My anger dissipated at the mention of my parents. In the last month of her life, Mom had hounded me to fill out collegeapplications.
“I’ll need to apply for financial aid first,” I finallymumbled.
“The pack has resources. If you want to go to UCB in the fall, you’ll have a spot there. All expensespaid.”
“Even a dormroom?”
“Even a dormroom.”
So I’d only need to figure out where to live for the next month . . . This felt too good to be true. “What’s thecatch?”
Liam smiled. “No catch. You’re part of the pack. Education is one of the perks. We like our wolves to be equipped to conquer the world. Or at least,Boulder.”
I was still going to need a job to pay back the four and a half grand I owed the bank for past rents and miscellaneous expenses, but I didn’t want to bring that upagain.
Liam wrapped his hands around my wrists and dragged down the bony blockade that separated our bodies. “Don’t fence me out. I know you’ve been taking care of yourself for years, but I’m here now. And countless others are here for you too. Let us in.Trustus.”
“I’mtrying.”
He pressed his mouth to mine, soft as silk, but then his kiss grew harder. It took me a few seconds to relax, but finally I sighed—more of a moan than a sigh—and hooked my hands around his waist. As though my heart had migrated into my stomach, my abdomen began to thud. I tried to squelch the offensive sensation, but it soon took over all theothers.
I pulled away from Liam so quickly I half expected pieces of my lips to have stayed glued to his. His dark eyes raked over my expression, then over my body, pausing on the palm I’d pressed against my stomach. I lowered my hand, balling my fingers. The throbbing was alreadyreceding.
“Eric warned me about this, but I thought—” His Adam’s apple worked in his throat. “I hoped it would bedifferent.”
“What did Eric warn youabout?”
“He said your body would reject any advance that didn’t come from its naturalmate.”
Horror filtered throughme.
“The only way to void this is distance, but August isn’t leaving.” Liam sighed, and his muscular chest deflated the tiniest bit. “I don’t know if you heard, but his mom had breast cancer a whileback.”
The word cancer soured myblood.
“They thought she’d beat it, but it’s back. And more aggressive this time. Anyway, she’s scheduled for a double mastectomy next week,and—”
I let out a shrill whimper before slamming the back of my hand against mymouth.
“Fuck.” He gathered me against him. “I forgot cancer was how your mom . . . ” He didn’t finish his sentence. Didn’t have to. He smoothed his hand over the back of myhead.
I reeled from the news that hit too close to home. At least now I understood why Isobel’s husband had fretted over her back at the inn, why she’d looked so wan beside her healthyson.
“August said the doctors were confident they’d get it this time, but he wants to stay until after the surgery. He promised he’d leaveafter.”
I shook with anguish for Isobel, Nelson, and August, and with shame at how selfish I’d been. Not only had I believed that August had stayed for me, but I’d been ready to beg him to leave so I could be intimate with Liam.Ugh.
Liam tangled his hand in my hair. “He didn’t want me to tell you, so please keep this betweenus.”
I nodded, still pressing my knuckles against my mouth to stifle the dread brought on by Liam’s news. “It’s not fair,” Imurmured.
“Life’s rarely fair.” Even though I couldn’t see into his mind, I sensed he was thinking of his own mother taken from him when he was only eight, by his abusive father noless.
“Speaking of unfair, I know you hate Everest, and I know you want to uphold the pack’s”—I wet my lips—“traditions, but my cousin did you a favor. He killed your mother’s murderer.” I hoped phrasing it that way would sway him a little. “Won’t you reconsider hissentence?”
Liam’s fingers wrung my T-shirt as though it were Everest’s neck. “My mother wasn’tpack.”
“So what?” Anger struck me in violent strokes. “Her life wasn’t worth asmuch?”
