This was going to be a lot harder than he thought. She didn’t even want him to speak. Maybe he was going about it the wrong way. Instead of trying to tell her what had to happen, he needed to show her it was something she wanted and needed. Sophia had been away from the clan too long. She had forgotten how strong the bond could be.

It was his job to remind her. He scratched his head, trying to think of a time a woman had turned him down. It had never happened before.

The problem was she would never go on a date with him. She’d never agree to meet him anywhere. He drove back to the house. He had an idea, but he was going to need Snowden’s help to pull it off.

* * *

The lake house had been in Liam’s family for over a hundred years. It was passed down from one son to another. As the oldest brother, he inherited it when he turned twenty-five.

He loved it here. It was full of family memories. Summers swimming. Winters playing ice hockey. It was where his life with Sophia would start if she would give him a chance.

His ears perked when he heard the car tires crunch over the gravel. He took another glance around the room. There were candles and roses. The music wasn’t too loud. The fire crackling in the fireplace gave the open room a magical glow.

He couldn’t orchestrate a more perfect setting for his mate. He chuckled to himself, confident she’d fall right into his arms—right where she belonged.

He took a deep breath and reached for the door when he heard her knock. He pulled it open.

Sophia’s eyes said everything before her mouth opened.

“You? What?”

He reached for the cake in her arms. “Let me help you with that. Butter cream frosting—my favorite.”

Her eyes narrowed. “You ordered a cake to get me out here?”

He took it to the counter and placed it near the cutting board. He turned, but Sophia hadn’t crossed over the threshold yet.

“You can come in, you know. I won’t bite.”

She huffed, “Not true.”

“I won’t. Come in.”

“This won’t work, Liam. You brought me out here under false pretenses. Who called in the order for you? I didn’t recognize the voice, or I never would have driven out here. The guy said he had really screwed up and forgotten his wife’s birthday.” She stood with her hands on her hips.

“It was the only thing I could think of that might work.” He handed her a glass of wine, but she refused to take it. “Here.” He shoved it forward until her fingers wrapped around the glass. She needed something to take the edge off.

He watched as she took in the scene. Her cheeks turned a beautiful deep crimson. She knew his intention—he wanted her to know. He didn’t want there to be a single doubt that she was going to be his mate. Tonight, if he was lucky.

“Sit,” he ordered, pointing to the seat closest to the fire.

Sophia did as he asked, huffing as she wiggled onto the couch.

“Who do I need to talk to to get this to stop?” she asked.

He cocked an eyebrow high on his forehead. “Excuse me?”

“This.” She waved a hand in front of her. “I see the candles and the roses and the wine.” She took a large gulp. “I know what you’re trying to do.”

“You do?” He sat next to her, turning his eyes to study the lines of her neck.

“Yes.”

“If what you’ve told me is true, then this shouldn’t matter anyway, right? You said there’s no possible way I can change your mind,” he challenged.

He noticed how her next sip of wine was larger than the last. Her heart was beating faster. He could hear its strength.

“Don’t try to shift the focus. This is all part of your big seduction. You think you can romance me into your bed. Well, you can’t. You’re forgetting I know you.”

He moved back on the couch. “I’m afraid I’m not following, Soph.”

She exhaled through her teeth. “You were Noah’s best friend. Don’t you think I knew about you? You went through women like beer. You don’t exactly have the reputation for being a one-woman kind of guy. If I even remotely thought I’d be with another bear, it wouldn’t be with the biggest player in the clan.”

Her words were dangerous, sharp, and edged with painful daggers. He clenched his fist next to his side.

“And the last two years? What do you know about me?” he asked.

She swallowed. “Nothing. You know I stayed away from all of you. It hurt too much to see anyone in the clan.”

Liam suddenly forgot his own hurt and wanted to shield her from all the pain she had been through. Of course it would be hard to face what he was asking her. She wasn’t a she-bear. And hell, he had no idea how much Noah had told her about she-alpha duties.

He shook his head. “I’m not the same person you knew then.”

