It has been one week since I have returned and I am on the verge of madness. I tried to stay away but I am drawn to her like a moth to a flame. I know going closer will get me burned in the end but I couldn't stop myself even if I wanted.

Today, the wind was harsher than the last couple of days. It whips and howls through the woods. I stood behind a large tree about fifty yards away from them. I watched my mate train on the training field with her guy friend, Tommy. It was apparent that the idiot boy's fighting ability pales in comparison to Sage's but he continued to fight her.

Who wouldn't? Has anyone seen the muscles on her body when she throws down? The woman was a pure athlete with hints of curves that makes the beast inside of me howl with possession and domination. I want her. I want her so bad it has become a nuisance to be away from her. Resulting in me stalking my mate throughout this territory.

I have even figured out her schedule. She plays football almost every night with her co-ed team. In fact, the damn woman was the quarterback. She's rough all around but I found her so damn enticing.

My fist clenched when I saw him wrap his arms around her waist, a gleam in his eyes. One look at my mate and I can see she was unaffected by it. In fact, it looked like she didn't even realize that Tommy was pulling some moves on her. Was she that dense not to realize that Tommy's affection for her stem more than just friends? I wanted to rip the boy apart just seeing how he has his hands on her.

Sage delivered an uppercut to Tommy's chin and I couldn't stop the smirk from appearing on my own face. I leaned against the tree and crossed my arms while watching the two.

Tommy's face flashed in pain. Joy shoots through me upon seeing him in pain. Then I hear her laughing and my eyes fly back to my mate. Her face was completely lit up with laughter. Her olive eyes were warm and soft and I catch sight of those white pearly teeth. My body stiffened with desire when an image of her sinking those teeth deep into my skin. Gulping, I watched her smooth back her baby hair, even with her hair tied up into a ponytail the wind managed to whip some hair loose and softening her features.

Her friend Ellie appeared walking down the hill towards them. I heard from Katya that Ellie would be taking her father's position soon and helping Alpha Hunter as his Beta. She was also in Sage's football team. The difference between the two is that Ellie is stunning in appearance. You can see that she takes care of herself and her body well. Sage is stunning too but she is rough around the edges. Ellie looks like she took the time to find matching workout set but Sage is fighting in a black tank top and baggy sweats. It's hot to see her so laid back and careless. Sage is beautiful with her personality. I admire her competitiveness and ambition.

They exchanged a few words before Ellie and Sage started fighting. Now, it was getting better. I am impressed with Ellie's fighting skills. She's able to keep up with my mate and even blocked her blows. My mate is undeterred and honestly, I can see she likes the challenge. Both women were fighting hard to win.

Suddenly, my mate tripped over a freaking stick. Her heel connected with it and lost her footing. I pushed off the tree just as she fell onto the ground. Ellie tried kicking Sage but Sage rolled over several times until she was on her stomach. Pushing herself up, they continued fighting.

Sighing, I leaned against the tree once more. The fight went on for a good thirty minutes. Neither of them wanted to lose but I can see the stiffness in my mate's shoulders and throws. She was getting tired while Ellie had just joined them and had more energy. Ellie threw a punch and it hit Sage's jaw. She fell to the ground. Tommy stood up and I pushed off the tree once again.

Damn it. Get up, Sage.

Sage rolled onto her knees and hands just as Ellie moved forward ready to deliver another kick to Sage. Their friends but if they were trained by Gamma Judah like I was, we all know that training wasn't just training. They fight like it was a real fight. It was the only way they can learn and prepare for anything.

I eliminated the space between us in seconds.

Growling, I threw my body over Sage's just as Ellie slammed her foot down onto my back. Grunting at the slight pain, I felt Sage turned to look at me. Our eyes connected and I can see that she was surprised to see me on top of her.

"Liam?" she breathed.

I lifted us both up with one arm around Sage's waist. Her back against my front. I looked away from Sage to look at Ellie and Tommy. They both were surprised to see me here.

"Are you okay?" I asked Sage.

Sage frowned, clearly confused still at my abrupt presence. I released her and took a step back to assess her body.

"Why are you here?" Sage asked.

"I was walking by when I saw you getting beat by Beta Ellie," I lied.

Sage's frown quickly curled into irritation. A fire burned behind those eyes and I had to bite the inside of my cheek from smiling.

"I was not getting beat by Ellie," she snapped.

"She was about to kick you to the ground," I replied smoothly.

Tommy cleared his throat which stops both Sage and me from our bickering. I turned to the fool and to my surprise he was looking at me already. I can see the jealousy burning behind those eyes. I can smell it from a mile away.

Sage was about to walk back to her friends but I grabbed her right shoulder before bringing her back to my side. I wrapped an arm around her waist possessively. My eyes never wavering from Tommy's challenging one. I clenched my teeth to stop me from ripping his throat. Outside I might look unaffected but inside I wanted to kill the bastard standing before me. I don't like him.

Ellie cleared her throat next which stops both Tommy and me from our silent stare down. She is looking at Sage and clearing her throat some more.

"Guys this is Liam, Luna Katya's brother," Sage mumbled. "Liam this is Tommy and Ellie."

"I am her mate," I added with a smirk in Tommy's direction. He rolled his eyes with his arms crossed in front of him. He can be pissed all he wants. I placed a claim on Sage and he can't do anything about it.

