Caine
Chapter 12

Liam Fact: Liam has Alpha blood in him. His grandfather was an Alpha, and his cousin (Zeverus) is the current Alpha of New Elite Pack (In Between Two Alphas). It will come out later in the story.

“Caine, back off!” I shouted.

I didn’t have time to hide the panic that was clear in my voice. I stood in between Liam and Caine, not that it did any good.

Both of them were trying to push me aside. My hands were placed on each of their chests and I felt the vibrations from their loud feral growls.

“Why is he here? And it better damn well be a good answer!” Liam snapped.

The growls were pouring through his words. It almost seemed like his Wolf was in control, despite the fact that he was still in human form.

“Who is this?” It was the only thing Caine asked, but I heard the rest of his unspoken questions.

Why did you run away from me? Why were you alone with another guy? Who is this guy?

I could see it in his eyes, which had shifted to black, that he wanted to ask me so much more. But as always, he was a man of few words.

After all, he had beaten up Macon just an hour ago, without waiting for an explanation from me.

“I’ll explain once you two back off from each other!” I snapped.

I tried to make my voice firm. For a moment, if just that, it surprised both of them.

“Who is this guy?” Liam asked.

He had taken a step back, but his hand was wrapped around my elbow. He was still glaring at Caine.

“You’re in my territory,” Caine told Liam.

His voice sounded like a warning, something Liam never took too well. He didn’t like to be threatened, and he didn’t stand for it.

“You’re in my apartment,” Liam retorted.

“Do you know who I am?” Caine asked.

As soon as Caine’s hand touched my waist, Liam shoved me out of the way. It all happened in the blink of an eye. I barely had time to register his movements.

“Don’t touch her,” Liam growled, pausing in between each word.

Caine however, didn’t even seem to listen to Liam. His eyes had followed me. He was going to try and get me back to his side. I could practically see the plan forming in his eyes.

“A little help, Victor,” I said, turning back to him.

He was guardedly standing behind Caine, along with the other four guys that came along with him.

“Caine,” Victor spoke with careful words.

“I need to talk to Liam,” I told Caine.

I didn’t get a chance to explain anything else before Caine replied a simple, “No.”

Liam broke out laughing, a humorless laugh.

“You don’t ask him permission to talk to me, Charlie. You never ask anyone for permission to do anything,” he said, speaking to me in a reprimanding tone.

“Charlotte is mine,” Caine told Liam, his voice deadly serious.

“The hell she is! She doesn’t belong to you or to anybody!”

“Don’t disrespect me dog!” I had to step in once again.

Liam had let go of me so I stepped in between the pair. When Victor put his hand on Caine’s shoulder to make him back off, Caine growled viciously at him. He made Victor back off not just from touching him, but a few steps back.

“You’re not better than me, dog,” Liam mimicked.

“I’m Alpha of this pack.”

I rolled my eyes at Caine’s words. If he was trying to scare Liam with his title, it was the wrong way to go. Liam hated Alphas, he didn’t fear them.

“I know who you are. You were in Midnight Moon a few weeks ago, helping out Dylan,” Liam said, like if he was bored with the conversation.

“Who do you think you are, coming here, defying me?”

“Charlotte happens to be my sister,” Liam said, smirking darkly at Caine.

Liam wrapped his arm around my waist and rested his hand on my stomach. Smoothly, he moved me towards him.

When I looked up at Caine, who I thought might have a fit with Liam’s actions, I was completely stunned.

Caine looked between Liam and me, and then back to Liam.

“He’s your brother?” Caine asked, sounding confused.

I sighed, and shook my head at him disapprovingly.

“He is,” I replied.

I would have to explain everything to him, at another time when I was sure Liam and Caine wouldn’t go at each other’s throats.

“Oh… well,” Caine said.

He ran his hand through the back of his hair, and fuzzed it up. He looked uncomfortable, and his eyebrows were scrunched up.

“I don’t give a damn whether you know she’s my sister or not,” Liam told Caine.

When he turned to me, his eyes hardened. “What the hell is this guy doing here and why did he break in?” Liam asked, circling his arm around my waist to turn me to face him.

“I, uh…” I muttered.

I wanted some privacy, from Caine, Victor, and the other pack members.

“I need to talk to him,” I told Caine, turning to face him for just a second.

“He’s not going anywhere,” Liam said, and a low growl rumbled through his chest.

