Page 124 of Caged Between the Beta & Alpha
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 chest.
I love you so fucking much, but I’m not worth it… not worth you hurting yourself over…
I held her, telling myself it was not the last fucking time I’d see her or hold her, but whom was I kidding? It 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 fucking 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 stayed 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 would I lose? Fuck…
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 kiss... please?
I glanced at her lips, 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 lips to hers.
The salty taste of her tears coated her soft, pouty lips, 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 kiss. It wasdeep, full of love and sweetness. I moved my lips 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 it…
“I, Damon Nichol-”
A menacing animalistic growl ripped 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 and turn to the source. Our hearts thundered as one.
Shit… Liam had seen us kiss…
Fuck…
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 ripped through my chest, 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 fucking 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 ripped open half her neck. She was gargling up blood, clutching at her neck. Her eyes looked blank as she coughed up blood.
There was no fucking force on earth that could reverse what he had just done.
Not only had he marked her against her will, but he had ripped 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.