Sophia laughed. “I don’t believe that. You gave up women?”

Why was she making this so damn hard?

He took her hands, ignoring the way she shook when he held them. “Yes.”

“W-why would you do that?” She searched his eyes for an answer. “You could have any woman in the next five counties if you wanted.”

“I don’t want any of those woman.”

“Why not?” she scoffed.

“Because of you, Soph.”

She shook her head. “I don’t understand.”

This was finally his chance to tell her. To explain the feelings buried under his skin. The way he had hidden his own pain for years. The way he had to listen to his best friend talk about her with a smile on his face. How his heart had cried out for her when she pledged her life to another bear.

“It’s what I’ve been trying to tell you. Forget those other women. Forget the me you think you know. I want you. I want you as my mate.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

“I’ve known, Soph. You were meant to be mine.”

“When did you know?” Her eyes glistened in the firelight.

This was the part he didn’t want her to know, but there was no point in hiding the truth. It was their truth now.

“When Noah died. The day of his accident. It was the same day I became alpha.”

She blinked back tears and he instinctively traced one teardrop with the pad of his thumb. He felt his bear stir within. Her skin was soft, and he could smell how sweet she was. Like warm vanilla and cinnamon.

“Did you ever wonder why I was with a new woman every night?”

She shook her head. “No. It wasn’t my place to say anything.”

He didn’t want to move his hand. He kept brushing the side of her cheek, lightly stroking the trail from the tear.

“I couldn’t have you, Soph.”

“What?” She pulled her shoulders back, breaking their contact. “What are you saying?”

“You know exactly what I’m saying.” His chest tightened.

The first time he laid eyes on Sophia Withers, he had fallen in love with her. But so had his best friend. Noah was the alpha, and Liam had his reasons for not challenging him.

So, he tried to forget her. Tried to forget that his best friend was going to spend his life with the woman Liam loved. None of the women he fucked made the memory easier. He would wake up the next morning with someone new in his bed—half the time he didn’t know her name. The only thing he knew was that she wasn’t Sophia.

Sophia was with Noah. It had ripped at his heart. Done things to his soul he didn’t know were possible. He didn’t want another mate if he couldn’t have her. So he fucked his way through the night, trying to forget the sound of her laugh, and how she looked at his best friend. But the fun and the women didn’t feed his soul. He starved without her.

And then the day came when Noah died.

“This can’t be happening.” She reached for the wine glass and chugged the rest. “You’re not serious.”

“Dead serious. I’ve been in love with you, Soph, since the day I met you.”

“You can’t say that.”

“It’s the truth,” he pressed.

“B-but you never said anything. You never asked me out.”

The first time he saw her, he was walking out of the Shamrock bar. She was on her way out of the movie theater across the street. Noah was supposed to meet him for a drink, but he was late. Liam walked out of the bar for some air when he saw the reason Noah hadn’t joined him. Sophia.

“It’s too soon,” she whispered.

“Too soon to be happy again? Too soon to stop being lonely? Too soon to be kissed?”

He didn’t give her a chance to answer. His mouth descended on hers, dragging her lips under his. Years of want unleashed themselves as he kissed her with hungry desire. He tasted the sweetness of her tongue, and nipped at her lush lips, eliciting a moan from her throat. His hands twisted in her hair, pressing his mouth harder on hers. He lashed against her tongue, drinking her in. Their breaths turned to rapid pants as he drew her under his body. He had wanted her for so long. For so many years, he had dreamed about holding Sophia in his arms—caressing her skin, licking her, kissing her until she begged him for breath.

He groaned, feeling his bear waking up to her. Wanting her, needing to possess his mate.

“Too much. Too much.” She shoved against his chest and created space between them.

Her breasts bobbed up and down with heavy breaths.

She stood from the couch. He waited for her to say something, but she ran out of the living room and slammed the door behind her. He listened as she started her car and peeled out of the driveway.

He wanted to follow her, but he knew he had finally gotten to her. And for now, that was enough. He smiled and leaned back on the couch.