Damon’s P.O.V

I just had to apply a little bit of pressure… squeeze it a little tighter and…

Snap!

I’d shatter every bone in his wrist.

That would be all it’d take… a little bit of pressure…

Damon – Mekhi whispers carefully through the pack’s link, his tone like something one would use on a wild animal. Calm down…

Liam Haynes, the thing was vile.

Tall as I was, he used his height to his advantage to appear confident and sure of himself, as if everything he did was faultless. But I could smell his unease that was being to get muddled by fear. I could scent it all over him as he looked at me through dark brown eyes, trying his best to figure out who the hell I was.

With a calculated smile for the onlookers, he tries to tug his arm free again. I don’t let him.

I didn’t care who watched us or what they’d say, my thoughts were far too preoccupied with the appealing notion of ripping his arm clean from its socket.

And what a sight that would be…

His blood would spill from his body like a bloody fountain, and it’d coat these shiny floors with his poison, and he would scream. Goddess, his screams of agony would be blessing enough to hear, like a precious melody I’d treasure forever, never letting a day go by where I wouldn’t replay the memory for my enjoyment.

But I wouldn’t stop there. I’d use my talons to take the other, only, I’d move slowly removing that one. I’d savour it. I’d dig them in and watch the blood seep pass my nails while I slowly pulled, tearing apart each of the fibres that formed the muscle and skin there.

I’d be patient, carefully. I would not rush it. And while I worked, I’d make him bite down on his already detached arm, so he’d taste his own blood in his mouth while he screamed.

It would be perfect.

Let him go, Damon – Theo warns, his voice hoarse with the effort it took to push past the rage that was building now with the intoxicating imagery I’d crafted in my mind.

From the moment I’d laid my eyes on the one who’d hurt our mate, the rage had become an uncontrolled thing that threatened to break free at any moment.

A piece of me wanted to. I wanted to kill him and everyone in this room until every inch of it was coated red, it’d be worth it.

As Liam tries to tug his hand away again, Will’s father steps in with a stern disapproving expression, “let go of him at once, Damon.”

He meant to sound confident, strong and daunting, but to me, his voice was like an annoying buzzing in my ear. One that I ignored as I stared the vile creature down, taking in every inch of his wretched frame to mind. He’d never escape me now. I’d scented him, memorised all there was to him, and marked him eternally in my mind and soul as prey. His death was an assured thing now.

If there was any life after this one for him, I’d find him in that one too, and I’d kill him. But if there was none of that, if there was only hell for him… well then I’d live up to my worst name in full.

Not here. Not now. – Theo’s words were mostly lost in the continuous growl that rumbled between us as he paced back and forth, snarling while he scratched to get out. Let go.

That was easier said than done.

Letting him go felt like letting him go free, and I couldn’t have that. Not after all the wicked things he’d done to my mate, and especially not when he’d just tried to touch him in front of me.

He actually tried to touch my mate.

My growl builds in my chest as I recall the events that had happened only moments ago. He acted so innocent, confused about Will’s silence that had come about the moment he stepped into the picture, as if it wasn’t because of his foul presence.

And then he had the fucking nerve to act repentant for his former actions when it was clear to see that he wasn’t. He performed well, as Will warned me he would, he said and did all the right things, but behind his sympathetic gaze, there was nothing but evil intent, and it was all cast towards Will, my Will.

So no, I couldn’t just let him go.

You’re making a scene – Mekhi grinds out, his patience withering away as he steps up beside me.

Liam continues staring at me, still seeming so pathetically confused and lost. I wasn’t sure if that was because of my unwavering grip on him, or an effect of Mekhi’s magic that may have already been at work on his mind. Whichever it was, it didn’t matter so much when he was so clearly afraid of me.

With each passing second, the scent of his fear grew as if enticing me to act on it. It made Theo pace with excitement to tear him apart, it was a truly heady thing that called to the most barbaric parts of me.

I feel the fingers of my free hand twitch beside me, desperate to sink in.

The fear was what was stopping him from acting out, from using his fragile sense of entitlement to make an even worse scene here in front of everyone. It made me wonder if he could sense it somehow, maybe he knew inside… that I was the one who would kill him.

I hoped that he could.

Damon – Theo snaps in a harsh growl, his own control on the verge of snapping as we inhale deeply. Let. him. go.

We’d have our time with him later, I tell myself, then I’d be able to live out every twisted fantasy I’d ever concocted of death, onto him. But this was not the time or place for it. I needed to properly savour the taste of his life slipping from him.

I just had to be patient.

