Chapter Six
~ Rooster ~
I closed the door behind me and leaned against the wall, my head throbbing with each beat of my heart. Finding my mate after all these years should have been the happiest moment of my life, but instead, I felt like I was walking on eggshells.
The kid was skittish as a wild hare, traumatized by years of surviving alone. I needed to be patient, to move slowly, to give him time. But a selfish part of me wanted to claim him now, to make sure he couldn't disappear from my life as suddenly as he'd appeared in it.
I pushed away from the wall and made my way to the kitchen. Henry had left painkillers with strict instructions to take them every four hours. My bear growled at the idea of medication, but the persistent hammering in my skull convinced me to be sensible.
I swallowed the pills with a glass of water, then filled another glass for Liam. The kid had to be thirsty.
After giving myself a few minutes to collect my thoughts, I returned to my room, knocking softly before opening the door.
Liam hadn't moved from his perch on the edge of the bed, though his eyes had been darting around the room, taking inventory of everything. Those golden eyes snapped to me as I entered, alert and wary as ever.
"Brought you some water," I said, setting the glass on the nightstand within his reach but not crowding him. "Figured you might be thirsty."
He nodded once but didn't reach for the glass while I was watching. I settled back into my chair by the window, wincing as my head protested the movement.
"I should probably explain more about what being mates means," I said, keeping my voice gentle. "I know I threw that at you pretty suddenly."
Liam's posture remained tense, but his eyes held that hungry curiosity I'd noticed before. The kid had spent fifteen years with no one to answer his questions about what he was, why he could transform, what it all meant. If nothing else, I could give him that—information, understanding.
"Shifters have a... connection to fate, I guess you could say," I began. "Most of us believe that somewhere in the world, there's one perfect match for us. One person who complements us completely. Like puzzle pieces designed to fit together."
I watched his face for signs of comprehension or confusion, but his expression remained carefully blank.
"When we meet that person, our bodies recognize them before our minds do," I continued. "It's in their scent—something that calls to us on an instinctual level. That's what happened when you shifted back there in the kitchen. Your scent changed, and my bear recognized you immediately."
Liam tilted his head slightly, brow furrowed.
"Finding your mate is just the beginning, though," I said. "Fate might bring us together, but we still have to do the work of building a relationship. Getting to know each other. Building trust." I smiled slightly. "Some might say that's the hard part."
I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees.
"Not everyone finds their mate. Some shifters go their whole lives without that connection.
Others find their mates but something keeps them apart—distance, circumstance, death.
" I shook my head. "I'd started to think I might be one of the unlucky ones. "
Liam pointed at himself, the question clear in his eyes.
"Yes," I confirmed softly. "You're my mate, Liam. And I'm yours."
He blinked rapidly, processing this information. His fingers twisted in the hem of his ragged shirt, a nervous gesture that made my heart ache. How long had it been since anyone had claimed him as their own in any way? Since he'd belonged somewhere, to someone?
"Being mates is... well, it's permanent," I explained. "Once the bond is formed, it can't be broken. That's why it's such a serious thing in shifter society. It's a lifetime commitment."
Liam's eyes widened slightly.
"But the bond isn't complete yet," I hurried to clarify. "Just finding each other is only the first step. The full bond forms when we... claim each other."
His brow furrowed again, confusion evident.
I took a deep breath. This was the delicate part. "Liam, do you understand what sex is? Intimacy between partners?"
To my relief, he nodded. At least I wouldn't have to fumble through that explanation.
"Good. Well, claiming happens during intimacy. It's a bite," I touched my shoulder where neck meets shoulder, "right here. When both mates bite each other during... during sex, it forms an unbreakable bond. We become connected on a level that's hard to explain to someone who hasn't experienced it."
The change was immediate and dramatic. Liam's entire body went rigid, his eyes widening in unmistakable terror. Before I could say another word, he was off the bed in a blur of motion, darting past me toward the door.
"Liam, wait—" I called, but he was already gone, the door swinging wildly in his wake. I cursed and lunged to my feet, ignoring the explosion of pain in my skull. "Liam!"
