Duties Be Damned

William

I leaned back in my leather chair, the weight of the day pressing heavily on his shoulders. The familiar scent of the office, polished wood and faint cologne, usually a reminder of my power, now felt suffocating. I ran my hand over my face, trying to rub away the tension that had coiled around me like a snake. The stack of reports on my desk blurred, irrelevant compared to what was truly gnawing at me.

Liliam.

The bond tugged at me, a constant reminder that she was out there—far from me. The distance felt unbearable, and the longer I sat here, pretending to care about these so-called urgent matters, the more restless I became. My wolf growled inside, a low rumble that echoed my own frustration. Sirius wasn't patient when it came to what we wanted—who we wanted.

I clenched my jaw, fighting the urge to toss everything aside and head back to Montana. My responsibilities as Alpha King weighed on me, as they always did, but lately, they felt like chains keeping me from what I truly wanted. I had power, control, the respect of every wolf in my territories—yet, the only thing I craved was Liliam's closeness.

I should be back in Montana. I should be with her.

I leaned back, closing my eyes, and exhaled slowly. Her scent—vanilla and something sweet—lingered in my mind, teasing me. I could almost feel the warmth of her presence, the pull of the bond stronger with every passing day. It had been days since I'd seen her, touched her, but the connection between us hadn't weakened. If anything, it had only grown stronger. And with it, the maddening desire to be near her.

I couldn't stop thinking about that moment when our eyes first met, the way something inside me had shifted—clicked into place. My fingers drummed impatiently against the armrest, my thoughts spinning out of control. She is supposed to be mine. Every fiber of my being screamed that she was my mate, the one person who could balance me, who could complete the bond that burned so fiercely inside me. But I wasn't the only one. 

 The thought of her choosing someone else, of Zeff claiming her before I had the chance, made my blood boil.

Zeff.

Always the good guy, always trying to be the noble protector. I knew Zeff cared deeply for Liliam—just as much as I did, maybe more. And that made this whole situation unbearable. I had to admit, begrudgingly, that Zeff wasn't just some obstacle to be removed—he was a friend, and a damn good Alpha. But that didn't mean I was going to let him have her. The bond between Liliam and me was real, deeper than anything Zeff could offer. She was mine, whether she realized it or not.

My fingers tapped restlessly against the arm of the chair. I could feel Sirius pacing inside, just as frustrated as I was. Every second I spent here was another second wasted. I should be back in Montana, with her, protecting her, showing her that she belonged by my side. I hated the thought of leaving her in Zeff's territory, where he could get to her first, where he could convince her to choose him.

Damn it.

I clenched my jaw, forcing myself to focus. There were bigger problems than my rivalry with Zeff. Cerberus. That bastard was still out there, hunting Liliam, determined to take her for his own twisted purposes. I couldn't let that happen. She needed to be with me, where she would be safe. But how could I convince her of that when she barely understood the danger she was in?

I heard a knock on the door, followed by the familiar shuffle of my Beta, Elijah, entering the office. He stood there with that usual serious expression, holding a stack of papers that I had no interest in.

"Your Majesty," Elijah said, his voice formal as always. "We need your approval on the territory expansion proposal."

I waved him off, barely glancing at the documents. "Leave it on the desk."

Elijah hesitated, sensing my mood, but did as I asked. "Anything else you need, Alpha?"

I stared out the window, the sprawling city beneath me meaningless compared to the vastness of what I truly wanted. *Her.* I could feel her bond pulling at me, a constant reminder that I needed to be there, not here, pretending to care about these trivial matters.

"No," I muttered, my voice rougher than I intended. "That'll be all."

Elijah nodded and left, leaving me alone with my thoughts again. I leaned forward, elbows resting on the desk, and ran my hands through my hair, tugging at the tension building in my scalp. My wolf snarled inside me, and I knew I couldn't ignore the bond much longer.

I need to see her.

The thought was as clear as the burn in my chest. I could picture her perfectly—those eyes, the way they widened when she was confused, the way her lips parted when she wasn't sure what to say. I could still feel the warmth of her skin, the way she felt in my arms.

She was so close to understanding, so close to seeing how much I needed her, how much we belonged together. But she was also close to Zeff. The thought of them spending more time together, of her being swayed by his easy charm and protective nature, was enough to drive me mad.

Zeff doesn't deserve her.

The words echoed in my mind, fueled by the jealousy simmering just beneath the surface. He wasn't willing to do what needed to be done. He was too soft, too hesitant. And while he waited, Cerberus was out there, closing in. Liliam didn't have time to figure things out on her own. She needed someone who would act, who would protect her by any means necessary.

She needs me.

