Shattering Control
Raven
“Liam,” I choked out as his hand became tighter.
“A-Alpha!” Ben stuttered, clearly not expecting the change in Liam.
Liam’s eyes snapped towards him, his Alpha command surging forth. With just one look, the man lowered his head and moved away. My eyes widened. That… Liam didn’t even say anything…
“Liam!” I said, my nails digging into his hands as I tried to get him to let go of me. “Liam, please, let go.”
My heart thundered as Liam threw me aside roughly. I hit the bars on the opposite side of the hall, groaning as pain jarred through me before I fell to the ground, just about breaking my fall. The burn of the silver searing my bare back made me pull away from them.
“A-Alpha…”
“No one can protect you, not even her,” Liam hissed as Dad spluttered, backing away from the bars.
Run! I told Ben, praying he didn’t have the keys just in case Liam tried to get them. He moved towards me, but I shook my head.
I…I’ll call… He backed away silently, and I turned to Liam.
My eyes widened in fear, watching him take hold of two bars and stretch them apart. My heart was in my throat. That wasn’t possible. Those bars were made to withstand a werewolf’s limits...
My eyes snapped to his hands. Sure enough, they were burned, yet he clearly didn’t care. He smiled, almost psychotically, as he stepped through the gap he had created.
“Alpha, s-stop! Y-You can’t kill me!” Dad shouted.
I looked at Liam, stumbling to my feet as I ran into the cell. It wasn’t Dad that I cared about right then, it was Liam. I couldn’t let the darkness control him. Whatever this was, it was strong.
“Liam, please,” I whispered, blocking his way. Reaching up, I cupped his face tightly, only for him to grab my wrists in a painful grip. I felt something crack in my left wrist, but I didn’t let go.
“Stay out of this, darling. I told you… he will pay for the crap he’s given you,” he hissed, pushing me away roughly as he advanced on Dad. I saw his claws come out as he lunged at my father and slashed him across his chest. He didn’t stop, picking him up and flinging him down to the ground.
“Stop!” I shouted as Dad howled in pain, not even able to defend himself.
He needed to stop. I ran towards him, pushing him away from Dad with all my strength.
“Liam, please listen to me!” I pleaded, feeling the sparks course through us as I grabbed his face, this time bracing myself. “Won’t you listen to your Bite-size?”
He sucked in a sharp breath, his heart thundering, and I saw his eyes lighten a little. The black that coated his whites was fading away slowly.
“Listen to me, Blue Eyes...” I whispered, trying to ignore the discomfort in my wrist as Liam tried to pull out of my grip, only crushing my already painful wrist further. I didn’t let go, instead locking my arms around his neck. “Liam…”
His eyes flickered from cerulean to magnetic blue to midnight navy, his heart thundering loudly. I could feel his emotions as he fought against himself.
“You’re okay,” I whispered, locking my arms tightly around his neck. As I placed a soft kiss on his throat, I locked my legs around his waist, clinging onto him tightly. That seemed to work as he gasped for air, staggering back.
“Fuck,” he whispered. I leaned back, staring into his bright cerulean eyes, relief flooding me.
He looked around as if realising where we were for the first time.
“Raven…” he said, looking at me and then at Dad’s body that lay limp on the ground.
He wrapped his arms around my waist tightly, and I could hear how fast his heart was beating as he buried his head in my neck as the realisation settled within him.
Just then, we heard the sound of running and saw Uncle El and Damon.
Ben must have called them. Damon looked at us, worry clear in his eyes as Uncle El assessed the situation.
I didn’t miss the way his eyes flashed when he looked at the bent bars or the way his frown deepened as he hurried over to Dad.
I unlocked my legs from around Liam’s waist, but he refused to let me go.
I didn’t pull away. As much as he needed me, I was also worried for him.
“Will someone explain to me what the fuck is happening here?” Uncle El hissed, his eyes blazing cobalt blue as he looked at us. “Get him to the hospital!” Damon hesitated before frowning and walking over to Dad, only to stop again.
“I don’t know if he deserves that, Uncle,” he whispered, to everyone’s surprise.
“I put him in here, he’s staying here. He won’t die, although he should,” Liam added coldly.
“Liam-”
“I am the Alpha. My rules now, remember?”
Uncle El clenched his jaw, looking at me and then at Liam. I looked between Damon and Liam. Damon was tense; I knew he was angry with my father, and Liam’s eyes kept flickering from magnetic blue to cerulean.
