Chapter 14
14
LIAM
I miss her so much it makes my chest burn.
I’ve been unable to find her all night, only catching that glimpse of her when she first entered the ballroom, looking like the goddess I know she is.
I was ready to drop to my knees right there and worship her.
I still am.
But April is nowhere to be found. Her scent lingers in the ballroom, and I follow it out to the garden, where I run into Donovan, noticing the pained look on his face.
I already know he fucked up.
“What did you do?” I snarl at him, blocking his way back to the entrance.
I know he’s the reason she’s made herself scarce. This was my chance to talk to her, to explain to her how much she means to me, but somehow, Donovan went and fucked it up.
He shakes his head. “Get out of the way, Liam.”
A low growl rises in my throat as I stare at my pack leader. No one can hear us out here, and I’m ready to lose my shit on him.
“You can’t keep hurting her,” I rasp. “You just can’t. ”
“I’m not trying to,” he snaps. “You think I want to hurt her? I want to protect her.”
“Protecting her,” I say quietly, “means keeping her safe with us. We are the best choice for her.”
It’s not the best time to have this conversation, but Hunter’s not here, and I basically have Donovan cornered.
My pack leader doesn’t care, giving me the same emotionally constipated look he loves to give me. “ Move ,” he snarls. He takes a step closer to me, but I don’t budge.
He’s taller than me by a few inches, and stronger, too. But I doubt he would want to make a scene here.
So, I put all my cards out on the table.
“She’s our mate, Donovan. You know she is.”
He shakes his head. “She’s not.” His voice is soft, and I catch a flicker of something in his expression.
“She is . I see the way you look at her when she’s not paying attention to you. Everything you do is for her. She’s your match , and you know it.”
He clicks his tongue and lets out a bitter laugh, one that makes my stomach sink. “You so desperately want a family, Liam. Don’t just grasp at the first girl that gives us attention.”
The barb stings, but I know that he’s just trying to end the conversation.
I won’t let him.
“I love her.” I swallow, keeping eye contact with my best friend. “I’m in love with her, Donovan.”
Looking weary at my admission, he closes his eyes and exhales slowly.
“I’m sorry, Liam.” When he opens his eyes again, I see how exhausted my pack leader truly is.
He looks like guilt has been eating him alive.
Part of me is glad. He keeps hurting April for reasons he won’t convey.
But I also feel sorry for him, that he’s unable to accept his own emotions.
Because if I know Donovan at all…he loves her, too.
It’s obvious Hunter does, as well. But Hunter’s never been shy about his feelings, and I could tell he was smitten with April the first time they met.
Hunter knows how to love loudly and proudly, and I hope to be like that one day.
But looking at Donovan, with the darkness under his eyes and his lifeless expression, I feel nothing but sorrow for him.
“You can’t keep beating yourself up about her,” I say quietly.
His face contorts. “Who?” he asks carefully.
I’m treading on thin ice, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to have this conversation with him again anytime soon.
“You know who. You did everything you could. You paid for the best chemotherapy treatments and doctors.”
Donovan growls and shoves at me. I stay put, a matching growl building in my chest.
“And what the fuck does that have to do with anything?” he spits.
“I’m not sure. Why don’t you tell me?”
Donovan grows still, and I know I’m right.
I continue, anger replacing my nervousness.
“You couldn’t save her, and somehow, for some ridiculous reason, you think that will apply to April. That because your mother died, you think…you’re not good enough for her? That you won’t be able to help April if she needs it?”
“Shut the fuck up .” Donovan advances on me, but I’m too pissed off to care.
“How many times does April need to make it clear that you don’t need to save her, that caring about her is enough? That loving her is enough?”
With another shove, Donovan pushes past me and back into the party.
“Asshole,” I mutter under my breath.
I hate calling him that, but he’s been acting more and more like one every day.
Out of habit, I fish my phone out of my pocket, prepared to text April and wait for it to inevitably not go through.
But to my surprise, there’s a message from her from ten minutes ago .
My blood runs cold when I read it.
I don’t know why the hell the mansion is set up like this, but the bathroom is criminally far away from everything else.
I run to it, ignoring the confused looks that everyone gives me. April’s scent blooms in the dark hallway, her sweetness mixed with a sour lemon note.
I knock on the wooden door. “April?” I call out gently.
“Liam?” her voice chokes out, and my heart breaks. “I can’t—I can’t open the—the door?—”
“It’s okay, baby, I got it,” I soothe, trying the knob.
It doesn’t budge, and I’m not waiting one more second to get to her.
“Stand back, baby, okay? I’m going to break it down.”
Her hiccupping sobs sound from behind the door. “You don’t—have to—I’m sorry?—”
It takes two good kicks, but the door comes off its hinges.
April is crumpled on the bathroom floor, her blood red gown piling around her.
She was in here for ten minutes .
I’m on the floor with her in an instant, pulling her into my arms as she trembles.
“I’m here,” I say in a hushed voice. “I’m here. It’s me, Liam.”
But she just sobs into my neck, and I’m grateful we’re far away from everyone else so I can hold her and let her cry in peace.
Every sound is a knife to my heart.
“I’m—sorry—” she chokes out, but I hush her, stroking her hair.
“It’s just us,” I murmur. “Let it out. You’re safe.”
