Page 48 of Traded

Liam studies me silently. Jonas looks at Liam.

“I’mtrying.” My grip on my knees is white-knuckled.

His head tilts. “Like you were trying when you broke the safety glass? You know that stuff’s thick enough to stop pucks, Ro.”

Only on one side, clearly. I blink. “I lost my temper. For a moment. I didn’t mean to break it.”

He takes a deep breath. “You told me you trusted me. This doesn’t feel like trust.”

“I do,” I whisper. My eyes threaten to drop, but I force them to stay steady as they fill up. “I just—I need—”

When he holds out his arms, I crawl into them, winding my arms around his neck as he straightens. Liam’s murmur fills my ears as I press myself into him. He nudges me back against the wall. “Jo, can you finish the tour while I stay with Rosie?”

My body stills against his. “What? No.”

“Uh,” Jonas sounds uncertain. “Sure. I guess.”

Liam’s hand winds into my hair, holding me in place. His voice lowers. “Stay with me. I’ve got you.”

“But—” I try to push back, away from him. But he has me pinned, and I stare over his shoulder as Jonas holds out his hand to Lauren. She takes it without smiling, her face a deep red as he easily lifts her to her feet and she gives me a quick, guilty glance before looking away. “I said no. Not tonight. She doesn’t need to see everything.”

“And I’m saying yes.” My eyes fly to Liam’s. Betrayal is a cold wash inside my chest. He looks grim. “You’re not thinking rationally, so I’ll do it for you. Better to get it done.”

Her mumbled apology as Jonas leads her past has me struggling again. They stop outside his bedroom, the first door on the left, and my hands fly up to Liam’s chest as Jonas looks back at us, indecision written all over his perfect face. “Liam… maybe it would be better to hold off.”

Lauren wraps her arms around herself and I swing my gaze back to Liam, an ember of hope flickering. Only to extinguish when he shakes his head without a word.

“I don’t want her down here,” I plead with him, my voice rising. “Please, Liam. Tomorrow. Or—in a few days. Slowly.”

His hands feel like restraints. They close around my wrists, holding me in place. “You’re letting your instincts take over, baby. The timing doesn’t make a difference. Once it’s done, it’s done, and there won’t be any more face offs like this.”

He holds medown.

The hands that have always given nothing but comfort now feel almost painful. His voice lowers again, and I flinch away from the words as if they’re physical strikes against my skin. “You need to understand this change. It’s hard now, but itwillget easier. Watch.”

I don’t want to. I try to twist away, but his hand comes up to cup my cheek. It feels like steel. Immovable. My tears fall freely as I watch them disappear inside Jonas’s room.

I can already scent her. Even the air is filled with her. I’m not going to have anywhere to go where I can feel like my pack is stillmine.

Nowhere safe.

Liam fends off my struggles easily.

“Stop.” His lips plead into my skin. “Ro, stop this. You’re going to hurt yourself.”

I can’t. I can’t stop fighting, pushing back against him, my eyes fixated on my alpha’s bedroom and the open doorway. Seconds feel like hours before they appear again. Lauren’s wrist brushes against the doorway, and Iwhimper.

Jonas runs a hand over his hair, for once not caring that it’s out of place. “Maybe that’s enough for today?”

One. One out of three. It’s already too much.

“Finish it,” Liam says quietly. “It has to be done. You want to swap?”

Jonas’s eyes flick to Lauren’s face. They avoid mine completely.

And he shakes his head. “I’ve got it.”

My legs lose their strength. And Liam is holding me up, murmuring words I can’t hear as I watch them move down the hall. They disappear into Liam’s room, and his grip tightens when I buck against him.