Valerie’s POV
How can he be so stubborn?
Can’t he tell that I’m only trying to get him jealous, is he too stupid to see that I crave his attention?
He just sits there and lets me fool around with Liam, while he tries to act as if he doesn’t care about my actions. I would never have taken this too far, but since he chose to be so damn stubborn, I might as well prove to him that two can play this game.
These were my thoughts as I flirted with Liam and agreed to follow him home tonight. I know how much he wants this deal, and I know he won’t try to stop me, or so I thought anyways. It’s been one hell of a night, and I just can’t wait to lay on the bed with Liam lying next to me cuddling me as I tell him how pathetic my life has been since the day I was born.
When he stood up and stretched his hand towards me in a bid to lead me out of this private suite and take me home, I gladly accepted his hand and let him lead me out the fucking door. I could feel them staring at me, for some weird reason, Cameron and Shane are trying to ruin whatever I have with Liam. I guess Cameron doesn’t want me to hook up with a billionaire so I don’t get to her level. And as for Shane, he’s just delirious and stupid. He claims to love me, but I’ll rather choke on my saliva and die a painful death than have anything to do with him.
I can’t believe he is trying to get down with me after what I saw him doing with his crazy sister. Gosh, it’s still repulsive to think about it, I just can’t imagine it. I felt their eyes on me, but that didn’t bother me one bit because I’m not scared of them, there is absolutely nothing they can do to me, not when Maverick’s business deal is on the line. And as for Maverick, he was still acting cool, pretending not to be pissed, but his wolf and his aura gave him away. Every often, I heard his deep throaty groan, and I felt his anger through our bond. Malia wouldn’t let me be either, she is seething in anger, and I know that is how furious he is as well.
If only he would say something, or give me a sign, or even do something to stop me. But he chose to dare me and see how far I would go. So I decided to call his bluff and provoke him even more. Liam wrapped his hand around my waist and led me out. At first, I didn’t bother about my decision because I knew Maverick and the others were watching us walk away through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows. I did not want to second guess myself in their presence and give them something to talk about. I walked majestically, and I followed Liam out of the clubhouse.
“Are you really going to watch me walk away with another man, you don’t care if I let him fuck me all night?” I asked him through our mind link as I walked away. I was holding on to the last shard of hope, I kept imagining that he would come after me, and I hoped and rated that he would show up in front of me and snatch me from Liam’s arms, but I was just fooling myself. Maverick is such a proud bastard, he would never come after me, not when his precious fiancee is sitting beside him in that lounge.
“Fine!
Ignore me all you want, but don’t you dare blame me for anything that would happen tonight. I’m going to ride this guy all night long. And guess what, it’s going to be your fault!” I told him furiously when he wouldn’t say a word to me. I think I got more furious when I stepped out of that rowdy clubhouse, it felt as if I was checking on my breath. All my fears came alive, and it felt as if I was thinking straight for the very first time.
“I can’t do this, Liam. I’m so sorry, I just can’t do it. This is so wrong, it feels so wrong,” I blurted out through ragged breadth. It felt like I was choking, I couldn’t breathe, and when I tried to force it, I choked on air. I could swear that I wasn’t holding my breath, yet I seem to be short on air supply when I’m standing out here in the open.
“Are you okay, what’s wrong babe, do you need something, should I get you something?” he asked repeatedly, but his questions seems to be making it worse for me. I had to push him away from me so I can breathe, his presence seems to be the cause of my predicament. It suddenly felt as if he was a poisonous gas that is threatening to choke the life out of me. I had to move away from him. And as I moved further away, he kept coming close, asking his series of useless questions, invading my space, and choking me to death.
“Get away from me, Liam. I need space, I can’t fucking breathe.” I let out through ragged, raspy breath, but he wouldn’t move away no matter what I said or did.
“Malia, what’s going on, is this your way of stopping me from going home with him?
