Impregnated By The Female Alpha

Chapter 84: A Temporary Goodbye

"...You are leaving." It was not a question, merely a toneless statement of fact intoned in that husky timbre that never failed to send frissons of longing ricocheting through her.

For several endless heartbeats, Anastasia couldn’t summon the will to respond.

How did one even begin to explain the complex, gut-wrenching situation to their mate?

The excruciating decisions that were being forced upon her despite her most fervent desires?

Finally, with visible effort, Anastasia twisted at the waist to directly meet Liam’s heated brandy stare.

Though her features remained impassive and regal as ever, her eyes alone shone with naked, wretched remorse.

Anastasia sighed heavily, the weight of an invisible burden seeming to press down on her slender shoulders.

She slid her phone back into the pocket of her jeans and rose from the battered old armchair, her movements slow and reluctant.

Crossing the dimly lit living room, she extended her hand towards Liam, her eyes shimmering with sadness behind a veil of dark lashes.

"I don’t want to leave you," she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper as her fingers curled around his. "I don’t want to leave without you, Liam."

He looked up at her, lines of worry etched into his brow.

Their gazes locked, a silent conversation passing between them in that endless moment.

Liam let out a weary sigh, the sound seeming to come from somewhere deep within him.

"At least you will have Cobra there with you," he murmured, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

Anastasia felt her heart clench painfully in her chest.

He knew.

The realization washed over her, cold and harsh as a winter storm.

Did he know everything?

Her mind raced, thoughts and fears swirling together into a maelstrom of dread.

Is everything destroyed now?

Will he hate her for wanting them both?

Her eyes widened, dark pools of trepidation and dismay.

"How?" she breathed, the word catching in her suddenly dry throat.

Was everything destroyed now?

The life she had built for all the three of them in her mind, - everything hanging perilously by a thread over the abyss.

Liam’s chuckle was low and humorless as he raked his fingers through his hair, the chestnut locks having grown slightly over the past month. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ

He doesn’t have a buzzcut anymore.

Is he growing his hair like he had before?

Anastasia would love him in any haircut

"You think I didn’t notice his scent clinging to your closet?" His eyes, shadowed by the dim lamplight, bore into hers with an intensity that made Anastasia’s breath catch in her throat.

"Or did you think I missed it when you mentioned ’fated mates’, plural?" Liam continued, his voice edged with a hardness she had never heard from him before.

"Did you honestly believe I was oblivious to you sneaking down to the dungeon every single night to see him, only to return to your room later covered in his smell?"

Anastasia stared at the man before her, her teeth worrying her lower lip as fear and shame swirled sickeningly in her stomach.

"Liam..." she started, but the word trailed off, dying on her lips as no other sound would come.

"I’m not stupid, Anastasia. Nor am I blind," he stated flatly. "I knew all along. I noticed how you keep looking at Katie and her two lovers with longing eyes, imagining yourself with me and him."

She opened her mouth to speak, to try to explain, but Liam held up a hand to silence her.

"You know why I didn’t say anything about it?" He paused, seeming to struggle with his words.

"Because I understand how strong the bond of fated mates is. When he told you his story back in his pack, I...I felt like I could relate to him on some level. He waited ten years. I’ve only had to wait six or seven, and I still felt miserable."

Anastasia remained silent, afraid that if she tried to speak, the carefully constructed dam holding back her turbulent emotions would burst.

She simply listened as Liam laid bare his thoughts and feelings.

"I understand the Moon Goddess gave you two fated mates for some reason," he went on, his voice softening slightly, tinged with resignation.

"I get it. But it’s just...so hard to accept." Liam sighed, suddenly sounding unbearably weary.

"I’m trying to be mature about this. I need more time, Anastasia. More time to accept everything, to move on, to start over anew."

Hot tears stung Anastasia’s eyes, blurring her vision, but she blinked them away rapidly and managed a tremulous smile for the man she loved so deeply.

"Okay, Liam," she whispered, reaching out to gently caress his cheek. "Take your time. It’s hard, but...I’ll always be waiting for you."

The packing passed in a blur of motion and melancholy.

