In Reach?

Mira’s POV

Walking into the library, I walk to the window to open it and get some fresh air. I think I might be heating up again. But I can’t help smile, looking out at the garden and remembering the amount of fun I had out there yesterday.

That’s when I felt a breath on my neck and hands resting on my hips from behind. I turn around and my face almost touches Liam’s as he’s looking at me with an agitated look. What did I do now?

“Liam?” I turn in his hold, but trying to put distance between us as I hold out my hands. “What is it?”

He seems annoyed at what I’m doing though.

“What’s with the distance you’re trying to put between us?” His grip on my hips tighten.

What does he mean? Of course we shouldn’t be this close and be comfortable about it. I have a mate now. He knows that.

“Liam.” I briefly look at the door to check if it’s open or closed. “What are you doing? You shouldn’t be doing this. Ashton-.”

Just saying his name has Liam growling at me and pulling me flush against him.

“Don’t say his name when you’re with me.” He looks angry and his eyes look dark, but the way he’s looking at my lips says something else.

“He’s my mate.”

But he growls again as he let’s me go and starts pacing in front of me like he’s trying to control himself.

“He’s lying.” He says angrily.

“What do you mean? Lying about what?”

“He’s not your mate.” He stands still, in front of me.

“What?” This doesn’t make sense. Why would he lie about it?

But Liam comes forward again, cupping my face. “Tell me, do you feel a pull towards him? Do you feel anything at all for him?” I can feel his hands shaking, almost like he’s worried about my answer.

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“Because he’s a liar. I’ve never trusted him, and I don’t trust him now. Not with this, not with you.” His voice is gentle now.

“Liam, this doesn’t make sense. Why would he lie about something like this?”

He leans his head against my forehead as he softly speaks. “I don’t know. He’s probably just trying to piss me off.”

Wait what? I pull away from him and get his attention back on me.

“What does this have to do with you?”

He sighs annoyed. “I don’t know. He just always tries to do stuff that piss me off.” He runs his fingers through his hair.

But now I’m getting annoyed and that ugly anger of mine is building up again.

“Why would he lie to me about something like this, just to piss you off? And why on earth would it piss you off.”

“Because you’re mine!”

“What?”

He takes a step towards me, but I take a step back.

“I don’t let people take from me what’s mine. And I definitely won’t let a lying asshole like him take you.” I can see his eyes glow as he says this. His wolf certainly approves of what he says.

Is this some territorial crap going on right now? Because he slept with me, now he thinks that he has some claim over me?

“You don’t have a say in this.”

But he pulls me tightly into his hold again.

“The fuck I don’t have a say! I don’t care if he is your mate or not, you’re mine. And he won’t ever be able to change that.” He says this as he’s gliding his hands down my back and resting his one hand on my front, my stomach.

This seems too intimate than it’s supposed to be. I try to push him back again. “Liam, stop this. This isn’t right.”

He grabs my wrist stopping me from pushing him. “No, what isn’t right is you having a mate like him. That sweet little hand-holding act of his is just a lie.”

“So now you’re spying on us.”

He growls as he squeezes my waist. “Don’t refer to you and him as ‘us’ ever again. And of course I’m keeping an eye on you two. He’s a lying asshole and you’re not safe with him.”

What is wrong with him? Was Ashton right, when he said the others are watching me because they’re concerned about ‘me’ with him? But why? Am I not the one they keep referring to as dangerous? What’s with the change in attitude all of a sudden?

“Enough of this.” I pull my arms from his grip as I step away from him. “What is this? What’s with the sudden change in attitude? A few days ago you were ready to accuse me of yet another so called crime happening here, and now you’re saying I’m the victim and I should trust you?”

He seems angry as he tries to walk to me again. But I take another step back so he knows I don’t want him near me. My anger is growing again, and I’m starting to feel………violent.

“What reason do ‘I’ have to not believe him? Ever since I met him, he hasn’t once made me feel like I’m in danger. ‘He’ isn’t the one that’s always suspicious of me nor has he tried to hurt me, unlike the rest of you here.”

If this is just about his Alpha ego, he needs to learn that some things you can’t have just because you want to prove a point. But he looks just as angry now.

“I’m doing this for your safety!”

But that angry tone of his is getting me pissed off. I have in any case had enough of the conversation. “I can take care of myself!” I turn to walk out.

“Don’t walk away from me!” He says growling, but that just ticked me off. I snap.

“You are not my Alpha!!” I shout straight back to his face. My voice resonates through the room, I swear I could feel the walls vibrate. Even Liam looks a bit shocked at this. But this is the perfect distraction to walk away without him stopping me.

I am his?! I am his, my ass. If he wants me, he better prove it. He better fight for me!

Wait. Did I just,…think that? I shouldn’t even be thinking this. I already have a mate. I need to go find Ashton.