Chapter 9

RAVEN The moment those sparks rushed through me ; my eyes blazed as I looked at the man beneath me . ”

And this is an even nicer punch ! ” I growled quietly , before punching him square in the nose . The sickening crunch as I broke it satisfied me .

How dare he ! I jumped off of him , resisting the urge to kick him in the balls , and instead kicked his knee , hard ! How dare he ! Grabbing my boots , I turned and stormed down the stairs .

My heart was thundering with a hundred emotions , but above all , I felt angry . How could he ignore me for three years and think he could just start flirting with me ? Nope , not happening . I am not a pushover . I will not ” Raven ! ” He grabbed my arm just as I reached the front door , and I was annoyed to see he had put his nose back in place .

” Don’t touch me , Liam . ” Thissed , yanking free . ” I’m fucking sorry . ” He said , raising his hands in surrender . ” That was out of line ” 1 He looked away and I shook my head .

He didn’t get it . What was out of line was being out of my life for three years and then pretending it never happened , that he never left or hurt me , a ” Good night , Liam . ” 11 ” It’s not safe- ” ” I said , good night . ” I said coldly , glaring at him . Daring him to argue with me , he frowned , clenching his jaw . ” Night . ” He replied coldly , and his walls were up once more .

I turned away , walking out of the house , not bothering to put my shoes on . I knew h e couldn’t follow me with Azura sleeping upstairs and I was glad .

I made my way back towards my parent’s house , not bothered with the wet floor or the dirt that was sticking to my feet . The rain was still falling lightly and the sound of distant animals could be heard .

That night , two years ago , I went with Cassandra and Aunty Angela to a neighbouring town . They had been on pack business with the pack that was hosting the mating ball . Aunty had asked me if I wanted to attend , but I told her no . As per the rules , one ball per year was hosted by King Al and the other by a different pack .

The memory of me finding my own mates had been too damn painful , I had left my hotel room and gone to get some drinks . Then , to my surprise , Liam had shown up . I was beyond shocked , I had never expected to see him like that .

He had been so drunk , for someone who didn’t want m e and had left me on the mating ball , he had stolen my first kiss that night . Although my entire body had wanted to give into him , I couldn’t , not when he was in that state and not when I was tied to not one but two mates . I couldn’t do that t o Damon , I had wanted to help Liam that night but he had just pushed me away …

It made me wonder how many women these two had been with My so – called mates . I smiled gently ;

life truly sucked at times . I reached home and decided to climb through my bedroom rather than face my parents , Once inside , I pulled my dress off and wiped my feet on it before shutting and locking the window . I walked over to my wardrobe , taking down one of the suitcases that I hadn’t unpacked knowing I was going to leave this place anyway , Opening it up , I rummaged around until 1 pulled out Liam’s suit jacket from that night . I caressed the fabric , my heart clenching at the way he told me to leave him alone .

I sighed heavily , shoving it back into my suitcase and replacing it on top of my wardrobe before deciding to take a shower . I had just showered , pulling on my high waisted panties , a sports bra and some baggy pyjama bottoms before I returned t o my room towelling my hair .

I shut the door behind me when a sudden scent hit m y nose and I froze , yanking the towel from my hair , my eyes snapped to the bed where none other than Damon was sitting . Flicking through one of my books , he now looked up , giving me a small smile .

” Hey . My heart thundered and I glanced at the shut door behind me . Why was this happening today ?

I didn’t want to see my mates , yet I ended up seeing both of them . His eyes trailed over me and I realised my trousers hung low , showing off the band of my knickers .

His eyes flashed for a moment before he looked away smoothly . I hated how these two pigs were looking at me like I was a piece of meat , yet neither had the audacity to even care about how I had felt years ago , the way they left me feeling broken and unwanted .

Now that I had pulled myself together and became strong , they decide to come back into my life ? No , I don’t think so . ” Hey , so can I ask why you are in my room ? ” I asked , raising an eyebrow , trying to ignore how hot he looked . I had broken one pretty nose tonight ; I wouldn’t mind adding another to that list .

” I thought we could talk without anyone interrupting us . ” He said quietly , reaching behind him , holding up two packets of fizzy sweets and a bag of donuts . ” I brought a bribe ? ” My heart skipped a beat , but I tried not to let it get to me . Walking over to my wardrobe , I took out a black vest and pulled it on . “

Who let you in ? ” I asked , deciding to keep myself busy , so began to clean my room up a little . ” Your mom , I was going to come through the window but it was locked . Your dad left too , so I decided to just come through the front door .

” He said , laying back on the bed . ” Hmm . ” Thank Goddess , Dad wasn’t around . I didn’t need more drama . ” Raven , can we talk ? ” ” You want to talk now ? Go ahead , I’m all ears . ” I said , picking up my wet dress that I had left near the window .

” First of all , I want to apologise for everything . Nothing I say is going to justify that night , but you have got to remember Liam is my Alpha , I fucking see him as my brother . I needed him to be ok with this , with us .

” I get that Damon , but it doesn’t excuse that you both were so caught up in how you both felt that you didn’t even once consider how I was probably feeling . I never wanted two mates , but I was given them . Yet you both cut me off without a second thought .

” I said , my voice was emotionless and I made sure to hide every emotion that I was feeling . Emotions that were eating up at me every time I thought of them … I glanced up at him , feeling his intense gaze on me . I hated seeing the guilt in his soft blue eyes .

” I know … I just didn’t know how the fuck to react . ” He muttered . ” Tell me Damon , why now then ?

Why are you talking about it now ? ” ” I tried to talk to Liam again . That didn’t g o well , you saw that . I wanted to know what you wanted … “

I almost laughed , what I want ? Did what I want even count ? ” Care to explain ? ” I asked . He stood up after taking a donut out of the packet , walked over to me and held it out . I took it , not wanting to be a diva , but it did not mean he was forgiven .

” We both want you , but clearly Liam doesn’t want to share … What’s your thoughts on this ? ” as Three years too late , Damon . Three fucking years too late . ” I don’t want either of you anymore . ” I said quietly . ” Don’t say that , Liam’s stubbornness-

” ” Tell me something Damon , who is Robyn to you ? ” I asked suddenly . He seemed to have been struck , his face drained of colour and he looked shocked . I t was clear he wasn’t expecting that , and I felt the stabbing pain in my chest , as if something was squeezing my heart painfully . He looked away and I saw the guilt in his eyes .

I got my answer and as much as I wanted t o say it didn’t hurt , it did . ” She’s … ” The urge to smile and tell him he didn’t need to explain almost overtook me , but n o , I needed to know and I didn’t need to make things easier for either , they were big boys .

He ran a hand through his gorgeous curls and exhaled . My chest constricting painfully , I knew whatever it was and I was not going to like it . ” I didn’t think you’d come back like this o ” You don’t need to justify anything Damon , just answer the question .

” I said , biting into the donut ; trying my best to act normal , trying to prepare myself for his words as I tossed a few items of clothing into the washing hamper . ” We have been kinda dating for the last year or so .

” My heart thudded , the whimper of my wolf in the back of my mind stung as sudden pain and betrayal overwhelmed m e . ” I’m sorry , Raven … I just … I don’t know how it happened , we just had a connection Don’t Raven … He was never yours … Fuck , he was never yours . ” I am sorry . ” His whispered apology came , but I couldn’t comprehend anything anymore . This pain … I thought I could handle it but fuck it hurt so much . Fuck . Fuck . Fuck .