Offered to the Triplet Alphas

[Raven]

TW: Readers' discretion advised.

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'No potion was potent enough to heal his heart, so he drank poison and kept drinking it everyday ever since. Not to kill the pain, but to suffer an illusion and call it a cure that just made him sicker.

And he found solace in that sickness, his lantern heart flickering with flames of pride, but a drizzle of blood was enough to douse it off.'

***

I started the car; the engine growling. My fingers rested loosely on the steering wheel as I shifted gears. Just as I was about to drive out of the parking lot, I saw Asher standing in my way near the exit. My fingers tightened around the steering wheel.

Instead of slowing down, I shifted into high gear. My foot slammed on the accelerator, and the car surged forward with a deafening roar.

Nyssa panicked. "Raven! What are you doing? Stop the car!" She grabbed my arm as her eyes darted frantically between Asher and me.

I could hear Nyssa's voice distantly, but her words dissolved into the roar of the engine and the fury pounding in my head.

The car charged straight at Asher. The distance between us closing in a heartbeat. The rush of adrenaline blurred everything but the sight of him standing challengingly in my path.

Something like this wouldn't do much damage to him, but it would shatter the cloak of invincibility he always wore, especially when his bones break and his body crack apart.

My heart thundered in my chest and the rush had left me lightheaded.

Asher didn't flinch. He didn't even blink.

In fact, the defiance in his impassive gaze stood like a dare. He could easily evade the crash, even at the last moment. I'd like to see him try!

My rage had become my thoughts to the point I wasn't really thinking.

"You're gonna hit him! Stop the car! We'll get into trouble! RAVEN! NO-"

My muscles twitched, fighting the urge to hit the brakes.

I pressed the accelerator harder; the engine screaming against the howling air resistance, until I slammed the brakes, hard-

SCREECH!

The force hurled me forward against the seatbelt; the air knocked from my lungs. The car came to a brutal halt, tires burning in a harsh drag. The ugly screech overpowered by the sickening thud of Asher's body crashing onto the hood, blood splattering across the windshield.

A ringing silence swallowed the parking lot, broken only by the haunting echo of his body hitting and rolling across the ground.

Nyssa shot out of the passenger seat, barely breathing as she rushed toward him.

The sharp scent of blood mingled with the gasoline fumes filled my lungs like toxins. It took a few seconds for the nauseating rush in my body to settle down.

I slammed my hands over the steering wheel.

That fucker!

In the last moment, right before the car was about to stop inches away from him, Asher had closed that distance by taking a deliberate step right towards my car. Unfastening the seatbelt, I stepped out of the car, just to see Asher lying facedown on the floor. His limbs were twisted at weird angles as blood pooled around him.

Clenching my jaws, I rolled my eyes, slamming the door hard enough to rattle the entire car.

I could still hear the faint echo of the crash ringing in my ears as I leaned against the car, peering at him.

His body remained motionless for a few seconds.

"Raven! Don't just stand there! Come here! Help him!" Nyssa yelled.

"No need," I said coldly.

Even for an immortal werewolf, Asher's endurance of pain and regeneration abilities were no joke. It was sickening how beyond perfect he was at every fucking thing.

Fixing the broken bones of his hands in place, he pushed himself onto his back. He took in a few gasps, choking as he spurted and coughed out blood from his mouth after every ragged inhale.

"Alpha..." Nyssa looked terrified - like she wanted to help, but was too scared to approach his dark aura that pushed her away.

With a cough, he forced himself to sit up. Blood streamed down from his messy fringes, down his face.

Nyssa looked downright horrified, watching him regenerate such severe wounds in mere seconds. This was probably the first time she had witnessed his regeneration powers so closely.

Taking a deep breath, Asher twisted his broken leg. His bones snapped back into place with an unnatural crack, the periphery of his vision enclosing around me.

What pissed me was how there was no hint of pain on his face even when he was snapping his bones through his torn flesh and ruptured blood vessels. This wasn't normal - not even for a demon. It was just disturbing.

A broken bone was one of the most painful experiences for us demon werewolves, and unlike our flesh and skin, our bones didn't regenerate in seconds. It took hours for proper healing.

But here he was, standing as though he was never hit by a speeding car.

He took off his black Alpha coat, revealing the bloodstained and sweat-soaked white shirt clinging to his body like a translucent second skin. With the speed he was regenerating, it wasn't surprising to see him drenched in sweat. Regeneration used up a lot of energy, so excess sweating was normal in this condition. At least something was normal about him.

Panting, he wiped off the blood from his chin and looked at me.

Hanging his coat over one arm, he calmly strode towards me, his face blank, his movements controlled.

