Caged Between The Beta & Alpha
Chapter 70

LIAM

I frowned as I stared into the bathroom mirror, styling my hair, remembering Raven’s rush in the morning to get going…

FLASHBACK

You’re in a hurry.” I said.

‘Yeah, training and then I have stuff to do.'” She said, towelling her hair after her morning shower.

“What stuff?” I asked casually, handing her a smoothie I had just made.

She smiled and shrugged.

“Stuff.” She repeated.

Damon.

If she couldn’t tell me, it meant it included him.

END OF FLASHBACK

Since then, that irritating flare of anger wasn’t subsiding.. I wasn’t f*****g enough… First in my f*****g arms… then in his… My ch3st heaved, my nostrils flaring as I combed my fingers through my hair, swiftly styling it with some hair wax.

Watching my eyes turn from cerulean to magnetic navy blue. Breathe Liam… Maybe it’s not Damon.. I stepped into my bedroom, I needed to get to my office. There was some crap I needed to..

My thoughts vanished when my eyes caught sight of the brown envelope that had clearly been shoved through the bottom of my door. It was thin and flat and, from what I could tell, blank.

Frowning I walked over to it and picked it up.

Nothing was written on it either. I r!pped it open, wondering what the f**k this was.

A photograph?

I tilted the envelope, shaking it a little, making the single photograph that was inside slip out.

I stared at it for a few seconds, my anger flaring up inside. My heart thundering in my ears and the surge to destroy everything in my wake burning like the fires of hell needed to be released.

Lies..

It had all been a f*****g lie…

Both of them were playing me…

I stared down at the image with burning hatred, a picture of Damon and Raven k!ssing… From her clothes, I could tell it was the day her father had been brought to me… So they had been at it since the beginning..

So all that f*****g sh!t about waiting… He k!ssed what was mine…

As for my little mate… How could someone so innocent play such a f*****g game…? Her smiles… fake… Her struggle f*****g made sense now…

How long were these two at it behind my back?

It was worse than if they had done it f*****g openly…

They had both mocked me…

If they wanted to see me f*****g lose my sh!t, well, congratulations, they just f*****g got it…

It was high f*****g time that I showed them exactly who was in charge here…

I crushed the image in my hold, tossing it aside as I headed to the window, not even bothering to open it as I ran right through it. The shattered glass scattered everywhere as I jumped to the ground, feeling the pain r!p through my knees at the impact, shards of glass cutting into me. I relished in it, the smell of b***d… I needed more.

“Alpha!”

I didn’t stop to listen to anyone, as I broke into a run, the anger enveloping me consumed me entirely.

The urge to let it all out and tear every f*****g living thing around me to shreds f*****g consumed me. I wanted to destroy it all, to unleash carnage upon every single f*****g person in the vicinity…

Liars… Cheaters… and above all else – perfect f*****g actors. But I would save this wrath for the two who deserved it foremost…

DAMON

I held her tightly, the pain of what I knew was to come breaking me. But… I knew it was for the best.

I had been given an anonymous envelope of her and Liam k!ssing and making out just the other day outside of the Westwood home… even one with Liam on his knees. Sure you couldn’t see anything, but it was clear what was happening…

It f*****g hurt… So so f*****g much… It was like someone had r!pped my heart out, scrubbed it over a field of broken glass and then stabbed it with a thousand f*****g knives.

I had told her to move on with Liam, but clearly, she wasn’t able to forget me completely; I was just holding her back. She couldn’t enjoy being with Liam if I was there, lingering in her mind and making her feel guilty for it. I had held hope that maybe there was just a glimmer of a chance… but there wasn’t.

Liam… he would never be happy until he had her completely. He wouldn’t trust me…

This was something that we would both do for our Alpha, our friend.. My brother… Her mate…

There were many types of bonds in life, and each one was special… The bonds of family, of Alpha and Beta, of friendship… and of mates… Sometimes we had to sacrifice something for the betterment of something else.

I looked down at her, as she sobbed into my ch3st.

