Rejected, Abused, I Fall for the Forbidden Alpha (by Riley Scott) novel Chapter 114

Chapter 114

Hades POV

My eyes follow her constantly. She moves around the pack house, her hair billowing in the breeze, those gorgeous green eyes of hers lighting up with laughter, her precious pink lips always curved into a smile. I want to be close to her, but I refrain, still reeling from Aeress’s accusations. Still, I can look, even if I can’t touch, I rationalized. It was of little comfort. I was falling for her, no matter how hard I tried to deny it. But she was forbidden to me. My future wife was Marissa, even as my heart felt a pang at the thought.

“What is this?” I asked, entering my bedroom and stopping short.

A small table and two chairs have been set up. There’s a red tablecloth over it, a floral centrepiece, wine glasses and two plates filled with food still steaming hot. Marissa is sitting on one chair, pouring wine into both glasses

“I thought I would do something nice to help you relax,” she purred, “seeing as you’ve been so stressed out lately. It’s just dinner Hades, I’m not going to bite you,” she said teasingly.

A romantic dinner for two. I clench my jaw and then slowly relax it. The food is tempting. I’m starving. Ravenous. I’ve been out training warriors all day in an effort to distract myself and keep myself away from Raven. Not that it’s working. I sit down, sniffing the food as Marissa carefully puts a wine glass in front of me. Maybe this is exactly what I need to be distracted from my thoughts of Raven.

“Thanks,” I grunt, picking up the cutlery and beginning to saw at my steak.

I’m not in the mood for small talk, but she doesn’t appear to mind, slowly cutting into her piece of chicken and eating it daintily.

Your mother died at your father’s hands. You were devastated, Lucifer snarled. He beat her every day until she was bloodied and bruised. You heard her screams and her cries, and you couldn’t do anything because you were a child. He did the same to you. He beat you, tormented you, tortured you to make you the perfect Alpha, the perfect son. I get it. I remember it. I was with you the whole time, witnessing it. I couldn’t’ show myself until you were of age, but I saw everything. I felt everything you felt.

Then you know that…

Your mother loved you. She tried to protect you. She did everything in her power to keep you from harm, and the more she intervened, the harder your father punished her. He raped innocent women, your mother included. She was forced to become his Luna, forced to be his property. He never let her go. Instead, she was his punching bag and so were you. Aeress’s mother was another victim, and yet Aeress still loves you, still sees you as the big brother she always wanted. Doesn’t that tell you something? You’re not him, Hades. You won’t ever become the same monster your father was. I wouldn’t allow it, but most importantly, neither would you.

I watched her….

You watched your mother die in front of your eyes. She died protecting you. You still blame yourself for it. You stil can’t hide the blame you feel. Hades, you can’t change the past, no matter how hard you try. Trying to protect your heart isn’t a solution. Love doesn’t make you weak; Lucifer’s voice is harsh, it makes you stronger. It gives you something to fight for. It gives you something to believe in. It gives you something to hold onto in the darkest days. It gives you a reason to want to go on living, even when everything is falling to pieces around you.