Mated To The Beastly Alpha
Chapter 22

Nicole walked into the pack house and found Liam waiting for her. His face was twisted in anger, and his body was tense with barely contained fury.

"Hey, what's going on?" Nicole asked, immediately sensing the tension in the air. She decided to pretend like she didn't know what she had done.

"You know exactly what's going on," Liam growled, his voice low and menacing. "You disrespected me at the Cafe. I told you to follow me back, but you ignored me like I was nothing." Nicole raised an eyebrow. "I didn't ignore you. I couldn't just leave like that."

Liam laughed gleefully,

He had almost gone crazy when he discovered that she was nowhere to be found, only for him to replace her with Garrett, who seemed to enjoy teasing him.

"You've grown wings. Must I remind you who and what you are? You now speak back to me? Has my mark given you that much audacity?"

"What is it?" Nicole screamed, and her wolf whimpered. It didn't like the argument they were having. "You said I'm nothing. You remind me every day of my uselessness. You instructed me to steer clear of you. You treat me like garbage and when I do what you ask of me, you come back to choke me up!"

"That's not the point," Liam snapped. "You don't get to disrespect me like that. Have you forgotten who I am? I saved you, remember? I own you."

Nicole's eyes widened in shock. "What? You saved me? You call this saving, Liam? I may be some kind of possession to you, but I'm alive. My needs are beyond what you give me sexually. I'm not some puppet."

"You bear my mark and until the connection fades, you are whatever I say you are." Liam snarled. "I own you, so you shall do as I ask without grumbling, mumbling, or complaining."

Nicole shook her head, her own anger beginning to rise. "Respect is earned, Liam. You don't get to demand it just because you are Alpha."

Liam took a step forward, his eyes blazing. "I demand it because I deserve it. And if you can't give it to me, then maybe we need to re-evaluate your freedom and rights here. This is my world ex Luna. I rule this place. Whatever I say goes. You're also bound to this same law. Do not let me repeat myself."

Nicole felt a pang of fear shoot through her chest. His dominance held her in a chokehold. It reminded her of Shane. She didn't want to be controlled by him. She was tired. She wanted to be set free.

Yet even as they argued. She found herself drifting closer to him. It annoyed her because she wanted to hate him so badly.

"What do you mean, re-evaluate my rights? Like I have any..." She shot back.

Liam took another step forward, his body now inches away from hers. "I mean that maybe we need to make you understand that your being here is a privilege and let you remember what you are. It seems you are forgetting and overstepping your boundaries." Nicole's heart was pounding in her chest. She didn't want anything worse than what she was going through now. She wanted freedom.

"I don't know if you can do that, Liam. You should understand that no matter what you do or say, I need to be my own person. I'll always be."

"You're nothing, Nicole." He retorted. His expression hardened and Nicole couldn't help but admire him. "I know you know that. Stop fighting it.

I will control you. You are my property. I will control you until you stop being mine. You are mine, Nicole. Stop fighting it. I need you to understand that I'm not going to tolerate disrespect."

Nicole looked up at him, her eyes filled with emotion. "Can't you see that I f*****g hate this?"

Smirking, Liam leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. At first, Nicole resisted, but then she felt the heat between them, the undeniable attraction that had drawn them together from the beginning.

As they kissed, all the anger and tension between them dissipated, replaced by a fierce passion that left them both breathless.

When they pulled apart, Liam looked down at her, his eyes full of longing.

"Promise me right now, that you'll never question my authority ever again." He growled.

Nicole smiled up at him, feeling a weight lift off her shoulders. Tremors swept up and down her spine. "I'll try," she murmured.

Liam grinned, a smug expression on his face. "Good. Because you know what happens when you disrespect me, right?"

Nicole rolled her eyes, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "Yeah, I know. You get all possessive and jealous."

Liam chuckled. "Can you blame me? You're mine, Nicole. It's temporary, but you belong to me. Until you stop being mine, there's nothing you can do. I'm not jealous when I own something."

Nicole leaned into him, resting her head on his chest. She could barely stand or breathe.

