Lia felt his pulse race with dread as he ran to Will's cell with Scout following after to stop him.
"Lia stop! You will make things worse. You have to keep your calm after what you see inside. Lia?! Stop running and listen to me for once! Your one rash step can ruin our long-time efforts–"
Lia came to an abrupt halt and huffed badly, his throat running dry when he saw Antonio coming out of the cell. He let out a snobbish smirk to Lia before he zipped his pants and adjusted his belt. Lia practically shuddered and flinched.
Walking past a frozen Lia, he suddenly stopped and leaned in to whisper. "Let's see how you will handle him now."
He walked away while laughing. Scout nervously glanced between Lia and the cell in which Will was supposed to be.
"Lia…it's not-"
However, Lia hurriedly walked up to the cell, and his worst nightmares came true when he found Alpha lying on the ground in a state Lia never wanted to see him in. Alpha seemed completely lifeless and much to his horrors, he was naked, stripped of both clothes and his…purity.
Breath froze in Lia's throat and he couldn't even swallow the tears that instantly blurred his sight when he saw the nail marks and red bite marks all over Alpha's body. His cold hands gripped the doorway so tightly his knuckles turned white while his legs felt so weak that he couldn't move any step further.
His mind began to become blurry with his eyes as well. What was he even thinking? How could he even think that he can have a happy life just because he wishes so, when love and pain are like two sides of the same coin –you can't have one without the other? How could he be so gullible to dream of having a person by his side whose existence meant nothing more than a mere subject of experiment?
How could he be so naive to hope for a life filled with happiness when he can't even shield his lover from a life long misery?
Was his every single hope of eloping with his boy nothing but a wreckage of shattered dreams? Only time will tell.
Lia approached Alpha with shaky hands and legs.
"W-Will…" Trying to bring Alpha back to consciousness, he let out softly, but even his soul shivered thinking about what Antonio must have done to him "W-What in the world…Why?"
He extended a shaky fingertip to touch Alpha's shoulder, but his heart broke into a million pieces when Alpha flinched away from his touch.
He realised one thing in that moment, that no matter how hard you try, you can't always save someone from their agony. No amount of begging or reasoning could remove the scars on Will's body and soul, and Lia felt a stab of regret knowing he couldn't protect Will from the horrors he had witnessed.
"Wi-" His voice caught in his throat, his heart bleeding. "Will...open your eyes for me love," He gently and ever so tenderly cupped his cheeks but Alpha groaned and trembled in despair. "It's me, baby...shhh…"
Will opened his eyes with a weak cry. "L-Lia…why—-"
Lia quickly took him into his arms and held him so tight when he heard the same complaining tone that he uses whenever Lia is late to come visit him.
"How long has this been going on and why have you never told me?" Lia demanded furiously from Scout. "How long has Antonio been doing this to him?"
Scout hesitated, his gaze sinking to the floor as shame washed over his features. Lia's heart tightened with anger and betrayal. If he had known about this earlier, he would have died before leaving Alpha side ever. He would have never let this happen to him.
"Lia…no leave me again…please," Alpha clutched his grip around Lia, burying his face in Lia's chest where he felt a stab of agony of his boy's sobbed words.
"I will never! Never again, baby!" Lia hugged the now smaller and fragile beast, letting him hide in his embrace for a momentary peace.
But, while Lia battled to suppress his inner misery, Scout's words pierced through his heart leaving him stunned.
"They want a offspring from him."
Lia hurriedly looked up at him. Scout took a long breath, his face serious as he met Lia's stare. "I don't remember clearly…but sometimes they will even send girls while they put Alpha on drugs. And then the girls…to him.." he couldn't complete. "In hopes that the girl could get pregnant with his children."
"Offspring?" Lia's blood turned cold at his words, his mind unable to understand the depths of evil that those freaking captors had descended on Alpha.
Scout nodded with a serious expression as his gaze filled with haunted nothingness. "They wanted to see how the children would turn out if they were born from a subject. It's sickening...no beyond horrible. But that's the reality of these tests. Not only him, but each one of the poor subjects kept in their labs are going through this."
Lia doesn't even understand what emotion he should feel first. Should he think about getting Will from this hell as soon as possible or should he feel sympathetic towards those subjects? Does he even have time to feel about anyone else when his own life's a roller coaster of constant awful events?
"Get out!" His rage erupted and he could no longer suppress the fury that threatened to devour his sanity.
Scout sighed before turning around and leaving.
