"I think I... feel it too," I confess.
He pauses for a second, a bit surprised, before chuckling nervously.
"You can't, Mara, even if you're a witch. It's a werewolf thing. It's not..."
"I'm serious, Liam. The whole... sparks, the pull, the heart beating crazy and wanting you very strongly regardless of whether you're actually there or not. I may not... feel it with the same intensity as you do, but... I swear I’ve felt that way since we met too."
Liam shakes his head with a rictus.
"No, you can't. If it was the case, you'd have felt me when I was–"
“In the nightclub," I say. "The night I met Selena and her husband. You were there, right?"
He doesn't answer, but he doesn't need to. This time, he knows I'm not kidding. He stands there, frowning and opening and closing his mouth, at a loss. I sigh. Yeah, I guess I should have... said something, maybe earlier.
"Until you described it earlier, I really didn't know what it was," I explain. "I've just been feeling that way since I saw you that night, and ever since, every time you're near, I get that crazy pull toward you. That's why I followed you, at the university, and even this afternoon, to the border. I know it's not... in your rules that a witch feels these things too, but I do, okay? I really do."
Liam remains speechless for a few seconds. I guess he really had no idea. Is there really no record of a witch being a fated mate before? It can't be that surprising. Even if Ravena said so, my bond with Liam shows they were all wrong... or there's something wrong with me. Which would only add another thing to the long list, but...
"It's not possible," he suddenly says. "No witch has ever been able to feel the mate bond, Mara. I didn't know it was possible to happen with... a werewolf and a witch to begin with."
"Why not? It happens to human and werewolf couples, no?"
"It's not the same! Werewolves and witches are natural enemies. It's like... I don't know, the food chain. Werewolves fight vampires, vampires bite humans, humans hunt witches, witches–"
"Kill werewolves?" I snicker. "Sorry to disappoint you, but I think Sylviana already wrecked that previous-century logic of yours. I don't know how it happened, if the Moon Goddess drank too much or what, but this is what things are at the moment. I am your fated mate, and... as far as I can tell, you're... mine. It comes as a pair anyway, so..."
"It isn't that simple, Mara. It changes a few things," he mutters, frowning.
He looks almost upset now, but I don't really get it. We just confirmed I feel the same thing as he does, right? I don't understand his problem, and it annoys me a little. For once, things are becoming a bit clearer, but Liam looks unhappy with it while I'm still nervous about being rejected, like an idiot. Suddenly, I get it.
"It means I can reject you too, then?" I ask.
His eyes go wide, and I know I just hit the mark. I chuckle a bit nervously. Seriously? I cross my arms, a bit amused by his reaction.
"So that's it? Because I can reject you, is this what upsets you?"
He frowns, really unhappy this time. His eyes have taken the color of the storm outside once again. He steps closer, but he doesn’t intimidate me, not in a scary way when he’s half-naked like this. I stand up to him, raising an eyebrow.
"This isn't a game, Mara. The fated bond pairing is something sacred to werewolves. All of us want it, everyone wants to experience that just once. I've seen both my brothers lose their ground and go crazy because they had lost their fated mates, okay? You can't play with that."
I sigh.
"Liam, you're the one who said you considered rejecting me just seconds ago. Right? Well then, isn't this crueler? You get to decide if we keep this bond or not, but I wouldn't even have been aware of you tossing me away? I'm glad I get this thing too. Sacred or not, I'm glad I get the choice too. Now you can't reject me just like that."
"You don't know what happens to a rejected one, Mara. It feels–"
"I don't want to know how that feels because I don't want to be rejected!" I yell, stepping forward and closer to him. "Liam, I literally have no one. Everyone around me has an interest in being my friend or my family. There is no one I can really trust, but I get this thing with you, and this is the most real feeling I've been able to experience so far. I don't want to lose it. I don't want to lose you, I don't want to lose this thing we have together. I don't care if it's artificial, I don't care who put it there and why. I want it. I want someone to whom I feel attached to, someone who has real feelings for me."
Our faces are so close right now, but I don't care anymore. I have a mix of crazy emotions guiding me, making me tremble and tear up. I'm glad I could form the words and say them out loud. I can see his facial features from this close, betraying his messed up feelings. I see a hint of fear in his eyes, but also something warmer, something that grips my entire being. His lips are half-open, and his breathing erratic.
"I have... real feelings for you," he whispers.
"...Good."
That's all my tiny voice could utter after that. We are both staring at each other from really close, and what should be awkward feels strangely... inviting. I see him glance down at my lips, and then look away. I know he wants to, but won't. Liam swallows, taking one step back with a bit of an embarrassed expression, and those cute red ears.
I'm about to retreat too, but... my heart doesn't take that well. In a split second, a million things go through my head. Is that it? Is this all? What next? Are we going to be awkward like this from now on? Why doesn't he? Why don't I?