Slowly, I force myself to uncurl my fingers from around his wrist, letting it slip from my grasp despite the way my instincts fought against it. It took all the control I’d built within myself over the last year to stop myself from shifting and killing the abominable creature before me.

He pulls his arm into himself the moment he’s free and takes a step back from me and then another. With the distance, he allows himself to glare at me with a narrowed, accusatory gaze. His quick retreat makes Theo lurch forward in an attempt to recapture our prey making my teeth grind together as I try to settle us both.

Every bit of strength I had within me went into the simple act and it was the most painful thing I’d ever had to do.

We fight it now, and we kill him later on – Theo growls out through his canines.

Repeating Theo’s words like a comforting mantra, I rest my hand on Will’s shoulder instead, gripping the place I was set to mark as tightly as I could, to calm myself down enough to finally put a stop to the low growl that had started from the moment I’d laid eyes on the man who had hurt my mate so terribly.

“You don’t touch Will,” I repeat through my clenched teeth as I hold onto my mate. “Ever.”

Now that he was free, Liam let himself straighten to his full height once more, but it was useless to me when I could scent the cowardice inside of him. I think he was trying to intimidate me but all it did was make my hackles rise at the subtle threat.

“I wasn’t aware that William had a bodyguard now,” Liam replies, sounding amused as he casts his glance over to Will’s father for an explanation.

He looked like everything these people wanted their children to be; friendly, wise, approachable and perfect by image, even now he seemed like the victim in this situation. But the malice in his eyes lingered still, hidden discreetly behind his fake smiles and carefully crafted sentences.

I squeeze Will’s shoulder to stop myself from reaching for his throat next.

“I’m worse than a bodyguard,” I grind out while narrowing my eyes.

Liam looks back at me with obvious surprise. It was a threat, one that I meant and he seemed to notice that.

Good.

“Liam,” William’s father interjects, his expression full of his displeasure as he looked between the two of us, “what Damon means to say, is that we shouldn’t touch William. You remember his standing… condition,” he points out in a disgusted tone, it carried in his gaze as he glanced to Will. “He reacts badly to it, so try to avoid it when we remember.”

His death would be a slow one.

Rubbing his bruised wrist, Liam lets a small smile form on his lips at the words that were a reminder of what he’d done to my mate. I couldn’t even bear to think of it, or I’d truly lose it in front of all these people.

Looking to Will, Liam forgets me for a moment as he fixes his expression into one of understanding and sympathy, but it wasn’t. At its core, it was pleased, satisfied… it was vexing.

“I do,” Liam replies smoothly as he smiles at Will who leaned even closer to me in response. “I am at fault then, since I’m the one who’s lacking in memory. I am sorry Will, I really am. I just hadn’t seen you for so long that I suppose I got too excited. I honestly forgot that…”

Liam’s babble of words slowly fades off until there was nothing left to them at all as his eyes drift downwards, from Will’s face to the hand I had resting on his shoulder. To idle rubbing Liam was providing to his aching wrist comes to an immediate halt when his dark eyes focus on the point of contact.

Any pleasure he held a moment ago evaporates instantly.

Anger immediately ignites in his gaze, burning his spiteful smile to ash until there was nothing but a flat frown resting in its place. He glares openly at my hand and then up at Will as if silently blaming him for this, for allowing someone else to touch him. His eyes narrow to slits, turning possessive in a way that made my canines press against my lips with their immediate descent.

He thought he had a claim on my mate. He thought Will was his.

KILL HIM!– Theo roars as he tries to take control, damning everything to hell now with the need to tear apart this pathetic thing that thought he had any claim on my mate. KILL HIM NOW!

“Damon,” Mekhi interjects before I could lunge.

Resting a hand on my shoulder, Mekhi digs his fingers in to keep me in place while his magic spreads through me as much as it could. It was meant to be a calming touch, a silent spell for him to get some sort of grip on my emotions to tame my anger for even a moment, and though it didn’t take it all away, it did help.

Enough for me to keep my place behind Will instead of at Liam’s throat, with my talons and canines suck deep into his skin.

Liam doesn’t so much as glance at Mekhi, still too fixated on Will to notice anything other than him and the touch I had on him. “You are,” Liam starts through clenched teeth, “healing?”

Disappointed. Disappointed by something that should be celebrated.

It was in the way he spoke the words, the way his shoulders slumped just a little as he accepted them. He was fucking disappointed that Will, his victim, was healing from the pain he’d inflicted on him, and if that wasn’t the most disgusting thing about him, then I loathed to think what was.

I clench my free hand into a tight fist to stop myself from bashing it into his face.