I love you so f*****g much but I’m not worth it.. Not worth you hurting yourself over…

I held her, telling myself it was not the last f*****g time I’ll see her or hold her, but who was I kidding?

This was the last time I’d hold her as my mate… My precious, perfect mate… For a fleeting moment, I saw us happy; mated… content… But that was all it was, a fleeting moment that was gone like a whisper in the night… We could never be… She was his… She would always be his.

We sat there for a while, the pain in our hearts f*****g powerful…

Her tears slowly came to a stop, and she moved back, wiping her eyes.

“Sh-shall we do it?” She whispered.

I nodded as she slowly moved back and sat on her knees before me. Fresh tears streamed down her cheeks, but she was staying brave.

“Want me to do it?” I asked, not wanting her to be in any more pain than she already was.

She reached for my face, wiping my tears away. I closed my eyes, letting myself relish in those sparks for the last time…

I opened my eyes slowly. The sun shone down on her, a beautiful goddess with a heart as pure and dazzling as the first rays of the morning sun.

I didn’t want this… I didn’t want to lose my mate…

How many more people that I love will I lose?

F**k…

But I couldn’t be selfish, for her and Liam. Seeing them happy, that would be my happiness.

“I’m so sorry.” She whimpered, her hands trembling.

“Don’t be..” I said, taking hold of her hands.

One last k!ss… Please?

I glanced at her l!ps and she nodded, trying to smile as she understood my silent last wish.. Her beautiful eyes were full of pain and sorrow. I leaned over, our eyes meeting, and she tilted her head slightly as I pressed my l!ps to hers…

The salty taste of her tears coated her pouty soft !ips, and I knew it was the last time that I would feel them. The tingles of the mate bond coursed through us, but there was nothing passionate about this k!ss…

It was deep, full of love and sweetness. I moved my l!ps slowly, trying to etch the memory of this moment in my mind.

I love you, Raven..

I moved back, taking a deep, shuddering breath.

I would do this…

“I Damon Nichol-“

A menacing animalistic growl r!pped through the air, making every animal in the forest run. Birds erupted into the sky, alarmed from their resting places, and every hair on my body stood on edge.

An enormous surge of darkness swirled in the air, covering the entire area with a feeling of pure blackness and foreboding, making us both jump to our feet, both turning to the source, our hearts thundering as one.

Sh!t… Liam had seen us k!ss…

F**k…

He stood there, his claws and canines out, but it wasn’t that that chilled me, it was pure blackness that covered his entire eyeballs. His expression was one that was filled with so much hatred, he was unrecognisable.

“Liam this-” Raven began.

Another growl cut her off and in a flash, that was far too fast for even an Alpha, he was before us. Before I could even react, his claws r!pped through my ch3st, followed by a bone -breaking fist that connected with my face, knocking me back with such force that I was thrown a few feet into the air. Before I hit the floor, pain lashed through my body as I tried to get up.

“Raven!”I shouted, worry for her safety filling every f*****g nerve of my body. I got to my feet, the urge to protect her screaming at me to go to her, he had his hand twisted in her hair and from there everything felt like it was far away…

“You will only ever be mine, love.” He hissed, just as I began running towards them…

But… I was too late…

I watched as if in slow motion as he yanked her head back, tilting her head upwards… She mouthed his name, trying to get through to him, but… it wasn’t going to work… Fear had me in its grip as all I could do was helplessly watch him sink his teeth into her neck brutally.

The sound of Raven’s scream of pain filled the air, a sound that I knew would haunt my dreams for years to come…

I pushed him away but I knew I was too late… I shielded her body from him, my heart was pounding with an anger towards him that I had never felt before, and with worry and fear for the tiny precious woman in my arms, whose neck was bleeding far too deeply from his brutal assault, that had r!pped open half her neck.

She was gargling up b***d, clutching at her neck. Her eyes looked blank as she coughed up b***d.

There was no f*****g force on earth that could reverse what he had just done.

Not only had he marked her against her will, but he had r!pped away what should have been one of the most sacred and special moments of her life. Blinded by his untameable anger, Liam had ruined everything.