Reaching You

Chapter 13: Paige

Liam snakes his arms around my waist as I clean up the frying pan. He smells fresh and his hair is wet. "Gross. Put on a shirt." Chase says, regret filling his eyes as Liam turns to glower at him. I quickly pull Liam down into a chair.

"Sorry, I forgot that it's Liam," Chase mutters. I give Liam a look. Why was he so damn grumpy?

"Morning, everybody." He says, reluctantly. Lucas looks up in surprise. I smiled and squeezed his hand. "Thank the Moon Goddess!" Louise exclaims. Liam rolls his eyes.

I pass him a large plate. His eyes light up and he kisses my forehead. I flush red at his affectionate gesture. I watch as he digs in. I feel relief as it is clear that his monstrous appetite has returned. I slip into a chair between Liam and Lucas. Liam pulls my chair close that our thighs are touching.

I hold back the urge to roll my eyes at his attitude. I also start eating. Breakfast goes smoothly and Liam goes back for his seventh serving of breakfast. Despite this, he finishes earlier than me. Chase gathers the plates. "We clean up the dishes." He says. Louise pushes us out of the kitchen. Liam takes my hand. "Thank you for breakfast. You guys should get going. Beta John and Dr. Jones are waiting in the office." She says, gently.

Without warning, Liam throws me over his shoulder like a caveman. Louise puts her tongue in her cheek and does a naughty gesture with her hands. "LOUISE!" I yelped, scandalized. She bursts out laughing and waves as we disappear around the corner. I attempt to escape his grasp but he chuckles. His hand slaps my butt making me let out a squeak. We pass several pack members. "Hello, Alpha! Hello, Luna!" They say, looking amused. Mortified, I bury my face in my mate's bareback. I give them a small wave out of courtesy. Liam grins widely shocking the pack members. I'm starting to think that no one knew this playful side of Liam but only his Alpha side.

I see as we approach the office. "PUT ME DOWN!" I yelled. I did not want Elder John and Dr. Jones to see me in this state. "I think you're forgetting the magic word, princess." He says, wickedly. "Please" I whispered, my cheeks turning pink. I gasp as he shakes his head. What could be the magic word??? "Daddy," Liam says, his smirk growing. I raise my leg and kick him in the balls. His grip loosens and I escape his hold. How could he say such a crude thing in the broad daylight? He doubles over in pain but he is grinning ear to ear. He laughs loudly, looking pleased by my flustered state.

I tell my wolf to shut up as she chants "Daddy" in my mind. It seemed like my wolf and Ryder's were perfect for one another. Both of them were pervs. I straighten my clothes and head inside the building. "I can't believe you kicked my babymaker," Liam remarks, following me inside. I shake my head, exasperated. He was crazy. He takes my hand and kisses my hand. "Lucky for you, I love you, my fiesty mate." He says, his words tugging at my heartstrings. He was going to be the death of me. I sighed and smiled as I see him giving me puppy eyes.

"Put on a shirt," I said, gently. He nods and pulls out a shirt from the back of his shorts. My wolf boos loudly as he slips it on. "Upset, sweetheart?" He says, with a knowing grin. God, he was infuriating! "This body is all yours to see." He says, giving me a sweet smile. We turn around as we heard someone clearing their throat. "Sorry to interrupt your love fest but we have things to discuss." Elder John says, grinning. Dr. Jones stands beside him, looking equally amused. I give Liam a look which he counters with a sheepish look.

"Liam, we need to catch up with work. Let's go." Elder John says. Liam looks at me sadly before walking away with him. As I see him disappear, I let out a sigh of relief and lower my guard. Dr. Jones smiled. "Let's talk about Ryder." He says, opening the door to his office. I gulped nervously as I step inside. Dr. Jones sits down and says, "How are you feeling, Paige?" I struggle to find the words as I knew I couldn't tell Dr. Jones that Ryder and I weren't mates. "Slightly overwhelmed," I answered, deciding this was vague enough.

Dr. Jones laughs. "Liam's quite the character." He states, making me smile as I knew exactly what he had meant. "When will Ryder return? Will he return?" I asked, playing with my hands. Dr. Jones looks at me. "He will return but it's a little more complicated." He answers, choosing his words carefully. "How so?" I asked, my heart feeling heavy. What did I do to Ryder? I felt awful. The pack needed Ryder. I needed Ryder to return. Hell, Liam needed Ryder to return! "I initially thought that Ryder was too tired but it turns out that this isn't the case. When you were attacked by the rogue, this triggered Ryder's wolf instincts to protect you." He explained I nodded to show I was following him.

"A threat to mate's life is very traumatizing to a wolf. Ryder will return after you reassure Liam of your mate bond." He says, making my thoughts run wild. What did he mean by "reassure Liam"? I looked at the floor, lost in thought. "This means that you cannot be away from Liam for long periods of time. Affection and having fun activities will help Liam loosen control over Ryder's body." He says, answering all the questions that popped up in my mind. I remembered the agony in Liam's eyes as he told me how scared he was. I nodded. It did make sense, wolves were very emotional.

I guess I would have to take care of Liam for a while. An image of his mischievous smile appeared in my mind and I knew I was in for a helluva ride.