My eyes adjusted to the light from the window as I slowly woke up.

I dumbly looked around my room and saw that there was a body slumped in the rocking chair by the door. My mind flashed to Jack but broke itself of the haze when I noticed it was Liam. He wasn’t wearing his suit anymore, but he was in a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. He snored softly in his chair as his hair was still held in his mini French-braid.

I tried to sit up, but it felt like an elephant was sitting on my chest. My body felt heavy, and my back ached for some unknown reason. I pushed back the covers and saw myself back in my blinding white shorts and shirt that contrasted my black lose braid. I managed to somewhat get my body up by my skinny arms couldn’t lift my equally slender body up, and one arm bent inwards suddenly. It sent me falling before I managed to catch myself, but I must’ve made a whimper because Liam woke up.

He saw me try (and fail) to sit me up again and ran over. He put his arms around me and helped me sit up. Once he knew I was situated, he pulled up a small stool (that I didn’t notice before) to my bedside. He craned his neck and peeked at my neck before his eyes widened.

“It’s gone,” he whispered.

“What’s gone?” I put my hands on the sides of my neck, and he shook his head.

“How are you feeling?”

“Mentally or physically?” I questioned, and put my hands down at my side. Liam scrunched his face up.

“Both? I didn’t know you felt bad physically” Liam caught on before I could give him an answer.

I sighed. “Mentally, I’m fine, I guess? I just witnessed a trial where I didn’t even remember half of it and then saw the men in question die because of me. I don’t know how to react or how I’m supposed to react to that.”

Liam tilted his head in confusion. “You don’t remember him doing all that stuff to you?”

I shook my head. “I only remember kicking him, being put in the Oven, and the tests. Everything before that, I didn’t know happened.”

Liam nodded his head slowly in thought. “What about physically?”

I leaned my head to the side, and an audible pop sound responded. I felt relief for a second before a tingling sensation of numbness. “My body feels stiff- especially my back” For some reason, my back felt like someone beat the skin color off of me and I healed in a taffy puller.

Liam put his hands on my back and started massaging. I thought it’d hurt, but it felt like heaven. He somehow knew where to put his hands to make me feel good, and I let myself drift off into utter bliss as he went to town on my back.

Once he stopped, he pulled me into a hug with my back against his chest. He put his head on my shoulder, and I felt our breathing sync up.

“I can’t help you mentally but just know I am here for you,” Liam breathed.

I gave a silent ‘thank you’ and leaned into him. His body was hot like a fire, but mine was colder than a freezer. I unconsciously snuggled into his warm blanket arms but something concerned me, and the words fell out of my lips.

“Where’s Xavier and them?”

Liam seemed confused with the sudden topic change but answered. “They are handling the groups that came here for the trial. Everyone is staying here a little while longer to make sure this doesn’t happen again” The way he ended made it sound like he had more to say, but I didn’t pry. He released me, and his warmth left a phantom blanket on my shoulders.

“Shouldn’t you be there too? I thought you were a leader.”

Liam waved a hand in front of his face. “I mean, I am a leader, but I don’t have to be there. I’ve been excused from the activities to take care of my mate” Liam realized what he said and cringed a bit.

“Mate? What is that? Jeremy said the same word too when he referenced me.”

Liam sighed. “Let me just start from the beginning.”

“Yes, because starting at the end would be correct,” I quipped, and it earned a dazzling smile from Liam. He looked like he had an internal conflict on where to start but shook his head abruptly and stared at me.

“Everyone here is a shapeshifter,” Liam said bluntly.

I blinked. “A shapeshifter? So, you can turn into a triangle?” I was honestly confused.

Liam laughed, and it sounded like the choir of light that shined in my window this morning. He caressed my cheek and said, “You are too cute for your own good.”

I swatted his hand, and he let go. “Shapeshifters mean that we can change our appearance into something different.”

“What do you turn into?”

“A Wolf,” He answered smoothly. “Everyone in this community can.”

I looked at him, skeptical eyes. “Really?”

“Yes!” He got excited. “Would you like to see?”

Somewhere inside my soul, I found a ping of fear. “Maybe later.”

Liam shrugged it off. “No worries but continuing. As I said before, everyone here turns into wolves. Now, each group, or community, is called a pack. The pack is lead by an Alpha. Their right hand is called a Beta and, in some packs like mine, we need extra help, so we have a Gamma- which is the third in charge.”

I shook my head slowly, showing that I was understanding. “Why do you need a Gamma?”

“Because my pack is the largest pack in this area. Xavier runs the second largest, so he also has a Gamma. You probably hadn’t seen him much because when Xavier and Kyle, Xavier’s Beta, were taking care of you- the Gamma was doing the things the Alpha would’ve done.”

I instantly felt bad. “So, I kept Xavier from doing his job? I wish I would’ve known- I could’ve done everything myself.”

Liam shook his head. “It’s an Alpha’s responsibly to make sure the well-being of everyone in the pack is put into the utmost importance. He probably felt horrible since your well-being was neglected” Liam stopped himself and looked off to the side before looking back at me and flashing a smile. I was about to ask about his well-being, but he continued. “Also, when a Gamma takes the position, he already knew what he was getting himself into. Normally though, it’s just the Alpha and the Beta.”

I felt a little better after hearing his words, but a question still rang within me. “What about mates?”

“Oh, that- I almost forgot,” Liam wrung his hands. “Mates are your soulmate. You only have one unless under extreme circumstances. It happens to every creature on this Earth at some point. For our denomination of shapeshifters, we dream about our mates. The first night sleep after meeting them is when you finally dream about them. Each dream is different, and you can ask Donna and Kyle or Nicole and Xavier for their dreams. It is considered one of the best things to witness, and everyone looks forward to it.”

“So, when I saw you under the stars in that dream- that was ours?”

Liam nodded with a smile. “The ‘Alpha’ in the relationship invites their counterpart to their dream. It’s a place where both people can become the calmest and at ease with themselves. The mate dream is nothing like any other dream, and it is one you always remember.”

I blinked at him and looked into his ebony eyes. “So, I’m your mate?”

“Yes, Kye, you are my mate.”