CHAPTER 106: CHAPTER 106 TENSION

Her eyes turned gold, burning with fury. A low growl rumbled in her throat as her claws twitched by her side. Her expression contorted with more rage, and I knew what was coming before she even moved.

’Why is she coming for me? Isn’t she supposed to kill her mates like intended to? Why drag me into this?’

She spun around fully, her gaze locked on me like I was the root of her pain. I stepped back on instinct, my heart hammering in my chest, I turned to run back to Damon.

"Hold her!" she screamed like a mad woman at the servants nearby.

Two werewolves grabbed my arms before I could react, their grips were rough and tight, making me wince in pain.

"Let go of me!" I struggled, trying to pull away, but their claws pressed against my skin. I twisted my wrists, kicking, biting, but they held on. For a second I thought their hands were stronger than metal.

Maddie marched toward me with slow, steady steps. As if she was taking her time to savour my distress, but her face had shifted into one full of venom.

"This is your fault," she spat, voice dripping with hate. "You caused all of this."

I blinked, trying to breathe past the lump in my throat. "I caused all of this?" I asked, my voice trembling with disbelief.

Alpha Caelen stepped forward, but Evelyn quickly grabbed his arm, pulling him back.

"Let her be!" Evelyn hissed, her eyes wild with panic. "Don’t interfere. Let her release her anger, or it will destroy her."

I stared at them. ’Really? That’s how parenting works here?’

Even if I was family, this was how they were going to treat me? Well that has been how they have always treated me.

Maddie stood right in front of me, her breath brushing against my cheek.

"You’re jealous. You couldn’t stand that Damon was supposed to be mine. So you bewitched him. You wanted this. You wanted to ruin me!"

A bitter laugh escaped my throat.

"You’re mad," I said. "You were the one who wanted to ruin me. You planned it all with Erik. But look at what happened." I gave her a cold smile. "This is karma. You dug a pit for me, but you fell into it yourself."

Maddie’s jaw tightened. Her whole body trembled with rage.

"Liar. I’ll wipe a scum like you off the face of the earth."

Then she raised her hand, her claws glinting in the sun. She swung at my face with full force.

I flinched. I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing myself for the pain... But it never came.

Instead, there was a loud thud that vibrated through the air, followed by a groan. Then gasps and growls followed afterward, and the pressure around me vanished.

I peeled one of my eyes to see what was happening.

Damon stood in front of me, his back shielding me. He had caught Maddie’s wrist mid-air, and he had thrown her back like she weighed nothing, that was the noise that had echoed earlier.

Maddie landed on her side with a cry, her body skidding across the dirt.

Her mates growled fiercely, before running beside her, helping her up. But she pushed them away, swinging her claws at them.

"Stay away from me!" she yelled.

"Alpha Damon." Alpha Caelen’s voice dripped with warning, as he walked a few steps closer to Damon.

After chasing off her mates, she turned to face me, but her face turned into a scowl, hatred and betrayal danced in the depth of her eyes. "Alpha Damon," she muttered.

But he didn’t look at her. His eyes were on me.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice low and hoarse.

I nodded slowly, but my heart was still pounding in my chest.

His eyes darkened when he saw the servants’ hand on me, their claws pressing into my arms.

"TAKE YOUR HANDS OFF HER, THIS INSTANT!" his blood chilling voice ordered.

He turned to the servants. "Touch her again and lose your hands."

They backed off immediately.

Maddie sat up, brushing dirt from her legs. Her breathing was heavy, her eyes wild with panic and shame.

She stood on unsteady legs, then faced her father, voice cracking. "Father... please... do something. He just attacked me! I was only trying to defend myself."

But Alpha Caelen didn’t respond. His face was blank and unreadable.

Maddie turned to Damon instead. Her finger pointed at him, trembling. "He did this to me. He’s the one who shoved the drug down my throat!"

Silence ensued.

Alpha Caelen and Evelyn brows furrowed deeply.

"What did you just say?" Alpha Caelen asked, his voice dangerously calm.

Maddie stepped forward. "He forced the aphrodisia down my throat, father."

My heart dropped.

’Did Damon really go that far because of me?’

I turned to Damon. His face didn’t change, but something cold passed through his eyes.

"Is that true?" Alpha Caelen asked with gritted teeth. His hands clenched tightly together.

But Damon’s lips curved into a sinister smirk. "You should be happy that I left her in one piece... but since you don’t like it... I’ll make sure I finish the job next time." Damon pulled me along with him.

But just as Damon pulled me along, a sharp voice cut through the air behind us.

"That’s enough."

Damon froze mid-step.

Alpha Caelen stepped forward, his face dark with rage. The weight of his aura pressed heavily against the clearing, tense and suffocating. "You think you can kill my Beta’s son... and force an aphrodisiac down my daughter’s throat... and walk out of my territory like nothing happened?"

Damon turned slowly, his hand tightening around mine as he shifted to place himself in front of me.

"I don’t care what Maddie did," Caelen growled, his voice rough with fury. "But what you did was over the line, Alpha Damon. You don’t get to dish out punishments in my pack without my permission."

"Is that so?"

The temperature of the air dropped so low, the werewolves whimpered, their breaths catching in their throats.