The Bond

Lost in the Woods

Miles' expression lost all it's warmth at the sight of me waving at him. His cold eyes slid passed me and he turned instead to stare straight into the fire. His mate, as if sensing his change in demeanor looked around just in time to see me awkwardly lowering my hand. I immediately struck up a conversation with Liam, but he had seen the odd exchange and ignored my attempt.

"Do you know him?" Liam mouthed it, aware that the mate was still eyeing us. She had obviously asked Miles who we were and I saw him shrug in noncommittal denial. I couldn't help the sting in my chest at being dismissed by Miles. We hadn't know each other long and weren't terribly close, but I still thought we were becoming friends.

"Kinda. He's the one who invited me to this party." I told Liam, not able to keep the miserable expression off my face. I knew it was mostly because I was drunk, but I felt irrationally depressed.

"How do you know him?" There was tension in Liam's jaw, but I only registered it faintly.

"It's my secret." I said, turning back to the table in search of something to make me feel a little more sober. The juice was just making me feel ill.

In hindsight it wasn't the smoothest answer, but my inebriated brain didn't have the capacity to think quickly enough to not make it weird. I didn't want to tell anyone about my diner, Liam included. It wasn't until Liam grabbed my wrist and began pulling me toward the trees that I truly comprehended he was upset.

Unable to talk to Liam without him looking at me, I attempted to dig my feet into the ground. Liam easily tugged me along despite my resistance. The trees loomed over us as he continued deep enough in to give us privacy. I trusted Liam wouldn't hurt me, but my heart was beating wildly in my chest.

Passing a tree, Liam turned back and pinned me against it. I stared up at him bewildered as his expression turned from anger to anguish. I asked him what was the matter and he simply bent his head so that we were forehead to forehead. We stayed like that for the breath of a moment before Liam drew back and mouthed.

"I'm jealous and I hate it. I'm jealous at every guy who looks at you. Every guy who calls out to you. I know I'm an idiot but I'm even jealous that you know a guy who I've never even seen before." Liam looked ashamed and my heart cracked. This isn't love.

"I'm scared that at any minute you'll find your mate. That you'll fall in love and forget about me." Liam's breath smelled strongly of alcohol as he came forward as if to kiss me, but backed off.

"I'm even scared that I'll meet my mate and what I want won't matter anymore. It's like a curse, the idea that I can want you this much but it might disappear into nothingness if I meet her. Where's my decision in that?" His hand came up to caress my cheek and it wasn't until he smeared them that I realized there were tears there.

"This isn't how it's supposed to be Liam." I clutched his shirt between us as I cried. Liam gentled my lips with his finger before leaning down and kissing me. I wanted to tell him that love isn't about jealousy and fear. Mates aren't supposed to feel like that. That what we were doing was unnatural. Instead I pushed into his kiss and let it overtake me. Liam gripped my hips roughly as his kisses turned desperate. It was like he was everywhere, overwhelming my senses. The frenzy was too much and I turned my head to the side to breathe.

Liam moved on to my neck. Running kisses and nips up and down the column as he pulled and groped at me. It seemed as if he thought he could pull us into one being if he just tried hard enough. I felt attacked and I needed space. I pushed back on his shoulders, but before Liam could respond he was wrenched away from me.

I took gulps of air willing the feeling of panic to fade as I processed the new situation before me. A guy several inches shorter than Liam was aggressively shoving him back. Liam tripped over a tree root and stared up at the intruder dazed. It wasn't until the new guy glanced back at me that I realized that it was Miles that had pulled Liam off of me and now stood between us full of hostility.