Dating

10:21 AM

Chapter 124

1 sent a quick response back to Arthur not wanting to raise any other worry and suspicion with Monica. Dealing with my problems over Liam was more than enough–there was no way that I was about to add Arthur to that mix as well.

Monica sagged back onto the couch and sipped her coffee. “Maybe Olivia was lying to you the whole time.”

“But she honestly sounded so genuine about everything. Normally, I’m met with bitterness and sneered remarks from other girls. Olivia was kind and accepting. I really wanted to believe Liam, but then I saw him and Olivia after the final practice…”

Monica pulled up the picture and tried to make sense of it. “It wasn’t Olivia who posted the photo,”

“Let me see.” She was right. It turned out it was one of her friends that I remembered seeing who took the liberty of posting the picture.

“Ella, a lot of what happened doesn’t sit right with me,” she said. “I’m not saying that Liam is innocent, but I really think you should talk to him and hear him out.”

I let out a sigh. I knew Monica was right. “Okay. I’ll text Liam later and see if he wants to meet up.”

She offered me a confident smile and raised her brow. “In the meantime, I’m going to see what else I can find on Olivia.”

I got up to retrieve my phone and sent a quick message to Liam, letting him know that I was willing to speak to him later that day. My nerves were beginning to fill with anticipation and some kind of mixture of dread.

1 got myself ready and fought to suppress any sort of agitation as I made my way

toward the cafe.

I never thought I’d ever feel this way when it came to Liam. Him. One of the very few who’d been supporting me and sticking up for me. I never thought that Liam would end up hurting me so horribly.

I half expected this behavior from Noah but not from him. Perhaps that was why I was taking this situation so badly.

I rounded the corner and came upon the cafe. Turning my head, I felt my heart dip inside my chest when I noticed that Liam was already there waiting for me. I slipped inside the place and almost instantly locked eyes with him.

He jumped up from his seat and rushed over to embrace me but I took a noticeable step back. Liam’s entire figure froze on the spot, his features pinched with conscious dejection.

“Right,” he said quietly. “Come on, I have a table for us already.”

I silently followed behind him and took the spot across from him.

Frank youfer agreeing to racet with me,” I said. I kept my head down, wishing this whole would end.

“Ella…Can you at least look at me?”

The broken tone in his voice caused me to fight back tears. “Liam. I’m only here so you can explain your side of this, alright? Nothing more.”

He let out a long defeated breath. “Ella, what you saw back at the rink, it wasn’t real.”

“Really?” I said with an unconvinced tone in my voice. “It looked pretty real to me. Actually, it looked pretty damn genuine.

“Olivia approached me after the practice,” he explained. “I was questioning her about why she told you all those lies about her and I being together. Olivia claimed that she believes the two of us would be better suited for each other.”

It hurt to hear it, but I recalled Arthur mentioning something similar to me. “Arthur said something similar to me about that too.”

“Ella, the two of them have been close friends for a long time. I have every reason to believe that Arthur had plotted this whole scheme with Olivia as a means to get closer to you. I guess part of him thought that by throwing Olivia in my direction, I’d become swayed by her and leave you.” he werd on “Ella, that’s not what happened. What I told you before about never having met Olivia, it was the truth. I made it perfectly clear that when she expressed her interest, I was already taken and wanted nothing to do with her. She ended up grabbing me and pulling me down so she could kiss me. Limmediately shoved her away.”

He did I realized that I hadn’t stuck around long enough to see that. I’d been so shocked and upset that I just left without giving it a second thought.

Hearing him explain the situation took away some of the pain in my chest. “Liam…I know that our relationship hasn’t exactly been normal. We sort of came together under the pretense to not only keep people from harassing me but also to get back at Noah”

“You know that’s not true. What we have means so much more-

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10:21 AM

Chapter 124

“Please, let me say this,” I pleaded. “After everything that Noah had put me through, I couldn’t believe that seeing you with someone else like that hurt ten times worse.”

I let out a small laugh. “I think maybe I ended up letting myself become too attached, knowing that one day you would eventually realize that I am only human and you deserve someone-”

“Ella,” he snarled, “Stop. Talking.”

He looked seconds away from letting his wolf take over. My mouth closed and remained in a firm line.

“How could you possibly think that I could ever find someone better than you? I have never treated you or viewed you as though you were some filler for when someone else comes along,” he remarked harshly.

“But what could I possibly provide you that an actual she–wolf can?”

“More than you can understand. When I’m with you, you give me a strength that I didn’t realize I’ve been missing all this time. This relationship may have started out as a way to get back at Noah for you, but it has never been anything less than real for me. Every time I referred to you as my mate, I meant it.”

I felt my entire body go stiff in my chair. “You’re saying that…That I’m-”

“Yes, Ella. You’re my Fated Mate. There will never be anyone else but you,” he stated softly.

A new mixture of emotions began to swirl inside of me that were too overwhelming to deal with. My heart continued to slam almost violently against my rib age as though it were trying to break free.

Could it be true?… Did I want it to be true?

Perhaps that’s why seeing Liam kiss another girl was so painful for me to bear. Was all of this pain I’d been feeling a result of the bond that was building between us?

“Why don’t the two of us start over?” he asked gently. “Let this relationship really be just about us and no one else.”

“I want time to think about it. If what you’re telling me is true, then this isn’t something that should be taken lightly and on a whim.” Liam nodded. “And if we’re being honest, there are some things I’ve been wanting to tell you as well.”

“Alright.”

“While we were at the hotel, during one of your practices, Arthur found me. As you already know, he’s expressed some kind of interest in me- why? I have no idea. But he’s explained that he’s willing to answer my questions in return for going out to dinner with him.”

….

This wasn’t exactly the way I had planned to tell Liam abo…

this

but there was no point in withholding it any longer.

From the look on his face, I could tell that Liam was seconds

from losing it

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