Page 99 of Caged Between the Beta & Alpha
No answer. She was probably asleep…
Mom?I tried pushing through that block, frowning at the fact that I was drawing a blank. What the heck? Had she shut me out? Could she do that so strongly whilst sleeping?
I turned, thinking to go ring the doorbell. I was beginning to feel worried. Maybe I was just overreacting. No, wait; a sudden thought came to me, and I padded around the house to the bathroom window, wondering if Dad ever got it fixed. I smiled when I saw the gap in it, something that Mom always asked Dad to fix. Seems like he never bothered! Perfect!
I scanned the ground. Finding a decent-sized branch, I used it to slip into the gap and pry up the dodgyhandle. It was a small window, but I’d fit. Grabbing onto it, I pulled myself onto the ledge and squeezed in, frowning when my ass and thighs got a little stuck. Just great. Seems like the only place I had grown over the years was there.Stupid fat thighs…I pulled myself through, feeling the window scrape my ass and snag at my pants. Finally, I managed to get in and blew out a breath. Yay!
The cool bathroom tiles were pleasant beneath my feet as I made my way to the door, opening it ever so silently. I calmed my heartbeat to minimise the sound of it. One look at Mom, and then it was back out of there. She never needed to know I had been there! I made my way down the dark hall. The scent of pumpkin spice lingered in the hall, and I smiled sadly. It was Mom’s favourite smell, year in and year out. She’d stock up on the festive scented candles in the winter and use them throughout the entire year.
I was careful, making sure to stay towards the wall. The floorboards didn’t creak so much where they were hardly stepped on. Years of sneaking out really did help. I went up the stairs as silently as I could. Glancing down the hallway, I could see the door to Mom’s room was open, and I frowned. Did she leave it open because Dad wasn’t there? Wait, I refused to call him Dad…
The entire house was dark, and it was a little cold too. I felt my stomach twist. Wasn’t she taking care of herself?
I silently made my way down the hall, frowning when I didn’t hear a heartbeat. Wait, had she left the pack or something? Was that why my wolf was worried? After all, it had a link to family.
I rushed to the door, pushing it open, expecting to see a half-empty room. I froze at the smell of blood that filled my nose. My eyes snapped to the silhouette of someone under the sheets of the bed. My heart pounded as fear and panic settled within me, alarm bells going off.
No heartbeat… blood… was that…
“Mom?” I asked, my voice shaky as I edged closer to the bed.
Please be a prank. Please tell me I’m wrong.
“M-Mom?” I whimpered, sounding terrified.
Stay strong, Raven.
My entire body was shaking involuntarily. I couldn’t breathe properly… I reached out with a trembling hand for the sheets. Mom’s scent and the stench of fresh blood overrode my senses. I couldn’t bring myself to lower the duvet…
My chest was heaving.
I’m scared…
Liam….I whimpered through the link; he was probably asleep…
What is it, love? Are you okay?Worry and concern were clear in his voice, but the warmth of just hearing him made me feel an inch braver.
It was a struggle to reply as I yanked the bedding back. My mouth widened in a silent scream, and I stumbled back, my breathing ragged as I stared at the horrifying scene before me.
No, please, Goddess…no!
Fuck…
There lay Mom with blood-stained bedding under her, her empty mouth hanging wide open, slit from ear to ear. Her teeth were gone, and there were two gaping sockets where her eyes should have been.
Raven, where the fuck are you?Liam’s voice snapped me out of my horror-struck state.
Liam… Mom…I trailed off when the sudden feeling of being watched overcame me. The hair at the back of my neck stood up and my heart thundered.
I whipped around, but I was too late. Something struck my head. A searing pain erupted through it, and before I could even recover or react, I felt a stinging pain in my neck. Then everything went dark…
A Team
Liam
Iwas in my office with Damon. It was probably one of the fucking rare times we were completely alone, and the urge to get rid of him wasn’t fucking overtaking me.
The entire table and part of the floor were littered with papers and photographs. I couldn’t believe I was in this fucking situation where we were trying to rule out those who had full alibis around the time of the murders. Zack, Damon, and I were the only ones working on it, and it was fucking a lot. Maybe we needed to bring in a few more people. Dad offered; I might take him up on that. Mom had Aunty Monica and Azura to take care of. Maybe Raven…