They stood like that for a moment, wrapped up in each other's embrace. Then Liam leaned down and kissed her again, his lips fierce and demanding.

Nicole responded eagerly, her body on fire with desire. She didn't know what was happening but the resentment she felt towards Liam was somehow easing off.

As they kissed, the world around them faded away, leaving them alone in their own little bubble of passion. And for that moment, nothing else mattered.

Just as Nicole and Liam were lost in their own little world, James burst into the pack house, his face twisted with worry. He jumped back at the sight of them together. "Alpha Liam, I'm sorry, we have a problem," he said urgently.

"What is it?" Liam asked, abruptly pulling away from Nicole and turning to face James.

Nicole immediately felt bad at the loss of his warmth.

"The witch. We've got a lead. But it seems like we were too late," James said. "Another spell has been cast and random people have attacked a town not too far from us. People are hurt, and they're still out there." Liam's expression darkened. "What? We have to go." He said, walking away without sparing Nicole another glance.

Nicole felt her heart crash. A pang of guilt in her chest. She shouldn't be like that. She needed to remind herself that everything they felt was from the mark and once it faded, Liam would discard her. She had been so wrapped up in her argument with Liam that she forgot herself. That something was wrong.

Nicole watched Liam and his team hurry out of the pack house, and couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. The mark was making her worry. It made her feel very stupid. Why was she allowing herself to fall into the same trap she fell into with Shane? It was fooling because she knew that he would cast her away. Nicole felt her heart sink. She knew that Liam had a duty to protect the pack, but she couldn't help but feel like she was nothing to him.

And it was the truth. She meant nothing to Liam and it hurt. More than anything, she hated the mark that continued giving her imagination and making her hope for something that could never be.

News spread like wildfire about the Dark Moon's arrival at the scene. They said they arrived at the scene of the attack to replace chaos and destruction everywhere. People were screaming and crying, and some were lying on the ground, injured and bleeding. Nicole trembled, she knew what it was like. Feeling brokenhearted and alone, Nicole wandered through the deserted Packhouse, her thoughts consumed by Liam and her fear that he would never truly see her as anything more than a slave. He seemed to want the mark gone, more than anything.

Nicole continued moving through the deserted Packhouse, her footsteps echoing in the empty halls. She couldn't shake the feeling of pain that had settled in her chest. The way Liam pushed her away had left her feeling more lost and alone than ever before. Her thoughts consumed her as she walked, her mind replaying the words they had exchanged earlier. Liam's jealousy and possessiveness had been overwhelming, and it had left Nicole imagining what it would be like if she was really his mate.

His possessiveness thrilled her. Nobody had ever shown her that they wanted her like that. She was an Omega. The least wanted and least powerful. No one wanted an Omega. Even her parents didn't want her. Yet, she couldn't help but feel a sense of fear and anxiety at the thought of Liam discarding her once their mark waned out.

As much as she tried to push it away, she knew deep down that he would never stay with her. He bought her for crying out loud and had repeatedly informed her that it was the mark that made him want her. Not himself.

The pain in her chest grew as she thought about it, a sharp ache that refused to go away. She realized that she hated feeling like she was useless. She had to do something about it.

As she reached the end of the hallway, Nicole leaned against the wall, her eyes closed as she tried to calm her racing thoughts. She knew that she needed to replace a way to talk, to figure out a way to move forward with herself. She needed to prepare for the inevitable.

But the fear of rejection and the pain of knowing that she would be thrown away again was too much to bear.

A tear slipped down her cheek as she opened her eyes, feeling more lost than ever before. She had always been the most vulnerable and gullible. Liam had warned her about it. She didn't need to make a fool of herself.

Nicole let out a shaky breath, trying to steady herself. She knew that she needed to keep moving forward, to keep fighting for what she wanted. Freedom.

With that thought in mind, Nicole pushed off the wall and continued walking down the hallway. She didn't know what the future held for her but she knew that she had to try.

As she rounded the corner, Nicole realized that she was making a big mistake by investing her time and focusing on a dead end. She was better than that.