Logan’s POV
Liam laid everything bare-the entirety of Dahlia’s past and the reason she was so guarded against the mate bond. He explained how instrumental her father had been in convincing her to even consider giving it a chance and how easily she could change her mind if we pushed too hard. My emotions were all over the place as I listened. My heart ached for her, for the loss of her mother, and for the way her father’s emotional distance had left her to navigate her pain alone.
At the same time, I couldn’t help but feel relieved that Alpha Blackwell had never marked her.
If he had, she would have been lost to us forever.
But knowing she had loved him first, that she hadn’t waited for us, twisted something sharp in my chest. It was something I would have to come to terms with. Still, the thought of him touching what was mine made my blood boil. I wanted to rip him apart for it. Maybe that made me a hypocrite, but I didn’t care. While I struggled to process everything, Fang was pacing restlessly in my mind, his frustration building into a splitting headache.
“Go to mate! She needs us! We can make her better!” he whined, practically throwing a tantrum.
I sighed. He was far too confident about that.
“I wasn’t expecting you until tomorrow night. I planned to tell her after dinner, once she was settled in,” Liam admitted. “Given how delicate the situation is, I was still working through the best way to approach it.” He hesitated, then his voice took on a pleading edge. “Ghost and I want our mate, Logan. And I know you don’t. Or at least, you didn’t before the bond took hold. I don’t fully understand how this works, but I’m pretty sure if one of us rejects her, the bond will break for both of us. Please… just give us time to figure this out!”
I narrowed my eyes. “What the hell are you talking about?” I snapped. “When have I ever said I don’t want our mate? I don’t recall having that conversation with you. How dare you decide how I feel or what I want?”
“You’re right, we haven’t talked about it!” Liam shot back, his frustration matching my own. “Because every damn time I try, you brush me off!” He scoffed. “And let’s be real, based on your behavior, the entire pack knows you weren’t exactly searching for our mate. Or did you think you’d find our future Luna in one of those sleazy bars you like to haunt?”
Ouch.
Baby brother knew exactly where to strike.
I exhaled, running a hand through my hair. The truth was, he was only voicing what I had been too ashamed to admit to myself. Dahlia might never be able to look past my reputation. And I had no one to blame but myself.
“Fair point,” I muttered. “I owe you an apology. I was actually planning to ask you to grab a drink with me tonight so we could talk. I had a lot of time to think on the drive back from the summit, and it hit me that I haven’t exactly been a good brother lately. We’ve always had each other’s backs, but I shut you out, and you didn’t deserve that.” I hesitated, then forced myself to continue. “The truth is… I avoided you because I didn’t know what I wanted. But now? Now I do. I want our mate. I just don’t know if she’ll ever want me. Not after everything I’ve done.” My voice cracked, and I swallowed hard, trying to keep my emotions in check.
Liam’s expression softened. “Then why did you keep doing it?” he asked quietly. “Sleeping around, I mean.”
I let out a bitter chuckle. “Hell if I know. Part of it was selfishness. Part of it was immaturity. I’m an Alpha-I have needs, and I convinced myself I deserved to have them met. It’s easy to develop a big ego in our position.” I exhaled. “But at the same time, I didn’t want to start something with someone I’d have to walk away from if I found her.” I shot him a pointed look. “I saw how well that worked out for you.”
Liam gave a dry laugh. “Yeah, all I got out of those relationships were pissed-off exes. I could never give them the commitment they wanted.”
“Exactly,” I said. “So I went in the opposite direction. But after a while, I started realizing how empty it all was. And by then? My reputation was set in stone. I started wondering if I’d already ruined my chances with my mate-if the Goddess would even grant me one after the life I’d been living. Six years, Liam. Six damn years without finding her. I figured I might as well own my choices and pretend I was happy with them.” I exhaled sharply. “Deep down, I knew we’d probably share a mate, and I hated the thought that I was screwing things up for you too. But I ignored it. I’m so damn sorry, Liam. I do want our mate. I swear I do. But first… I need to know we’re okay. Please, tell me we’re okay.”
I held my breath, waiting for his response.
Liam didn’t speak right away. Instead, he just stared at me, a stupid grin spreading across his face. I frowned, clearing my throat.
“Well?”
“You really want her too?” he asked, his voice thick with emotion.
“Of course, I do,” I said without hesitation. “I don’t think I even realized how much until I knew she was real. Now, she’s all I can think about. I know I’ll never deserve her the way you do. I can’t erase my past. But I swear, I’ll do everything in my power to make her happy-to make this work between all of us.” I paused, pressing my fingers against my temples as Fang practically howled in frustration. “And if we don’t move soon, my wolf is going to lose his damn mind. Let’s go get our Luna.”