After Refusing to be Luna, I Marked the Alpha's Shadow Chapter 17

Ten minutes before the attack, wolfsbane bombs were strapped to pillars on a downtown overpass. When the victim's car passed, it triggered an explosion. Although the car was bulletproof, the toxic smoke injured eleven people on the scene.

I received the address and rushed to the victim's hospital room, flashing my Enforcer badge.

"Hello, I'm from New York Wolf Enforcer Team One, responsible for temporarily protecting you..."

I stopped mid-sentence.

The person sitting on the hospital bed... wasn't it Liam?

Liam sat by the bed, shirtless, revealing lean muscles. A nurse was applying healing ointment to his wounds, which were healing slowly due to the wolfsbane toxicity.

Hearing my voice, he looked up. A hint of amused mockery flashed in his golden eyes.

"Officer Harper. What a coincidence."

I really wished it wasn't this coincidental.

I instinctively wanted to tell the Captain I couldn't do it, but remembering the shortage of hands, I held back.

Putting away my ID, I asked formally, "Do you know the suspect? Why revenge on you?"

"I know him." Liam leaned against the headboard, lazy. "In Europe, I stole a female he had his eyes on, so he's retaliating."

My hand paused. "Who?"

"Is this part of solving the case?" Liam smirked.

I frowned, about to ask the next question.

Liam suddenly said, "Chloe Evans."

I froze. Liam smiled. "A year ago in Europe, that guy came to trouble me because of Chloe. I had him thrown into the Thames. He's been wanting revenge ever since."

I glanced at him. "Who is he?"

Liam laughed suddenly. "I'm thirsty. I need to eat an apple to continue."

He looked at the apple on the nightstand, lips curving like a roguish noble.

"I want Officer Harper to peel it personally."

I frowned, looking at Liam's indifferent attitude. A nameless fire rose in my chest.

"Liam, don't joke at a time like this. Eleven people were injured! Just because of your personal grudge, ten innocent bystanders got hurt! And wolfsbane is fatal to pups!"

"So you only care about them?"

The smile on Liam's face vanished instantly. He pressed his lips together, staring dead at me.

The hatred in his heart seemed to surge again at this moment.

"So what if ten people got hurt? What if twenty? That's the price of being weak. If I were the innocent bystander today, would you care this much? Or rather, if the person targeted today was Ethan, would you interrogate him right after entering the door?"

"Wouldn't you care for him? Wouldn't you comfort him? Wouldn't you peel an apple for him?"

I listened to these absurd words and took a deep breath. "You are unreasonable! Is this Alpha arrogance?"

I couldn't stay in the same room with Liam. I turned to leave.

Hand on the doorknob, I heard Liam's voice from behind: "I don't know."

I paused. Liam's voice sounded exceptionally tired in the quiet room.

"Harper, not everyone is worth remembering for me."

Nor was everyone worth him remembering for four years, torturing his nerves every night of the shifting heat.

I pressed my lips tight, opened the door, and walked out. Standing in the hallway, I texted the Captain, glanced at the room, and sat helplessly on the corridor chair.

In this moment, I suddenly missed Ethan so much.

I opened my phone and texted Ethan: "Are you asleep?"

Ethan replied with a meme of a husky rolling its eyes. He was mocking me for not knowing werewolf sleeping habits.

Cute.

What feared mercenary likes sending memes like this?

I suddenly thought of how Ethan was completely different before sleep—hazy and clingy when half-awake.

I couldn't help laughing out loud. From the ward came a cold snort and the sound of breaking glass.

I secretly rolled my eyes and smilingly replied "Goodnight" to Ethan.