I tilt my head.
"Are we dating...?"
Liam looks at me, a bit surprised.
"You don't want to?"
I stay quiet for a while. It's not that I don't want to, I just feel there's something... wrong with that. How will his family react to this?
"...I'm not sure your brothers would be fond of the idea," I mutter.
I can almost hear my self-confidence crashing to the floor. I can see his older brothers' eyes again, both filled with something dark and scary. They don't like me. No, they don't like the witch I am. They don't trust me at all, why would they trust me with their younger brother?
Liam looks shocked, staring at me with a baffled expression.
"Seriously? You're afraid because of my brothers?"
"...Maybe she should be."
We both freeze and turn our heads.
His older brother is standing at the entrance of the apartment, the blonde one. Nathaniel Black, dressed in a black suit. Of all people, the one I wouldn't want to have to face the most in this position... He's with a little girl, who is holding his hand and she’s carrying a cute school bag. She has her mom's hair, but her dad's bright blue eyes. I immediately push Liam and jump down from the kitchen counter.
"Hi, Uncle Liam!" says the little girl. "We brought you croissants!"
"Hi, little star."
She's super cute, but the atmosphere between the adults isn't as warm as her... I feel really bad. I guess this is the feeling of being really unwanted... especially since his brother's blue eyes are glaring at us. He's definitely not happy to see me here. I can almost hear them talking in their strange way of communicating, even if there are no words exchanged that I can really hear. What do I do? I want to walk away from Liam, maybe step back a bit, but he holds on to my hand.
"...Daddy?"
As the two of them are still glaring at each other and it gets more uncomfortable, I exchange a glance with the little girl. She smiles at me, looking very sweet. Damn, she's really cute with her ponytails... even cuter than her cute white wolf pup appearance.
"Hi, Estelle," I greet her.
"Hi..." she answers shyly.
Yet, those two don't stop. I sigh and pull on Liam's arm for him to finally let go.
"Have breakfast with them, Liam, I'll get going."
"What?" he says, turning to me. "No, we said we're going together. You're staying here and you can eat with us."
"No, I'm good, I'm full with the noodles anyway..."
I notice his brother raising an eyebrow. I hope it's because I mentioned the noodles, not because he realized I slept here... I mean, we didn't do anything wrong, but still. If a glare could kill... I step away from Liam, and with my fists clenched, I go to grab my bag and shoes before he says a thing, almost running to the door. As I walk past his brother, he and I exchange a glance, and once again, I get that chill down my spine...
"Mara, wait!"
I run to the elevator, still barefoot, a bit confused, and my heart thumping like crazy.
I am not sure where to go, but I feel a lot better once I'm outside. The atmosphere of the apartment was so stuffy with Liam's brother in it... I don't know why he's so scary to me. Both of his older brothers are like terrifying monsters I can barely look at. Their auras are... oppressive. Would I react to Liam's the same, if we weren't mates? I take a second to breathe in.
The rain from last night has left a fresh smell in the air, and some little puddles in the streets. Some rooftops are still dripping a bit, and people are wearing jackets because of that little breeze in the air. It's still early, though. I left in such a hurry, I barely took a minute to put my shoes on in the elevator. I crouch down to redo the laces and realize my bag is heavier than it should be... I frown and check it.
The map! The map is back inside. What the hell? How did it get back here? I'm sure I had left it on the floor before Spark disappeared along with it...
"Meow..."
