Page 161 of Caged Between the Beta & Alpha
“No, only you and Raven,” he said, frowning as he tossed the file down and looked up at me. “I owe you a lot more than an apology… but I’ll start there. I’m not going to justify my shit because even now, I can’t think of sharing my mate… but my behaviour… it was wrong. I fucked up a lot and, in the process, lost a lot.” I watched him, sensing the guilt roll off him as he stared at his hands, his elbows resting on his legs, his head hanging. “What I’m trying to say is that I’m sorry for treating you like shit... that I saw and still see everything you did for me, Damon. I’m a total prick, but you bent over backwards to make me happy. You’ve always put yourself aside. You sacrificed everything for me, and I realise I broke the very first promise I made to you years ago.” His voice was hoarse, and I could hear the guilt laced with pain in it.
Promise… yeah, I remembered it.
FOURTEEN YEARS AGO
“Liam, you won!” I gasped, catching my breath, looking at the boy who was a little younger than me but already slightly taller. He smiled.
“I’m sure you will win next time, Damon. Rematch?”
“Okay!” I said, “Three, two,one!”
We broke into a run, our feet barely hitting the earthy ground as we raced towards the line of trees. I glanced at him, realising he was falling behind.
“I’m winning, Liam! I’m going to win!”
I slammed my hand against the tree trunk, bursting into laughter as I stuck my tongue out at him when he reached me moments later.
“Yeah, you did!” He said, high-fiving me.
“Is it bad? You’re the Alpha. You will always be number one. You should be number one!” He smiled at me, his eyes sparkling brightly.
“We are brothers. There won’t be a first or second, we will always be a team. I promise.” He held his hand out to me, and I took it happily, nodding.
“Yeah, we are brothers!”
I realised years later that he let me win here and there… I was never stronger or faster than he was, but he let me think that because that was Liam for you. Until that Blood Moon…
“I’ve treated you like shit, and even then, you have stuck by me. You haven’t made a move on Raven... but I still hate you for it. I acted like I’d always share everything, and then I realised that she was the one thing I couldn’t… I hurt you, and I know you’re probably mad at me, which you should be, but I’ll try to do better. I’ll make it up to you… or I’ll at least try to,” he said, running his fingers over his head and messing up his perfectly styled hair.
His words resonated in my head, and I could hear the sorrow and vulnerability in his words, yet the strength and confidence of his determination to fix things shone through. I moved away from the table, taking a seat in the chair opposite.
“I didn’t mind any of your crap until you marked her… that was my limit, and what was worse was I couldn’t do anything. I just watched.”
“I know... but it’s not your fault. You couldn’t do anything. That’s something I won’t ever be able to forget. Ever,” he said, his brows furrowed.
“I know you let me lash you so I can vent my anger,” I said quietly. “I’m not stupid. Deep down, I know my best friend and brother is in there… I’m seeing him coming out, little by little. I just hope that he fights this darkness and realises that his actions are hurting those around him.” He nodded, looking across at me.
“I’m going to try. Thank you for being a friend, one I don’t even deserve.”
“That’s what brothers are for... we deal with each other’s shit and are there for one another. You were there for me when Dad died, Liam. I won’t forget that... but I still want to punch you,” I said, despite smiling at him.
“No one is stopping you,” he replied, smirking. I shook my head.
“Who would have thought a girl would be the reason for our conflict?” I asked, feeling that stabbing pain inside of me.
“Yeah… I love her… and I know you do, too. So I’m not going to stand in her way. I’m not an angel who is going to say yeah, I’ll share… because I really can’t. I have fucking tried to get my head around it. Considered it even, but I can’t. I won’t expect her to choose me. I have to deal with the fact that I’m not the only one in the running. It’s late… I know… it’s really late, and I have a head start, but go for it. Fight for her if you want to. If she wants you… I won’t lie and say that I will be happy for you. I’ll fucking be jealous… but I’ll accept it. You are my Beta and my brother, Damon. I don’t want that to change. Even if I’m fucking too late to say it, or maybe I’ve destroyed any hopes of that, to the point of no redemption.”
My heart was racing, his words echoed in my mind, but it was his remark about Raven that threw me off. Liam didn’t know we had already rejected one another.
Robyn
Last night Iwasn’t able to sleep. All I could think about was Damon’s words. They had rejected one another… Goddess.
The flames of hope had leapt up in my chest, but I had squashed them. He had hurt me and then cast me aside. Sure, he was hurt by many, and he had lost a lot… but I was hurting, too. I couldn’t hurt him more and myself, too.
Why was the connection still there? I hated it. I hated how we just couldn’t fall out of love as easily as we fell in it.
I rolled over in bed, staring at the rising sun through the gap in my curtain. I would never open myself to anyone ever again. Not until I met my mate. Before that, I needed to get over Damon to be able to even consider a mate. It wasn’t easy to get over someone as handsome, gorgeous, and loving as him. In the nicest way possible, I wondered why Raven would choose Liam over him… Damon was far mor-