“I am,” Will replies which made my heart lurch within itself, but not from joy or pride, only worry.

He sounded confident and stronger, far firmer than I expected him to when his body who shaking beneath my fingers. On the outside, he looked fine, calm even, but I could feel his fear through our bond, it was flooding it completely alongside his building anxiety as he faced the man who’d put it there.

But Will wasn’t letting any of it show on the surface. On the outside, he was exuding raw power and authority instead while he kept his chin up and his back straight. The confidence pouring from him like that of an alpha.

I was proud of him, outside of all my worries.

“Damon has been helping me a lot these past few months,” Will continues, his words never faltering despite the way his declaration made the anger in Liam’s eyes grow tenfold.

Liam looks up to me at the mention of my name, and I let myself enjoy the clear displeasure in his gaze. If I didn’t enjoy it, my anger would get the best of me and I’d kill him, and it would be no good if it was handled too quickly.

My plans for him were far too cruel to rush as a result of my impulses.

“Damon,” Liam repeats, rolling my name on his tongue as if trying to taste it while he slotted me into his mind. The way he said it made me suddenly hate my name, he made it sound as disgusting as he was while he ran his gaze over me, assessing every inch of me as if he had any right to even look at me.

I already had plans to take his sight from him, this just solidified that.

“Damon…” Liam leaves the open name in search of a name that Will’s father quickly supplies.

“Damon Heil,” He fills in for me, but unlike the day before when Will’s parents had heard the name, Liam’s gaze doesn’t change at all.

Want to cast a spell at any point – I grind out to Mekhi through our link.

Should I do it while I maintain the one preventing everyone from noticing that you and Will are pressed so closely together, or should I do it when I take away the little control I have over your emotions right now? – Mekhi replies sarcastically, I didn’t need to look at him to feel his eyes boring into me. Don’t be quiet now, pick one.

Will’s father focuses on Liam with a frown, trying his best to figure out why Liam wasn’t reacting as he should. After all, in his head, we were all friends who’d known each other in the past, he shouldn’t have to tell Liam my name in the first place. He looks to me next, suspicion creeping into his puzzled gaze.

Shit.

“It’s been a few years so it’s understandable if you don’t recognise them immediately,” Will says, picking up the mantle and running with it before everything could unravel completely, “at first, I didn’t recognise them either when I saw them again in the airport, but surely you recognise Mekhi if not Damon.”

That was pretty much the only cue Will was giving to Mekhi to get his magic to work over Liam as well, but Will didn’t have the link so he didn’t know all that Mekhi was already doing in the background.

Liam’s frown deepens at Will’s explanation that he knew to be bullshit. But still, he looks from him to Mekhi with clear distrust in his eyes.

Control yourself, Damon – Mekhi says in warning as he lets his hand slip from my shoulder, taking with him his cooling magic over me, transferring his attention over to the piece of shit standing opposite us.

With his frown still in place, Liam studies Mekhi, searching for something but not finding it as quickly as he wanted. He opens his mouth to say something to Will’s father, but stops suddenly as his body slowly relaxes, the tension escaping him as he blinks slowly at Mekhi.

After a few painfully slow seconds, his frown clears completely, an effect of Mekhi’s magic swiftly taking control of him. That apprehensive look quickly morphs into one of delight as Mekhi’s magic plagues his mind with false memories and pleasureful thoughts that made Liam’s face break into a wide smile.

“Liam,” Mekhi greets with a ready smile as he steps forward, seamlessly putting distance between Liam and Will and me with the move, “it’s been too long.”

“Mekhi?” He greets with wide eyes while he reaches an arm out for him. Will and I forgotten to him now as Mekhi’s magic made him the centre of Liam’s attention. “I can’t believe I didn’t recognise you immediately… man, I haven’t seen you in ages.”

Mekhi takes Liam’s hand in an effort to shake it, but Liam quickly pulls him into a friendly hug instead. “Long enough to forget our faces but not your feud with Damon,” Mekhi comments with a laugh, sending me a warning glance that said ‘just go with it’. “It’s like you hate him in every life.”

Liam’s joy diminishes slightly as he looks back to Will and me, but there was recognition now that wasn’t there before, thankfully Mekhi had gotten his claws in deep enough, “it seems so, doesn’t it,” Liam replies carefully before he refocuses his attention on Mekhi with far more interest. “I hope I’m not rude in saying that you look like a whole new person.”

“It’s alright. I just went and did it, plastic surgery was calling my name,” Mekhi says sarcastically and Liam laughs with him.

“I honestly did not recognise you without your glasses, and you’re far taller now than you were before,” He says looking up and down as if to measure him with his eyes, “I still can’t believe that you’re standing in front of me right now.”

