Memory's Edge

The memory slammed into me without warning.

I was lying on a soft bed in Liam’s private residence outside the city, trying to rest, when a flash hit me. His hands on my skin. My own voice moaning his name. Months ago. Before everything changed.

I sat up fast, heart racing. “Liam!”

He appeared in the doorway almost immediately, concern etched across his face. “What’s wrong? Are you hurting?”

I stared at him, breathing hard. “You. Me. That night. The one where we... God, I remember pieces. You were there. We were together.”

Liam stepped inside slowly, closing the door behind him. “You’re starting to remember.”

I swung my legs off the bed, anger rising fast. “You took advantage of me when I didn’t even know what I was becoming. How long have you been hiding this?”

Liam met my eyes steadily, but I saw the flicker of pain there. “You came to me that night willingly, Aiden. You sought me out. I thought you remembered. I’ve been trying to protect you ever since.”

“Protect me?” I laughed, sharp and bitter. “By keeping me in the dark? By letting me wake up in that hospital thinking my life was over without any warning about us?”

He moved closer but stopped when I tensed. “I didn’t know how to tell you. You were already breaking apart from the differentiation. Adding our history on top of that... I was scared it would destroy you completely.”

I stood up, fists clenched at my sides. “Scared? Or just protecting your own ass? You got me pregnant and said nothing. What kind of man does that?”

Liam’s voice dropped, raw with emotion. “The kind who’s been in love with you for years. The kind who watched you destroy yourself trying to be the perfect Alpha heir. That night you came to me because you were exhausted. You needed someone who saw the real you.”

I shook my head, stepping back. “Don’t. Don’t twist this into some romantic story. I was an Alpha. I didn’t need anyone. Especially not you.”

“You did that night,” he said quietly. “You stayed until morning. You kissed me before you left. Told me you’d call. Then the differentiation hit and everything went silent.”

The fragments kept coming. His laugh in the dark. The way he held me like I mattered. I pressed my hands to my temples. “This can’t be real. I wouldn’t have... I was in control back then.”

Liam’s expression softened. “You were never as in control as you thought. Not with me. That’s what scared you.”

A knock sounded on the outer door. Lucas stepped in a moment later, looking exhausted but determined. “Sorry to interrupt. I came as soon as I could. Henry’s moving faster than we thought.”

I turned to him, grateful for the distraction. “What’s he doing now?”

Lucas glanced between me and Liam before answering. “He’s calling an emergency board meeting. Spreading rumors about your... condition. Saying you’re unstable. Some shareholders are already pulling support.”

“Perfect,” I muttered. “Just what I needed. My own family trying to bury me alive.”

Liam crossed his arms. “We can fight this. I have contacts. Resources.”

“I don’t need your resources,” I snapped at him. “This is my mess. My family. My empire.”

Lucas sighed. “Aiden, you’re pregnant. You just went through your first heat. You can’t do this alone. Let him help.”

I whirled on Lucas. “You too? Everyone’s suddenly on his side? The same guy who knocked me up and hid it?”

Liam flinched. “I never hid the pregnancy. I told you as soon as I could. The memories... I was waiting for the right moment.”

“There is no right moment for this!” I shouted. My hands were shaking. “I feel like I don’t know anything anymore. Who I was. Who I am. What we even are.”

Lucas stepped closer carefully. “I get it. This is a lot. But Henry’s not waiting. He’s already talking to the lawyers about guardianship clauses. He wants the baby too.”

“The baby,” I repeated, voice cracking. My hand moved to my stomach without thinking. “They want to take everything. Even this.”

Liam’s voice was rough. “They won’t touch either of you. I swear it.”

I looked at him, confusion and betrayal twisting together with something warmer I didn’t want to name. “Why do you care so much? Why fight for someone who keeps pushing you away?”

“Because I saw you that night,” he said softly. “The real you. Not the Alpha mask. Not the heir. Just Aiden. And I’ve been gone for you ever since.”

Lucas cleared his throat. “I’ll give you two some space. But Aiden, please think about accepting help. Henry’s playing dirty. We need every advantage.”

He left quietly. The silence between me and Liam felt heavy.

I turned away from him, staring out the large windows at the darkening sky. “You should have told me sooner. About us. About that night.”

“I wanted to,” Liam admitted. “Every time I looked at you in that hospital room. Every time you pushed me away. But you were already hurting so much.”

I spun back around. “So you decided for me? Like everyone else in my life. Deciding what I can handle. What I should know.”

Liam ran a hand through his hair, frustration clear. “I was trying to protect you. Not control you. There’s a difference.”

“Is there?” I challenged. “Because right now it feels like you’re just another Alpha trying to own me. Own this baby.”

His eyes darkened with hurt. “That’s not fair. I’ve done nothing but hold you through the worst moments of your life. I could have taken what you offered during your heat. I didn’t.”

I swallowed hard. The memories kept flashing. His gentle hands. The way he whispered my name like a prayer. “I don’t know what to believe anymore.”

“Believe this,” he said, stepping closer. “I’m here. I’m staying. Whether you want me or not.”

The words hung between us. I wanted to scream at him. I wanted to pull him close. Instead I turned away again.

“I need air,” I muttered. “Don’t follow me.”

I stormed out of the bedroom and down the hall, chest tight. The house was quiet except for the distant hum of security systems. I leaned against a wall, trying to catch my breath. My hand rested on my stomach again. The small curve was starting to show. Or maybe I was imagining it.

Everything was changing too fast. The memories of that night with Liam felt both foreign and intimately right. Had I really chosen him? Had I wanted him even before my body forced the issue?

A sudden loud beep pierced the silence. Red lights flashed along the walls. Security alarms.

I froze. “Liam?”

Footsteps pounded down the hall. Liam appeared, face tense. “Stay behind me. Someone breached the perimeter.”

My heart raced. “Henry?”

“Probably,” he said grimly. “They’re here for you. For both of you.”

While I stood alone in the hallway, trying to steady my breathing, the alarms blared louder. A shadow moved outside the window. The intruder was already inside the grounds, clearly sent to eliminate the vulnerable Omega heir and his unborn child.