“Please tell me that isn’t what I think it is,” Liam’s words were practically an order, as he pulled my hair back and stared at the claim in my neck.

“Charlotte is my mate. I claimed her,” I heard Caine’s low steady words.

I cringed when Liam’s hand tightened around my neck. His breathing hitched up, and the growls erupting from his chest were continuous.

“You’re hurting her. Let her go,” Caine snarled, trying to pry me from Liam’s arms.

“You let him do this?” Liam asked me.

His dark eyes looked at me with disappointment. I had to look down. I wanted to apologize to him, even though I didn’t have any control of Caine the day he claimed me. I felt even guiltier because now that Caine had claimed me, I was happy with it.

“Let. Her. Go.” Caine said in a threatening voice.

“Don’t even go there, Alpha,” Liam said in the same tone Caine had used.

“Better Alpha than a dog. Charlotte is mine. I’m not letting you take her away from me,” Caine said.

“You fucking bastard!” Those were Liam’s last words, before he shoved me out of the way, jumped towards Caine and shifted into his Wolf.

Victor caught me in time before I face planted on the ground.

“Stop, don’t fight!” I yelled.

It was useless though. As soon as Caine realized Liam had shifted, he did the same.

In seconds, they were going at each other.

The other four guys who came with Victor stood around, looking at Liam and Caine bite, slash, and growl at each other.

“Stop!” I kept crying.

Victor had a strong hold on my arms, which stopped me from stepping in between the fight.

I didn’t want them to hurt each other. I knew Victor and the other four assumed Caine had the fight won, not that they should’ve been glad about it, but it wasn’t entirely the case.

Caine’s Wolf was bigger, but not by much. However while Caine attacked with strong, swift moves, Liam was feral, more aggressive.

“Do something,” I pleaded Victor, hating the scene in front of me and the fact that no one was trying to stop them.

“We can’t intervene. Alpha’s orders,” he replied.

It sounded like even if he had the option, he wouldn’t try to stop Caine.

I kept fighting Victor, but the only thing I did was make him tighten his grip on my arms.

By then, Caine had a few bites on his sides and on his neck and Liam wasn’t fending any better.

“Charlotte?”

I wasn’t sure if to feel relieved or scared when I heard Adam’s voice somewhere in the entrance of the apartment.

Liam and Caine had not stopped, even though Adam called out for me loudly. But Victor snapped his head in that direction, and his hold on me loosened.

I took that opportunity to pull myself away from him. Before he got a chance to grab me back, I threw myself in between Liam and Caine’s Wolves.

What was I thinking by pulling that stunt? I had yet to figure it out.

It seemed like it took both Liam and Caine a second to react to the fact that I was now standing between them. Or maybe their Wolves had more control over them then I had initially thought.

While Liam’s claws slashed just to the side of my abdomen, Caine bit into my shoulder. I cried out in pain from both of the wounds.

It had been my own fault, for stepping in front of two Wolves fighting, but it was enough to snap them out of it.

I crashed on the floor, landing flat on my back. The pain started as soon as both injuries registered in my mind.

I wasn’t sure what was worse, the throbbing sting from the three deep gashes near my waist or the teeth marks I felt imprinted into my shoulder.

Whatever it was, tears were streaming continuously down my cheeks. I was trying really hard to keep my moans of pain to myself, but it was getting hard.

I barely noticed when Liam and Caine shifted back.

They were quickly at my side, trying to check the wounds each of them had made. Both of them were very very naked.

I slapped Liam’s hand when he poked my waist. Not only to keep him away, but because the pressure he exerted only added to the pain. Then I shoved Caine away when he tried to touch my shoulder.

“Don’t touch me!” I snapped.

My voice sounded shaky, and I had to shut my eyes tightly to stop the shudder of pain that ran through my body.

“Charlotte!” Adam yelled as soon as he stepped into the living room, where we all were.

“Get some clothes on,” I said, hoping my tone sounded scolding enough to make them listen.

Adam took care of grabbing clothes from Liam’s closet. He handed a pair of shorts to Caine, who was a few inches taller than Liam, while he threw a pair of sweatpants to Liam.

I didn’t look up until they were both dressed, at least enough to cover their private areas.

They managed to get the clothes and get changed in less than two minutes, since I hadn’t allowed any of them to touch me.

Adam also came back with a first aid kit, which was lacking in anything that was actually useful.

“We need to get you to the pack doctor,” Caine told me, trying to take me in his arms.

