They were all looking for answers. But there was only one person he needed to give an explanation to. He had to get inside to Sophia.

“I told you to go,” he roared at the clan members. “Your damn meddling may have cost us the ceremony.”

He saw the confused and disappointed looks on their faces, but he didn’t give a damn. They might have ruined everything.

One by one, they left. Liam turned to face the kitchen door. This wasn’t going to go well. He walked in. Sophia was clattering pans and bowls.

“Soph, stop so we can talk.”

“No. No talking. I never should have talked. Never.” She turned up the radio so she couldn’t hear him and threw a handful of spoons in a soapy bin.

“You always do this. You put space between us when things are tough. Don’t.” He reached around her and dialed the volume down. “They’re just nosey bears. Don’t let them ruin last night, or this morning.”

She threw her hands in the air. “I can’t say anything because if I say something it’s not going to be nice. It’s going to be fucking nasty. And I don’t want to waste my energy on you that way.”

“It’s not what you think.” His hands landed on her shoulders.

“Not what I think?” She spun around with a soapy knife in her hand. “Sorry.” She tossed it in the sink behind her. “Were they outside my window all night? Just waiting for you to take me to bed? Were they out here cheering for you? Is that how you lead the clan now?”

Her eyes were fiery. Her neck was pulsing with anger.

“I should have told you about the eclipse.”

“Eclipse? What eclipse?”

This was what he wanted to avoid. He hoped she would never know. He wanted everything to happen between them on her timetable—not by the pressures of the moon.

“There’s an eclipse tonight. It’s the last night to create our blood oath or...”

“Or what, Liam? What didn’t you tell me?”

“Maybe I should start at the beginning.” He walked over to the coffee pot and poured two cups. He handed one to her.

He saw the tension ease from her shoulders as she took a sip.

“Here’s the entire story.” It was going to hurt to relive this with her. She was his mate now, and her pain was his pain. Her agony was his agony. They had created a bond last night that couldn’t be undone by meddling bears, or even a fight. She belonged to him completely.

“Go ahead.”

“When you performed the blood oath with Noah, you made a vow to the bears in our clan to always be the clan’s she-alpha.” He put his hand up to keep her from protesting. “Hear me out.” She closed her mouth. “When Noah died, your bond with him was released, but not your promise to the clan. Bear law states that you have two years to mourn the loss of your alpha, but by the first eclipse after the two year mark is over, you have to have taken another mate.” He watched her eyes to see if she was following his explanation.

He continued, “The eclipse could have fallen at any time, but it was our luck it was only a month after the mourning period ended.”

She crossed her arms. “And why is it so imperative that I take another bear mate? I don’t understand.”

“You represent the life of the clan, Sophia. The fertility. The promise of another generation.” Her eyes widened. “If the she-alpha doesn’t have another mate and is not formally bonded, then the clan will stop producing shifters. There will be no more cubs.”

She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

“That’s why this blood oath is so important to everyone. The future of the clan depends on it.”

Her eyes shot to his. “This whole thing. Flirting with me. Bringing me flowers. Showing up for coffee. Claiming me? It was all for the clan?”

“No. No. I told you how I feel about you. How I’ve always felt about you. The timetable sucks—I know it does, but…”

“But nothing. You never would have walked in here if it wasn’t for the eclipse.”

“That’s not true. I had to respect the mourning period.”

There were tears in her eyes. He moved to wipe them, but she swatted at his hand. “You fucking tricked me. You claimed me. I let you bite me,” she seethed. The tears streamed over her cheeks. “And all so there could be more of you? More little bears? Didn’t you think I had a right to know? Didn’t I get a say in it?”

He ran his hands through his hair. He had fucked up. “I should have said something, but you needed more time. I was trying to give you time.”

“Until now.” Her eyes startled him. “You expect me to swear a blood oath to you in front of the elders and then give you my body again?”

“It’s only a formality. You know that. We’re already bonded, Soph.”

Her eyes narrowed to thin slits. “I know what we are.”

“Will you do it, then?” He didn’t want to ask. More than anything, he was afraid of her answer. But he was desperate to glue everything back together.

She blotted her cheeks with her palms. “I can’t think straight. I can’t think about anything with you here.”

“Do you want me to go? I can come back. We can talk more.”

The sun was starting to come up, and he knew she had a busy day ahead of her. God, he wanted to do something. He wanted to help. He wanted to erase his idiotic decision to keep the truth from her.

“Just get out.”

“Soph, this isn’t as big a deal as…” He stopped. He was only making it worse. “Okay. I’ll go, but I’ll be back later.”

He scooped up his keys and walked to the back door.