I rock her back and forth in my arms, breathing in her sweet aroma and purring for her. After what feels like an eternity, her sobs quiet, and her breath comes easy.
She pulls away from me, and my chest tightens.
Don’t push away from me, not now…
“You broke the door,” she chokes out wearily. Her makeup is smudged, and a few pieces of her curled hair have fallen into her face, but she still looks perfect.
She’s still the goddess I want to worship.
“The door was already broken,” I say simply. “They would need to replace it, anyway. I just helped the process along.”
She chuckles weakly, and I wipe a tear from her face. “I’m sorry,” she whispers.
“What could you possibly have to be sorry for?” I murmur, pressing my forehead to hers. She exhales softly against my cheek, and my purr intensifies.
“Everything. For blocking you, for avoiding you, for not?—”
I press a kiss to her nose, interrupting her. “You never have to apologize for setting a boundary. I missed you like crazy, and I would prefer you speak to me if something upsets you, but I understand. Sometimes space is the best solution. I don’t want it to be…but I get it.”
She chuckles lightly. “What are you, my therapist? Why are all your answers perfect?”
I scoff. “I’ve had enough therapy for the both of us. Maybe I picked up some wisdom.”
She runs her fingers through my hair, and I close my eyes and shudder. Her touch is magnetic, the feeling going straight to my cock?—
I shove my inner Alpha aside. It’s not about me right now.
But that beautiful mating gland is out, and the urge to bite it overwhelms me.
So what if Donovan doesn’t realize she’s perfect for us yet? If I just bit her, none of it would matter.
And she would understand eventually, wouldn’t she?
Especially if I told her I lo?—
“We should go back out, Liam,” she whispers, and I realize I was staring at her gland. “We should go before people see us and wonder why the door is broken.”
I don’t want to. I want to stay here with her and keep her all to myself forever.
Damn the rest of the world.
“Liam.”
She finally snaps me out of my trance, and I look down at her and smile. “Of course, sweetheart.”
No one says anything about the broken bathroom door.
But Hunter finds us at a chocolate fountain and raises an eyebrow quizzically at me. “What were you two up to?”
“Nothing.” I feign innocence, but he doesn’t believe me.
“Liam rescued me from the bathroom,” April says playfully, and Hunter raises an eyebrow.
“Huh?”
“The door was stuck,” I tell him, shooting him a look. He’s aware of April’s issues with locked doors.
I briefly wonder if Donovan is. Was that ever discussed with him, or did April never feel comfortable enough to tell him?
“Oh, shit.” He looks at April apologetically. “You okay, baby?”
She nods. “I am. Honestly, I’m just happy we found the chocolate fountain.” She smiles and pops a chocolate-covered strawberry into her mouth, and I’m enraptured by the tiny bit of red juice that stains her lips.
So is Hunter, apparently. His eyes smolder when he looks at her, and he opens his mouth to say something, but then Donovan joins us. April turns to face him, and I catch a flash of pain in her warm eyes, but she covers it quickly.
“Finally,” she says, smiling. “The four of us are together. I feel like I’ve been chasing after the three of you all night.”
Donovan nods, and the corner of his lip quirks. It’s the closest I’ve seen to a smile from him in a long time. “We shouldn’t have to stay here much longer,” he says. “Honestly, I could use a break from all this.”
“Oh, you mean from sulking and moping around?” Hunter says cooly, and April glares at him.
But to my surprise, Donovan ignores the barb. “I mean from all…this.” He motions to the ballroom and dancing. Then he turns to me. “I wouldn’t necessarily object to any board games tonight if we decided to leave early.”
I breathe a sigh of relief internally.
Maybe my words got to him.
Maybe he’s…trying.
Hunter raises an eyebrow in surprise. “Honestly? Fuck yes,” he says. “I only came here for the chocolate fountain. And to see you in that dress, babe.” He turns to April and gives her a wicked smirk, and she laughs shakily and smacks his arm.
“And it would be nice to get away from Connor,” Donovan murmurs under his breath.
I frown in confusion. “Connor?” I repeat. The only Connor we know is the coffee company owner, and Donovan has never had a problem with him.
“What the hell did Connor do?” Hunter asks, and Donovan scowls.
“Nothing,” April sighs. “I like Donovan’s idea. Let’s get out of here.”
I look between April and Donovan, trying to figure out exactly what happened with Connor.
“If nobody tells me what’s going on, I’m going to break the chocolate fountain over someone’s face,” Hunter declares.
Donovan shakes his head. “He tried to sell April his coffee.”
He says it like it’s the gravest sin imaginable.
Hunter looks stunned for a second, then bursts out laughing.
“Yeah, let’s get the fuck out of here,” he chuckles. “We don’t need to say goodbye to anyone. Everyone saw us, we’re done. Your jealousy knows no bounds, man.”
Hunter slips a hand around April’s waist as we head out of the party, and I keep a close eye on Donovan.
I wish he would stop lying to himself. He’s ridiculously possessive of April, but pretends like he isn’t.
He acts like he doesn’t worship the ground she walks on, yet he would set himself on fire to keep her warm.
The scowl is still on his face when we all enter the limo that’s waiting for us. “What?” he mouths to me.
I shake my head.
At least he’s trying, for now.
I hope my words had some effect on him.
Especially now that he knows I’m in love with April…
Maybe he won’t fuck this up for us.