I followed him through the kitchen, knocking over a chair in my haste. The back door slammed as I reached it, yanking it open in time to see his shadowy figure racing across the yard. My heart pounded painfully as I gave chase, my longer legs eating up the distance between us.
But Liam moved like water, fluid and fast. By the time I reached Gearhead's garage, he'd vanished around the corner. I rounded it at full speed only to find... nothing.
Empty space where Liam should have been.
"Liam!" I called, scanning the darkness. How had he disappeared so quickly? "Please come back!"
I moved toward the bushes where I'd first spotted him months ago, where he'd hidden so often while watching our compound. Dropping to my hands and knees, I peered into the foliage, breathing deeply to catch his scent.
There was a trace of him—earth and pine and that unique something that had called to my bear—but it was fading already. He'd passed through, but he hadn't stopped.
"Liam, please," I called, desperation creeping into my voice. "I don't know what I said that scared you, but we can talk. I swear I won't do anything without your permission."
Silence answered me, broken only by the distant rumble of a motorcycle on the main road.
I rose to my feet, turning in a slow circle as I searched the darkness. "You don't have to hide from me, baby boy," I called, using the endearment that had slipped out earlier. "I would never hurt you."
But I had hurt him, somehow. Something I'd said had triggered a fear so profound he'd bolted like a startled deer.
The bite. It had to be. The moment I'd mentioned biting him during intimacy, he'd panicked. Given his life on the streets, God only knew what horrors he might have experienced or witnessed. What associations that word—bite—might have for him.
"I'm such an idiot," I muttered, rubbing my hand over my face.
I continued calling for him, moving from one hiding spot to another around the compound. Each empty space felt like a knife twisting in my gut. I'd found my mate after decades of waiting, only to lose him in minutes because of my clumsy explanation.
"Liam!" I shouted into the darkness, no longer caring who heard the desperation in my voice. "Please come back. We don't have to talk about claiming or biting or any of it. Just please come back."
But as the minutes stretched into an hour, then two, the terrible truth settled over me like a shroud.
He was gone.
I searched until my voice grew hoarse and my legs threatened to buckle beneath me. Every bush, every tree, every shadow on the compound got a thorough inspection.
By three in the morning, I'd covered every inch of our property twice, calling Liam's name until the other club members started poking their heads out of windows with concerned expressions. I waved them off. This was my mess to fix, my mate to find.
Butch had offered to organize a search party, but I'd declined. A group of leather-clad bikers crashing through the woods would only drive Liam deeper into hiding.
"Come on, kid," I muttered, shining my flashlight into yet another cluster of bushes. "Where are you?"
The beam of light revealed nothing but empty space where Liam should have been. The forest beyond our property line loomed dark and imposing, a thousand perfect hiding spots for a lynx shifter who didn't want to be found.
My head pounded relentlessly, the concussion making itself known with every beat of my heart. The painkillers had worn off hours ago, but I couldn't bring myself to go back inside for more. What if Liam returned while I was gone? What if I missed him?
"I'm sorry," I called into the darkness, my voice cracking. "Whatever scared you, we can work through it. Just come back."
Only the wind answered, rustling through the trees with cold indifference.
By the time the eastern sky began to lighten with the first hint of dawn, my desperation had curdled into something darker. Self-loathing settled in my gut like a bad batch of dough—heavy and sour.
I'd had one chance with my mate and I'd blown it with my clumsy words. Fifteen years alone had taught Liam to run from danger, and somehow, I'd made myself the danger.
I leaned against a tree, closing my eyes briefly as fatigue washed over me. I couldn't remember the last time I'd slept. Before the attack on the clubhouse, surely. Twenty-four hours ago? More?
"Just a little longer," I promised myself, pushing away from the tree. "He can't have gone far."
But he could have. Lynx shifters were built for speed and stealth. Liam could be counties away by now if he'd shifted and run through the night.
My search pattern widened, taking me beyond our property and into the surrounding woods.
I followed game trails and old logging roads, calling Liam's name until my throat felt raw.
The morning mist curled around my ankles as I stumbled through the underbrush, my movements growing clumsier with each passing hour.