Page 25 of Caged Between the Beta & Alpha
“What happened?” Liam asked, assessing the situation quickly.
The moment he and Damon saw me, they were both before me in a flash. Liam took my wrists as he looked me over, his heart racing, and Damon’s hand went to my lower back, checking me over. I gasped at the surge of sparks that rushed through me at both of their touches. Fuck.
My own heart was thumping. Liam’s eyes blazed with anger, but that hurt, too, as he looked at Damon. I pulled away from them both and moved away.
“I was walking through the woods. I thought I smelt blood, and then that body fell out of that tree,” I said quietly.
“And we showed up when she was leaning over the body,” Zack said.
“I was just going to look at the note.”
“Raven didn’t fucking do this,” Damon said, frowning. “If that’s what you’re insinuating.”
“I didn’t say that,” Zack said.
“The first thing you should have done was notify someone,” Liam told me, scanning the area before crouching down by the body. “The teeth and eyes are removed already. This wasn’t done just now. Raven was at the party fifteen minutes ago,” he said.
“We need to see if there’s a trail of blood. Surely something must have been left behind,” Damon added.
“This is getting fucking worrying. Don’t let anyone at the party know for now,” Liam ordered, standing up as he took the note.
“What does it say?” Zack added quietly.
“Two down, I wonder how many more to go…” Liam read quietly. I could feel his anger and worry as we all fell silent.
“That’s two deaths,” Taylor muttered as he walked over to me and pulled me into his arms, giving me a hug I really needed.
“Two deaths and no break-ins,” Liam said quietly.
I knew security had been doubled. I also knew he had gone over everything; the cameras and the sensorsaround the borders, everything was at its best.
“Which means…” Damon began.
We were all thinking the same thing, but no one spoke, as if admitting it made it a reality.
“It’s an inside job, isn’t it?” I asked quietly.
A sharp wind blew through the trees as we all exchanged looks, and I felt a shiver run down my spine.
The killer was walking amongst us, and we had no idea who they were.
Always Been You
Raven
Liam had told Taylor and me to return to the party whilst he and Zack dealt with the body. Damon had gone off to see if there were any traces or anything left behind. Although we returned to the lively party with upbeat songs playing, I still felt glum.
So… you know about Zack and me,Taylor said through the link as he passed me a beer bottle. I looked at him and nodded.
Why haven’t you gone public or accepted the bond?I asked, unable to resist. Taylor looked pained; his eyes were fixed on a spot in the distance.
Zack doesn’t want anyone to know yet, he said he needs time.
Well, even I was surprised that they were mates, but now that I knew, I could just see how perfect they could be. I stepped up to Taylor and hugged him tightly.
I’m here if you need to talk. I know you have a lot going on, yet you’re still smiling.
Isn’t that what you do, too?He asked softly, looking down at me, concern clear in his eyes. My heart skipped a beat. I knew this was my chance to share my own problem, even if I usually kept it inside.