With Mekhi handling the creature, I feel Will’s anxiety lessen slowly as he starts breathing easy again, quietly watching the two talk like his father who looked far more pleased now. I draw my eyes away instead, without Mekhi’s magic looking at Liam for more than a second was almost like baiting my own rage.

Instead, I take the chance to glance around the room now that things were a little calmer. I hadn’t been thinking clearly of the consequences when I’d grabbed hold of Liam, and no doubt people had been watching.

I’m not surprised when I find many pairs of eyes trained onto the small circle we all formed in this section of the room. Thankfully, we were closer to one of the back corners so not everyone could see us, but those who could were still watching the show shamelessly.

I swallow the urge to flash my canines at them all.

They were always watching, but by Mekhi’s grace, there weren’t any eyes on me or Will. Their attention had shifted with their curiosity as they watched and tried to puzzle out the vibrant comradery between Mekhi and Liam.

Like the predators they were, they’d found new prey to latch onto and impress, Mekhi.

Before they’d watched me, curious but not willing to step in between Liam and me in any way that would jeopardise their fragile standings in this feeble society. But with the way Liam was smiling now, the matter had been forgotten for the moment by them as well, all now in favour of focusing on this new point of interest.

Even Will’s father who’d been watching the exchange so closely was wearing a bright smile now, being sure to stay as close as he could to Mekhi and Liam. No doubt loving and basking in the attention he’d later be awarded because of the two of them.

“Tell me truthfully, where have you been?” Liam questions Mekhi as if they were really long lost friends, “you just… disappeared.”

“Life grew hectic,” Mekhi replies with an easy chuckle that seemed so uncharacteristically natural to him, “but it’s really good to see you again, there’s so much we need to catch up on.”

“Indeed,” Liam agrees before he glances back to Will and me, “there’s much for all of us to speak about.”

Latching onto to Liam’s words, Will’s father takes the opportunity to make his exit, “well it seems like you boys have quite a lot of talking to do. I’ll leave you to carry on and we’ll speak again after dinner Liam.”

Liam offers him a kind smile and so does Mekhi, I don’t even bother trying as they continue to exchange all the many pleasantries that make my skin itch before the man finally leaves us.

The moment he’s parted us, Liam focuses his gaze on all of us, seeming to be lost between carrying on with the forged friendship or the malice that rested beneath it.

Mekhi doesn’t give him the chance to figure it out as he maintains his outward smile while stepping into the now free space beside Liam, whispering, ”kelfrest miglores,” under his breath. Liam’s eyes glaze over as the familiar spell shuts down his mind, leaving him pliant to Mekhi’s will and ignorant to what we say as Mekhi finally looks to me.

He wore the same easy smile on his face but his eyes were narrowed as he looked to me blamefully, “you need to control yourself.”

“I’m fine,” I reply but that only causes Mekhi’s glare to deepen.

“No, you’re not,” He replies firmly, “what you are, is two seconds away from ripping his head from his neck and I do not have to magic to make everyone in this building ignore that.” When I don’t reply he presses on tightly, “if you want this to carry on smoothly, you need to calm yourself.”

“I’m trying,” I grind out, my patience wearing thin.

“Try harder,” Mekhi snaps impatiently as he glances back to Liam, “we can’t afford to draw the wrong type of attention to us or we’ll be the first people they think of when this one dies.” Mekhi finishes as he rests a hand on Liam’s shoulder, still playing the role of a friend to a tee.

I force myself to nod despite my anger. My alpha instincts tried to remind me that Mekhi shouldn’t have spoken to me like that, no matter the situation. But even so, he was right, I knew he was right, and being angry with him for the way he’d pointed it out wouldn’t change that.

This night had been going as well as it could be expected to so far, and we needed to maintain that so that Will would be able to do what we came here to do in the first place, without any avoidable problems. Me losing control over myself was very much an avoidable problem.

“Why isn’t he saying anything?” Will asks as he looks from Mekhi to Liam, not understanding the spell Mekhi had cast in the slightest, “what exactly did you do to him?”

“It’s a compulsion spell,” Mekhi replies swiftly, his eyes no longer as sharp when he looks to Will as it had been on me, “it keeps him in a sedated headspace, he won’t remember anything we say when it wears off.”

“How long will it last?” Will asks a little shakily.

“I can hold it for a few minutes before he may start to fight it,” Mekhi replies as he looks to Liam, his expression revealing his disgust for just a moment before he forces a smile onto his face again, “long enough for all of us to get a handle on this.”