Lia returned his attention to Alpha who slowly pulled out his face from his hidden space when Lia tenderly stroked his back in soothing circles. Alpha blinked at him before pointing his finger at the bathroom making Lia follow his gaze in confusion.
"No bath, Lia," He mumbled weakly as he didn't have any energy to move as Lia always forced him to wash. And today he doesn't want that, he just wants his strange human to hold him.
Where Alpha always had that sulking expression on his face while grumbling about everything to Lia, it was missing right now. There's only emptiness there now. And Lia hated it.
He felt a huge wave of misery sweep over him, unable to withstand the pain of witnessing Alpha's beauty tainted by the atrocities they were making him go through. And the thin thread of his patience snapped when his hand that was caressing all over Alpha's body neared Alpha's inner thigh. Alpha grunted in pain as Lia's fingertips brushed against something sticky.
"No!" Lia cried out feeling sick and disgusted.
He squeezed his eyes when Alpha wailed as his hand went upwards and touched the swollen butthole. Alpha shivered and gripped Lia's wrist pushing it away. "Lia…hurts.." When Lia finally summoned the strength to open his eyes and saw blood stains on his fingers he saw red.
"W-Will..." Tears began to fall again as he pushed his face into Alpha's neck, his sobs shaking his whole body.
He could never understand why life treated him so unfairly. Why is he cursed and causing everyone around him to suffer? First Eve, now Alpha. At least he was able to save Eve. So, why not Alpha?
"Why?" He sniffled a muffled cry. "Why does it always have to be like this? Will, what should I do?"
With shaky hands, he pulled back, took off his jacket, and wrapped it tightly over Alpha. He looked into Alpha's confused eyes. Pecking his forehead, Lia noticed how heavily drugged Alpha's eyes were.
His eyes burned. "I will kill them all. For you, I can go to any length. They won't be going to hell for their deeds because I'll give them hell in this life."
And then he was out of the cell.
🙀🤬🔪
Lia marched into Antonio's office, his footsteps booming with rage. "You fucking asshole. I'll kill you today!" He burst through the door, launching himself at Antonio with his fist directly met with his jaw making Antonio yell.
"What the fuck are you doing?! Stop–ugh!" But Lia kept striking his punches at his face. Each hit was filled with revulsion and loathing for everyone in this mansion.
"Lia, let go of him!" Scout tries to pull him off Antonio before he kills him because What Lia fails to notice after entering and attacking Will's tormenter was that that Wagnar was also present there.
Bang!
And his anger was interrupted with a gunshot into his stomach. "Aungh!" Instantly, his world spun as a sharp sting course through his body. He let go of Antonio whose nose and mouth was now bleeding.
Gasping for breath, he collapsed to the ground, clutching at his abdomen as blood seeped between his fingers.
"Good dogs should never bite," Wagnar's mocking voice cut through his haze of pain. "They are better off just barking."
But Lia paid him no heed, he darted up at him with burning eyes. "But this d-dog will keep biting you until I peel every inch of your skin off."
Wagnar chuckled at his silliness and Lia continued.
"Laugh as much as you want right now because you'll have to cry a lot later. I will return the pain you've inflicted upon Alpha tenfold. You and your wretched empire will fall, and I will be the one to bring about your downfall."
Wagnar's laughter ceased and was replaced by a cold glare.
"Oow, how scary," He ridiculed with a malicing voice. "Did you honestly believe that we were unaware of what you were planning all this time? But in reality, it was all part of our plan, to see how a test would react if someone showed him any kind of feeling, emotion, or love. And it worked."
"Bring him here," He ordered and Lia's breath caught in his throat when Alpha was dragged into the office and struggled harder when he saw Lia there.
"Lia! Lia!" He fought the guards but before he could run to Lia, he was subjected to a brutal onslaught of electric shocks. "Ahh!! Urgh!!!!!!!!"
"Stop! You're hurting him! Let him go!" Desperation clawed at Lia's chest as he implored with Wagnar but his pleas fell on deaf ears.
Wagnar only laughed. "The fun has only just begun. There's so much more for you to watch."
"Bloodbath," He uttered and just like a snap, Alpha froze, his eyes turning blank and lifeless like a robot. Lia's heart plummeted and stomach churned in sickness when Wagnar held out a gun to Alpha. "Shoot him. Shoot Lia."
With an emotionless face and dead eyes, Alpha approached Lia and he could no longer recognise Lia. "Will, don't listen to him. Look at me, I'm–humfph ugh!!"