“Fuck no!” Liam quickly interjected, putting one of his arms over my legs while the other was on my back.

“Charlie isn’t a Wolf. She needs a real doctor. I’m taking her to the hospital,” Liam said, sounding like he was leaving no room for argument.

“Guys,” I said, but my voice was just a breathless whisper.

I didn’t know if they heard me, but they sure did a great job ignoring me.

Whether Adam or Victor wanted to say something, they didn’t even make a peep to interrupt Liam or Caine.

“How will you explain those claw marks in her waist? We’re taking her to my pack doctor. Charlotte belongs to the pack now. She’s my mate,” Caine said, pulling me closer to his body.

Liam scowled at Caine, but he didn’t relent in his hold on me.

“She’s not in your stupid pack. Charlie isn’t a Wolf. What part of that don’t you understand? Besides, if I’m seeing clearly, which I’m sure I am, you bit her shoulder. Fucking Alpha,” Liam said, his voice dripping with hate he only reserved for Wolves like Caine.

“Guys!” I made sure to raise my voice, even though it sounded raspy. There was nothing I could do about that, since I was a second away from passing out.

“I want to go with the pack doctor,” I said, mainly looking at Liam.

I knew he was the one who would get mad about my decision.

“Why?” He asked, in a disbelieving tone.

“I don’t want to answer questions, Liam. Hospitals, curious people, nosy doctors,” I said, giving him a ‘you know what I’m talking about’ look.

Liam looked at me, like he wasn’t sure whether to agree or disagree with what I’d said. Throughout his wait, Caine had been trying to get me away from Liam. He hadn’t been able to do it.

Not only did Liam have a tight hold on me, but I was also holding on to him.

“Fine,” he snappily said. “But I’m taking you there.”

His eyes zeroed in on Caine, while he swiftly picked me up from the ground. Caine was giving Liam a killer look, be he also seemed to be debating on whether to fight him about it or not.

“You two do know that I’m bleeding out to death here, right?” I was aiming for a sarcastic tone, but I completely failed.

My words only made Caine snap out of mentally killing Liam, and it made Liam look at me with pity.

We drove back to Locus territory in Victor’s car. Liam wasn’t driving one, and Caine’s sports car could only really sit two people.

Victor drove, and Adam took the passenger seat. Caine and Liam were sitting on opposite ends of the back seat, with me uncomfortably laying down in the middle of them two.

It was probably the most awkward, tension filled ride I had ever experienced.

Liam made comments every so often, but most were intended to annoy Caine.

“For an Alpha, you’re not that strong,” Liam commented. Caine directed a cold stare in Liam’s direction.

“You’re not being fair,” I told Liam, slapping his chest.

If my slaps or hits were usually weak, my slap then was practically just a light pat for him.

“You should rest, Charlie. Your eyes look droopy,” Liam said, his voice softening when he spoke to me.

“I would if I trusted you two not to kill each other while I was out,” I said.

Caine had been resting his hands on my legs, which Liam kept eyeing every so often. As much as Liam tried to get me completely away from Caine, Caine hadn’t left my side.

Liam let out an audible growl when Caine’s hands began trailing up my leg.

“What are you doing?” I slowly asked, giving him a questioning look.

Instead of replying, he reached closer to me and pressed his hand on my cheek.

“You’re running a high fever,” Caine said, the worry clearing away his hardened features.

“What?” Liam asked.

He shuffled me around so that I ended up sitting straight in between both of them, with my feet on the ground.

Liam placed his hand on my forehead, and left it longer than Caine had.

“You’ve had her pressed to your side and you didn’t notice it?” Caine asked.

His Alpha voice boomed inside the car, which suddenly seemed much smaller than it already had been before.

“Dammit!” Liam snapped, placing his hands on either side of my face.

Adam kept turning around. I could tell he was worried, although I wasn’t sure it was over the state I was in or because Liam and Caine kept picking fights with each other.

I faintly heard Victor say, “We’re almost there,” before my eyes closed on their own accord and I passed out.

“No shit, Sherlock.” I dozily woke up to those words, which I knew were coming from Liam.

“Don’t test me, Rogue,” and that was Caine.

I opened my eyes, which still felt too heavy for my taste, to find both of them in my room, on either side of my bed.

“Charlie!” Liam took my hand in his and gave it a squeeze.

When my eyes landed on his, he was giving me a lazy grin. I smiled back, or attempted to. I wasn’t sure if my smile looked more like a grimace, because Liam’s grin was wiped from his face.

