Liam Black holds a dark secret inside of him. This secret is cold, merciless, and as dark as the night. It flows through his veins and teases his skin, threatening to reveal itself every second he breathes.
It is taking everything for Liam to keep...
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Liam.
Liam.
LIAM!
My eyes snapped open to see myself back in my cell again. The cemented wall painted ugly orange color. The long light fixture above me flickered on and off. I can hear voices and scream. The Alpha was back on his normal charade of torturing people to follow him. Everyone feared him because he was manipulative and cold.
"Liam, baby," my mother whispered from a dark corner.
I realized I was sitting on my bed. Katya took the top bunk bed. I took the bottom one. Our mother was chained to the wall with a cuff around her ankle. She waved her hand at me, beckoning me to listen.
"Everything will be okay. You have nothing to fear. Come here, Liam," she whispered desperately.
Loud shouting, gun shots, and the Alpha's roaring. My heart raced faster. My skin tingled and I couldn't sleep. I was afraid. Afraid of the Alpha who has killed our father and taken my mother and us captive.
"Liam, baby, he won't get to you. I promise. You'll be safe in my arms," she promised.
I got off the bed and walked over to her. Her white thin cotton dress was dirty. Her skin was littered with bruises and scratches.
I sat on the ground in front of her with my legs crossed. Scooting closer, I looked into her broken brown eyes. There was no smile or light in her eyes. She looked like everything closed to life has been scooped out of her and thrown away. There was nothing left but she forced a smile onto her face.
"You'll be okay. Your sister will be okay. She'll protect you," she muttered in a soft voice.
She wrapped her arms around my shoulders and I moved closer to her. I felt her stomach. My baby sister was inside of her. Tucking my head underneath her chin, she began humming a lullaby.
"Good night, my child, go to sleep. Mama is watching over you. Not a sound, not a peep. Tomorrow, you'll find yourself at home. Good night, my child, go to sleep. Not a sound, not a peep. Tomorrow, you'll find that you were never alone."
She softly ran her hands through my hair and I pressed my ear to her heart. The sound of the screaming and crying, disappearing as soon as my mom started singing. She covered my other ear with the palm of her hand. I closed my eyes and fall asleep.
I woke up roaring and naked but not far from home. I am within the territory still. Turning over, my hands touched the bedding of fallen leaves below me. Breathing hard, I swallowed the lump in my throat. I squeezed my eyes closed and visualized my mother's beautiful face again and my fingers dug into the ground. Rain pounded against my skin, washing away the dirt on my skin.
I shoved both hands through my hair and released an anguished roar. Images of my mother's bloody dead form appeared in my mind. More images filtered through my mind. The Alpha's laughter. The night that we escaped. The blanket that wrapped my baby sister up. It was stained with my mother's blood. Katya's scared eyes while her hands are raised in front of her. Blood everywhere.