"Nice to finally meet you. Last time we met you ran out of the dining hall. We didn't get to introduce ourselves," Ellie stuck out her hand for me to shake.

One corner of my lips lifted before I moved to shake her hand. Sage tried wiggling out of my embrace and when I didn't give in, the little vixen had the nerve to jab me in the ribs, pretty damn hard too. I growled and gritted my teeth before turning to glare at her.

"You didn't have to save me," Sage said.

"You should be grateful I blocked a hard blow. Most women will thank me generously."

A jealous fire burned in my mate's eyes and I had to bite my bottom lip from smiling too hard. Was it wrong that I felt joy in getting her riled up? She narrowed her eyes.

"What do you want, Liam?" she said with a nod in my direction.

You.

I shrugged before stuffing my hands into my jean pockets to prevent me from grabbing what I wanted.

"Like I said, I was just walking by," I replied before walking away.

"Where are you heading to?" Ellie asked.

She got me there. I didn't have a destination in mind because I was playing 'stalk my mate'. Today was also Saturday and I have no idea what to do. Honestly, I didn't plan anything at all today. Sage's eyes narrowed even more while I pondered what I should say next.

"Katya. I'm going to see Kat," I lied once again.

Sage snorted and it was my turn to throw her a challenging glare. She doesn't believe me for one second. She crossed her arms underneath her breasts and my eyes immediately zoomed in on them. Damn, it wasn't intentional but I couldn't help it. They were sitting on a pedestal and ready for me to suck, nip, and mark them as mine.

Shit.

I ran a hand through my hair roughly. I needed to get away. I turned my back to them and walked back to the cabin.

"Aren't you going to go see your sister?" my mate challenged from behind me.

I stopped when I realized my error. I was walking home and not towards the packhouse. Without looking back, I replied to her question.

"I decided to go do something else. I have other plans," I muttered. Even though I didn't turn back to see her reaction, I am pretty sure she didn't believe what I said for one second.

I made it to the cabin with more adrenaline that I needed. The image of my mate's breasts was permanently imprinted in my brain. Gritting my teeth, I walked over to the pile of logs that I needed to chop. Grabbing the ax that I had previously placed into a log, I turned to a piece of logs where I brought the ax down on.

I worked on it for several hours, chopping and placing the chopped wood piles onto the small deck behind the cabin. Once I was done, I went inside to take a cold shower.

After showering, I pulled on a pair of dark denim jeans while running the towel through my hair in the bathroom. When I opened the bathroom door, I swore underneath my breath when I saw Sage standing in the middle of my room.

What the hell is she doing here?

She had showered and changed into a white t-shirt cropped to just below her belly button and a navy jogging pants with white stripes running down the side. Her hair is an unruly mess down her shoulders. Damn, I had just worked off the sexual urges thirty minutes ago and now she's standing before me smelling delicious and looking sexy.

"How did you get in?" I growled.

She shrugged. "It wasn't that hard. My dad taught me how to unlock a locked door."

I didn't miss the way she was looking at me. I didn't bother putting on a t-shirt because I wasn't planning on leaving my cabin for the rest of today. Finally, she looked away.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, curious now why she would break into my cabin. I should be pissed that she did it but she's my mate. If anyone can break in and do anything to me without me retaliating was her.

"We need to talk." Her eyes flew to meet mine.

"And you couldn't wait till I am done showering?" I arched an eyebrow.

She snorted. "I've seen plenty of men naked---"

"Don't finish that sentence," I growled, feeling a burning sensation develop from deep within my chest.

She crossed her arms underneath her breasts once again.

"Damn it," I turned my back on her and walked to the closet. Inside I pulled down a huge sweater that I have before walking back to her.

I put the sweater over her head. "Stick your arms out."

"What are you doing?" I heard her muffled question as I dressed her in my sweater.

"Trying to maintain sanity," I ground through my clenched teeth.

"I have a t-shirt on---"

"Yeah, well next time wrap yourself up in a thick granny sweater," I retorted.

Although she was very tall for a woman, my sweater reached just below her bottom. Feeling a lot better now, I walked out of the bedroom. I heard her footsteps following me out. If we stayed in the bedroom any longer, I might just toss her onto the bed and have my way with her.

Once we were outside of the bedroom and standing by the living room sofa, I turned to face her.

"Are we mates?" she asked directly.

"Isn't it obvious?" I replied.

"You told me to stay away from you but you told Tommy that you are my mate. Do you realize by telling everyone what it means?" she scolded.

"He needs to know," I told her.

She rolled her eyes and got straight to the question that she was here to asked. "What do you want, Liam?"

You.

I didn't respond. She waited for me to answer but when I didn't she shook her head. Looking away she pressed a palm to her forehead in frustration.

"Just-just stay away from me. If you don't want me, stay away. If you don't know what you want, then stay away. I don't need this right now," she replied.

Hearing her telling me to stay away, it was hard to hear but she's right. If I can't decide what I want, I should stay away. She gave me another chance to speak up but when I didn't, she shook her head in disappointment and walked out of the door that she had broken into. I watched her leave. My beast was not happy with me or with her. My skin began to tingle and although I tried fighting it off I knew he wanted out.

Stepping out of the cabin, I rushed for the border. Exiting the territory, I made it for the nearest isolated area.

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Author's Note:

Liam reminds me of the meme below:

This me right now:

life is hard. 😭