A Pack of Love and Hate C91

"I'll go get us some coffees," he finally said.

I nodded. "I'd like that."

Rigidly, he walked to the door.

When the door snicked shut, Liam said, "I can't believe you bit her!"

I winced from the shrillness of his voice but then squared my shoulders. "It got you what you wanted."

"You died, Ness! You. Died!"

"I know. I was there," I said drily.

He shook his head, not appreciating my morbid humor. His shoulders seemed broader, his arms ropier. Even his height seemed to have changed. Although his face was unscathed, I couldn't help but wonder what his abdomen looked like. Had he healed, or was his stomach crisscrossed with scars?

After heaving a sigh, he dropped onto the foot of my bed and ran his hands through his hair. A wayward lock fell into his amber eyes. He shoved it away, but it just tumbled back down.

"How are you doing?" I asked.

He grunted. "How do you think I'm doing? You died," he repeated. The morning sun slanting through the blinds made his eyes seem shinier, as though he were about to cry.

I captured the hand with which he was wringing the scratchy bedsheet. "You didn't think I'd let you become the only living legend?" I fit a smile onto my lips and winked. "Way neater than being a dead one."

He grunted, but his fingers softened in my grip.

My smile grew, but so did the ache in my face, so I leveled my lips. "I'm getting inducted into the Boulder Hall of Fame apparently."

"Didn't know we had one of those . . ."

"And you call yourself Alpha?" I rolled my eyes-well, my eye. I hoped Greg would come soon . . . "Aren't Alphas supposed to be all-knowing?"

Something I said destroyed Liam's fragile tranquility. "About that."

I frowned."I ate Morgan's heart."

I wrinkled my nose. "I heard. Did it taste black and bitter?"

"I'd rather not recall what it tasted like. The point is, if I hadn't ingested it right after the duel, I wouldn't have been able to connect our two packs."

"Okay . . ."

"But it wasn't mine for the taking."

I cocked my unbandaged eyebrow up.

"Ness, you defeated Morgan. That heart belonged to you. Our pack . . . it belongs to you."

"What? What are you talking about?"

"You deserve to be Alpha, and I'm here to make that happen."

I dropped his hand as though the mere contact of his fingers could somehow transfer the link. "Um. No." I clasped my fingers in my lap. "I most definitely don't want to be Alpha."

"Why not?""Because that was never my ambition. I signed up to be your Second to help you. Now that that's done, I want to go back to college and"-I shrugged-"live. Like, really live. Without having to scheme and run half-marathons and watch over my shoulder."

He glanced at me through his long lashes. "Are you certain?"

"I've never been more certain of anything."

"I owe you. So much. I owe you everything."

"You owe me nothing, Liam."

"I do. Money, for starters."

"I don't need any money."

He raised a quizzical brow.

"At least, not right now." Maybe once I spoke to Isobel and Nelson to return what their crazy son had given me.

"You tell me as soon as that changes, all right?"

"I will."

"And if you need anything else-and I mean, anything-come to me, and I'll make it happen."

I nodded."I mean it, Ness."

"I know you do."

A beat of companionable silence ensued.

"Feels strange," I finally said.

"What does?"

"That it's over."

"Over? It's just beginning. The pack's so big now. Speaking of"-his eyes practically glowed-"I'm going to need Betas. Would you consider being one of them?"

"Me?" I squeaked. "Why? Did Lucas turn you down?"

The smirk was slow to come, but it made an appearance on Liam's hard-edged face. "Haven't asked him yet."

"Well, you should."

"I'm going to need at least two or three."