“Does it hurt?” He asked.

Before I got an answer out, I heard his voice.

“Charlotte,” Caine said.

It was like a greeting, or a welcome back, but with his smooth steady voice, that made a small shiver of electricity run through my body. Even when my body was aching, it still responded to him.

“Hey,” I mumbled, feeling shy all of a sudden.

“What the hell,” Liam called out, waving his hand in front of my face.

“You did not just give him that googly eyed look in front of me,” Liam said, his words more like a warning to me.

“Don’t use that tone with her.” Caine’s words were an order, which of course Liam did not take too kindly.

“Don’t tell me what to do. I’m not in your pack,” Liam reminded him.

I didn’t give Caine a chance to retort anything back.

“You’re being unreasonable, you know that,” I told Liam.

When I tried to sit up on the bed, I found I couldn’t put any pressure at all on my left arm, where Caine had bit me in the shoulder. When I finally sat down straight, I felt small shocks of pain shooting at me where Liam’s claws had slashed my skin.

“Watch out, I wouldn’t want you to choke on that word,” Liam said. He was mocking me, and was making it obvious.

“Are you calling me stupid?” I asked.

“No, I’m saying you’re still a baby. My baby for now, and I don’t think you’re ready to have a mate. I didn’t want you to have a Werewolf mate,” Liam said, directing the harsh words at Caine.

Caine growled lowly, dangerously. But after so many times I’d heard him and Liam growl and snarl at each other, I felt like I was getting used to it.

“I didn’t decide this, you know. It just happened. It’s not fair that you’re getting mad about it,” I said.

I touched my shoulder and felt a bump on it. When I pulled down the loose shirt I was wearing, which was different than the one I had before, I noticed the thick white bandages on the area where Caine bit me.

“You’ll be okay. You were passed out for about three hours, but the pack doctor said both injuries will heal. He had to give you stitches in your, uh, waist area,” Caine explained, sounding uncomfortable all of a sudden.

“Is something wrong?” I asked, wondering why Caine hesitated with his words.

“Yeah, he has that look because he almost killed his own pack doctor,” Liam teased.

This time, his voice sounded amused.

“When the doctor put his hand on your stomach to lift up your shirt, he was met with this guy’s fist,” Liam said, giving in to a small chuckle.

Caine’s cheeks, neck, and his ears took only seconds to turn a light shade of pink. His eyes however, were glaring at Liam, who was having too much fun with that.

“I don’t like other men touching what’s mine,” Caine added, but the blush on his cheeks was still there.

“She’s not yours!”

Liam was about to get up, but I tugged his hand to get his attention. They were going to go for round two, but I spoke out before they got a chance to start fighting.

“So I’ll basically be marked now?” I asked.

It was a good way to change the subject, though I couldn’t help but feel bad about it.

Caine raised our joint hands to his lips. I closed my eyes when he placed a gentle kiss on the outside of my hand.

“You’ll still be perfect,” Caine said.

It was my turn to blush at his words, and I felt my heartbeat pick up.

“Oh, not the romantic crap again,” I heard Liam groan out, but I ignored him.

“Yeah, you have to say that. I’m your mate,” I replied to Caine. Strangely, his words had made me smile.

“No, I don’t. But, don’t worry, I will fix this,” he told me.

“You don’t have to,” Liam interrupted. “Once you shift for the first time, your body will heal any past scars, marks, or wounds.”

I turned my smile towards Liam, and let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding in.

“What do you mean once she shifts?” Caine asked, tightening his hold on my hand.

“Not now,” I said, giving him a pointed look.

I was surprised when Caine nodded at me, but I could still see the curiosity burning in his eyes.

Adam walked into the room after Caine left. Liam had gone quiet with his absence.

Caine had left to take a call from Dylan, the Alpha of Midnight Moon. No one but me noticed that Liam tensed at my side. The only reason I caught it was because he was holding my hand.

Caine was reluctant to leave my side, but Victor dragged him away. I was sure the only reason he did leave was because he thought Liam was my blood brother, therefore I wasn’t left alone with another male.

“Don’t leave her alone with him,” was the only warning Caine gave Liam. He was talking about Adam, who Caine not only didn’t trust, but he knew we weren’t related.

“How could you do this to me?” Liam asked.

He had waited several minutes before speaking.

“This isn’t about you,” I answered.