"What happened, Raven? You don't look happy." His composed voice sent a disturbing ripple through me. "Do my wounds no longer satisfy your ego?" He asked, and I squinted my eyes, glaring at him.

He stood in front of me, face-to-face, as our eyes locked in a silent clash.

"They should, Raven. Because I will not let you burn Ezra or Xanthea to fuel your ego. All these years, since childhood, I have allowed you to hurt me because that made you happy, gave you a sense of accomplishment and control. But I won't allow you to do the same with them."

I frowned at him with wide eyes.

Al-allowed?

What rubbish!

What does that even mean?

He allowed me to hurt him?

I knew those were mere words, but when they crashed against me, I felt my ribs shatter. It felt as though a haze that had densely cobwebbed my chest for years slowly tore apart, splitting me from within.

He - allowed - me?

Something bitter twisted in my chest.

Not possible!

There was no way anyone could have that kind of control over another person. This was just another one of his mind games.

I tried to ease the tension in my body, but failed.

"Why do you look so confused? Don't tell me you haven't noticed. I never dodge your attacks. Be it on a physical or mental level. Hurt me all you want, Raven, because I am only a reflection of everything you hate about yourself. So, it doesn't matter what you do to me. But don't you dare lay a finger on Ezra or Xanthea again..."

His eyes darkened as Asher stepped closer to me, the faint sound of his boots echoing with every stride.

Keeping eye contact with me, he had merely placed his hand on my shoulder, but it felt as though I was being crushed beneath a mountain. His aura towered over me, pressing upon me with a haunting gravity.

"Because if you do..." his hand slid down my arm, holding my fingers tenderly.

I stifled a groan, trying to not yield to him as his crushing grip tightened around my fingers.

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"... I'll break you before you can even think about breaking them. What do you think will break first? Your body? Or your mind?"

He was about to break my fingers, and I braced myself, but he stopped.

"How can I break the one who's already broken?" He said, and my body shivered with rage.

My fingers twitched, aching to rip his throat out. But all I could do was stand there, my jaw clenched so tight it hurt.

He leaned closer to my ear, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper.

"This was your first time. Make sure there isn't a second. Because if there is... I will make sure there isn't a third."

I took a tight gulp as my throat closed up, and I struggled to utter a word.

"We're not kids anymore, Raven. Learn to control yourself. And if you can't control yourself, then suppress your rage. If you can't suppress your rage, then channelize it somewhere better. You have done it before, you can do it again. Because if you don't, then I'll have to teach you and I promise you won't like my methods."

He took a step away from me and turned around to leave, but my eyes remained fixed on him.

My chin quivered as I smirked, forcing out a chuckle.

His steps halted, but he didn't turn around to face me.

"Do you think I don't know how fucked up I am?" I said, staring at his back. "I am a mess, Asher! I am a fucking loser! People hate me! I know! And it's all your fault! You think I had it easy? Then let tell you, fucker - abandonment is not freedom!"

I growled, breathing heavily. My voice reverberated through the parking lot. I stepped closer to him.

"If only you were never born, if only you didn't exist - father wouldn't have abandoned me for you! You took away everything that was precious to me! You ruined me! And that's why I want everything that's precious to you! One day you'll be abandoned too, Asher, by the person you want the most!"

I raked back my hair, licking my dry lips as I swallowed hard. But my stomach kept getting heavier, as though it was slowly being filled with bricks and stones.

"And I can't wait to see when that happens. It will be the happiest day of my life and I swear... I'll enjoy every second of your agony. And I know the day is not far... because the person you need the most, the person who can hurt you the most, has already entered our lives."

Asher glanced at me over his shoulder.

"I know I am not a great man like you. I know I am not good for Xanthea, but at least I'm not fake. I am who I am, unfiltered. But you - who the hell are you!? I have spent twenty-nine years with you, but you still remain a stranger to me. I don't understand you, and honestly, I don't want to. Because I know I'll hate what I find. And so will Xanthea. She might never be mine, but believe me, she'll never be yours either."

A twisting ache churned in my stomach, rising to my chest.

"When she realizes who you truly are, she'll fucking hate you. Sooner or later, Xanthea will get pregnant. What will you do then? You can protect her from me, from Nyssa, from Viella and this whole fucking world, but how will you protect her from yourself?"

I laughed, knowing that I had hit his hurting nerve, although there was nothing soothing about it.

His fists tightened at my words, but he remained silent and then looked over his shoulder at Nyssa.

"Take care of him," he said in an impassive tone, as if he didn't hear a word I said.

"Talk to me, damn it!"

I yelled, but he gradually walked into the invisibility of thin air, uniting with it.

