Page 143 of Caged Between the Beta & Alpha
“Take her outside,” Uncle El said quietly to Taylor and Zack, “Your emotions are clouding your judgement, Raven.”
No, no… I love him…
Taylor wrapped his arm around my shoulders, leading me firmly towards the exit.
No!
I stared at Liam’s mutilated back, his shoulders heaving and his head hanging, yet not once did a sound escape him.
I’m fine, Raven. Please leave,his voice came through the link. No matter how much he tried to hide it… I could hear it. My eyes stung with tears as I shook my head at his back.
How could I turn my back on him? The darkness inside of him was feeding on all negative emotions; fear, loneliness, and regret were part of that. This was not the right way!
“Fifty,” Damon said, breathing hard as he lashed him again.
I couldn’t breathe…. My heart was ringing in my ear… the smell of blood…
I spun around in a flash, but Zack was ready. His arm was wrapped around my waist as I struggled against him.
“Stop it!” I cried out. My heart was breaking as if someone was ripping it apart inch by inch.
“Raven, come on. It’s compulsory,” Zack said quietly.
“Please, stop it! If this is for marking me, I was going to let him mark me anyway!” I sobbed, not caring for once that I was crying out in the open.
Damon hesitated, turning to me. Our eyes met, and I realised his eyes glistened with unshed tears. This was hurting him, too.
“That doesn’t make the way he did things right,” Zack said quietly.
“I know! And I won’t forgive him easily, but brutally whipping him like this? I don’t like it! Two wrongs do not make a right!” I shouted. “Alpha Elijah! As the victim, I demand that you let him go!”
“That cannot be done. Take her away,” Uncle El said, his eyes flashing.
“Liam!”
I’m fine, love, please go.
“Let go of me!” I shouted as Zack carried me out of the hall and into the corridor.
No. I will do what I feel is right!Twisting in his hold, I rammed my elbow into his face.Sorry, Taylor.His grip loosened as he grunted in pain. I took the chance to knock him back and ran back inside.
“I said stop it!”I cried out, running onto the stage and wrapping my arms around Liam from behind. The strong sparks of the bond rushed through me as I tried to shield his back, but I didn’t even cover half of it. “Please stop it, this is only hurting me more,” I whispered in the room that was completely silent.
“This isn’t easy for anyone,” Uncle El said softly. “But a punishment is-”
“He’s had over fifty lashes. Please, stop!” I shouted. The pain in my chest was growing, my eyes blazing as I stared at the Alpha.
“Raven, I’m fine,” Liam said. His voice was hoarse despite trying to sound as normal as possible.
“I’m not okay with this,” I said, slowly letting go of him and flinching at how deep the wounds on his back were. “Please… I love him… please stop this…” I joined my hands together in front of my face, unable to stop the tears that streamed down my cheeks as I looked at Uncle El. “Please… I beg you... this is causing me more pain than good.” My voice broke as I stared up at our Alpha. He stood there, the conflict clear on his face.
“We make mistakes in life… and some may be unforgivable, but this is between Liam and me, and we will work on it. We also know he has no memory of what he did… he wasn’t just fuelled by rage alone,” I said quietly. The pain in my chest was overpowering everything. “Give him one chance to redeem himself! If he messes up again, then you can punish him. Please.” My hands were shaking as I pressed my joint fingers to my lips, closing my eyes as sobs wracked my body.
I heard the clang of the whip hitting the floor, opening my eyes to see Damon had dropped it. He pulled me into his arms, stroking my back.
“I agree with her, Alpha… I think it’s enough,” he said quietly. Uncle El sighed heavily.
“Alpha… I’m with Raven and Damon. Liam regrets his actions, and he will prove his worth,” Zack said, quietly wiping blood from his nose.
