Chapter 178: Back to School
Liam’s P.O.V.
Ever since I returned to the pack, it felt like I was caught in some twisted joke orchestrated by the Moon Goddess herself. Everywhere I went, Mai Blackwood seemed to appear, her piercing silver eyes tracking my every move. At first, I thought it was just coincidence. Maybe fate had a cruel sense of humor, placing me in the orbit of my lifelong tormentor. But when it kept happening—at the pack house, the training grounds, the market—I began to wonder if she was following me.
The first time it happened was in the forest, a place I’d sought out for peace since I was a kid. It was the only place where I could escape the whispers and stares. That day, I’d grabbed my sketchpad and set out to my favorite spot by the lake, ready to lose myself in drawing.
I hadn’t realized she was there until I heard the crunch of leaves behind me. Turning around, I spotted her a few feet away, leaning casually against a tree, her arms crossed, watching me with that infuriating smirk.
"Are you stalking me now?" I blurted, clutching my sketchpad against my chest.
Mai pushed off the tree and strolled toward me, her movements as graceful as a predator stalking prey. "Relax, Liam. It’s not stalking if you’re just that predictable. Wandering into the woods alone to sketch some squirrels? Classic Rivers behavior."
I bristled. "I don’t sketch squirrels."
She arched a brow. "Oh, my bad. You’re sketching bunnies today?"
I could feel my face heating up. "What do you want, Mai? Don’t you have anything better to do than follow me around?"
Her smirk widened, and I hated how it made my chest tighten. "Just making sure you don’t get yourself killed, Omega. You know, wandering around unprotected like this... you’re practically asking to get jumped by a stronger wolf."
The implication hit hard, as it always did. Weak. Fragile. Helpless. I clenched my fists and glared at her. "You think I can’t protect myself? Just because I’m an Omega doesn’t mean I’m weak. My father’s an Omega, and he’s one of the best warriors in the pack. I could—"