Liam insisted on helping Anastasia gather her belongings, moving around her bedroom

Yet there was a heaviness to his movements, a solemnity underlying every action.

When at last her suitcases were neatly packed and lined up by the door, Liam accompanied Anastasia downstairs to her car.

He loaded her things into the trunk with care, his calloused hands lingering perhaps a moment too long on the scuffed leather of her travel bag.

Alex had already been sent back a couple of weeks prior with Philip and Caleb, as the young alpha needed to return to his schooling.

His parting had been rather messy, Anastasia recalled, filled with shouted protests and stubborn refusals to be separated from the fiery Willion - despite her tendency to thoroughly thrash him in combat and ceaselessly pester him.

Cobra himself had only departed for Midnight Pack the previous day after a week of Anastasia talking to Xavier to allow Cobra to be taken to her pack, where she felt he would be more secure.

It dawned on her now that Liam had likely been the unseen hand working behind the scenes to convince his brother - he truly had known of the depth of her bond with Cobra all along.

"So...see you later, Anastasia," Liam said quietly as they lingered beside her Mustang.

She could only nod mutely, her heart clenching painfully at the thought of being parted from one of her mates, even temporarily.

Pulling him into a fierce embrace, Anastasia buried her face against the crook of his neck, breathing in his achingly familiar scent.

Liam’s arms tightened almost convulsively around her slender frame as he returned her desperate hug with fervent passion.

When at last they parted, he shrugged off his jacket and gently wrapped it around her shoulders.

Anastasia’s fingers clutched at the soft, warm fabric as Liam unwound her scarf and looped it loosely around his neck.

So that they would each have something of the other’s essence to keep them company in the aching loneliness of being apart.

Cupping her face tenderly between his calloused palms, Liam traced the delicate curve of her cheekbone with a callused thumb.

Their gazes locked, a thousand unspoken words and a lifetime of memories flashing between them in that eternal instant.

That was when he noticed the shimmer of unshed tears glistening in her dark eyes.

"Anastasia...are you crying?" The words were little more than a rumbled murmur, tinged with concern.

She managed a watery chuckle, suddenly feeling foolish for her overpowering emotions.

"No, I...I just have something in my eye," Anastasia mumbled, ducking her head in a vain attempt to compose herself.

Liam’s knowing look told her he wasn’t fooled, but he mercifully chose not to call her on the fib.

"Of course," was all he said with an understanding nod.

One final, lingering embrace, then Anastasia was sliding behind the wheel of her car.

As she pulled away, catching one last glimpse of Liam’s silhouette in the rearview mirror, his hand raised in a solemn farewell, she knew their bond would sustain them both until they were inevitably drawn back together once more - no matter how many moons may wane and wax in the interim.

——-

The joyful chorus of howls and welcoming rumbles reached Anastasia’s ears even before her car had come to a full stop in front of the packhouse.

Her pack members materialized from the forest shadows, their powerful forms rippling with sinewy power as they surrounded her vehicle.

Through the car windows, she glimpsed flashes of pale feral eyes and lolling tongues as cool muzzles pressed against the glass, keen senses picking up the conflicting scents that clung to her traveling clothes - the mingled essences of her mates both present and painfully absent.

Forcing a weary smile, Anastasia climbed out to be immediately engulfed in a sea of furry bodies.

Dozens of cold, damp noses insistently nuzzled her face, neck, and hands as her pack members jostled for her attention, rumbling inquiries and reassurances in their ancient tongues.

"Okay, hello everyone. Thank you for this welcome little ceremony," She spoke with a smile.

The crowd parted like water, allowing her parents to go through first.

"Anastasia," Elisabeth murmured, reaching out to tenderly brush the hair back from Anastasia’s brow. "You’ve returned to us at last."

There was no recrimination or prying in her mother’s words, only acceptance and relief at having her child safely among the pack once more.

Her dad simply rumbled a deep, contented sound, and hugged his daughter tight in his arms.

A squirming ball of unbridled energy barreled through the crowd, all gangly limbs and bright eyes as a small figure launched itself at Anastasia.

She caught the boy easily, her lips curving in a sad but genuine smile as she hugged him fiercely.