The Hybrid Curse [MM]

Chapter: 7

Roman's POV:

Alexis and I have always had a key to Liam's house—he never had ours. It made things easier. No matter how fancy or comfortable our places were, Liam's home was our safe space. That was part of the reason I was here tonight. The other part? To see if there was still a chance to continue where we left off before Alexis interrupted.

But something about him was different tonight. It started with him not being home on time.

I watched him closely, trying to figure out if I was just overthinking or if something was truly off. My gut told me it was the latter.

Casually, I followed him into the kitchen, leaning against the counter with my arms crossed. My eyes never left him as he moved around—restless, nervous.

He was avoiding my gaze. His hands trembled slightly. His movements were quick, uneasy. I noticed everything.

A thousand possibilities ran through my mind, but only one made sense. If someone had pissed him off, Liam would've beaten them to a pulp by now. But this… this was different.

It could only mean one thing. He had seen him.

Ezekiel. The Blood Den Boss.

I took a slow sip of water, watching him as the faint, unfamiliar scent on him hit me again. My fingers curled around the glass.

That scent.

Not mine. Not Alexis's.

Him.

My jaw clenched. "The hell is going on with you, Liam?" I asked, keeping my voice casual, but my grip on the glass tightened.

Silence.

He rinsed his cup, placing it back as if he hadn't heard me. But I knew better.

I let out a slow breath. "You smell different tonight, baby. And not like me. Not like Alexis either." I met his gaze, letting my words settle. "So tell me… where have you been?"

Still, nothing.

He brushed past me, but I was faster. I grabbed the glass from his hand and threw it against the wall, the sharp shatter echoing through the room. In a blink, I had him pinned against the counter, my hands gripping his wrists.

His pulse jumped at his throat. His breath hitched.

"You're anxious, baby," I murmured, my voice low, taunting. "You think I wouldn't notice?"

His fingers twitched against mine. A telltale sign.

A slow smirk tugged at my lips, but inside, something twisted. I hated how much I cared. How much the thought of Ezekiel near him sent a wave of possessive rage through me.

"The devil has nothing to offer," I said, my voice harder now. "I don't know what went down between you two, but whatever it was, stay the fuck away from him. Or next time, I might not be able to save you."

"You didn't save me!" he yelled, clenching his fists, his gaze dark and sharp as it locked onto mine. His jaw was so tight it looked like his teeth might crack. "You did nothing, Roman! You just came here to continue where we left off before Alexis caught us. You don't care about me!" He spat the words out in one breath.

"I think you misunderstood me, Liam. Yes, call me a horny bastard, but Ezekiel is not someone you should be associating with. I don't know how or why he didn't kill you, but he never backs out. That's why I said I won't be able to help if anything happens."

"And how do you know so much about him, huh?" he challenged, staring right into my eyes like he was trying to detect a lie.

I closed my eyes for a brief second, the last encounter between me and Ezekiel creeping into my mind. Shaking it off, I responded, "We've all heard things about him from somewhere." A half-truth.

A small smirk laced his lips, his gaze never leaving mine. "You know what, Roman? I've been your friend for how many years now? Over two decades. And I can tell when you're lying." His voice lowered slightly. "You should probably work on that, because I hate that I can see through you so easily."

A second later, he shoved me back—hard. My grip broke as I stumbled, barely catching my balance. Before I could react, he was already walking away, disappearing into his room with a loud slam of the door.

I stood there, breathing hard, staring at the closed door.

My teeth clenched. I wanted to go after him, to make him talk, but I knew this wasn't the right time. I had messed things up, and fuck me for that—for my loose mouth. I was not only frustrated but angry.

Why the hell wouldn't he just tell me what was going on?

I ran a hand through my hair, exhaling sharply. My gaze dropped to my black jacket on the couch.

Tonight wasn't over. Not by a long shot.

I reached for my phone, pulling it from my jacket and dialing the last number I had called a few hours ago.

"I want to know everything about Liam's movements. Everything he did today—I want to know it all," I ordered before ending the call. Sitting on the couch, I let different possibilities run through my mind.

It didn't take long before my phone rang. The same number.

"What is it?" I asked impatiently.

"I'm sorry, Beta Roman, but I can't."

"What do you mean you can't?" I growled, cutting him off.

"I mean I can't find any information. No matter how hard I try, I'm being blocked."

A cold feeling crept up my spine. "How long have you tried?" I snapped. "Keep trying, you son of a bitch."

"I'm sorry to tell you this, but our IT team is the second best in all of Crescent Moon Pack and Shroud Hollow City as a whole." He hesitated.

I frowned. "And?"

"We have an opposing force. Lord Ezekiel. I think he's in your friend's case, Beta." A sharp exhale left my lips as my grip tightened around the phone. My worst fear was confirmed.

I pulled the phone away from my ear, staring blankly into the deep space in front of me. My mind swirled with unanswered questions, leading to one disturbing thought—Why does he want him?

Just then, a notification popped up. Unknown number. I opened the message, my lips curling into a dark smirk as I read it again.

"Stay out of this, Beta Roman. The boss doesn't let go of his prey."