Helena pulled away abruptly, almost tripping as she stood up.
— You're... you're kidding, right?
Liam remained seated, watching her with that unsettling calm.
— I'm not.
— Werewolf. — She laughed, a sharp, nervous sound. — You really expect me to believe you're a werewolf?
— I can show you.
— No! — The answer came out too quickly, her heart racing. — No... I just need a minute.
She took a few steps, running her hands through her hair. This was madness. Complete madness. He was obviously lying, or unbalanced, or... or what? Because the scariest part was that small voice inside her whispering that made sense. That explained the intensity, the way his eyes gleamed, that feeling of something wild and untamed beneath the surface.
— Helena.
— No. — She raised her hand without turning around. — Just... give me a second.
— You're trembling.
She was. Her whole body was trembling, but she didn't know if it was from fear or something else entirely.
— Is that why? — She finally turned around. — Is that why you were following me? Because I'm your... what did you say? Mate?
— Mate. — He stood up slowly, as if he were dealing with a frightened animal. — And yes.
— And what does that mean exactly?
— It means you were made for me. — Liam took a cautious step towards her. — That our souls recognize each other. That there's a connection between us that goes beyond the rational.
— That sounds like destiny. I don't believe in destiny.
— No? — He stopped a few steps from her. — Then how do you explain what you feel when I touch you? When I look at you?
— Physical attraction. Chemistry. — But the words sounded weak even to herself.
— It's more than that and you know it.
Helena wrapped her arms around herself, trying to shield herself from the truth in his words.
"Even if... even if I believed it." She swallowed hard. "You said you'd been watching for years. You chose me, followed me, invaded my privacy..."
"I needed to be sure."
"Sure of what?"
"That you were real." There was pain in his voice now. "That I wasn't going crazy. You don't understand, Helena. I felt you even before I saw you for the first time. Something pulled me to this city, to that street, at that exact moment. And when I saw you..."
He paused, running a hand through his hair.
"It was like waking up after sleeping my whole life."
The words pierced her defenses. Because she knew exactly what he was talking about. She had felt the same thing that first day in the park.
"This is a lot," she whispered. "Too much."
"I know."
"I don't know if I can handle this."
"You can." — Liam took another step. — You're stronger than you think.
— Stop doing that. — Her voice came out broken. — Stop saying exactly what I need to hear.
— Then tell me what you want me to say.
— I want you to say that this is normal! That you're normal! That I'm not going crazy for feeling... — she gestured helplessly. — For feeling what I'm feeling.
— And what are you feeling?
Helena looked into his eyes, and saw the gold shining brighter now, almost luminous in the darkness.
— That I should be running. That all this is insane and dangerous and wrong. — Her voice was lower. — But instead, I want to stay. I want...
— What? — He was closer now, so close she could feel the heat emanating from him. — Say it.
— I want you to kiss me.
The words came out in a whisper, and the moment they were spoken, Helena saw something change in his eyes. The restraint he had maintained with such effort began to crack.
"Are you sure?"
"No." She was honest. "But do it anyway."
Liam closed the distance between them in one movement, his hands going to her face, holding it with a delicacy that contrasted with the burning intensity in his eyes.
"If I kiss you now"—his voice was hoarse, almost a growl—"it won't be gentle. It won't be careful."
Her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it wanted to burst out of her chest.
"I didn't ask for gentle."
And then his mouth was on hers.
The world exploded.
It wasn't a soft or exploratory kiss. It was pure hunger, years of pent-up desire unleashed all at once. Liam pulled her against his body, one hand buried in her hair, the other at the base of her spine, holding her so tightly she could barely breathe.
And Helena surrendered completely.
She opened her mouth against his, her fingers entwining in his shirt, pulling him closer even when there was no more space between them. He tasted of wine and something wild, something that shouldn't be possible but was absolutely real.
When his teeth nibbled at her lower lip, Helena moaned—a low, needy sound that made Liam growl against her mouth. Literally growl, a sound that came from somewhere deep in his chest.
That should have scared her. But instead, it sent a wave of heat straight to her core Her.
His hands slid down the sides of her body, mapping every curve with a possessive reverence. When they reached her waist, he pulled her even closer, and Helena felt exactly the effect she was having on him.
It was like a shock of reality.
She pulled away abruptly, breathless, her legs weak. Liam released her immediately, but didn't back away, his chest rising and falling rapidly, his eyes gleaming like golden embers in the darkness.
"I..." Helena brought her hand to her lips, which were swollen and sensitive. "My God."
"Helena..."
"That was..." She was speechless. Because it wasn't just desire. It was recognition. As if every cell in her body knew every cell in his. As if they had done this a thousand times before, in other lives, other worlds.
And that terrified her.
"I need to go." She took another step back. "I need to go now."
"Okay." — He kept his hands raised, showing that he wasn't going to hold her. — I'll take you.
— No. — The idea of being behind him on that motorcycle, their bodies pressed together, after what had just happened... — I'll call a car.
— Helena, you're in the middle of nowhere.
— Then I'll wait. — She was already grabbing her cell phone, her hands trembling so much she could barely hold it. — I just... I need space. I need to think.
Liam watched her for a long moment, and she saw the struggle happening inside him — the instinct to pursue, to not let her go, clashing with something gentler, more human.
The human part won.
— I'll wait with you. — His voice was firm. — At a distance, if you want. But I'm not going to leave you alone here in the dark.
Helena wanted to argue, but she knew it was useless. And maybe, secretly, she didn't want to be completely alone.
— There. — She pointed to the other side of the field. — You stay there.
He nodded and walked away without protest, stopping about twenty meters away, far enough to give space, close enough to protect.
Helena called the car with trembling fingers, then sat on the ground, hugging her knees. She could still feel her lips tingling, her whole body vibrating with the memory of that kiss.
A kiss that proved everything he said was true.
That she wasn't just attraction. She was destiny.
And that terrified her more than any revelation about werewolves could.
Because it meant she had no choice anymore. Not really.
She was already his.
Maybe she always had been.
________________________________________
to be continued...