But it was too late. Alpha raised the gun and fired, the sound of the gunshot echoing through the office like a death knell. And as Lia crumpled to the ground, wracked with pain, he realised with a sinking feeling that he had underestimated the darkness that lurks within Wagnar's twisted mind.
His mind was spinning as he clutched at his leg, blood oozing and making him cry in pain. His vision blurred as the sound of laughter echoed around him, disparaging him for his naivety and helplessness.
"Now move back, exactly ten steps," Wagnar ordered and Alpha did exactly that. "Go and lie on that table," Wagnar instructed, gesturing to a table in the middle of the office. "Take off your clothes and lie on it."
Without being told twice, Alpha began to take off his clothes. "No! Please, don't!" Lia cried out, his voice breaking with anguish, his blood turning into ice. "Please, I'll do anything!" The thought of what was about to happen was almost too much to bear.
"Shut up!" Wagnar snarled, his face twisted with contempt. "You want to be the tamer of him? You think you can control and save him from us? Let me show you today how much he's in our control."
Lia watched in agony as Alpha stripped himself naked, but he couldn't even move with one bullet in his stomach and the other in his leg. "Stop it!" Will no! Don't do that! Listen to me! Please! Don't do this!"
Ignoring his uncontrollable cries, Wagnar waved his hand and three men began to walk towards Alpha's table. While Wagnar gripped Lia's jaw and forced him to watch as one of the men pinned Alpha's arms down.
Alpha didn't struggle or even make a noise. Another man grabbed his legs and forced them apart exposing his privates. Lia watched in horror as the third man stood between Alpha's spread legs, opened his own pants, and pulled his dick out.
Lia's eyes widened and he let out a gasp as the man pushed his dick inside Alpha, who still didn't make a sound.
"NO! " Lia screamed and wriggled wildly but he couldn't do much. His face was a mess from his ugly cries. "Will! WILL, WAKE UP! GET OUT OF THERE!"
But it was no use.
"You can control him, right?" Antonio slapped him across the face. "You're his tamer. He listens to everything you say. So, tell him to wake up from the drug we give him. Make him obey you. Haha! He will never listen to anyone but us. We have created him and he will only obey us."
"WAGNAR! STOP THIS!"
But Lia was ignored, the sound of Wagnar's laugh boomed over his cries. "Alpha, you will stay on that table until I tell you to get off. You will not move, speak, or make a sound. Do you understand?"
"Y-Yes..." Alpha's response was automatic and monotonous but his body began to tremble from the dry and painful penetration.
All Lia could do was lie down in misery and watch his boy getting broken and damaged further. The pain was excruciating, but his cries and shouts were useless. He wished he could just die at this moment instead of watching this.
He couldn't believe this was happening. This is all his fault. If only he had been stronger, more careful, and had listened to Scout's warnings, then none of this would have happened.
"STOP!" He shouted and coughed up blood. "DON'T TOUCH HIM! Wil---!" But something flashed through his eyes, and he screamed at the top of his lungs. "No! Not Will! ALPHA?! Y-Yes...Alpha! Alpha come out! I know you can hear me!" He cried out desperately, a little hope rising in his chest. "Come out and save him please!"
But his words didn't work and he watched the horrors unfold. "Alpha..." Lia sobbed, his heart breaking at the sight of his innocent Will being violated. He lowered his face and sobbed, unable to watch any longer.
Alpha..come out. Please come out. I'm sorry...save my Will...save both of you...
But then suddenly, a voice rang out loud and clear, slashing through the darkness like a ray of hope. "Fuck off of me!"
All three men went flying from the table.
Lia's eyes snapped open and he saw Will's eyes had changed colours, glowing dark, and his voice was deep and powerful. Those merciless eyes roamed around like a hunter. Those eyes could only belong to. "A-Alpha," Lia sighed in relief.
"Who gave you the permission to touch me? You motherfucking bugs--!" Alpha growled dangerously, his voice filled with danger as he glared at the men with death. The three men cowered and gulped.
"Fuck! He....he--"
Everyone in the room felt the looming danger. As they should because they all know this ruthless human weapon can not be messed with.
Alpha grabbed the men by their throats, lifting them off the ground like rag dolls.
"How did he…overpower the drug?" Antonio was terrified by the sight, thinking that he might be next but not Wagnar. His eyes were glued to Alpha, and there was no fear in them. Instead, a cruel smirk graced his face, like a snake.
"What an interesting knowledge," he let out and laughed. "Finally, you showed up."
He always knew that their drugs and experiments were working but Alpha was always able to hide it..or hide himself. And that he would do by hiding behind a second personality.