“Hell yeah this is about me!”

“No, this is about me and finding my mate. It’s something I didn’t plan.”

Adam was leaning against the wall, looking like he regretted stepping into the room.

“Is this because I left you those six months?”

“What?” He had seriously not just asked me that.

“Answer the question. Did you stay with him because I was gone?”

“No, of course not!” I snapped.

I wanted to stay calm, because it was obvious he wouldn’t. That didn’t mean it was going to be easy. He was already getting a rise out of me.

“Where were you when this happened?” Liam asked Adam.

Adam shrunk back from Liam’s accusing words.

“We were trying to hide from Raven Pack. After Midnight Moon started that battle involving those five packs, it practically sent us all into hiding,” Adam replied, but his voice sounded nervous.

“Oh really, you hide like a coward while a fucking Alpha takes Charlie from under your nose?” Liam asked him.

He tried to get up, but he was only going to pick a fight with Adam. Caine and Liam were more or less an even fight, but I knew Adam did not stand a chance against him.

“Adam, you should go. Liam’s going to stay with me for a while. You guys can catch up with your business some other day,” I said, giving him a smile to hopefully calm his nerves.

“You’re not leaving,” Liam said, just as Adam nodded at me.

“Yes, he is.” I narrowed my eyes at Liam, but he looked ready to argue with me about it. “You’ve been away for six months and you’re already going to leave me to go play Rogue with them?”

I needed to get Adam out of there, for his own good. Once Liam found out what happened to Shane and Estella, topped with the fact that I now had a mate- Adam was going to be in for it.

“I need to catch up with Adam,” Liam said, his words sounding more like a threat.

“Fine, go do that. While you’re at it, might as well leave with him, since you look so ready to abandon me again,” I said.

I carefully shifted my body away from him and looked the other way.

“I’m not trying to abandon you. I told you I wasn’t leaving you anymore,” Liam said, running his thumb in circles over my hand.

“Oh come on, Charlie. You’re playing me, aren’t you?” He asked, putting his hand on my arm and trying to get me to face him.

I shrugged off his hand, and kept quiet, looking away from him.

“Hey, look at me,” he insisted.

I put my arm over my eyes, careful not to move the shoulder that had been bitten. Still, I didn’t say anything to Liam.

“Fine, you win. But I know you’re playing me just so that I let this idiot go,” Liam said, nodding in Adam’s direction.

“It’s worse than I thought, isn’t it?”

“What is?” I asked Liam.

Adam had just stepped out of the room. Macon was going to escort him out of the city. He was looking much better than when Caine beat him up earlier.

When Macon stepped into the room, he didn’t even look at me. He avoided eye contact and called me ‘Luna’ instead of my name. I wasn’t sure what Caine had told him, but whatever it was, I didn’t like it.

“I will tell you everything once we get things cleared up. What are you doing here? I thought you were going to come with those Alphas,” I asked.

“I ran away from them.”

“You did?”

“It’s probably why Dylan’s calling. He’s cancelling their trip over here.”

“Oh,” I muttered.

“Don’t worry, the trip might still happen. I bet you your precious Alpha is going to rat me out and tell Dylan that I’m here,” Liam said.

He didn’t sound worried about it, which was typical of him.

Despite everything that happened, I had to admit it was more than perfect to have Liam back. I didn’t enjoy Liam and Caine fighting, but I felt relieved that he finally knew about it.

“But you’re okay, right? You didn’t have any problems when you ran away?” I asked.

Caine returned to the room in that moment. There was a teasing smile on his lips, which was something odd from him.

“That was Dylan, telling me all about you,” Caine interjected.

“I had no problems running away from them. And yes, I’m okay,” Liam replied, running his hand on the side of my cheek.

“Good,” I sighed.

“Why did you leave? They were already heading over here next week,” Caine asked.

“Charlotte was acting weird ever since I mentioned coming to get her. Then Adam kept avoiding me, but at least he’s not blocking me out completely like Shane is,” Liam replied.

My eyes widened when Liam said those words, and I turned to face Caine. His smile disappeared and a frown took over his face.

“Shane? Isn’t that the Rogue we killed?” Caine asked.

Liam dropped my hand, and stood up from beside me. His body was starting to shake and his hands were in fists. At the same time, it seemed like he was running Caine’s words through his mind.

’I was probably getting punished for keeping things from him,’ I thought to myself.

“What did you just say?” Liam got out through gritted teeth.

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