Page 67 of Traded

“Hey.” My face crumples, and Liam reaches for me. “Let it out.”

I crawl into his lap, winding myself around him. Liam wraps his arms around me, pulling a blanket up and over my exposed skin as my sobs grow louder. “We’re going to fix this.”

I desperately want to believe him. But I don’t think it’s possible. “This isn’t working.”

The NOC will come. They’ll separate us, and I’ll end up as one of those broken omegas in the brochure, pathetically hoping for a pack to come and scoop me out of my proverbial, abandoned gutter. Or the Titans will split, any playoff chances destroyed when Carter destroys his pack for an omega that isn’t his scent match.

Whatever happens will happen because of me. Because I couldn’t cope.

“It was always going to take time.” He strokes down my back with heavy palms, keeping me tucked against him. “But we need to talk. Will you listen to me? Please?”

“Do I have a choice?” I mumble into his chest, and he sighs.

“Look at me.” He maneuvers me until we’re facing each other, my knees balanced on his ridiculous tree trunk thighs. It’s like riding a surfboard. Liam cradles my face. “For the next few weeks, I want you to do what I say, Ro. Not because I enjoy it, or because I don’t love you exactly the way you are. But this isgoing to break you unless you bend with me. You’re exhausted, because you’re in full on fight mode. You can’t sustain this.”

He looks how I feel. “I thought I was doing okay. I’m trying.”

Liam studies me carefully. “Are you?”

Instinctive sharpness hovers on my lips, but I swallow it. Biting his head off isn’t going to help any of us. It softens into shame the longer he watches me. He looks so…disappointed.

It hurts my chest. Tears blur my vision as I drop my eyes, my fingers discovering a loose thread on his jeans and fiddling with it.

Is he right?

I’m not sure I know the answer.

“Last night was my fault, and I’m sorry it happened that way.” Liam dips his face to search mine. “I’m still learning too. But you’re fighting this every single inch of the way, Rosie, and we’re not going to survive it.”

He strokes my cheek carefully, enunciating his words. “Youare not going to survive it. Let me help you. Please.”

I wipe my eyes. “What does that even mean?”

“Let a few changes happen. Follow my lead. You don’t have to fight everything.” He wipes away tears for me. “A few weeks. Until Thanksgiving, or Christmas. All you have to do is that. And itwillget easier, I swear.”

I thought I was already doing that. But… maybe not. “Is Jonas angry with me?”

“He’s a little upset.” Liam tips up my chin. “It was a pretty big ego hit. Not the end of the world.”

“And… Carter?” I lower my eyes. If anyone was going to be here when I woke up, I thought it would be him.

Liam doesn’t say anything. But his stomach muscles tense against my hands. My head shoots up. “What is it?”

My stomach rolls when he looks away. “Look… you were pretty out of it last night. He tried to pull you off Lauren, and you… you flipped.”

Liam blows out a breath. “You tore him up pretty good. His shoulder pulled out. He’s getting it looked at.”

His hands tighten on me when I jerk back. “He’s not angry with you, baby. You weren’t yourself.”

My breathing grows tighter. Harsher. “I… I hurt him?”

His shoulder. Hisseason. My head shakes wildly. “I have to speak to him.”

“That’s not a good idea,” Liam says firmly enough that it feels like a wall. “He needs to focus right now. But he’s going to miss the Sharks game. Ness will put it out as a healthy scratch to the press so nobody looks too hard. Ethan will take the lead.”

I did this. Everything he’s worked for—I nearly took it from him because of my fucking temper tantrum. I fold forward, Liam holding me tightly. “He’s going to be fine.”

Despiteme. Notbecauseof me. “Will he need the surgery?”