However, as Alpha was busy killing those men, Wagnar turned to Lia and pointed his gun at him. "Thank you for letting us know that he was hiding behind that weak and pathetic facade. I've always known he was more than just an ordinary subject. Now, it's time to say goodbye to you. Your good deeds will be remembered."
Lia fell unconscious after the third bullet was shot into his shoulder.
"LIA!!!"
Everything around him turned black and he heard nothing but that one voice belonged to the man whom he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.
Valery Mansion [ One week later ]
Lia's eyes fluttered open, the dull ache pulsating through his body as he struggled to sit up. His entire body was throbbing in pain. Looking around he was in his own room.
Panic engulfed him as memories of what happened flooded back, and he moved to jump out of bed, only to be stopped by Dexter's firm grip.
"What the hell, Dexter?" he attempted to break free.
Will…what happened to him? I have to leave and go to him.
But before that, he has to fight Dexter who stands before him with a solemn face. "You're not going anywhere. Be good and rest."
"Dexter, you don't know anything. I have to go-"
"I know everything."
"What?" His frown deepened as Dexter sighed in concern and frustration. "That cop. He told me everything. He also asked me to tell you that you're not involved in his mission anymore."
Eyes widened in shock, he shook his head not believing it. "It's not up to him to decide whether I'm out or not. Who does he think he is? I don't care about his stupid mission-"
"Lia?"
"I will do what I have to do to save Will."
"Lia, go back to rest while I'm being nice to you," Dexter's patience was getting thin.
Lia simply grabbed his jacket, his expression was dripping with madness. "He forced me into this mission. Now, he can't just kick me away haha. I should have just made my own plan instead of–"
His face was pushed to the side as his cheek burned by a tight slap.
"LIA! FUCKING LISTEN TO ME!" Dexter heaved as he watched Lia's hand instinctively reach to cradle the aching cheek. "You're going to get yourself killed if you keep going like this!"
Holding back a sniffle, Lia slowly brought back his gaze at Dexter who was scared seeing so much distress in Lia's eyes. "Dexter, I have to go. I have to save him. At least, you should understand me."
But Dexter's expression didn't soften. "I don't know what kind of trouble you have got yourself into. But it's going to end here. I don't even understand what mission that cop was talking about. Do you know how scared I was when he brought your blooded body to me? The doctor kept telling me for days that you were in a serious condition. I..I don't even if you..if you will ever wake up."
Lia listened to him in silence yet Dexter could see how uninterested he looked. It annoyed Dexter.
"Lydia lost her mind after Jason died, Lia. She's already determined to kill you. Don't make it harder for me than this. I cannot afford to lose you or Eve. So, I'm begging you to stop whatever dangerous thing you were doing all this time."
He cupped Lia's face and wiped the tears falling down his cheeks. He has never seen Lia so fragile and desperate. "Just what were you doing all this time, Lia? Who's that 'him' for whom you took three shots without caring about your own life."
"D-Dexter..." Lia whispered, choking back a sob. He buried his face in Dexter's chest, his body shaking as tears flowed down his cheeks. He had tried to be stronger for a long time but he couldn't take it any longer.
Dexter gently stroked his hair. It ached him to see his young master and his friend going through so much suffering. "I'm listening."
"I...I love him."
Dexter felt a lump in his throat, he gripped his shoulder to make him look up. "What?"
Lia nodded slowly, his voice trembling. "I love him, Dexter. More than anything."
"So, that's the reason you took all those bullets? Just for love?" Dexter was dumbfounded. "Are you stupid?"
"Just for love?" Lia looked into his eyes, feeling betrayed and Dexter was stunned to find that said love actually present there. But how is it possible for a person like Lia to love someone to this extent? Was he misunderstanding Lia all this time? "He gave me a reason to live, Dexter."
Dexter stared at him for a long time, too stunned to speak. Then, his eyes softened, and he shook his head. "Still, what you did was wrong? Why do you think that it's your responsibility to save everyone? To protect everyone? Lia, you have to take care of yourself first. If you die, who's gonna take care of Eve? Have you ever thought about this?"
Hearing Eve's name, he felt a bitter taste in his mouth. No matter what, Eve always comes first for Dexter and for everyone. So, you don't care if I die but I have to live just to take care of Eve?
"Lia," Dexter frowned, he could see Lia misunderstanding him. "I'm saying all this because I'm concerned about you."
