His Redemption (Complete His Series)

Liam

I sat fidgeting nervously at my desk, waiting for Lily to come back. I had asked her to come talk to me when she returned, but she did not reply to my message. I hoped she would not ignore me on this. I completely abandoned all the work on my desk; my mind was too distracted with my current mate situation to do anything else. What was Lily going to tell her, and how would she take it? How was Azalea feeling after the mating?

I pulled open my bottom drawer and retrieved my bourbon. Peeking at the clock, I noticed that it was about 9:30 pm already. I expected Lily to be back by now. Maybe things were going well, and she was staying with Azalea longer.

“You really messed this up for us….” I said to Gavin. He stayed silent. “You know, you can’t just retreat and ignore me now that you messed this up. I know you know how much this hurts with her away from us and hurt over all this.” I scolded.

Getting nothing from my wolf, I drank in frustration. He seemed so off since that night with Azalea. He had been cruel in the past, but this felt different. A soft knock came at the door. Looking up, Lily peered at me through the crack in the door. I nodded at her to tell her to come in. She walked in and sat down at the seat in front of my desk. I patiently waited for her to say something. Not a minute later, Damien walked in, joining us. He stood next to the desk, and we both waited for her to speak.

“I got her to agree to keep the wolves at the inn. With her not knowing about the others around town, I would say they should remain as well,” she said, looking up at both of us. Although this was good news, this isn’t necessarily what I was hoping she would come back here with.

“Maybe we should consider expanding our territory reach and permanently moving some families to the town,” Damien suggested. I looked at him for a moment contemplating what he was saying. “We could offer moving expenses to some of the omega families to move out there. Maybe mix in a few families with warriors to make sure everyone is protected. We could look after the humans and Azalea,” he continued.

“We can do that. But all the families should not move at once. It would look suspicious for multiple families to move at once to such a small town. Let’s do this slowly. Contact the mayor; he knows about supernaturals. Do not tell him of the hunter or my mate but gently persuade him to accept the protection we are sending,” I told Damien. Damien nodded. He looked between Lily and me. She nodded to tell him she was okay but had more to say. Damien left us in my office.

“You destroyed that girl,” Lily whispered once Damien had left. I paled.

“I…” I tried to find words, but there weren’t any.

“Liam, she is barely hanging on. You did it. She fell in love with you; she trusted you. And in three minutes, you broke her. I don’t even understand how she is functioning right now. She wouldn’t talk to me, but I could tell….” she said.

Pain shot through my chest. I knew I had hurt her but hearing it made it so much worse. “I told her about the threats too. She deserved to know…” she said.

“What!” I shouted at her. She flinched slightly. “Lily, I didn’t want her to know!”

“She needed to know, Liam! She isn’t helpless! You cannot keep everything from her just because you think she won’t handle it! Look how she handled everything until Gavin hurt her!” she shot back. She was getting upset now.

“I get to decide what she needs to know!”

“She is your mate, but you don’t get to control her!”

“I am keeping her safe! It doesn’t help us if she is terrified!”

“Maybe she will surprise you! You ever thought that maybe the Moon Goddess made her your mate because her mind works differently than yours! Liam, Azalea is a whole person, with her own thoughts, worries, fears, and perspective! Just because she isn’t the most traditional werewolf doesn’t mean she is something less that has to be sheltered!” She was breathing heavily now. We sat there, eyes deadlocked. I was too angry to respond logically, so we just sat there staring daggers at each other.

Suddenly, my office door burst open, and Gwen strutted through. “So, are you over that traitor slut yet?” she said before noticing Lily and me. “What is going on in here?”

“I was just leaving. You deserve it right now, Liam. Figure it out before she is gone for good.” With that, she stormed out of my office. I sighed, rubbing my forehead.

“What do you want, Gwen?” I asked her, noticeably irritated.

“I want to know why you were flaunting around with that wolf-less trash in the human town?”

“Who I associate with is none of your concern, Gwen!”

“Oh, give it up, Liam. You haven’t found your mate, and mine rejected me. I am a beta’s daughter. Who else is better suited to be your Luna?”

“No. It won’t happen, Gwen. You need to give it up now. I never loved you, Gwen.” This only made her angry.

“Seriously, Liam? You are picking that over me? Can she even shift? Are you sure she is even a werewolf? Are you going to mate a damn human?”

“Gwen, I mean it. Stop and leave now.” I was restraining myself from using my Alpha tone, but she was beyond out of control.

“You know what? f**k you, Liam. You will regret going after that defective floozy.” She turned on her heel and stomped out of my office. I threw myself down in my chair. Gwen was getting out of control, and I would have to speak with her dad if her behavior did not improve.

