Blame the goddess ✔️

Chapter 26 - I will never be the same

"It was so easy to kidnap that Omega mate of yours. A little aconite, a deluded witch and a pompous werewolf made it all possible. Has he told you how we tortured him? For hours on end? My next step was to pass him around like day-old bread. But you got to him too soon, pity." Julian is watching Rafe's face for the hurtful impact of his words and looking for an opening to make his deadly move. Big, big mistake!

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!!!" In a blink of an eye, Rafe flies at Julian, grabs his shirt, lifts him up to the ceiling, smashes Julian's head on it repeatedly. He drops Julian on the floor, pins him down with his knee and twist his arms behind his back. He yanks Julian's head to the side, bends down to him and whispers, "I trusted you with my life and more importantly with my mates and family and you kidnap and torture him? Planned to kill him? I send you back to your maker!"

And just like that, he slices Julian's throat instantly. Julian gurgles a reply to Rafe and we see his face lose its color. What on earth did Julian tell him?

"Nooooooooo", Georgiana screams. "Jeffery get me in there, get me in there quick."

Georgiana is pushed through the field and I see her rush to Rafe who gets off a dead Julian and falls back on the floor. Tears roll down his face and Georgiana kneels down besides him and pulls him up, hugs him, rocks him, repeating over and over, "what have you done, what have you done?"

I am losing it and I plead with Jeffery to let us in. Our mate needs us, but he refuses.

"I don't know what's going on, but I feel so damn helpless." Alpha Salim mutters.

"Jeffery let us in now. He needs us", Darric growls.

"I'm sorry my Lords. I cannot let you in. Not you either sir," he looks at Raul.

"Apologies my Lords. Lord Rafe has made a fateful decision and he must endure his punishment and reward. Only my Lady can help him through what's coming."

"Help him through what's coming? Jeffery spill it out now, what's coming?" Raul shouts at him.

"My Lord just broke an ancient vampire law. He killed a Lord."

"An evil Lord who betrayed him. Who kidnapped and tortured his mate, with plans to wipe out his family? And my mate gets punished for that? And who decides his punishment?" Darric asks.

"Sun god. My Lord has to be punished and rewarded for taking the life of a Lord. A two-edged sword if you will. Punishment by the Sun god and reward with Lord Julian's powers."

"I stand by my initial thought; you vamps are full of shit. You vamps need to speak English like everyone else. What on earth can be both a reward and punishment," Darric yells?

I fall on my knees, with my hands on the force field that won't let me in to help my mate. Darric sits beside me and hugs me.

"He'll be fine if anyone can help him it's Georgiana. Remember she's like no lady you ever met."

"He killed Julian, Darric. His brother. He'll never be the same."

"He will be again because we'll be around to bring him back."

And then I hear the most agonizing sound I have ever heard in my life, from Rafe. Rafe screams and lifts his head off Georgiana's shoulders in pain. Georgiana screams too and it sounds like they're both in pain.

Rafe tries to push her away but she hugs him tighter.

"Let go, Georgie let go," he says in a hoarse voice.

"No, no, hold on my love. It'll be over soon." And she holds him tighter.

"Aargghh!!! Rafe screams again and we hear a whipping sound but no visible whips. All we see are marks on Rafe's face as he twists and turns in pain in Georgiana's arms. This goes on for several minutes and with each invisible lash appears a mark on his face, red, swollen and looks permanent.

I cry out in pain watching my mate suffer and nothing I can do to help him.

"He's in so much pain, Darric."

"I know. I know." Darric sniffles and his tears mix with mine as they roll down our joint cheeks.

I hear more sniffles around me and someone whispers, "someone stop this please!"

"Aaagghhh" cries Rafe as he endures more lashes.

"Be merciful. Forgive him, please father. I can't lose him; we can't lose him." Georgiana begs the Sun god.

Finally, the whipping stops, Rafe drops his head on Georgiana's shoulder exhausted.

"Now his reward, Jeffery says.

"Shut the fuck up, Jeffery!" I yell at him.

He continues as if I hadn't spoken. "If you're not a mate to either my Lord or Lady, you will want to shield your eyes."

"Trust me, everyone, turn around," Esme tells them.

I am not taking my eyes off my mate for one second. I spread my hands on the force field hoping to convey my love and support to my mate.

Georgiana lays him down on the rug beside Julian and steps back. She bows her head as if waiting for something.

A humming sound starts, blinding fiery red light from nowhere falls on Julian and his body disintegrates right in front of us. He just disappears.

"Holy shit," Darric whispers in fear and I hug him tighter.

Then the same fire turns to Rafe and pierces his chest. His body is lifted off the floor, elevated about twenty inches and the fiery light swirls around his body a few times. He is put back on the floor and the light disappears as fast as it came.

Georgiana goes to Rafe and helps him up. My hands leaning on the field falls through the air as the force field disappears. We get up and rush to our mate.

"Rafe, are you alright?" I hold on to my mate.

"I'm fine", he whispers, tries to stand up straight and almost falls. Darric catches him and picks him up. He carries him past everyone, and I follow him as he heads to our suite. He lays him down on our bed, I hurriedly cover him with a blanket. He falls into a deep sleep.

"He is going to fight us tooth and nail but he will need our help to heal. Even if we have to get in his face sometimes, Cal."

"Speaking of his face. Look!" I turn the right side of Rafe's face towards Darric. Covering the whole right side of his face is a red design that looks like the wings of a phoenix.

"What's that?"

"Looks like the wings of a phoenix."

"Phoenix, the bird that rises from its ashes?"

"Yes. I guess our mate just rose from the ashes."

I lay down on his right side, and Darric on his left side and we listen to our mate sleep. I wonder what else is in store for us.

Raul's POV

"What were you thinking Georgiana? You've done some harebrained things since I've known you but this tops it all! You could've died," I scream at her in anger and fear. I so want to shake some sense into that gorgeous head of hers.

"No, I wouldn't. Once he killed Julian, I knew what was coming and he needed another powerful leader to help him through it. The punishment wasn't mine, I just helped him through the process. Only I could and you don't expect me to leave my brother, your best friend hanging, do you?"

I sigh heavily. "No, I don't. Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. But it's not over."

"What do you mean?"

"I saw and heard everything when he was going through his punishment and when he tells them who the werewolf is that helped Julian, they are in for another world of hurt," she whispers.

"Shit!"

Author's Note: None stop ride with the betrayers, who's the werewolf?

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