006.

Zelest’s POV. 

Liam Moonfang’s a riddle. 

I hate riddles—they tire me and mess with my knowledge. 

But not Moonfang. 

In a way, riddles were intriguing with the thrill of wishing to unravel them coursing through your body. That was how I felt with Liam. I wanted to know him. Beyond that layer of trained perfection and schooled coolness, he amused me. And with every layer of outburst, deadpanned silence or confidence, his aloofness seemed to shift, giving away just a glimpse of all that raged beneath his little mask of ‘perfect heir.’ 

Only a glimpse. 

It was also frustrating in a way, not fully knowing who he truly was but a reflection of what was demanded of him. 

I roller tirelessly in bed, unable to sleep as the thought of Liam Moonfang plagued my mind in every way possible, leaving me to wonder if I’d ever be able to get some rest before dawn. 

I closed my eyelids, recalling Liam’s gaze all over me few days ago as his eyes trailed down. I could’ve sworn I saw desire in his eyes, and I thought we could be…more. 

Not necessarily mates, but certainly closer. Then, his words hit me, something twisting in my chest. “Never touch me again.” He’d said before walking out of my door. 

Perhaps it was the mate bond that made the effect of his words more powerful as they dealt me a blow to the chest.

 I should’ve hated him that day for spewing such vile words— give him some shiners or so but I couldn’t. 

Not when my body felt like lead. Instead, I found myself wanting to know more about him—all that raging energy just beneath his controlled being—and I failed to feel irritated. 

Instead, I was plainly curious. Damn me for finding him interesting. Why the hell couldn’t I get him off my mind?

Soon, my eyelids felt heavy as I surrendered to the darkness that claimed me. 

Dusk came fast, sunset streaming into the room through the tinted window adjacent my bed. Then came a knock at my door. I grumbled, getting the door to see Liam clad in a black suit like an armor. 

“Moonfang,” I drawled. 

Taking him in slowly, my eyes traveled down and up again, amused by his formal dressing. I couldn’t understand why I was amused by him. A muscle ticked in his jaw as we locked gaze, suddenly clearing his throat.

“You’re not dressed.” It wasn’t a question. Clearly, I just woke up. 

Ignoring his statement, I responded, “A little too formal, prince, don’t you think?”

“You’re a fine one to talk,” he fired back, eyeing my tussled hair and unclad chest. “You’re not even dressed.” His voice turned hoarse as he eyed me.

“Give me five.” I darted back into the room to get ready. “You coming in?”

I asked before I could stop myself, suddenly regretting asking him such a question when he didn’t budge from the spot. 

“As you wish, prince,” I grumbled. 

I began to pack my bags, getting ready in earnest, although I wouldn’t say I didn’t plan to spend extra five minutes doing absolutely nothing, just to get him mad. 

“Hawthorne?” 

Liam called from outside, annoyance evident in his tone. What followed was my door being opened, revealing an obviously irritated Moonfang heir. 

I got off my bed, satisfied with the sight of him being mad, and carried my bags. 

Regaining his composure, Liam scowl was replaced with his usual aloofness as we made our way to the driveway where Callahan was standing near a bus, awaiting our arrival. 

“I almost thought you decided to bail out.” A grin appeared on his face. 

Filling the trunk with our luggage, Liam and I filed into the car and Callahan drove us off. The air in the car was thick and tense between Liam and I, neither of us saying anything in particular while I could feel Callahan’s gaze on either of us at intervals. 

“You boys really hate each other, don’t you?” He chuckled. “Well, I’d love to watch you make something out of it.”

Neither of us deemed his statement worthy of our response because I stared outside as we approached the woods and Liam said nothing. 

“Is there anything we need to know?” He finally spoke up, his tone, crisp and clear as it sliced through the silence. 

“You’ll find out soon enough.”

There was something mysterious in how Callahan responded but I shook it off my mind as the car came to a halt. Well… typical camping trip, I suppose. Tents, bonfires and a creek just few steps away from the camping grounds. 

Callahan said as much as good bye and got on his merry way. We had to be miles away from Silvercrest College. 

A man—introduced to be the camp leader—welcomed us, explaining mostly to Liam how we’d be sharing a personal space. I sensed Liam’s unease at the mention of that and couldn’t help but laugh. 

After a while, we began to set up our tent and hell broke loose. 

“You’re horrible at this. Give it here,” Liam grumbled for the umpteenth time as he set up the tent, away from the cluster of tents that weren’t very spaced while I watched him. 

Finally, we agreed on a spot and began to arrange our stuff into the tent. Liam seemed to have packed light for a month’s trip. 

Not much space between us, we couldn’t help but collide with each other, muttering hushed apologies. The mate bond between us—the cruel reminder of what we were—did nothing to ease the tension between us as I began to get hypersensitive about him. And sensing the pinching of his brows, I could tell he felt the same. Liam moved closer to me, cornering me in a edge of the small tent as his scent filled me. 

It was a perfect blend of warmth and cold. The warm hint of vanilla managed to balance the peppermint that clouded my nostrils, its effect making me heady, my heart racing. I couldn’t seem to think straight any longer. 

He moved closer, his warmth encompassing me as I felt time slow to a crawl. His fingers snaked through my waist, slightly pulling me towards his chest as fireworks exploded in me, heart racing faster than ever. 

“Sorry.” 

As if snapping out a trance, Liam muttered, picking what he wanted and leaving the tent in a hurry. What the fuck was that?!

Sensing how late it has been into the night, I let myself forget Liam and drift away into the darkness behind my eyelids. 

My eyes fluttered open in the middle of the night and I felt a weight on my waist. A faint scent of peppermint and vanilla gave it away as realization dawned on me. 

Liam, so close that I could feel his heat on my skin, had his arm wounded tightly around my waist.