“When Azalea comes to the pack, Gwen will not be the only one acting this way.”

“Oh, so now you have something to say?”

“My methods may not have been ideal, but you are now connected to her and cannot deny the increase in our power. It will not be complete until you mark her.”

“Your methods weren’t ideal? Are you kidding? They were wrong! You did not give her a choice, and you hurt her! She was a virgin!”

“Her heat demanded….”Còntens bel0ngs to Nô(v)elDr/a/ma.Org

“No! You don’t get to use that! She asked you! She asked you to wait for her to be ready! That wasn’t how it should have happened. And the bond we could have created is now weak at best!”

He remained silent once again. I could feel his remorse, but his pride was in the way. It felt like he was searching for reasons to justify his behavior. And I was stuck cleaning up the mess.

I poured myself another drink and downed it in one gulp. I needed to neutralize this hunter and focus on fixing what had happened. I needed her now. A tear slipped down my cheek as I sat there contemplating my next move.

Azalea

That night I tossed and turned all night, never entirely falling asleep. By about 3:30 am I gave up; I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep. Getting up, I dressed in some warm clothes and grabbed my laundry basket. I made my way up to the inn, letting myself in through the kitchen.

Walking into the front lobby, I set the basket aside, noticing someone sitting on the couch by the fireplace. The fire looked freshly fed and warm. Whoever sat on the sofa didn’t notice me, and I didn’t want to frighten them. I slowly approached the couches trying to get their attention. I finally got within their eyesight and got a proper look at his face; it was Kol. He finally turned his head, noticing me, and a smile crept over his lips.

“Good morning, little flower,” He said quietly.

“Good morning. Having some trouble sleeping?” I asked.

“Just a tad. Busy mind. And you? Don’t tell me this is when you start working?” he asked.

“Oh no. Guess you could say I was feeling a bit restless last night. Can I make you some tea or coffee?”

“Forever the exemplary host. I am fine, thank you. Would you like to join me? It is pretty chilly this morning. Winter seems to be coming early this year.”

“Um, sure. Let me just make myself some tea, and I would be happy to join you for a bit.”

“Mind if I accompany you?” he asked, standing up. I didn’t want to be rude, so I nodded and let him follow me into the kitchen.

I turned the light on over the stove and set the kettle on to get warm. Going to the cabinet, I pulled out some chamomile/lavender blend tea that was supposed to be helpful as an anxiety and stress reliever. Kol stood quietly next to the prep table, watching me with a smirk on his lips.

“What is funny?” I asked him.

“Nothing. You just intrigue me,” he said.

“I intrigue you?” He smiled bigger as he nodded. “Why?” I asked him.

“Why not? You are interesting,” he replied.

“That isn’t a real answer. Plus, it just isn’t true. I am simple and boring. There is nothing interesting about me,” I said shallowly. The kettle whistled, so I turned over to the stove with my teacup.

As I poured the boiling water into my cup, Kol approached me from behind. “It is exactly that which makes you interesting. You can’t see how intriguing you are. You can’t see how crazy you can drive a man,” he whispered in my ear. I froze completely.

“Umm…” I tried to find something to say. I did not like where this was headed, and there was no one around to help me.

He stepped back. “Sorry,” he said, rubbing the back of his head with his hand. “I can come on a little strong. Guess it’s in my nature. But if I am being honest,” he peered down into my eyes as I looked at him, “I have not been able to get you off my mind since I checked in. You have been a distraction during a time where I need to focus on my goal.”

I wasn’t exactly sure what to say or make of what he was saying. How could I be a distraction? The only person to ever show any interest in me was Liam, and that was only after fate told him I was his one. “I-I am sorry. I can g-go….” I stuttered out.

“No, no. I didn’t mean that.” He took another step closer to me. As he got closer again, I began to shake slightly. “Maybe I need a distraction,” he said with a slight smile on his lips. He looked down at me with a warm expression. “Don’t worry. I am not oblivious. I can tell by your body language and your little freakout yesterday that you are not too in favor of physical contact with anyone. I wouldn’t do anything without your consent.”

I looked away from his honest expression and mumbled, “I have heard that before.” I didn’t intend for him to hear me.

“I get the feeling that you don’t believe it now,” he said, bringing my attention back to him. My eyes grew large. “You don’t have to tell me. You don’t owe me anything. But know that I don’t touch things that are not mine.” His eyes searched my face for a moment. Finally, he continued, “I should probably head to my room. Maybe grab a nap before breakfast. Thank you for the company, little flower,” he said. He stepped back and bowed slightly to me before exiting the kitchen.

What the heck was going on at this inn?