If this is your handiwork then you need to stop it now, I can’t breathe, I’m going to die, I mean, we are going to die. I get it, I’m going home with Maverick, just stop it already, you are killing us.” I told my wolf through our link, but she wasn’t responding to me, and I’m fucking running out of breath.
“This is not the time to play your silent games with me, Malia. I’m fucking serious, we are going to die if you don’t stop whatever you are doing!” I told her sternly.
“I… It… it’s not me…
I… I’m hurting as well.” She responded. She sounded weak and hurt, it’s easy to tell that she is trying to heal me from within. From her tone, you could tell that whatever is happening to me is affecting her even more. I managed to look up at Liam who kept coming closer to me, and I saw that he was smirking evilly while I struggled to breathe. I have never seen him looking this sinister since I’d known him, in fact, I felt so scared as I saw the evil Flint in his eyes that wasn’t there a few minutes ago when we were flirting inside the club.
“What did you do, Liam?
What did you do to me, why would you want to hurt me?” I let out in pain as I forced myself to stand upright and gaze at him fiercely.
“I only have one question for you, Val…
All those years when you received gifts from me, and when you tricked me into helping you to flee from home, did you know about your inner beast?
Did you know that you were a werewolf, did you know that you and I can never be together?” he lets out in disgust as he glares furiously at me.
“Oh, wait…
Of course, you knew. All those days when I caught you speaking to yourself, you were talking to your beast, weren’t you?
You demon!
I should have known that you are such a lying bitch. I should never have trusted you. Do you know what it cost me to help you flee the city, do you know what I had to go through after you left me all alone to face the aftermath of your actions?
Let me enlighten you, my love…
Would you like to hear it from me, do you want to know what I had to go through to save myself and my family from the wrath of your foster family and the strange guys that came looking for you?” he asked tauntingly as he walked closer to me, walking around me like a predator stalking its prey. I looked around me and realized that we are no more in the parking lot, he made me run in the direction that he wants me to go. I was too stupid to see that he was pushing me towards a quiet corner, luring me into the dark. We were still close to the parking lot, but there was no way for me to maneuver out of this dark spot, he would never let me get past him. He seems determined to say what he has in mind, and there is no way I could make a run for it, not when I can’t even breathe.
“Liam…
M… My love please, I’m dying slowly, I can’t breathe. W… whatever it is, we can sort it out amicably. I… I’m so sorry my love. I never meant to hurt you. I don’t know why you are treating me this way, but please stop. I can’t take it anymore.” I pleaded pathetically, but I could as well be talking to a brick wall because he wasn’t listening to anything I was saying, he just went ahead with his sob story.
He told me how my foster parents investigated the incident that took place before I ran away from home. They found out that I had help from someone, and they dug deeper to find out who had helped me. It wasn’t long before they found out the whole truth, and when they finally found out that he was the one that helped me, my foster father made life miserable for their family, he used his position as the Mayor and he banished their family from the elites gatherings and banquets. If not for their wealth and companies, he would have kicked them out of the city. But since he needed them as well, since he needs their money and companies in the city, he had to let them stay and live their quiet, simple lives.
“I was no longer the most popular kid in school, girls no longer flocked around me, and I no longer had the clearance to go out as I please. I tried to reach you, Val. I needed comfort from the girl I risked everything to protect, I needed to make sure you were doing okay, and I needed to share my story with you and get comforted by you. I tried calling you Val, I tried and tried and tried, but what do I get?
Nothing…
Absolutely nothing.
Where were you, Valerie Keller?
Where were you when I needed you?
Oh, Wait…
Let me guess, you were a stripper in a club, banging every dude in this city for money, right?
Tell me, Val…
How many guys have you fucked since you got to this city, do you keep track of your body count, or did you lose count because they are too many?” he snickered. His words brought chills all over my body, I can’t believe that I turned Liam into a monster. He was such a good guy, he would never hurt anyone, let alone a woman he claims to love. Where did I go wrong, can I fix him, can he go back to his usual happy, cheerful self?