Liam says something nonsensical, we give him enough attention so it looked like was part of the conversation. When he nods and looks to me, as if waiting for a response, I carry on.

“He’s not going to leave us alone, even when the spell wears off, he’ll stay close to us,” Will says softly, his gaze lingering on Liam as he shifts uncomfortably under my hand, “he’ll keep trying to get to me.”

With clenched teeth, I tighten my grip on Will’s shoulder, rubbing him with my thumb in hopes of relaxing both of us. I knew I shouldn’t be touching him, that I should put some distance between us, but I found that I couldn’t.

We had been keeping our distance throughout the night so far and we’d been doing it well up until now, but it wouldn’t be any good to let go of him now.

For one, Will’s breathing was still too fast for my liking, his shaking slowing but still present, I knew he needed my touch. And secondly, I knew without a doubt in my mind, that if I were to let go of Will now, Liam would die.

So I could only hope that Mekhi’s magic continued in keeping anyone from thinking too deeply into the hand I had on him for now, and if it didn’t, well… they’d know why soon enough anyway.

“The plan was to make him favour both of us when we eventually saw him,” Mekhi reminds me as he looks to Liam, “he was supposed to like us both, not just me. Now he hates you.”

“He’s lucky he’s still alive,” I grind out and Theo snarls his agreement.

“There’s no way to fix it?” Will asks carefully, the hope evident in his tone.

“Not after that first interaction between them,” Mekhi replies while smiling at Liam who added more useless words to the conversation. “Changing his impression of Damon now would take more magic than we can afford to use tonight. There’s still the dinner to get through, anything which might come up during or after it, and then journey home.”

Mekhi sighs at his own listing, his stress a visible thing as he slides a hand under his chin and shifts his weight. I’d already had it in mind to repay Mekhi for all he’d done for us this weekend when this was all over, but this was a firm reminder to ensure that I did so in the best possible way.

But before that, we had to get through this night that already felt like an endless nightmare we’d never escape from. There were doors all around and yet I still felt like I’d been chained to the floors by all the eyes roaming over us.

It made my heart ache to think about Will having to endure this on his own for so many years.

“So what now?” Will asks while I look back at the filthy human, my frown deepening at the sight of him.

“First off, you’ll stop glaring at him,” Mekhi says as he slaps my shoulder to get my attention, he steps back when he’s caught my attention before he faces Will again, “then… I don’t know.”

“We expected to see him,” Will reminds us while he glances at Liam again, another shiver running through him as he presses himself into me as best as he could.

“Just not like this,” Mekhi admits with another sigh.

We hadn’t been naive when we’d planned out how the night should go. We had all known that at some point, Will would have to face Liam, whether by his mother forcing him to or by him approaching us on his own.

We’d known it would happen, and we’d prepared to deal with it, in the same manner, Mekhi dealt with Will’s parents. What we didn’t account for was for the bastard to try to touch Will so boldly, not when everyone else made a conscious attempt to avoid doing so. But he had, and my reaction had been the best I could manage considering.

Now, the plans would change entirely with him viewing me as a threat.

As he should – Theo interjects and I nod mentally.

“But Will’s not wrong,” Mekhi continues frustratedly as he looks from Will to me, “from what I can feel of his mind, he doesn’t plan to let just let Will be, even with all these people here.”

“That sounds like him,” Will confirms, his voice strained with his discomfort, “Liam’s not the type to just let things go, especially when he thinks he’s lost something that belongs to him.”

“You do not belong to him,” I grind out in a low growl, my voice mixing a little with Theo’s as he pushes forth. “You are my mate.”

Will looks up at me, resting a hand over mine as he squeezes it gently and nods. If we were alone, I’d pull him into my arms and Will would probably shush me like a young pup until I calmed down. But I guess his hand on mine would suffice for now.

“Not to mention he’s got his eyes on Damon as well after this,” Mekhi adds tiredly, “after that interaction, it’s not just Will he wants to torment.”

Will laughs the same time I do and we both look at one another, a little shocked but mostly pleased with our bond. I didn’t have to ask any questions, I could feel that we both found amusement from the same thing.

Liam takes the silence which follows to slip in a few more words, our smiles quickly fall away at the reminder of his presence and the reality we were stuck in.

I try to think of a possible solution to deal with our sudden Liam problem.

If we left him to his own devices and tried to ignore him, he’d most likely keeping trying until he tried to use his influence to get Will separated from us completely.

With the way Will’s parents worshipped his family, I wouldn’t be surprised if they physically tried to remove us because a Haynes said so.

