Free Web NovelChapter 527: Chapter 527 Why do you smell like cookies?
A few days later.
Since Irina didn’t call Liam, he usually goes there for a few hours everyday, but today was different.
Apparently there was something she wanted only the two of them to go observe.
He had absolutely no idea what it was.
He had asked over the phone but Irina simply told him to stop asking questions and come.
So he came.
The cold wind brushed against Liam’s face as he moved through the sky. Below him, forests stretched endlessly beneath layers of white clouds while distant roads cut through the landscape like thin scars. Flying had become second nature to him now. What once would’ve left him terrified now barely registered in his mind.
His eyes narrowed.
The abandoned factory appeared in the distance.
Without slowing down, Liam angled his body downward.
Whoosh!
His coat fluttered behind him as he dove straight toward the ground.
The factory rapidly grew larger until he finally touched down softly in front of the entrance.
Thud.
Even after landing, there wasn’t so much as a crack beneath his feet.
Liam adjusted his jacket before lifting his head to observe the area around him.
The abandoned factory still looked exactly the same from the outside.
Broken windows.
Rusted walls.
Faded company logos.
Anyone passing by would assume the place had been deserted for years.
But Liam knew better.
He immediately noticed movement hidden within the surrounding shadows.
A werewolf sat atop an old shipping container with crossed arms.
Another leaned against a broken wall while smoking.
Two younger pack members sat near a barrel, talking quietly among themselves.
The moment they recognized him, their guarded expressions relaxed.
One raised a hand.
Another nodded respectfully.
Nobody questioned why he had appeared from the sky.
At this point, Liam had become familiar enough that nobody bothered reacting anymore.
"Morning," Liam greeted casually.
One of them snorted.
"It’s afternoon."
Liam glanced upward.
"...Good afternoon."
A few chuckles spread through the area.
He shoved his hands into his pockets before making his way toward the entrance.
The heavy metal doors opened before he even touched them.
Inside, the atmosphere changed completely.
The factory wasn’t empty.
It was alive. frёewebηovel.cѳm
The sounds hit him immediately.
Bang.
Bang.
Bang.
Wooden training weapons collided.
Heavy footsteps echoed across concrete floors.
Some werewolves wrestled inside makeshift rings while others lifted absurd amounts of weight using equipment they had pieced together from scrap metal.
Near one corner, several children chased one another around piles of crates while exhausted adults shouted warnings for them not to run too close to the training areas.
Someone laughed loudly.
Someone cursed.
Someone else was arguing over card games.
It looked less like a secret supernatural hideout and more like an overcrowded community trying its best to survive.
Liam slowed his pace.
His gaze wandered around the factory thoughtfully.
He knew Tatiana and Alicia had their own apartments.
Danill also had his own place.
But what about everyone else?
Many of these people didn’t seem to have homes outside this place.
Some of the sleeping areas consisted of nothing more than mattresses laid beside machinery.
Others had tried creating privacy using hanging sheets and temporary partitions.
This factory wasn’t just headquarters.
For some of them...
It was home.
Liam’s expression softened slightly.
Irina carried more responsibility than he had originally thought.
Being Alpha wasn’t simply leading people into battle.
It meant feeding them.
Protecting them.
Giving them somewhere to belong.
He finally understood why she constantly looked exhausted.
As he continued walking through the crowded space, familiar faces occasionally called out greetings.
"Liam."
"You’re back."
"You still owe me a rematch."
"Don’t listen to him. He’ll lose again."
Liam laughed and pointed at one particularly large werewolf.
"You said that last time before I folded you in three moves."
The man immediately protested.
"That was unfair! You cheated!"
"I won."
"You cheated while winning!"
Liam grinned.
"Sounds like winning to me."
More laughter followed him as he moved deeper inside.
Then his eyes caught sight of someone familiar.
Danill sat near a table positioned beside several computers.
His fingers moved rapidly across a keyboard while three separate screens displayed lines of information Liam couldn’t understand.
The young werewolf looked completely focused.
"Hey, Danill."
Liam waved with a wide smile.
Danill looked up.
For a split second, confusion crossed his face.
Then excitement exploded across his expression.
"Liam!"
The young werewolf practically launched himself across the room.
Liam immediately raised an eyebrow.
The energetic werewolf landed directly beside him.
"Can’t you walk like every normal person here?" Liam asked dryly.
Danill blinked.
Then he laughed.
"What’s the fun in that?"
Liam shook his head.
Sometimes he forgot Danill was older than he acted.
The guy possessed endless energy.
Danill glanced around before asking, "What do you need me for?"
"Irina told me to come," Liam replied. "Do you know where she is?"
Danill nodded.
"She went to get someone. She’ll be back soon. She told us to tell you to wait for her."
Liam nodded.
"Okay."
There was silence for a moment.
Then Liam reached out.
Before Danill realized what was happening, Liam ran a hand through his messy hair.
