Chapter 15: A Reluctant Agreement
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Hope flared in my chest. "Let me help. Please."
He was silent for so long I thought he might refuse. Then, with obvious reluctance, he nodded once.
"You can bring your research to the cabin. But there will be rules." His tone left no room for negotiation. "You come only when I say. You leave when I say. You don't wander the forest alone. And you don't interact with any pack members except Jackson and myself."
The conditions were strict, but I was too relieved to argue. "Agreed."
"And Charlotte," he added, his voice hardening again, "if I sense any deception, any hint that you might betray our secret, our arrangement ends immediately. Do you understand what that means?"
The threat was clear, but I sensed it was born more from fear than malice. "I understand. And it's Charlie, by the way. My friends call me Charlie."
"We're not friends," he said flatly.
"Not yet," I replied, unable to completely suppress a small smile.
He didn't return the smile, but some of the tension seemed to leave his shoulders. "Pack your things. I'll take you to the cabin."
As I gathered my equipment, I couldn't help but feel I'd just crossed an important threshold. Liam was still cold, still suspicious, but he'd agreed to let me help. It was a start—a small crack in the wall he'd built between himself and humans.
And somehow, I knew that breaching that wall was going to be just as fascinating as studying werewolves themselves.
The next few days established a tense but workable routine. Each morning, Liam would pick me up at the forest entrance and drive me to his cabin. I would work with Jackson, studying his symptoms and developing herbal remedies, while Liam watched from a distance, always alert, always suspicious.