Plus, any avoiding him would raise suspicion since we were all supposed to be friends.

If we depended on Mekhi to control him, as he was now, for the rest of the night, that would use a lot of his energy we couldn’t afford to waste. And even if he had enough, it would leave Will and me dependant on my withering control if one of his parents came buzzing around again.

I was becoming acutely aware of how little it would take for me to snap at this point.

As if meeting the same walls I was, Mekhi takes in a deep breath while he runs his hand over his head and closes his eyes as if to say a prayer.

“How long do you think we have until they start directing everyone to the dining table?” I ask Will as I look from him to the neighbouring room.

“We’ve been here for a while, maybe two hours,” Will says as he thinks on it himself, “they’ll probably give it another half hour before they move to dinner.”

“That’s good enough,” I reply as I look from him to Mekhi, “let’s slip out before dinner starts, and take him with us.”

“We are not killing him now Damon,” Mekhi starts but I wave him off.

“That’s not it,” I say while rolling my eyes, “We’re supposed to be friends, all of us. If we stay here and keep trying to avoid him, it’ll look strange, and if we have more moments like earlier, it won’t be long until I kill him. The second your magic wears off, he’ll start looking for Will and he won’t stop until he’s got him for as long as he can manage. It’ll be easier dealing with him where all these people won’t see, and it’ll be even better keeping him occupied until the dinner.”

I hated voicing the words knowing just how much his presence made Will uncomfortable, but they were the truth. Liam wouldn’t leave us alone in his pursuit of Will and there was no way I could make it to dinner without slitting his throat if he did.

Just looking into this guy’s eyes confirmed that he wouldn’t let Will have a moment of peace he could prevent.

If we were amongst different people, perhaps it would be more avoidable.

But we were in his terrain, surrounded by all these people he knew. He’d find a way to drive us apart, so he could have Will alone where I wouldn’t be able to protect him.

I’d quicker die before I let that happen.

At least if he went with us, willingly, that would cut our problems in half. Plus, it’d give me a few minutes to let off some steam before the night progressed.

“You said the dinner will start soon,” I carry on when they don’t immediately reject the idea, “we’ve already spoken to most of the guests, right? Enough of the important ones to please Will’s birth-giver, so she probably won’t come to bother Will if we’re with this one.”

I gesture lazily to the soon-to-be corpse.

“Nothing will stop mother,” Will replied with a sigh, his gaze growing heavy at just the thought. “She still wants me to see his parents at some point, in public, so people can think that there’s no bad blood between our families.”

Will glances up at the source of his pain and his entire demeanour visibly shrinks, “but if we’re with Liam, that may be enough to avoid it for now.”

“We just need to avoid them until the dinner,” I remind him and he nods a little, “but we won’t do it if you say no, we’ll find another way,” I say looking to Mekhi who quickly nods despite the fact that neither of us had a backup plan to this.

But I’d figure something out if I had to, I’d always find a way for him.

“No, it’s the best solution,” Will says reluctantly as he nods at me, “the only other thing I can think of is splitting us up into pairs, but Mekhi would have to keep using his magic to keep him away from us and mother would still come for me if we did.” Will says as he looks up at me and offers me the smallest smile, “this is best.”

“Alright,” I agree, giving his shoulder a little squeeze. I look to Mekhi for confirmation and find him frowning pointedly.

“Be honest, you just want to beat him up,” Mekhi accuses and I don’t bother denying it.

This would be the only time we’d have with Will and Liam before killing him later this evening since I wouldn’t take Will with us to see that.

Will was a very accepting, loving mate, but that love could only extend so far.

Will had never seen me kill, he never saw what I became when I was at my worse, and I didn’t want him to see that tonight or any other night if I could avoid it.

Even I wouldn’t expect him to stay with me if he were to see what Theo and I had planned for Liam when this was all over.

That being said, I did want Will to see his abuser in some form of pain, to see him on the ground as the coward he really was so that he didn’t have to fear him as much as he did.

I knew that Will was scared of Liam, scarred by him from what he’d done to him, but I hadn’t realised that he was so completely terrified of him.

I’d seen that tonight in the way he froze with Liam near, which I knew was to be expected, but I still wanted my mate to be free of him.

I wanted him to stand up to his abuser.

It was becoming harder to ignore that while Will planned to embarrass his parents tonight by coming out, effectively cutting off any relationship he had with them and destroying their reputation in this world. He’d never mentioned any plans of doing the same to Liam or his family.

It was as if he couldn’t even imagine getting some kind of revenge on the person who’d hurt him so deeply. But I wanted that for him.

