Page 181 of Toxic

"Well, for starters, I’m a pessimist by nature. My line: ‘Expect the worst, not the fucking miracle.’ But there was this one thing that confused me the most: I could be away from him for two months. It didn’t make sense—it made me question everything. But I’ve read more about it since, and I know now that with betas, the Pull works less intensely than with omegas. We can be separated for longer. Plus, Skye and I didn’t sleep together before graduation, so the Pull couldn’t fully kick in until then. After we had sex, we could no longer be apart. I’m a beta, he’s an alpha, but we’re still True Mates. We’re that tiny percentage in the statistics!"

I paused, out of breath, purging myself of the lies, denial, and self-deception. It was liberating.

But that’s when I saw Liam’s tears, streaming silently down his cheeks.

"Well… congratulations again, Soren. It’s truly the magical solution to all your doubts and fears. You’ve become that one percent who gets to stay together forever. He will never leave you. A fucking happy ending. For one of us."

I had no idea what to say as I stared at his face. I remembered our conversation from months ago—he had wished that one day both of us would have happy endings. I guess I left him behind now, with my perfect HEA and riding off into the sunset, but no HEA for Liam… more like a fucking hell for him.

"One more thing, Soren. I wouldn’t have done this if I’d known your pregnancy depended on being close to him. I’m not a monster. I wouldn’t want you to lose the baby because of me. I just wanted you to feel my pain for a moment—the pain I feel all the time. Nothing more," he whispered, his voice trembling. "Despite all this, I still have feelings for you, and I don't want you to go through this loss again."

With that, he turned, went back to the bedroom to grab his clothes from the bed, pulled them on, and brushed past me as he walked out.

But I couldn’t let him leave. I leapt to my feet and ran after him.

"Liam!"

He stopped but didn’t turn to face me.

"I met my True Mate, and that's the only reason I left you. I would never have chosen any alpha over you. You were my best friend, my family, and I… loved you. You don't have to believe me, but it's true. We would still be together if Fate hadn't decided otherwise and arranged for me to meet him. But you were the next best thing in my life, and I thank you for all the love you gave me, Liam."

Liam didn't look at me. He just started walking and disappeared around the corner of the hallway.

And I…

…I sank to the floor, feeling like the ground was crumbling beneath me. Sobbing, I tried to make sense of it all, to come up with a way out of this mess. One thing I knew: I had to find Skye. I had to fix this.

I had to tell him we were meant to be.

From the beginning to forever.

Then I thought of one more rare talent True Mates have: they can always track the other mate. Regardless of where they are, if they listen to their intuition—to that inner compass—they can find each other. No matter the distance, no matter how many walls, streets, or miles separate them.

I clenched my jaw and left the apartment.

I knew exactly which direction to go.

Once and for all: toward Skye.

SKYE

After a long pause, Winter opened the door, a flicker of reluctance crossing his face—but just for a second—because then he noticed my eyes.

"What’s going on?!" He took a step back, his beta instincts kicking in. He couldn’t react any other way.

"Not much, just cruising the city in full-on fighting mode, no biggie." I shrugged, wincing bitterly.

"Terrible timing for a visit. I’m heading out in half an hour," he stated, furrowing his brows. "You gonna tell me what’s got you riled up?"

"In a minute. Let me catch my breath."

I stepped into his living room. I’d never been to his apartment before, though I’d seen pictures when Winter bought it a few years ago. Our parents had helped him furnish the place, so I got to see a few photos back then.

"Nice place," I muttered gloomily, noticing he had a big balcony that looked like a tiered terrace.

"Now tell me what's going on. You’re not usually the type for brotherly visits." Winter crossed his arms over his chest. He was dressed in a black button-down shirt and casual gray chinos.

I looked him over from head to toe. "Have you been working out more lately? You look jacked! Like some Viking."

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