lingered between us, but as the adrenaline started to settle, I realized how late it was. I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "We should go see my parents."

Mai immediately stiffened.

I looked at her, confused. "Mai?"

Her fingers curled into fists, her usual confidence slipping for just a second. "Are you sure? I mean... you know how they feel about me."

I frowned, stepping closer. "Mai, that was before. Now that we’re—" I hesitated, choosing my words carefully. "Now that you’re mine, they’ll see you differently."

She scoffed, looking away. "Your mother has hated me since we were kids, Liam. She thinks I ruined you."

I softened. "Mai—"

"I did ruin you," she cut in, her voice small. "I hurt you. I—"

I grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at me. "You didn’t ruin me. And we both know I was never going to stay away from you, no matter what happened."

Her lips parted, her eyes flickering with something raw. "You really believe they’ll accept me now?"

I smiled, brushing my thumb against her cheek. "They don’t have a choice."

A slow smirk replaced her uncertainty. "Damn right they don’t."

*******

The moment we stepped onto the porch of my home, the door swung open.

"Liam?"

My mother’s voice cracked as she rushed toward me. Her face was streaked with tears before she even reached me. I barely had time to brace myself before she threw her arms around me, squeezing so tight I thought my ribs might crack.

I froze. "Mom—?"

"When did you get back to the pack?" she sobbed against my shoulder. "Why didn’t anyone tell me? How was your training?"

Confused, I shot Mai a look, but she had gone still, her eyes wide.

Then, through the mind link, her voice whispered in my head.

"Liam, I think my parents lied about what happened to us in order not to hurt them."

My heart stuttered.

"What do you mean?" I asked through the link.

Mai’s voice was careful, hesitant. "Your mother thinks we went somewhere."

Realization hit me.

My parents didn’t know about the coma.

The weight of my mother’s arms around me felt like a rope tightening around my neck. Guilt churned in my stomach as I pulled away, forcing a smile.

"I—I’m sorry for not telling you sooner, Mom," I said, rubbing the back of my neck. "The journey was... fine."

Fine? That was the best I could come up with?

I felt Mai tense beside me, her eyes flickering toward me like she wanted to kick me under the table. The lie sat heavy in my chest.

My Dad came out as well and clapped a firm hand on my shoulder. "That’s good to hear. You must’ve learned a lot." His sharp blue eyes scanned me from head to toe, evaluating. "We should train together soon, see how much you’ve improved."

My throat went dry.

Training? With him?

I could barely get out of bed without wobbling, let alone fight my father—an experienced warrior.

But I nodded, swallowing. "Yeah... I’d love that."

Liar.

Mai cleared her throat, stepping forward. "Good evening, Sir, Madam," she greeted smoothly, a perfectly rehearsed smile on her lips.

My parents returned the greeting, but the warmth they had given me only moments ago had vanished. My mother smiled, but it was tight, controlled. My father gave a brief nod, then looked back at me.

"Happy birthday, son." His voice softened slightly.

Mom wiped her eyes, sniffling. "I wasn’t sure you’d be back in time, but I made your favorite cake and a full dinner." She motioned toward the dining room, her expression hopeful. "Come eat before it gets cold."

I felt something swell in my chest—gratitude, love, guilt.

"I’d love that," I said, my voice thick.

Mai shot me a small, knowing smirk as we followed them to the dining room.

Dinner was warm, familiar. Plates clinked as we ate, my mother occasionally fussing over whether I had enough food. Mai sat beside me, surprisingly quiet as she chewed, watching my parents like she was waiting for a trap to spring.

And then, my father leaned back in his chair and sighed contentedly. "Now that you’re eighteen, it’s time to start thinking about your future."

I blinked. "My future?"

He nodded. "Finding your mate."

I nearly choked on my food. Mai, on the other hand, didn’t react—just calmly cut her steak into smaller pieces.

Mom beamed. "Now that you’re of age, the bond will start to reveal itself. You might already feel drawn to someone. Have you noticed anything?"

I set my fork down. The moment had come.

I glanced at Mai. She arched a brow, daring me to say it out loud.

I took a deep breath.

"I already found her."

My parents suddenly went silent.

My mother’s smile faltered. "Oh?"

I nodded, heart pounding. "It’s Mai."

The temperature in the room seemed to drop.

Mom and Dad stared at me, their faces shifting between disbelief and something I couldn’t quite name.

"Mai?" my father repeated, eyes narrowing slightly.

Mai finally looked up, tilting her head innocently. "Yes. Liam’s my mate."

Mom pressed a hand to her chest, her expression torn between shock and confusion. "But—" She swallowed. "The Moon Goddess paired you two?"

I nodded. "I felt it the moment I saw her."

My father’s lips parted like he wanted to argue, but then he closed them again. My mother exchanged a look with him, unspoken words passing between them.

After what felt like an eternity, my father let out a breath. "Well... the Moon Goddess’s will is absolute."

Mom nodded, though her face was still filled with uncertainty. "I... I suppose we should be happy for you both."

Mai smirked. "You don’t have to sound so thrilled."

Mom shot her a sharp look, but before she could say anything, my father chuckled. "We wish you both the best," he said, offering a tight smile. "It’s not what we expected, but if this is fate... then we’ll support you."

Mai’s smirk softened—just barely.

Mom exhaled and reached across the table, squeezing my hand. "We love you, Liam. If this is what the goddess thinks will make you happy, then... we’ll be happy for you."

Relief washed over me, and I squeezed her hand back. "Thank you."

I felt Mai relax beside me.

Things were finally looking up for me.

After dinner, my mother insisted that we stay the night.

But, of course, there was a catch.

"Mai will take your room," Mom declared, arms crossed. "And you, young man, will sleep in the living room."

I gawked at her. "What? Why?"

Mom huffed. "Because I don’t need grandchildren running around anytime soon."

Mai burst out laughing. "Oh my goddess, Ma’am!"

My father chuckled, shaking his head. "Cara, they’re still young."

Mom shot him a glare. "Exactly! Which is why abstinence is the key."

My face burned. "Mom—!"

Mai wiped at her eyes, still laughing. "Come on, Liam. Your mother is just making sure you don’t seduce me with your overwhelming charm."

Look who’s talking!

I groaned, covering my face. "This is humiliating."

My father snorted, clearly amused.

Mom, however, was dead serious. "You’ll sleep on the couch."

And that was that.

I sulked as I grabbed a pillow and a blanket from my room, sending a glare in Mai’s direction. She just smirked, leaning against the doorway. "Sweet dreams, birthday boy."

I grumbled something under my breath, lying down on the couch.

Mom was overreacting. It wasn’t like Mai and I hadn’t already—

I froze.

Nope. Not going down that train of thought.

I shut my eyes, exhaling. The house was quiet, the only sound the occasional creak of the walls settling.

And then, just like I had been expecting, I heard it.

Soft footsteps.

I barely had time to sit up before Mai slipped onto the couch beside me, curling against my side like we haven’t just been banned from sleeping together.

I smirked. "Mai—"

"Shh." She nuzzled her head under my chin. "Go to sleep."

I hesitated. "My mom—"

"She won’t come downstairs."

I sighed, running a hand down my face. "You’ll never change."

She hummed, already half-asleep. "of course. That’s what makes me Mai."

I chuckled, wrapping an arm around her. "Yeah... it is."

And with her warmth pressed against me, the weight of the day slowly faded into nothing.