Lia's eyes filled with tears again and he sighed gripping the sheets tightly. "I know and I'm thankful for you to always cleaning up my mess and taking care of me. Thank you for everything b-but...I can't do this anymore. I'm weak as well, you know," he smiled bitterly because this was his first time opening up about his feelings. He sobbed heavily. "I'm not as strong as you think of me as. If you had once…just once ever considered me instead of Eve, I-I would have appreciated your kindness. Once would have been sufficient for me, Dex. B-But you never did. You only cared about him…e-even now. I-I'm sorry but….I can't look after Eve anymore."
Dexter's baffled face, frozen eyes, and Lia's pain-filled words were like a slap in his face. He never knew Lia was feeling so neglected all this time, he wasn't aware Lia was carrying the vast anguish and hurt inside him.
"Do you know how lonely it gets in this big house when you have no one to turn to, no one to talk to, no..no one to--" Dexter's eyes burned seeing Lia crying like a child asking for love and care he never got. Dexter felt his own eyes burning in guilt.
"That person...he does all the things I have been longing for. He listens to me, comforts me, and holds me close. For the first time in my life, I felt loved and needed. For the first time, I had a person who cared for me, and made me feel like I'm worthy to live. A person who waits for me...who wanted to see me--"
"Lia..."
Lia closed his eyes and continued. "When you're in a room full of people, yet you're the loneliest person, it's a horrible feeling. But neither you nor Eve will understand that feeling. So, I don't care if I die for him, but I cannot leave him in that terrible place and watch him get tortured. I cannot, Dexter. I love him so fucking much."
Dexter was speechless, his heart constricting with guilt and regret. Lia's lips trembled as he struggled to form the words while he desperately clung to Dexter's shirt.
"Lia?"
"Three bullets, four bullets, or even ten. I'm ready to take them all," he said firmly and stood up from the bed, his body trembling badly. "I'm not asking for your permission or understanding. I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings and I'm sorry if my words were too harsh."
"Lia, listen to me!" Dexter followed him, his hand reaching out to grab him. "I'm not stopping you because I don't understand you. Lia, try to understand. I feel horrible that I was so oblivious about your feelings. And I'll even help you if you ask but it's not the right time now. That cop strictly asked me to not let you out. He was lucky enough to convince those people that you're dead and rescue you."
Lia looked at him in betrayal and shook his head hard. He had enough. "Dexter, if I stay here, they will kill Will. I have to go and save him. So, fucking move out of my way!"
"No, I will not let you!"
"FUCK OFF DEXTER!!" Lia shouted and pushed him away, his eyes blazing with a wild desperation.
"LIA?!" Dexter's gaze hardened and his jaw clenched in anger. "I don't care if you're mad at me or not, but I will not let you out of this house."
He pushed Lia inside who fell and quickly locked the door.
"LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT OF HERE DEXTER! I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU IF YOU DO THIS TO ME!" Lia punched the door repeatedly, his knuckles splitting from the force of his blows.
Dexter hearing his screaming leaned his head on the door. His voice filled with remorse, blaming himself for being selfish again. "I'm sorry but it's best for both of you...and Eve. Think about him, do you even know how sick he is? He needs...his brother at this time of life."
The room went silent.
"Dexter, open the door," Lia's voice was quiet, his voice cracking and hoarse from how much he had cried. "It's Eve we're talking about. So many love him, so many will take care of him, but Will doesn't have anyone. Who will save him if those monsters decide to get back at him for what I did? What if they did t-that to him again? It's already been days since I last saw him. Dexter, he can't go to sleep if he doesn't have me beside him. What if he thinks that I left him? Will he hate me now? What should I do? I couldn't think of anything."
He huffed while roughly pulling on his hair. He was going crazy. He tried to break the door again.
"Dexter, please let me go!" He fell on his knees, crying hard and begging. "I must be by his side! The world is too hard on him for no reason. He shouldn't be enduring all this. Please, Dexter, I beg you. Just for this time! For the sake of our friendship!"
"I-I'm sorry," Lia heard from outside and then footsteps walking away.
His eyes bulging out of his socket, he battled whether he should breathe or scream from his dry throat first. He slammed his fists aggressively against the door for a long time.
"Dexter! Please, I beg you! DEXTER! He would be so scared! He doesn't even know who they all are and why they're doing this to him!" He slid down on the floor, clutching his chest and sobbing. "HE WOULD BE SCARED WHEN H-HE WON'T FIND ME BY HIS SIDE. HE'S INNOCENT, HE DOESN'T DESERVE ALL THIS…"
He screamed and screamed for hours yet no one heard his pleas.