“Just let a doctor come see him… he isn’t worth getting your hands dirty over,” I whispered, looking up at Damon. I saw Uncle El glance between the three of us, and I had a feeling Aunty Red had probably told him our situation.
“What happened to Haru’s arm?” He asked tersely.
“He lost it,” Liam said coldly. I saw Uncle El pause for a moment and knew he was mind-linking someone. “I set an example of what happens when you abuse your child,” Liam said icily as he glared down at Dad.
“Liam…” Uncle El said, concern clear in his eyes. Liam didn’t reply, finally letting go of me and taking hold of my wrist.
“Ouch!” I yelled, unable to stop myself as pain shot up my broken wrist. All three men looked at me, and Liam let go quickly.
“What’s wrong, love?” He asked as I clutched my wrist, my eyes stinging from the pain.
“I think it’s bruised-”
“The angle is fucking off. That’s broken. How did that happen?” Uncle El asked. Coming over, he took my hand in his. He examined my wrist before he snapped it back into place, making me gasp. Eye-watering pain shot through me before I felt my arm healing.
“Ow…” I said, pouting as I rubbed my wrist.
Uncle El gave me a sympathetic look before his brows furrowed once more. Damon was by my side, taking my hand as he massaged my forearm gently.
“How did you get hurt, Raven?” Uncle El repeated. My heart thumped. I couldn’t, and I wouldn’t say. Liam… He would only feel bad.
“I just got-”
“I did that, didn’t I?” Liam asked quietly.
“No, it wasn’t you,” I said, firmly looking up at him. The guilt and pain in his eyes made my heart squeeze.
A tense silence fell. Even when a doctor and two guards came rushing in, I knew this conversation was not over. Liam turned away, yet I didn’t miss the turmoil and shock in his eyes.
“Get him treated and put him in one of the cells on the top floor with a bed,” Liam muttered, his irritation and contempt clear in his voice.
“And how about the four of us get back to my house? I think we need to have a talk,” Uncle El said darkly.
I looked up at him. His jaw was clenched, his nostrils flaring. The way he was looking at Liam told me he was pissed off. Liam frowned, and as much as I didn’t want to get him in trouble, I knew that if we told them about the curse, they could help.
“Let’s go then,” Liam said, coldly leading the way out. My thoughts were in vain when Liam’s cold voice came through the link.
If either of you mentions the curse… He left his threat hanging. I stared at his back, my heart aching. I couldn’t sense his emotions anymore; he had raised his walls once again. I prayed he didn’t shut me out again because he needed us…
What happened? Damon asked through the link.
He heard Dad and me talking... he lost it… I’m scared, Damon. His eyes turned completely black… it was terrifying... he wasn’t himself.
Yeah… I saw him rip your dad’s arm off, and he didn’t seem like himself then, either…
Hmm, and I thought after talking to him, I was going to unleash my wrath upon the two of you. Neither of you told me he was in the cells, I said, trying to keep the annoyance from my voice.
Sorry, gorgeous, Damon’s apologetic voice came. I looked at him, and sadly, those blue eyes of his looked sorry. Still, when things calmed down, I was going to unleash my wrath upon them. They were not forgiven!
I’ll deal with that after this talk, I mumbled through the link, staring at Liam’s muscular back.
Worry and fear consumed me as we walked through the pack grounds towards his parents’ home. The power that rolled off of him reminded me that this was not just an alpha, but one of the strongest in the entire country…
Time was running out, and we still had no solid answers.
“Is anyone going to speak?” Aunty Red asked, placing a tray of snacks and drinks on the coffee table, her eyes full of concern as she saw Uncle El frowning. We were all seated in the living room of the Westwood home.
“Come here,” he said, taking her hand and pulling her into his lap, trapping her in his arms as he kissed her neck.
I was sitting on the sofa opposite, with Liam on one side and Damon on the other. Azura was watching TV, and I was proud to see she was playing with the plushie I had gotten for her. From here, I could see she was enjoying eating her boogers. Aww, so cute!
“Care to explain how the fu-” Aunty Red placed her finger on Uncle El’s lips, cutting him off. He smirked slightly, biting down on it. Hot couple goals! “How the hell did you bend those bars?” He continued once he let go of his mate’s finger. I looked at Liam. Okay, big boy, explain that.
I crossed my arms as all eyes turned to Liam, who simply leaned forward, picking up a chocolate bar from the tray.
“Liam, your dad asked you a question,” Aunty Red said pointedly. “What bars are we talking about anyway?”
“The ones in the lower cells. They are made to withstand our kind, and in no way are they able to bend… considering how thick they are,” Uncle El said, frowning.