Chapter 250: Almost
Liam’s POV
"Scarlett..." Leonard whispered, slowly pulling himself back to his feet. Blood dripped from a cut above his eyebrow where he had smashed into the tree. He ignored it completely. "Please."
The massive red wolf’s ears flattened against her head. Then she charged. Straight at me.
My wolf instantly tensed, preparing to defend himself. Move! He snarled.
But I couldn’t. I just stood there. Because suddenly, all I could see wasn’t the giant wolf rushing toward me. It was Scarlett. Crying in the gym. Begging us to listen. Begging us not to tear ourselves apart.
And what had I done? I had given her an ultimatum. Choose one of us. The words slammed into me like a physical blow. Moon Goddess. What had I done?
"Liam!" Leo roared.
The red wolf was almost on top of me now. Her massive paws pounded against the earth. Her glowing red eyes were locked directly on mine.
Move! my wolf screamed.
I didn’t. For the first time in my life, I completely lowered my defenses. If she wanted to kill me, then so be it. Because right now, I deserved it.
The distance between us vanished. Ten feet. Five feet. Three. One.
The red wolf launched herself through the air. Leonard let out a panicked howl. Leo started sprinting toward us.
I remained perfectly still. "I’m sorry," I whispered.
The wolf’s claws stretched forward. Death flashed before my eyes. Then—she froze.
Her massive body landed directly in front of me instead of on top of me. The force of her landing shook the clearing. Dirt exploded everywhere. For one long second, neither of us moved.
The red wolf stared at me. I stared back. Her glowing eyes narrowed. A low growl rumbled deep inside her chest. I could see the confusion. The hesitation. The battle happening inside her.
"Scar..." I said softly.
Her lips peeled back, exposing terrifying fangs. But she didn’t attack. Something had stopped her. My scent. The bond. Some small piece of Scarlett buried inside that raging beast had recognized me.
A painful whine escaped my wolf. Mate.
The red wolf twitched. I swallowed hard. "I know you’re in there."
Another growl. Less vicious this time.
"You have every right to hate me."
Leonard and Leo slowly approached from behind, neither of them daring to get too close. I never looked away from her.
"I was angry." The red wolf’s ears flicked. "I was jealous." Her breathing slowed slightly. "I kept seeing you with Leonard." Leonard flinched behind me. "And every time I thought about it, it felt like somebody was tearing my heart out."
The wolf lowered her head slightly. I took one cautious step forward. "But none of this is your fault." My voice cracked. "You didn’t betray me."
The clearing became completely silent. Even the wind seemed to stop. The red wolf stared at me. Waiting. Listening.
"You spent years suffering alone." My throat tightened painfully. "You spent years protecting us."
A strange sound escaped her. Not a growl. Not a snarl. Almost a whimper. My chest shattered.
"And instead of thanking you..." I laughed bitterly. "I made you choose."
The red wolf froze. Her glowing eyes widened slightly. The guilt nearly crushed me. "I was wrong." The words tasted like broken glass. "Moon Goddess, Scarlett... I was so wrong."
Behind me, neither Leo nor Leonard spoke. For once, nobody interrupted. This was something I needed to say.
"I don’t care anymore." My eyes burned. "I don’t care about Australia." The red wolf’s ears lifted. "I don’t care who knew your secrets first." A tear slid down my face. "I don’t care if you never choose."
The confession echoed through the clearing. Leonard sucked in a sharp breath. Leo went completely still. I kept staring at her. Only her. "I just want you back."
The red wolf trembled violently. The crimson glow in her eyes flickered. Once. Twice. Then suddenly, images flooded through our bond.
Pain. Loneliness. Fear. Scarlett crying herself to sleep. Scarlett watching old photos of us. Scarlett standing alone on a balcony while everyone else celebrated below. Scarlett whispering our names when nobody could hear.
The force of those emotions slammed into me so hard my knees nearly buckled. She had suffered. Moon Goddess, she had suffered so much.
The red wolf let out a heartbreaking cry. The sound echoed through the forest. Not a roar. Not a growl. A cry. A cry filled with grief.
The red light around her body began flickering wildly. Her massive legs shook.
"Scarlett?" Leonard whispered.
The wolf looked toward him. Then Leo. Then back at me. Recognition slowly appeared in those glowing red eyes. Just a tiny spark. But it was there.
Mate. The word brushed weakly through the bond. My heart stopped.
"Scar?"
The red wolf took a step toward me. Then another. Suddenly, her legs gave out. The enormous wolf collapsed onto the forest floor.
"Scarlett!"
All three of us rushed forward at the same time. The moment we reached her, the crimson glow surrounding her body faded. But before it disappeared completely, strange symbols suddenly appeared beneath her fur. Bright red markings. Ancient markings. They glowed for only a few seconds before vanishing.
Leo froze. Leonard froze. I froze. Because none of us had ever seen anything like that before.
Then, right before our eyes, her bones shifted and cracked one last time as she returned to her human form, lying weak and completely naked on the forest floor.
Without wasting a single heartbeat, I shifted back into my human form, completely ignoring the sharp pop of my own bones as I threw myself onto the ground beside her.
"Scarlett!" I choked out, my voice thick with raw panic.
Her skin felt ice-cold, covered in a mix of dirt and freezing sweat. Her breathing was dangerously shallow, her chest barely rising as her teeth chattered uncontrollably. She looked incredibly fragile, like she had given every single ounce of her life force to that wild shift.
"We need to take her to the mansion!" I barked through the pack mind-link, not even looking back at my brothers.