Page 30 of Unwanted

I practically sprinted out of the building, knowing I still had to stop by the café to grab a well-deserved dessert for Liam. Naturally, there was a line, which only irritated me more, and the smells—people were just reeking! How could alphas and omegas handle this constant assault on their senses? Eventually, I picked up a pavlova for Liam and rushed to my car to get home.

As soon as I pulled into the driveway, I felt uneasy. The house was locked and quiet. I punched in the code and went inside. The first thing I did was rush to the bedroom, but I already knew… I could sense it.

Liam wasn’t home.

It felt like a sudden kick to the gut. I doubled over, leaning against the wall, staring at the empty bed.

The pillows Liam had gathered around himself earlier were still in the same spot, arranged in a circular shape. I stared at them blankly for a moment. Was this truly his first, tentative attempt at nesting? I took a deep breath, but what mattered now was the fact that Liam wasn’t inside that nest—nothing else mattered.

Slowly, I walked over and sat on the edge, putting my hand where he had been lying. The sheets were cold, and a chill ran through me.

"Liam, where are you?" I whispered.

It truly felt like the ground had been pulled out from under me. I took out my phone, but there were no messages. I ran to the kitchen, hoping he might have left a note on the fridge, but there was nothing. Why did he leave without saying anything? I went through the house twice, checking every room, but it was as if Liam had vanished.

Eventually, I stopped. I realized I was breathing harder and harder. At one point, I leaned against the wall, rubbing my forehead and panting. I used to have asthma as a kid and still had an old inhaler somewhere. I grabbed it from the cabinet, even though I knew this wasn’t real asthma but a panic attack. So… uncharacteristic of me!

I took a puff from the inhaler, ignoring the expiration date. My heart was racing so fast it felt like it couldn't keep up with the blood pumping through it. Part of me knew I was overreacting. Logically, in my beta mindset, I knew there had to be a reasonable explanation, but my nervous system, already so tightly connected to Liam, was in shock.

"Liam… where are you, baby, where are you?" I muttered, trying to think of what I could do. I suddenly realized I didn’t have his phone number. With shaky hands, I dialed Winter’s number.

"Yeah?" I heard the familiar voice of my ex.

"Hey… can you send me Liam’s number? I just realized I don’t have it. I never needed it before because we were always together, but he’s gone, and I—" I stopped, unsure if I should go on.

There was a pause.

"Are you okay, Finn? You sound out of breath."

I inhaled deeply, trying—and failing—to calm down.

"It’s nothing, I just… I came home, and Liam’s not here. I don’t know, maybe he went shopping or something, but I’d feel better if I could check, and I don’t have his number," I forced my voice to sound somewhat normal.

Winter was quiet for a moment before asking,

"You’re really into him, huh? He means a lot to you?"

"Yeah…" For some reason, I couldn’t bring myself to say more. The fact that we were True Mates was too big of a deal to discuss over the phone.

Winter was silent for a while, as if thinking, but finally muttered,

"Hold on. I’ll text you his number. But seriously, is everything okay? I know you well enough to recognize this isn’t your usual voice. Are you panicking? You’re usually the calm one."

I huffed in frustration. "Well, you never disappeared without a word when we were together," I replied, my tone a bit snarky. Winter had never been the type to vanish without telling me, so he probably wouldn’t get it anyway.

"Alright, Finn. But this is just so… not like ‘the chilled out’ you. Just don’t do anything rash. He’s probably going to show up any minute now. Went for a walk or something."

"Yeah, yeah, just send me the number."

I hung up and waited for the text, feeling a bit more embarrassed with each passing second. Winter was right. This wasn’t me. I was always the cool one. And now? Was the wholeTrue Mates thing really that powerful? Could it actually change a person’s character? Or was it something else?

As soon as I got the text, I called Liam, but I already knew he wouldn’t answer. Somehow, I just felt it.

After ten calls, I took another puff from the inhaler to calm myself enough to think clearly, but my body wasn’t following my mind quickly enough.

Crazy, unnecessary crazy. I had never felt fear like this before, but then again, I’d never met my True Mate. Maybe the usual relaxed rules I’d stuck to before didn’t apply in a relationship like this. Maybe I’d have to relearn how to handle everything.

I realized something else, too. Winter and I had talked a lot about how we’d never been in love before—what it might feel like, whether it really took your breath away when you thought about that special someone. Neither of us had experienced it. Our lives had always been very… beta. Stable and neutral.

---