"Look at me! Answer me, Asher!" I roared. "Don't run away, you coward! Turn around and face me - face yourself!"

I held my head, struggling to draw in breaths, but a strange numbness took over my body and I fell to my knees.

"Raven!" Nyssa rushed to me, kneeling beside me. "Are you ok? What-"

Nyssa's voice faltered and faded beneath the noise I had buried deep within. Carcasses of words came to life, their skeletal, rotting claws dragging me into the grave of darkness with them.

My head throbbed with unbearable pressure, as if it might split open under the weight of everything I didn't want to hear, everything I'd left unsaid, and everything I was reluctant to face.

'I don't have time for your shenanigans, Raven. Quit being so desperate. You look like a beggar, begging for my attention.'

'You're not a child anymore. Grow up and stop being so difficult.'

'What a disappointment-'

"Stop it! Stop it!" I hit my ears and my head as though that would block the memories of my father from overwhelming me. "I don't want to hear!"

But the words wouldn't stop. They swirled around me like a swarm of shadows, tightening their grip, whispering in the dark corners of my mind. No matter how hard I tried to shut them out, they just became louder and louder. 'You don't have to try so hard to defeat Asher because I don't need you anymore. I've got Asher to carry on my legacy.'

'You are not worth my time, so stop wasting it. I have better things to do. So stop acting like a brat. I gave up on you a long time ago.'

"AHHHHHHHHH!!!" All the pent-up rage and frustration inside me erupted into a deafening scream. "I GAVE UP ON MYSELF TOO! ARE YOU HEARING ME!?" The words burned as they sliced through my throat like shards of broken glass. "I GA-VE UP-" My voice cracked, faltering as my throat clenched tight.

The weight of the memories and all the neglected emotions choked me into silence before I damaged my vocal cords.

"I tried! I tried so hard! But I was never enough! I was never you, Asher! If not you, then who do I blame? What was MY FAULT? Come back and answer me!"

I clenched my stomach, hugging myself. But I knew there was no remedy for this pain.

"I lost myself trying to become you! What more could I lose? What more could I do?"

I shut my eyes tightly and all I could see were my father's cold eyes filled with disdain before he turned his back on me and walked away.

'... I gave up on you a long time ago.' His words were etched into my soul. I've been walking in circles ever since.

"Your eyes are just as cold as father's and the way you look at me reminds me how worthless and inferior I am. So tell me, how the hell am I supposed to stop hating you when you're just like him? You are him." I mumbled, lowering my head, my gaze fixed on the blood-stained footprints Asher had left behind.

It didn't matter how far or close I stood to my father; I knew I wouldn't be noticed, so I stopped trying all together. Just like he wanted, I never crossed paths with him again after the day he gave up on me. And obviously... he never noticed my absence.

And I knew if I were to disappear today, no one would notice my absence. But it didn't matter anymore. I no longer needed anyone.

I knew I would never be enough, no matter what I do. So why even bother? What's the point of even trying?

'Yet... you keep trying so hard to be noticed...' I froze when my wolf, Pheles' voice rang in my head. '... by her.'

"Shut up!" I said, punching a crack into the ground.

"Raven!" Nyssa's trembling arms tightened around me in a tight hug. "Stop it, please..." she sniffled, her voice quivering. "This is scary. I have never seen you like this before. I-I don't know what to do..." 'You're wrong and I'll prove it to you,' I thought back to Pheles, wrapping my one arm around Nyssa's waist as I pulled her in.

With a swift motion, I lifted her, pinning her against the car.

"Raven?" Nyssa whimpered, uncertainty flickering in her eyes as I ran my hand up her thighs, lifting her dress.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!

Her back arched away from my hand as I untied her dress from the back, yanking her into a kiss. Her heart pounded wilder against my chest as I squeezed her ass, pressing our lower bodies together. As I pressed against Nyssa, the ghost of Xanthea's scent wafted through my mind and I couldn't help but subconsciously search for the same sweetness and intoxication in Nyssa's.

I fought my senses to focus on Nyssa completely. Sliding her dress down her breasts, I sunk into her neck...

'Alpha...'

I tensed up as a gust of wind carried a hypnotizing echo of the omega's voice and my heart felt strange, as though it were being caressed and cursed at the same time.

She wasn't around. Yet, why do I hear her voice? Why does her scent linger like oxygen in my veins?

How the hell did I get so deeply trapped, and when the fuck did she become my cage?

To hell with that omega!

Resisting the resistance, I clenched my jaw, opened the backseat door and pushed Nyssa inside.

She gasped, falling onto the leather seats, her chest heaving faster. Propping herself on her elbows, she crawled back, making room for me.

Placing my knee between her legs, I followed her in and shut the door behind me.