Page 186 of Toxic

Feeling irritated, I practically jumped into my shoes and rushed to the door.

"Alright, fucker. It’s on you now. If he jumps, that’s on your conscience. I’ll be there in a bit. Just tell me which cliff it is. Send me your location, and I’ll plug it into Google Maps."

"Sure, sending it now. Hurry, I don’t know how long we can keep him here."

I felt like absolute crap. What the fuck just happened?

My prayer had the exact opposite effect! I’d prayed for Liam’s happiness, and now he wanted to end his life? What kind of twisted shit was that? And the fact that Winter just happened to find him—it was almost unbelievable.

I hated how cruel Fate seemed to be to Liam.

I dashed down the stairs and jumped into my car, probably breaking every traffic law on my way to the park. It was a miracle I didn’t get pulled over. Luckily, the park wasn’t far.

Winter had sent me the coordinates, and after inputting them, I sprinted toward the location. The path ended and turned into a trail climbing a small hill, leading to the cliff. From that distance, I couldn’t see if anyone was standing at the top, but since no one was at the base, I figured Liam hadn’t jumped yet. Relief washed over me.

No matter what he’d done, he didn’t deserve to die, shattered on some rocks.

My heart pounded as I climbed the hill, pulling out my phone with trembling hands to call Winter. Sweat poured downmy face, blurring my vision. Luckily, Winter picked up on the first ring.

"Glad you’re here. It’s not looking good—Liam’s almost right on the edge of the cliff."

"Where are you guys?"

"By some bushes right before the rocks at the top."

Nervously scanning the area, I finally spotted a patch of thick vegetation. The trail ran right beside it. Pushing through the dense foliage, I reached the hill’s peak and saw a few rocks forming the summit. Winter was standing, facing the cliff, and beside him, closer to the edge, was Finn. Then I noticed Liam—thin, hunched, and perched right at the cliff's edge.

I cursed under my breath, feeling absolutely terrible. How did it come to this? I never wanted to hurt another fellow human being like this.

"Winter!" I called out, shoving my phone into my pocket. "I’m here. Damn, this is all so messed up."

Moreover, I realized then that Liam being here meant Soren must have kicked him out, probably saying some unpleasant things to him. My theory that all those hickeys were a desperate stunt by Liam seemed even more likely now.

Liam slowly turned his head, and our eyes met. He was without his glasses and looked much younger than usual.

"What the fuck?" he swore bitterly. "No, no, no, not you! You fucking bastard! Why did you come?! How dare you?!"

"Liam, don’t do anything stupid. You’re twenty-two, for fuck’s sake! You’ve got your whole life ahead of you. Whatever happens, there’s always a chance!" I shouted out some cliché lines I’d heard on a TV show about people dealing with suicidal thoughts.

Liam snorted. "Easy for you to say! You won, fucker! I’ve loved Soren since I was twelve. Ten years of hope—all for nothing because I find out that you two are True Mates?!"

Winter’s eyes locked onto my face. Even Finn turned to look at me, but I was no less shocked than they were. Why would Liam say that?

"Well, that’s big news," Finn muttered.

I shot him a confused look. Finn stood the closest to Liam, maybe six feet away. He seemed tense and alert, as if ready to catch him. I hadn’t seen Winter’s ex since graduation. He looked as elegant as always, dressed in a black button-down shirt and suit pants. He and Winter were of similar height and build—pretty bulky for betas—though Winter had snow-white hair, while Finn’s was black, styled into a well-groomed cross between a fading mohawk and a faux-hawk. He was a handsome, fit-looking guy who didn’t show his thirty-four years.

As I looked at Finn, I suddenly realized something interesting—he bore a visible resemblance to Soren! The shape of his face, slightly cat-like, and even his eye color, gray like a rainy sky. Fascinating. Maybe that’s why I’d always liked him? Perhaps he was… my imprint?

And if so, maybe not just mine?

"So, you two are TMs? You left out that tiny detail," Winter said, glaring at me with some reproach.

"Honestly, I'm surprised that Soren told Liam about it. He’s never admitted it out loud to me! I suspected it for a while, but his stubborn denial kept my mouth shut. However, it’s nice to know he’s finally accepted it," I explained with a touch of bitterness and shrugged.

But that discussion could wait. I turned my attention to Liam, who was trembling slightly and clenching his fists.

"Liam, think about this pragmatically. Soren and I were on a collision course as True Mates. It wasn’t like he chose me over you on a whim or because he didn’t care about you. He picked me because Fate drew us together. There’s no force on this planet—no amount of kindness or affection you could haveshown him—that could have outweighed the Pull between True Mates."

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