Page 29 of The Beta: Part Two
When I come back to myself it is to the sound of a sob.
A real sob, not one of pleasure. And there are other noises, a soothing purr and a menacing growl. Neither are coming from me. My growl is one of satisfaction, and my mouth is too full of blood to speak my confusion and growing concern.
Talia is on her hands and knees in front of me, my cock buried inside her, her body squeezing around me with every choked cry she makes, but she's unable to pull from me because we're locked together by my knot.
Trent is the one growling. He is glaring at me so viciously that I’m sure he'll attack me the moment Talia's body releases me. Nathan is kneeling by her side, stroking her back, shushing her, telling her it's going to be alright. The blood in my mouth is hers, I can see it now. The bite on her shoulder is freely bleeding.
I swallow the blood in my mouth and lean over her to lick at the wound, moving with the instinct still driving me. She hisses and then tries to choke back another sob. I've marked her. In the thrall of the rut I couldn't fight, I've claimed Talia as my own without her permission.
I close my eyes, reality pouring wretchedly into my consciousness. “I'm sorry, so sorry. I never meant...”
I try to say, but Trent cuts me off. “Don't say another fucking word. The only reason I haven't snapped your neck is because it will hurt her.”
Then I feel it, her anguish and misery pouring into me through the bond I created. The sounds being ripped from her are nothing compared to this pain that isn't my own shredding me.
“Shhh, it's alright, honey. I need you to calm down. The sooner you calm down, the sooner your body will relax enough to let him go. It's going to be okay,” Nathan is stroking her face and trying to keep her focus on him. “I know, honey, I know. He didn't mean to. We'll figure it out. It's going to be okay,” he tells her, but it won't.
It wasn't my conscious intention to mark Talia as mine, but even now I can't drag my eyes from my bite on her shoulder and my tongue is itching to lick the wound until it stops bleeding. The instinctual part of me, those deeply rooted, righteous, alpha instincts are proudly preening at the sight of my mark on her; showing anyone who sees it that she is mine, my omega. But her pain is killing me, such pain from her causes a purr to rumble from my chest in an attempt to sooth her.
Trent's brows raise into his hairline when I start making the noise, “you're kidding, right? You do this, then you try to comfort her? What comfort could you possibly provide right now?”
Somewhere in my mind I know he's right, but I can't stop.
Then the flow of Talia's hurt abruptly freezes and is replaced with the eeriness of...nothing. She feels like nothing. After a minute, I feel the staggering loss of her as I slip free of her body, the scent of slick and cum perfuming the air as the combination drips down her thighs when she slowly stands in front of me.
Any other time it would act as the most powerful aphrodisiac, but now it only brings anxiety. Without looking at any of us, Talia silently walks to the door and steps out. I hear her walk into the bedroom across the hall. I don't say anything, I just wait for Trent to kill me. I might even try to let him do it without a fight. Worry is rolling off of Nathan, and he looks like he doesn't know whether he should stay to referee or go after Talia.
I hear Devon's muffled voice, followed by Jasper's alarmed one, and then footfalls as Talia pads back across the hall. She steps through the door and time stills when I see the handgun she's holding by her side. It is one that I gave her for her birthday years ago, and the irony isn't lost on me as she raises her arm and aims it directly at my head.
It will be an easy shot. I'm still on my knees and I have no intention of trying to stop her. If Talia want's my life, she can have it. I'm not looking at the gun, I'm looking into her eyes. If I'm going to die, that's the last thing I want to see, anyway.
“Talia, honey. Take a breath,” Nathan says, like he's talking to a terrified, wild animal. But she doesn't take a breath.
She pulls the trigger.
Chapter twelve
Corso
The shot is still ringing in my ears but I'm not dead. I'm not even hurt. She didn't shoot me, but there's probably a hole in the floor right behind me, just a few millimeters to the side.
Her sorrow and rage come roaring back to life through our bond and a cry escapes her lips. Then she slowly and surely brings the gun up to her temple and pulls back the hammer and my heart stutters as pure terror renders me paralyzed.
“Please,” I whisper, I can't say or do anything else, just quietly beg for her life.
She doesn't flinch or waver when the door opens.
Kaleb is first through the door, looking wide-eyed and confused, then Devon with a face full of murderous intent, and lastly Jasper, solemn and afraid.
“Talia,” Jasper whispers, “baby. Please.”
She smiles, and it's horrible to see. Her voice is level and devoid of the pain she is subconsciously sharing with me, “Kaleb, take Jasper out of here. Don't let him see.”
I don't know who makes the noise, it has to be me or Jasper.
One of us screams the wordno, but Jasper is who gets to her first.
She's still pressing the gun into her temple, it trembles when she feels Jasper step into her body. He gently pulls it from her grasp and hands it off behind him to Kaleb, then he turns Talia into his chest. She's shaking with silent tears now, and I reach a hand out for her in my need to try to stop the hurt.
