Alpha's Blood

Chapter 13

Lilliarna's body stiffens at the sound of the front door opening, bracing herself for Theon to walk into the bedroom and finish the rejection. Her pain is no longer constant; rather, it comes in waves, spiking at the thought of him and dwindling when she forces her mind elsewhere. The fear of the pain that's sure to come at his official rejection is crippling, stealing the breath from her lungs. She shuts her eyes tightly, waiting for the moment to come as Elliot squeezes her arm tightly.

Her heartbeat speeds up, thundering in her chest while blood pounds loudly in her ears as pain sneaks its way back into her chest. An unbearable weight comes along with it, sitting on top of her, making it harder to breathe. She swallows hard, pushing the rising bile back down her throat. Lilliarna's body shakes, and she forces herself to focus on the tingling of her fingers instead of what she knows is coming. Burning overtakes her lungs at the inadvertent breath she had been holding, forcing her to take in a shallow gasp.

Cairon's scent fills her lungs and registers slowly in her mind, causing the firm hold on her chest to lessen and soft shaky breaths to leave her lips. Next to her, the bed shifts as Elliot adjusts, his hand no longer on her arm. Slowly Lilliarna opens her eyes, raising her head to allow her gaze to find her friend. She watches as he enters the room, his eyes frantically searching the room before stopping dead in his tracks. Shock plasters across his face, wide eyes snapping to Elliot still sitting next to her. Looking over, she finds the same expression mirrored on the gamma as if neither can believe the sight in front of them. Seconds tick by slowly before Cairon whispers softly, his voice faintly carrying across the room.

"You're my-"

"Mate." Elliot finishes the sentence for him, nodding in reassurance.

Lilliarna breathes sharply at the realization and she watches as Cairon's eyes dart between her and the man at her side, seemingly unsure of what to do next. A still silence settles between the three before he takes a small hesitant step in her direction. Slowly, she props herself up on her elbows, prompting him to pause as she smiles meekly and nods towards Elliot, hoping he would understand what she meant. Instead, however, he moves further towards her, kneeling at the bedside he rests his hand on her shoulder before speaking.

"I'm so so sorry Lilliarna. I should never have-"

"No. This isn't your fault."

"Yes, it is. It is Lill. I convinced you to stay-"

She shakes her head, putting a hand up to quiet him.

"And had you let me go, I'd have come running right back. There's nothing you could have done, Cairon. I made my bed.. Now I have to lie in it"

"Bullshit! Your bed was made for you, by an ignorant prick whose means didn't justify the cause. You don't deserve this Lilliarna, you didn't deserve any of this."

"Cairon-"

"No!"

Lilliarna flinches as he shouts, triggering a look of remorse to flash across Cairon's face. She watches closely as the look hardens, morphing into something more tumultuous; his jaw hardens, clenching tightly and a large vein juts out on his forehead, testament to his struggle to keep himself calm. Deliberately she sits up, cupping his hands in hers as he shakes his head no; his fingers stay curled in tight balls, never relaxing under her touch as they once did. Knowingly, she leans forward, whispering low into his ears, moving the conversation to what she knows will calm him.

"Is he really-"

She need not finish the sentence as his eyes flick to watch his mate turn his head away. Nodding ever so slightly, he whispers back.

"I think so."

He looks back at Lilliarna, tears flooding his eyes. It was a first for her, seeing Cairon look so downcast. While she often sought him out for comfort, Cairon himself had always preferred to be alone in his times of uneasiness.