I wanted him to hold the same vendetta he held towards his parents to Liam and all those who brushed him aside. But Will was still scared of him, too scared to even think of trying to go on the offensive where he was involved.

I hoped to change that.

“Alright fine,” Mekhi grumbles before he looks to Liam, “we’re going to go catch up in private, the four of us. You’ll meet us after you tell your parents how well this all went, you’ll find Will’s mother and tell her the same. If anyone approaches you, explain that we’re just getting some fresh air to talk before the dinner starts.”

“Sounds good,” Liam replies with a smile before he turns and walks away.

It was times like this when I imagined all I could do if I were a warlock, the possibilities seemed endless.

“How will he know where to meet us?” Will asks Mekhi who was already leading the way out of the large ballroom, we follow after him at a smooth pace.

“I’ve got a hold on his mind for now, enough to perform a few small spells without too much effort,” Mekhi explains as he smiles and eases his way around an old couple, “until I let go completely, it’ll be easy to find him.”

On second thought, it was probably a good thing I was born a werewolf and not a warlock. I doubted I’d have much restraint right now if I were.

Moving through the hallways we’d first come through, we keep our pace slow and demeanour calm to not bring attention to ourselves as we search for an empty room. Will leads up into the working staff’s busy kitchen and into a small, dark room that looked like a forgotten office.

The second the door shuts behind us, the room explodes with light and Will looks to Mekhi with a grateful smile, “thank you,” Mekhi only nods before he looks around the room, already working on putting protective wards around it.

When Will turns to me with eyes so pained it made Theo howl, I quickly pull him into my arms and hold him to my chest. Will lets out a heavy breath as he wraps his arms around me, hugging me back as tightly as he could manage while he let his body relax against mine.

“He’s disgusting,” I mumble against him and Will lets out a sad laugh against my chest.

“Disgusting is too nice of a word to describe him,” He replies in a soft mumble.

“Revolting,” I try but he shakes his head, “repulsive.”

“Almost there,” he says as he peeks up at me, his cheek still pressed against my chest.

“Abominable,” I hazard and he smiles proudly.

“That’s the one,” he confirms. I lean forward to kiss his head while I continue to rub his back, wanting his trembling to go away completely. When I pull back to look at him, I find his smile slowly slipping from his lips like a water droplet from the end of a leaf.

“What is it?” I ask, trying to pinpoint what was saddening him most but there was so much it.

“Thank you,” He says with softening eyes, “for being there… for stopping him. Thank you, Damon.”

“You don’t have to thank me. I promised you that I’d be there and that I would,” I remind him and he nods, looking down as if ashamed.

“I know,” he whispers quietly while he focuses on the ground instead of me, “I guess it was just a little hard to believe it completely until it happened,” Theo whines painfully at our mate’s distrust, but I knew it wasn’t that, not entirely.

Will had trusted others before, loved them and put his faith in them completely, and they’d all betrayed him. Hurting him in every possible way there was, leaving him too scared and far too scarred to trust another person again.

And yet he still tried again, with me.

He loved me, trusted me to protect him and never hurt him no matter what, and I knew that I always would. But perfect promises and all the right words would never do what living up to them would for his faith. I may be his mate, and Will may believe everything I said with all his heart, but nothing would make him confident in me as seeing it with his own eyes.

I wouldn’t make him ever doubt me.

Taking Will’s face into my hands, I force him to look up at me and offer him a smile despite the shame resting in his eyes as he tries to look away again. I kiss him before he can, gently pulling his body into mine, I move my lips against his with careful, loving caresses while I pressed forth the abundant love I had for him through our bond.

Will slowly kisses me back, a little hesitant and scared at first, but when I don’t pull away immediately, he lets himself sink into it completely. We’d been pretending for far too long to be just friends and nothing more tonight, our touches light and distant, and I’d missed having him in my arms as I pleased.

It was like coming home, just kissing him, feeling him and having him in the way I knew he’d never let another. He was mine, all mine, and I loved him with all of his cracks even if he had a hard time trying to mend them.

“You’ll see,” I whisper when we part, I rest my head against his and breathe him in deeply, “you’ll see that when I make you a promise, I keep them always.”

“I’m sorry,” Will says, trying to apologise but I kiss them away before any more can come.

“None of that,” I instruct as I kiss his cheek and behind his ear, lathering him with my affections, “you don’t do that with me.”

Will nods against me before he pushes himself up and wraps his arms tightly around my neck, pulling me down with him and I squeeze him to me. It was like medicine, just holding him in this quiet room surrounded by people who didn’t care from him in the slightest, and it was exactly what I needed to stop myself from tearing them all apart.