My phone buzzed on the desk, another message that I didn't care about. Every second that passed felt like a missed opportunity, a moment where she could be slipping further out of my grasp. I couldn't sit here any longer, playing the role of Alpha King when all I wanted—all I needed—was her.

Standing abruptly, I grabbed my jacket and slung it over my shoulder. Urgent matters be damned. I was going back to Montana, back to Liliam.

And this time, I wouldn't leave without making sure she knew exactly who she belonged to.

_________

Liliam

Sitting in the quiet of my house, I couldn't stop my thoughts from spiraling. Everything was a tangled mess inside my head, emotions pulling me in different directions, none of which made sense. I leaned back against the couch, staring at the ceiling as if the answers might somehow come to me if I just stared long enough.

Zeff, William, Owen.

The three of them had become central to my life in a way that felt overwhelming. I'd never imagined being caught between men like this, especially not like this. The bond I felt with Zeff was undeniable. Every time we were close, there was this magnetic pull between us, something that went beyond just attraction. It was something primal, something deeper. And then there was William. He was intense, commanding, almost intoxicating in a way that was hard to explain. He made me feel vulnerable and alive at the same time, like I was drawn into his orbit and couldn't escape. 

And then there was Owen. Sweet, reliable Owen. The guy who had always been there for me, through thick and thin. But after that day... something about him unsettled me, like there was a side of him I hadn't seen yet—something lurking beneath the surface. I couldn't shake the feeling that whatever had happened that night, wasn't over. That it could happen again. The thought of that scared me more than I cared to admit. I loved him—or at least I thought I did. But was love enough when fear was always hovering in the background?

I shivered, pulling the blanket tighter around me. And then there was the whole *werewolf* thing. I still couldn't wrap my head around it. Werewolves. Actual *werewolves* existed. It was like something out of a book, one of those supernatural romance novels where the brooding, dangerous guy turns out to be something more. But this wasn't a book. This was real. And it was terrifying. Knowing that there was a whole hidden world out there, one filled with things I'd only ever thought existed in fiction, made my heart race with both excitement and fear. 

What else was out there? Were werewolves the only thing, or were there more creatures lurking in the shadows? Vampires? Demons?The thought sent a thrill through me, but it also left me cold. This wasn't just a fantasy I could escape into. This was my life now, and it was far more complicated than I could've imagined.

And my feelings… God, my feelings. That was the hardest part of all of this.

I ran a hand through my hair, trying to think clearly. I was supposed to be with Owen. He was my boyfriend. I was committed to him. And yet, my dreams were filled with Zeff and William. Dreams where their hands were on me, where they claimed me in ways that left me breathless and wanting. The connection I felt with both of them was undeniable, and it terrified me. It wasn't just physical, though that was a big part of it. There was something more—a bond that I couldn't fully explain. But was that enough to justify what I'd been doing in my dreams?

I shook my head, guilt gnawing at me. Could dreaming about being with someone else—*two* someone elses—even be considered cheating? My body and mind had been betraying me for weeks now, pulling me toward Zeff and William in ways that left me confused and aching. Every time I saw them, I felt this undeniable pull, a need that went beyond anything I'd ever felt before. And every time, it felt more real than the relationship I had with Owen.

Was I being unfaithful, even if none of it had happened in reality? I couldn't answer that. All I knew was that my mind was a mess of contradictions, and my heart felt like it was being torn in three different directions. 

I pressed my palms to my eyes, frustration bubbling up inside me. I cared about Owen. I really did. But I couldn't deny the fact that something was different now. Maybe it was the accident from a year ago, the way it had hurt me so deeply that I'd buried it instead of facing it. That fear lingered, always at the back of my mind, even though he'd been better since then. 

But that wasn't the only thing gnawing at me. There was something else, something about him I couldn't quite place. A part of him that felt... off. Like there was more to him than he was letting on. What *was* Owen? The question crept in quietly, but once it was there, it wouldn't leave. He wasn't like Zeff or William, that much I was certain of. But what if he wasn't human either? What if he was something else entirely?

The thought sent a shiver down my spine. I wanted to ask him, to confront him, but the idea of what he might say scared me even more. What if I was right? What if there was something lurking beneath the surface, something darker?

I sighed, feeling the weight of everything settle onto my chest. My life had been simple once. A normal girl with normal worries. But now... now everything was different. I wasn't just dealing with werewolves and mysterious men anymore. I was questioning everything I thought I knew—about myself, about the world, and about the people in it.

My feelings were a mess, tangled up in confusion and guilt. I wanted answers, but I wasn't sure I was ready to face them. 

I wasn't sure I was ready to face any of it.