"Thanks."
Danill froze.
Then his eyes widened.
He immediately slapped Liam’s hand away.
"I’m not a kid!"
Liam stared at him.
Then he looked at Danill’s annoyed expression.
Then at the slightly messy hair.
Then back at Danill.
A grin spread across his face.
"You look like one though."
Danill’s jaw dropped.
"What?!"
Liam was already walking away.
"You literally jumped across the room."
"I was excited!"
"Exactly."
"I’m serious!"
Liam lifted one hand dismissively without turning back.
"Sure you are."
Danill stared at his retreating figure.
Then, despite himself, a warm smile slowly appeared on his face.
"You really are annoying," he muttered.
He returned to his computers, fingers moving across the keyboard once more.
Meanwhile, Liam disappeared toward the back sections of the factory, wondering what exactly Irina wanted badly enough to summon him here personally.
Judging by the secrecy in her voice...
Whatever she wanted to show him today probably wasn’t something she wanted even her pack to know about.
Thirty minutes later, Liam was beginning to suspect Irina had forgotten she was the one who called him here.
He sat on top of a wooden crate near the back section of the factory, one leg stretched out while the other rested bent beneath him. Around him, the factory remained busy with activity. The distant sounds of sparring echoed through the large building. Someone shouted instructions from one side. A child laughed somewhere near the sleeping quarters before immediately being scolded by an exhausted mother.
Liam let out a quiet sigh as he tilted his head back slightly.
"Thirty minutes..."
He checked his phone.
No messages.
No calls.
Nothing.
"I swear if Irina called me here just to disappear, I’m leaving."
He muttered the words under his breath before grabbing an old metal bolt from the crate beside him and flicking it across the room absentmindedly.
Clink.
It bounced harmlessly against the concrete floor.
Liam rested both elbows against his knees as his gaze drifted around the factory.
His enhanced senses picked up a familiar scent.
Liam looked up.
Someone was walking toward him.
His eyes widened slightly.
Tatiana.
For a moment, he almost wondered if he was mistaken.
She looked... different.
Very different.
Gone was the cold expression she always wore whenever she was around others. The cautious distance. The guarded stare.
Instead, there was warmth.
It softened her entire appearance.
Tatiana had always been beautiful. Liam wasn’t blind.
Her red hair framed delicate features that naturally drew attention, while her clear eyes carried an almost ethereal quality to them.
But this version of her...
Smiling softly.
Walking toward him without fear.
It somehow made her even prettier.
She wore fitted jeans tucked neatly into dark boots that clicked softly against the concrete floor as she approached. A red shirt hugged her figure comfortably without being overly flashy, emphasizing her slender waist and graceful proportions.
The casual outfit suited her.
She looked less like the intimidating werewolf everyone avoided and more like an ordinary young woman.
A very beautiful one.
Liam’s nose twitched.
Perfume.
A soft floral scent drifted toward him.
But underneath that...
There was something else.
Freshly baked sugar.
Vanilla.
Butter.
He blinked.
What was that smell?
Tatiana finally stopped in front of him.
For once, she wasn’t staring straight ahead.
Instead...
Her eyes remained fixed on the floor.
Liam stared.
Tatiana...
The woman who accidentally snapped his hand without hesitation...
Actually looked nervous.
"Hi, Liam."
Her voice was soft.
Almost timid.
Liam smiled instinctively.
"Hi."
There was silence.
Tatiana’s fingers twisted behind her back.
Then she inhaled deeply.
"I came to apologize."
Liam tilted his head.
"For what I did last week," she continued quietly. "Reacting like that and breaking your hand was something I should have never done."
As she spoke, guilt flashed across her face.
She remembered it clearly.
The shock.
The fear.
The sound of bone breaking.
The blood.
Then seeing Liam’s furious expression afterward.
It had haunted her for days.
She had replayed that moment repeatedly in her head.
She had wanted to apologize.
But every time she imagined facing him, fear stopped her.
What if he hated her?
What if he didn’t even want to look at her?
What if—
"It’s alright."
Tatiana blinked.
She looked up.
Liam was smiling at her.
Not forcing it.
Not pretending.
A genuine smile.
"Really," he said. "It’s alright."
Tatiana stared at him.
"You don’t have to keep looking guilty over it."
He rubbed the back of his neck.
"I healed, remember? Besides, if anyone should apologize, it’s me too. I probably scared you."
Tatiana’s lips parted slightly.
He wasn’t angry.
He wasn’t avoiding her.
He wasn’t treating her differently.
He was just...
Liam.
The same Liam who had helped her despite barely knowing her.
The same Liam who smiled too much.
The same Liam who believed her.
Her heart skipped.
Then raced.
Fast.
Too fast.
Tatiana quickly lowered her eyes again before he noticed.
"I... also wanted to thank you."
Liam knew immediately what she meant.
Governor Vladimir.
The entire country had heard the confession
