CHAPTER 259

CHAPTER 259
 Mia's POV

The phone call with my children was exactly what I needed to hear. Their excited voices filled the quiet hotel room as they told me about their adventures with their grandfather.

"Grandpa taught me how to fish today, Mommy!" Marcus said, his voice bubbling with enthusiasm. "And I caught three whole fish!"

"That's wonderful, sweetheart," I said, settling back against the pillows. "Are you being good for Grandpa and Uncle James?"

"Yes, Mommy," Mira chimed in. "Uncle James is teaching me how to braid flower crowns, and Miraz learned how to whistle!"

Hearing their happiness made my heart both soar and ache. They were safe, they were loved, and they were thriving without me. Which was exactly what I'd hoped for, even if it stung a little.

"I miss you all so much," I said softly.

"We miss you too, Mommy," Miraz said. "When are you coming home?"

"Soon, baby. Very soon. Mommy just has some work to finish first."

After I hung up, I sat in the silence of the hotel room, feeling the weight of my decision. I'd chosen this place specifically because it was isolated, away from my family's pack territory. If the rogues were determined to track me down, I didn't want to lead them straight to my children.

Better they come after me alone than put everyone I love at risk.

A soft knock on the door interrupted my thoughts. I didn't need to ask who it was - Liam's scent was already drifting through the gap under the door.

"Come in," I called out, and he entered carrying two bags of what looked like groceries.

"I thought you might be hungry," he said, setting the bags on the small kitchenette counter. "I got ingredients for pasta, if that's okay."

"That's thoughtful, thank you," I said. "But Liam, you don't have to stay here. You should go back to your pack."

His face fell slightly. "You don't want me here?"

"It's not about what I want," I said carefully. "It's about what's practical. You have responsibilities, people depending on you. And with this emergency meeting Xavier is organizing, you need to prepare."

"What meeting?" he asked, his voice becoming guarded.

"The one where all the pack leaders will gather to discuss the rogue situation," I explained. "Xavier is calling it, and you should be there."

Liam let out a bitter laugh. "Right. Because I'll be so welcome at a meeting of respectable alphas."

"Things are going to be different now," I said firmly. "No one is going to insult you or treat you like an outcast. Not anymore."

"You can't promise that, Mia," he said, moving closer to me. "These people have spent twenty years seeing me as a monster. One meeting isn't going to change that."

"Maybe not," I admitted. "But it's a start. And you deserve to have your voice heard, your side of the story told."

I could see the conflict in his eyes - hope warring with years of disappointment and rejection.

"I don't care what they think of me," he said quietly. "The only opinion that matters to me is yours."

And there it is again. That intensity, that focus on me that makes me so uncomfortable.

"Liam," I said gently, "you can't build your entire sense of self-worth around one person's opinion. That's not healthy."

"But you're not just one person," he replied, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "You're everything to me."

The raw vulnerability in his voice made my chest tighten. I could see how much he needed validation, how desperate he was for acceptance.

"I know you've been hurt," I said softly. "I know you've been rejected and betrayed and pushed away. But that doesn't mean you should give up on everyone else."

"I haven't given up," he said. "I'm here, aren't I? I'm willing to go to this meeting, even though it'll probably be a disaster."

"It won't be a disaster," I assured him. "I'll make sure of that."

He looked at me with such hope in his eyes that it almost broke my heart.

"Will you stay here tonight?" he asked. "Just... I don't want to be alone. Not yet."

I knew I should send him away. I knew that letting him stay was probably sending mixed signals, encouraging feelings I couldn't reciprocate. But looking at him sitting there, still bruised from the beating he'd taken, still recovering from everything he'd been through, I didn't have the heart to turn him away.

"Okay," I said finally. "You can stay tonight."

The relief on his face was immediate and profound.

"Thank you," he whispered.

We spent the next hour cooking together, the domestic activity helping to ease some of the tension between us. Liam turned out to be surprisingly good in the kitchen, and I found myself actually enjoying his company.

This is what he could be like all the time if he could just let go of the possessiveness and desperation.

We were just sitting down to eat when the sound of vehicles pulling up outside made us both freeze.

"Who could that be?" Liam asked, immediately alert.

I moved to the window and peered through the curtains, my heart sinking when I saw three familiar figures getting out of a black SUV.

"The brothers," I said grimly. "They found us."

"How?" Liam demanded, standing up so fast his chair nearly toppled over.

Before I could answer, the door burst open and Xavier, Nathan, and Sean stormed in, their faces dark with fury.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Xavier snarled, his eyes locked on Liam.

"Having dinner," Liam replied calmly, though I could see his muscles tensing for a fight.

"We told you to stay away from her," Nathan growled, moving to flank Liam from the left.

"And I told you that I don't take orders from you," Liam shot back.

"Stop it," I said firmly, stepping between them. "All of you, just stop."

But they weren't listening. The testosterone and territorial instincts were taking over, drowning out any voice of reason.

"You're not welcome here," Sean said, pulling out what looked like a metal baton from his jacket.

"This is her choice," Liam replied, his eyes starting to glow with his wolf's fury.

"Her choice?" Xavier laughed harshly. "You think manipulating her is the same as her choosing you?"

"I haven't manipulated anyone," Liam snarled, his control starting to slip.

They were circling each other now, and I could see that violence was inevitable.

"Everyone calm down," I said desperately. "We can talk about this like adults-"

But Sean was already swinging the metal baton toward Liam's head. Liam ducked, grabbing Sean around the waist and sending them both crashing into the small dining table.

"Enough!" I shouted, rushing toward them to try to break up the fight.

But in the chaos, with bodies moving fast and furniture overturning, I didn't see Xavier's backswing with his own weapon until it was too late.

The metal rod caught me across the temple with a sickening crack, and the world exploded into stars and pain.

I felt myself falling, heard someone screaming my name, but everything was growing dark around the edges.

This is bad. This is very, very bad.

The last thing I saw before consciousness left me was the look of absolute horror on all four men's faces as they realized what had happened.

Then everything went black.