Chapter 116 CHAPTER 116
The city lights were already beginning to glow by the time Liam turned the car off the main road and into a private drive that led toward one of the tallest buildings Lisa had ever seen up close.
Lisa leaned forward slightly in her seat, curiosity replacing some of the heaviness she had carried all day.
“Where are we?” she asked softly.
Liam slowed at the security gate, his focus calm and unhurried. “A hotel,” he replied. “Well… more than that.”
The gate lifted smoothly, recognizing the car without a word. As they drove closer, Lisa could see the name etched discreetly near the entrance. It was elegant, understated, nothing flashy. Human, at first glance.
Liam parked in a reserved underground space and shut off the engine. Only then did he turn to her. “It belongs to your family,” he said gently. “One of many properties the Mooncrest royals own. Humans manage most of it. Wolves handle the rest. They don’t know about each other.”
Lisa stared at him, stunned. “This… this is ours?”
“In a way,” he said. “Ethan will walk you through everything one day. The businesses. The investments. The places like this.” He hesitated, then added with a faint smile, “I thought you deserved something quiet tonight. Somewhere far from councils and rituals.”
They rode the private elevator in silence, the ascent smooth and swift. When the doors opened, Lisa stepped into a space that stole her breath. Floor-to-ceiling windows wrapped around the penthouse, revealing the city spread out beneath them like a living constellation. The apartment itself was warm and inviting - soft lights, clean lines, touches of comfort woven into luxury.
“It’s beautiful,” Lisa whispered.
Liam nodded. “Ethan gave me permission to use it. He agreed you needed rest.” After a pause, he added, “We don’t have to go back to Mooncrest tonight. If you’d rather stay… we can.”
Lisa turned to him, surprised, then relieved. “I’d like that.”
Liam exhaled, some tension leaving his shoulders. “Good.”
He set their things down and gestured toward the hallway. “Why don’t you take a shower? I’ll start on dinner.”
“You’re cooking?” she asked, amused.
“The fridge is stocked,” he said. “I asked the hotel staff to bring groceries up earlier. I didn’t want us eating room service.”
She laughed softly and headed toward the bedroom. When she came back out, towel wrapped around her, she stopped short. Spread neatly across the bed were clothes - simple, elegant pieces in her size.
“I thought you wouldn’t want to wear your school things all night,” Liam said from the kitchen doorway. “I had someone bring these up.”
“How did you…?” She shook her head, smiling. “You’re always thinking ahead.”
“That’s why I’m the commander,” he replied lightly.
Dressed and calmer, Lisa joined him in the kitchen. Pots simmered quietly on the stove, steam carrying rich, comforting scents. “What are you making?” she asked.
“Nothing fancy,” he said. “Just food that feels like home.”
“It smells incredible,” she said, lifting a lid briefly before he laughed.
“Give it a few more minutes,” he said. “I’ll shower while it finishes.”
When Liam returned, fresh from the bathroom with a towel slung low around his waist and his hair damp, Lisa forgot how to breathe for a moment. He crossed the kitchen toward the stove, close enough that she caught the clean scent of soap and something uniquely his. He leaned past her to check the pot, his arm brushing her side.
“Almost ready,” he murmured.
Her pulse thundered. She turned without thinking, her hands finding his chest, her lips meeting his. The kiss was slow at first, tentative, then deeper as the tension they had been holding back all day finally surfaced. His hands slid to her waist, steady and warm, grounding her even as everything inside her sparked.
Liam turned off the stove with one hand, never breaking the kiss, then lifted her easily and carried her toward the bedroom. The city lights framed them through the glass as they kissed again and again, each touch deliberate, unhurried. Shirts were removed, skin meeting skin, breath mingling as they explored each other with reverence rather than haste.
When they finally paused, foreheads touching, Liam’s voice was low and steady. “Lisa… we should stop.”
She searched his face, surprised but not hurt. “Why?”
“There’s too much happening around us,” he said quietly. “Too much weight. I want this - when it happens - to be something we choose fully, not something we cling to in the middle of chaos.”
She studied him, then nodded slowly. “I understand.”
He kissed her once more, tender and lingering. “I love you too much to rush this.”
Later, they sat across from each other at the small dining table near the windows, the city glowing quietly beneath them. Liam had served a thick, slow-simmered stew with tender pieces of beef, carrots softened just enough, and potatoes that had absorbed the spices perfectly. There was warm bread on the side, torn by hand, the kind meant to be dipped and savored without hurry.
Lisa tasted the stew and closed her eyes briefly. “This is really good,” she said. “You always know how to make someone feel better.”
Liam watched her carefully, the way her shoulders finally relaxed, the way her voice sounded lighter than it had all day. “It’s not just anyone,” he said quietly. “It’s you. I know exactly what helps with you. I’ll always want to make you feel better – always.”
She laughed at that, soft and genuine, the sound catching him off guard.
It stirred the heat he had carefully pushed aside earlier, brought back the memory of her breath against his skin, the way her hands had trembled when she touched him. For a moment, he wondered if bringing her here had been a mistake - if placing himself this close to her, in this quiet, intimate space, had made the promise he’d given harder than it needed to be.
“Will I manage the night?” Liam asked inwardly, the question slipping into the familiar space where Kane waited.
Kane’s presence was steady, calm, unshaken. “It’s difficult after everything I just witnessed, but I trust you," his wolf replied. "And so does she.”
Liam exhaled slowly.
“It wouldn’t destroy anything if it happened, anyone can see just how in love the two of you are” Kane added, not unkindly. “But you are a man of your word. I know you would rather bleed than break a promise you made to her.”
Liam knew that was true. The restraint hurt, but it was a chosen pain - one he could live with.
Across the table, Lisa felt the echo of her own thoughts stirring.
That was intense, Celia said lightly. “You nearly set the room on fire.”
Lisa flushed and pushed a piece of bread through the stew. “I thought you went to check on Kael.”
“I couldn’t – I knew it would make you panic, but now I kind of regret not leaving.” Celia chuckled. “But seriously, things are… quieter now. Since the ritual, I don’t feel pulled to him the same way. I won’t abandon him - but I’m not tethered to him like before. Back to you and Liam…”
Lisa hesitated. “You… felt all of that?”
Celia laughed softly. “Every second. And honestly? You should have told him to go all the way. I could feel how much you wanted it.”
Lisa shook her head, smiling despite herself. “He was right. We were rushing things. Its just too much going on around us.”
“There’s never a right time for desire,” Celia teased. “If you ask me, you’re both torturing yourselves for nothing.”
Lisa chuckled quietly at that.
Liam noticed immediately. “What’s funny?”
She met his eyes, warmth blooming in her chest. “Nothing. Just something Celia said.”
He raised an eyebrow slightly. “I hope she isn’t badmouthing me in your head.”
“On the contrary,” Lisa said, still smiling. “She’s being your wing woman.”
Liam laughed softly, the tension easing just enough for the moment to settle comfortably between them, the city humming far below as the night stretched on - quiet, unresolved, and full of promise.
Even as they both anticipated and dreaded spending the night together.