CHAPTER 255

CHAPTER 255
 Mia's POV

When I woke up in my bedroom, confusion hit me first, then the memories came flooding back. The warehouse, Liam's revelation, the brothers bursting in like avenging angels - and then nothing. Xavier must have knocked me unconscious.

They took him. They took Liam.

I could hear muffled sounds coming from somewhere below, and my medical instincts immediately kicked into high gear. Those weren't normal conversation sounds - those were the sounds of violence.

Following their scent through the house, I found myself standing at the top of a basement staircase. The sounds were clearer now - the dull thud of fists hitting flesh, labored breathing, and the occasional grunt of pain.

They're torturing him.

"Where is he?" I called out, my voice echoing as I descended the stairs.

The scene that greeted me at the bottom made my blood boil. Liam was chained to a chair, his face swollen and bloodied, while the three brothers stood around him like vultures circling prey.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I shouted, pushing past Xavier to kneel beside Liam.

Look at what they've done to him. His lip is split, there's blood on his shirt, and God knows what internal damage they've caused.

"Are you okay?" I asked softly, my hands automatically moving to assess his injuries. "Can you move your fingers? Any sharp pains in your chest?"

"I'm fine," Liam said, though the pain in his voice suggested otherwise.

"No, you're not fine," I said firmly, shooting a murderous look at the three men I'd once loved. "They've been torturing you."

"He's the leader of the rogue organization that killed our father!" Xavier exploded behind me. "He deserves everything he gets!"

"No, he's not," I said without turning around, my focus still on Liam's injuries. "He's not the leader of the organization that's been terrorizing the packs."

The silence that followed was deafening.

"What do you mean he's not the leader?" Sean asked, his voice uncertain for the first time.

I stood up and turned to face them, letting them see exactly how furious I was.

"I mean exactly what I said. The real rogue organization has been using his pack's reputation as a cover for their crimes. Liam and his pack were framed twenty years ago, and they've been living in exile ever since."

I could see the doubt creeping into their expressions, the way they were processing this information and finding holes in their own assumptions.

"Even if that's true," Nathan said slowly, "he still kidnapped you."

"Yes, he did," I agreed, moving back to untie Liam's restraints. "And what he did was wrong, inexcusable, and terrifying. But that doesn't make him the monster you think he is."

The ropes fell away, and Liam slumped forward, clearly in pain.

"Can you walk?" I asked him gently.

He nodded, though it took him two tries to get to his feet. I slipped my arm around his waist to support him, very aware of how the brothers tensed at the contact.

"Where are you taking him?" Xavier demanded.

"Upstairs to treat his injuries," I said coldly. "You know, like a doctor is supposed to do for injured patients."

"Mia-" Nathan started.

"Don't," I cut him off. "Just don't. Give me ten minutes to make sure you haven't caused any permanent damage, and then I'll explain everything."

I helped Liam up the stairs and into the living room, settling him on the couch before disappearing to get my medical bag. When I returned, the three brothers were standing in the doorway, watching with barely contained jealousy as I tended to another man.

Let them watch. Maybe they'll learn something about basic human decency.

"This might sting," I warned Liam as I cleaned the cut on his lip.

"It's nothing compared to what I deserve," he said quietly.

"Stop that," I said firmly. "Yes, you made terrible choices. Yes, you scared me and hurt me. But you don't deserve to be beaten half to death."

I could feel the tension radiating from the doorway as I worked, applying antiseptic to his wounds and checking for signs of serious injury.

"Is he going to be okay?" Xavier asked reluctantly.

"He'll live," I said without looking up. "No thanks to you three."

When I was satisfied that Liam's injuries weren't life-threatening, I finally turned to address the brothers properly.

"Now," I said, crossing my arms. "Are you ready to listen, or do you want to go back to acting like cavemen?"

"We're listening," Nathan said, though his jaw was clenched tight.

I took a deep breath and began to explain everything - Liam's real identity, the story of his pack's exile, the possibility that they'd been framed all those years ago.

"So you're telling us," Xavier said when I finished, "that we've been hunting the wrong enemy for twenty years?"

"That's exactly what I'm telling you."

"And you believe him?" Sean asked, his voice full of skepticism. "Just like that?"

"I believe the evidence," I corrected. "Think about it - if Liam really was the ruthless killer you think he is, why would he spend months earning my trust? Why would he be gentle with my children? Why would he reveal himself to me instead of just taking what he wanted by force?"

"Maybe because he's manipulative," Nathan suggested.

"Or maybe because he's exactly what he says he is - a man who's been pushed to the breaking point by twenty years of persecution and exile."

I could see them struggling with this new information, trying to reconcile what they'd believed with what I was telling them.

"Even if he's not the leader of the rogue organization," Xavier said slowly, "he's still the Alpha of the Shadowmoon Pack. Do you have any idea how many people fear and hate that name?"

"Yes," I said firmly. "Which is exactly why we need to help him clear it."

"We?" Sean repeated.

"Yes, we. Because if there really is someone out there using the Shadowmoon reputation to commit crimes, then they're the same people who killed your father. They're the same people who've been terrorizing innocent packs for years."

The logic was undeniable, and I could see them beginning to accept it.

"But Mia," Nathan said carefully, "even if everything you're saying is true, he's still dangerous. His pack is still made up of exiles and outcasts. Being around him puts you and the children at risk."

"Everything in life is a risk," I replied. "But I'm not going to abandon someone who needs help just because other people are afraid of him."

"And if we disagree?" Xavier asked, his voice carrying a warning.

I looked at each of them in turn, letting them see how serious I was.

"Then don't bother me anymore if you don't trust my judgment," I said quietly. "I'm a grown woman, perfectly capable of making my own decisions. If you can't respect that, then maybe we don't have as much of a future together as I thought."

The silence that followed was heavy with implication. I was essentially giving them an ultimatum - accept my choice to help Liam, or lose me entirely.