Mated To The Beastly Alpha
Chapter 32

Alpha Liam stepped into her cabin, and Nicole closed the door behind him. They stood facing each other, and neither of them said anything for a long moment.

Finally, Alpha Liam broke the silence. "I meant what I said earlier, Nicole," he said with sincerity in his voice. "I want to start afresh. I want us to put all of our past disagreements behind us and try to build something new. Maybe it'll set us free or lead to something new. We cannot be too sure."

Nicole's heart was racing. She didn't know what to say. On the one hand, she wanted to believe him. She wanted to believe that he was sincere and that he truly wanted to give them another chance, but on the other hand, she was afraid of getting hurt again. "I don't know, Alpha Liam," she said finally, her voice barely above a whisper. "I don't know if I can trust you."

Alpha Liam's expression softened. "I understand that, Nicole," he said, taking a step closer to her. "And I don't expect you to trust me right away. But I'm willing to work for it. I'm willing to prove to you that I'm serious about this."

Nicole looked up at him, her eyes searching his face for any sign of deception. But all she saw was honesty and sincerity. Yet her insecurities jumped at her.

"Nicole, we need to talk. We need to discuss these things. It will then set us free," he said, his voice firm but gentle.

As he stood before her looking sincere, her mind flashed back to all the moments they had together. She missed his scent and everything about him. She was fighting her attraction for Alpha Liam.

"Okay," she said finally, her voice barely audible. "We can try to start afresh, but you have to promise me one thing."

"What's that?" Alpha Liam asked, his gaze steady.

"Pressure. I don't want it. We will maintain a cordial relationship if it develops into a good friendship, but I need it to be at my pace. You're Alpha, I get it, but I own my body too. If we are going to get intimate, it should be consensual. I don't want the hot and cold shit too," Nicole said, her voice firm. "I can't handle that kind of drama in my life anymore."

Alpha Liam nodded, affirming with serious expressions. "I promise, Nicole," he said. "I won't let anything or anyone come between us; between this. Too much is at stake."

Nicole felt a small glimmer of hope in her chest. Maybe this time things will be different. Maybe this time they could make it work. Maybe they could finally get rid of the mark and set each other free.

Somewhere in her brain, her fear and distrust of him bagged at her, but she tried to suppress it so she could focus on working towards getting to know the real Liam.

Things between Nicole and Alpha Liam seemed to be improving. They spent more time together, and Alpha Liam was always attentive. But then Lilian had not given up; she worked extra hard to see everything fall apart.

Whenever Liam was away, she made sure to make Nicole feel like an outcast, belittling Nicole whenever she got the chance. She would make snide remarks whenever she saw Nicole and Alpha Liam together, or she would try to draw her brother's attention away from her. She was also trying to set Nicole up against Liam's former women.

Nicole tried to ignore it at first, but it was getting harder and harder to do so. She could feel herself becoming more and more on the edge; more and more defensive around Alpha Liam. It made it difficult for her to open up to him. Nicole was walking through the pack grounds when Lilian appeared out of nowhere, blocking her path.

"What do you want, Lilian?" Nicole asked, her tone cold.

Lilian smirked. "Just wanted to see how my little brother's pet was doing," she said, her voice dripping with disdain.

Nicole felt a surge of anger, but she tried to keep her cool. "I'm not his pet, Lilian," she said. "And I'm not going anywhere."

Lilian's expression darkened. "You should leave him, Nicole," she said, her voice low. "He doesn't need a weak little wolf like you dragging him down. Don't start shit about you being a witch-bane. You're nothing but a freaking slave,"

Nicole felt her temper flaring. "I'm not weak," she said, her voice rising. "And I'm not going to let you bully me anymore."

Lilian laughed, "Oh, sweetie," she said, placing a condescending hand on Nicole's shoulder. "You don't even know what it means to be a strong wolf. You're just a pathetic little pup."

Nicole's eyes flashed with anger and she pushed Lilian's hand away. "Don't touch me," she said through gritted teeth.

Lilian's eyes narrowed. "You think you're so tough, don't you?" she said, her voice cold. "But you're nothing compared to me. I'm the Luna of this pack and you're just an Omega. You don't even deserve to be in the same room as my brother. You don't belong here. Leave him alone!"

Nicole could feel the tears prickling at the corners of her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. "I'm not going anywhere," she said, her voice shaking slightly. "I'm not going until he lets me go and I'm not going to let you take that away from me." Lilian's expression turned even colder. "We'll see about that," she said, before turning on her heel and walking away.

Nicole stood there for a long moment, trying to calm herself down. She knew that Lilian was just trying to get a rise out of her, but it was getting harder and harder to ignore her bullying.

Later that day, Nicole found herself with Garrett and Asha, venting about her encounter with Lilian. "I don't know what to do with Lilian," she said, her voice shaking with emotions. "She's making my life a living hell."

Garrett's expression was sympathetic. "I'm sorry, Nicole," he said, reaching out to take her hand. "I know how difficult she can be. But please don't let her get to you. She's a bitch."

"A thick bitch! What I don't get is why she's like this with you." Asha added.

Nicole shook her head, it was full of doubts. "I don't know if I can handle this with Liam," she complained. "Maybe I need to leave the pack. For my sanity's sake. I only need the mark to fade."

Asha's expression turned to panic. "No, Nicole," she said, replacing Garrett's grip on her hand. "Please don't leave. I need you here. We can work through this together."

Nicole shot Garrett a look and he looked away. She knew that he wanted her to go. He wasn't in support of her giving Liam another chance. He wanted her to negotiate her freedom.

Nicole felt a wave of sadness wash over her. She didn't want to leave the pack, but she didn't know how much longer she could handle Lilian's bullying.

Suddenly, the door burst open and Lilian walked in with a malicious smile on her face. "Oh, I see I interrupted something," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Garrett stood up, his countenance had gone sour, "What do you want, Lilian?" he said, his voice low.

Lilian's expression turned icy. "You too? Aren't you mated? Maybe she's the witch who's been attacking the Dark Moon and you all have been blind. Ask yourself why the witch disappeared after she was discovered.

I'm disappointed Tony, you have a mate, so why are you hanging around that thing? I can see through you. I know your ulterior motives and I won't let it stand," she said, looking pointedly at Nicole.

Suddenly, Alpha Liam joined them in the office. His face turned red with anger. "I don't want any other women," he said, his voice dripping with dominance and power. "I want Nicole!"

Lilian's eyes narrowed. "Suite yourself, it's the mark talking. We all know that," she said before turning on her heel.

Liam grabbed Lilian before she could slip off.

"You asked a question. You asked that I should send her away and I haven't responded. Now I want you to listen clearly. Nicole is going nowhere! Not because of her position as a witch bane, but because I want her here. She's mine until she isn't!" He growled, his power made them tremble. "This should be the last time you ever belittle, taunt, or mock Nicole. She's mine and you will respect her. She's not going anywhere. She stays!"

Lilian wiggled away from her brother and stormed out of the office. Nicole felt her heart flutter, but she was still very hurt by Lilian.

They all stood there in silence for a long moment, neither one knowing what to say.

Finally, Alpha Liam spoke up. "I'm sorry about that, Nicole," he said, his voice apologetic. "She's been getting worse lately and I don't know how to handle her."

Nicole nodded, her eyes full of sadness. "I don't know how much longer I can take this. I need time alone."

She dashed out of the forest and into the woods. She continued running until she was far from the pack. A lot was happening in her head and she was a bit disoriented. Nicole! Where are you? You're in danger!

But it was too late because someone knocked her out and all she saw was darkness.