The Betrayal

Chapter Sixteen

Luca's nails lengthened into claws. He bared his sharp canines at Damon. His back hunched over, and he fell onto all fours, transforming into his wolf. Pieces of his suit shredded off of him and onto the ground around them.

My eyes widened. What did he think he was doing?

Damon stood there. His muscles strained against the tight fabric of his shirt, yet his wolf was suppressed. His eyes remained their forest color. He stayed human. If he didn't shift soon, Luca would attack him. Why wasn't he shifting?

"Luca's mark on you weakened him,"Valerio echoed through the mind link.

Valerio's words repeated in my mind. Luca's mark weakened Damon. Luca's mark weakened Damon. Luca's mark weakened Damon. Damon's wolf probably abandoned him again, thinking that I rejected him. He probably blamed Damon for this mess, when in reality, this was Luca's fault.

I parted my lips, my hands balling up into fists. A fiery rage burned within me.

Was this why Luca marked me? Did he just want to weaken Damon, attack him, and gain back control of his pack? Weeks and weeks ago, Luca told his beta that he would never do the same thing that Damon did to him. He'd never use me as an advantage over him like Damon did with Alexandra, so he could prove he didn't need an advantage; that he was stronger than him without one. If Luca marked me to weaken Damon even after he said that, what else has he done? What else willhe do? How else has he changed? Would he betray me over and over and over again just to get what he wanted?

Time changes people, but I didn't know how badly it could alter someone's entire being; how someone could completely turn their opinions around for the sake of their reputation.

"Mae, only you can stop this. Damon will fight Luca with or without his wolf. He feels like he needs to prove himself to not only you but to everyone here,"Valerio said through the mind link.

I stared at the wolf and man in front of me. Damon's fists clenched, ready to defend himself if Luca attacked. From across the room, I could hear the racing thump of his heart. My eyes drifted to Luca. He growled, kicked back his hind leg, and lowered his head, ready to pounce.

"Stop!" My voice boomed throughout the auditorium, silencing everybody's whispers. I stepped forward with my jaw clenched. "We are not here to fight. If you wish to have war with each other, do it another time."

Luca's demeanor calmed, yet he showed no intent of backing down.

"Shift," I demanded. When he didn't respond to me, I growled at him. "NOW!"

The alphas flinched back in their seats. Some held uncomfortable expressions, others raised a brow at Luca.

Slowly, Luca shifted into his human form, glaring at Damon.

"Look at me!" I commanded. "Both of you."

A vicious growl rumbled from Luca's chest. Then, they both turned to me. Everyone's eyes stayed glued to the scene; their hearts raced louder than I've heard them before, yet they collectively sucked in a breath. "We are finished with our meeting. Leave now. If you wish to talk to me some more, do it later. Otherwise you're free to return home," I said to everyone else without removing my gaze from the alphas in front of me.

Everyone hurriedly stood and scrambled together all of their belongings. They scurried up the walkways and through the doors. When the last alpha disappeared through the door, I crossed my arms over my chest, walking past Valerio and Aeron to the men. Luca stared at me with a blank expression as if he did nothing wrong. Damon refused to make eye contact with me, still fuming about Luca's mark.