When we pull apart, I keep my hands on Will so that he could feel my presence and trust in it wholeheartedly. It wouldn’t be long before we’d have to go back out there and I’d have to depend on our incomplete bond alone to comfort him.

Looking up, I find Mekhi leaning against the wall nearest to the door, his arms folded while he rested his head, breathing in slowly to himself. “You okay?” I ask making him peek one eye open.

“I’m fine,” He replies, straightening now that we were both looking at him, “that was my attempt at giving you privacy.”

“Sorry,” Will whispers, his face turning red which was such a rare sight on Will who was always so open and bold.

I make a mental note to bring it back when we’re in private next.

“It’s alright, you guys needed this,” Mekhi replies with a shrug, “if anything I’m glad for it, the more relaxed you two are, the less work there is for me.”

“I should’ve had more control earlier,” I reply which makes Mekhi wince a little as he looks at me.

“You had plenty of control,” He replies with what I think was a bit of guilt, “more control than I thought you had in you, especially with the things that asshole was saying.”

Mekhi didn’t really apologize. I honestly think it was a witch thing cause I could hardly recall a time I’d ever heard my Aunt Katty apologise into my entire life, she usually just grumbled something out and disappeared. But Mekhi did let his guilt show when he wanted to, and that was his form of an apology that was good enough for me.

I knew he was just looking out for all of us earlier when he’d snapped at me, he just wanted to protect us, keep us all safe. It wasn’t surprising really, Mekhi was always very loyal, what was surprising was that neither Theo nor I felt the need to reprimand him now, even when he was apologising – in his way.

When I thought back on Mekhi’s glares and snapping, it didn’t feel nearly as threatening as it should, instead, it felt oddly familiar.

“Speaking of which,” Mekhi says as he looks to me, “what do you plan to do with this prick when he shows up.”

“I don’t really have a plan, we just need to fill the time and I’ve got a few ideas on how we can do that,” I reply while cracking my fingers. Will’s eyes dart down to my hands and he gulps as he forces his eyes back up to me. “I won’t hurt him too badly, I know he still has to look presentable when we leave here.”

Will nods, gulping again as he looked from me and to my hands, his gaze trusting yet a little nervous.

“Should I keep my magic controlling his behaviour, or should I just keep a barrier around the room?” Mekhi asks from in front of us.

I look to Will for his answer. It hardly mattered to me whether he was aware or unaware for his first meeting with my rage, but I’d go with whatever Will wanted, no matter the decision.

Will doesn’t answer immediately, he thinks on it instead for a long moment as he looks from me to Mekhi, as if weighing the pros and cons to his options. He had to know that even if Liam was free to do as he pleased, neither of us would let Liam get anywhere near to him. But I guess it wasn’t only the physical he had to be afraid of, there was a lot of damage he could do with only his words.

“Make him aware,” Will says as he looks to Mekhi, his gaze unwavering and strong, “I want him to know what’s happening and why.”

Mekhi nods his understanding before his easy expression hardens as steps beside us, and looks to the door, “he’s here.”

Not a second passes before the door opens and the man of the hour slips in quietly before closing it gently behind me.

Once its shut, he locks it behind him before he turns to face us, wearing that same jolly yet unaware expression we’d left him but as he gaze ran over the three of us and Mekhi let his magic pull away, the joy slowly fades away from him and is smoothly replaced by the true anger and disgust that rested there as he fixes his gaze on Will.

“Willi-” Will’s names on his lips comes to an immediate halt when my fist meets his jaw sending him to the floor in one smooth motion that made Theo howl loudly.

Straightening in my suit, I look down at my prey while my fingers flex beside me already itching for more.

I’m going to enjoy this…

—————

BITCHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE DAMON CALDERON SOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH UGHHHHH!!!

FUCK I LOVE HIM!!!!!

THOUGHTs!?!?!?!?

A fuckton happened this chapter so let’s break it down.

First, Damon reacting to Liam in the first scene – what an alpha, oof🥵! I was so proud of him that I was screaming while writing it loool😆. Then, Mekhi stepping in like a fucking G! Doing the Lord’s work!!!!! Ugh!!!!!!!!!!

Then we had those three breaking it down, making a plan that I don’t think is the only option they had, but I ain’t mad at it at all!

OOOOO you bitches gonna LOVE the next chapter!!!!

I just want to hear all your thoughts, so please please pleasssssssssssssssse share them for me, and vote up too if you enjoyed this chapter.

I’m going to edit the next chapter and then post it in a bit so…

Until a few minutes,
Byeeeeeeeeee Humanssssssssssss