Chapter 19. Hidden Truths

BELLE

“I can tell people not to feed from you when you’re in Evergreen, and they have to listen to me because of who my father is. But the moment you moved to Woodhurst and started working at that stupid diner, I lost any authority over you. Anybody could have wandered over there and done whatever they wanted with you, and I wouldn’t have been able to do anything to stop it. And when I didn’t invite you to that party, it was because I knew someone would try something on you if you were there. Your blood is especially appealing for some reason. It’s most likely because you’re a werewolf’s mate, and vampires are hardwired to kill and harm werewolves. So even though I warned people to stay away from you, I never wanted to risk leaving you by yourself for too long.”

His fists clenched at his sides.

“But you were always so damn persistent about being independent and not needing anyone’s help; it was as if you wanted someone to kill you—”

“Liam is strangely protect