Discussions

"So." Liam started, trying his hardest not to respond to Ethan. Victoria could tell that this took most of his strength; although he appeared calm and composed on the outside, on the inside, she could feel him boiling with rage. It seeped into her own mind, toxic and venemous, something she couldn't destroy nor intentionally fade.

It made sense; it wasn't as if you could control the thoughts of others around you, be them your mate or not.

"So." Victoria repeated, trying not to grit her teeth. In the background, close to the door, Ethan folded his arms. Earlier today, the motion would've been nearly imperceptible; yet ever since that man had attacked her, things had changed.

"You came to chew me out about the newspaper headline, didn't you." Liam's no-nonsense expression curled into that of a smirk. Of course this was funny to him; if the situation were flipped, Victoria would've been laughing as well.

"Yes, I had." She made no move, no sign as to when she would begin. It seemed as if all her rage had boiled down, been shaped into something more when she saw her mate.

"No." Ian echoed in her mind, his own rage exploding inside her, feeding her thoughts. The anger boiling from both sides of her set Victoria off, making her actions rash and impulse oriented.

"And that's what I intend to do." Victoria's hand slammed down on Liam's desk, nearly splitting it in two. "You dare insult me? You dare dredge up memories of the past, formatted to fit your world, and spewed into minds that will believe you and only you? You dare-"

"I dare, what?" Liam stood up as fast as Victoria had, his figure twice as large. "I dare share a piece of information? If you had had a pure childhood, you wouldn't be here right now." He was imposing, his shadow cast on her like the building had. At first glance, Victoria had judged his business. She had thought he was all bark and no bite, but now she could see that was untrue. The reason why the elevator was empty, the reason why no one was rushing into his office was because they were scared of him. They were scared of the Alpha Male, born of her own pack, her destined kin and mate.

"You insulted me all my life." She replied, answering Liam's questions. "If it weren't for you, then, no, I absolutely wouldn't be here right now."

"You got into fights all the time. You split my face open, damaged many others. You were ruthless." Liam acted as if she had been torturous, as if he had no blame in this situation. He was wrong in every aspect, and Victoria could feel his guilt from lying in her core.

"To you, I was many things!" She shouted. "I was weak! I was a loser! I was a disappointment to the pack!"

"And you still are! You weak, Omega-loving, good-for-nothing-"

The sound of the slap rang out across the room. Hell, it probably rang out across the block. She had done it. She had torn into him, the ring on her left hand, her dominant hand, slicing a thin mark down his cheekbone.

Liam stood there in silence before slowly raising a palm to his cheek. The diamond had done minimal damage, but it was enough. Enough to send him mad, enough to seal his mindset.

"How dare you." He said in a low voice, a growl rising in his throat. "How dare you touch me." With one, fluid motion, he had her hand in his. His grasp was too strong, something Victoria couldn't break out of.

In the corner of her vision, Victoria saw Ethan move towards the two of them. "Stay!" She commanded. The situation wasn't bad yet, and she could still win if she just-

Liam ripped the ring off her finger, nearly taking her top knuckle with it. There was still a mark, red turning purple, from where the ring had originally been.

Yet, Liam had stopped there. he had stopped there, because no matter what had happened, he didn't have enough strength to truly harm his mate.

"Never again." He said. "Never. Again."