The Alpha’s Contract (Contract by Alpha’s #3)

Chapter 0150

Damien

As I resumed my position outside Neah’s bedroom door after checking on her, I noticed Raven was already gone.

I never should have kissed her. No matter how incredible she tasted, I had let my guard down. I couldn’t bring myself to reject her—not yet. Maybe I didn’t truly want to. But sooner or later, she would come to hate me.

Footsteps on the stairs pulled me from my thoughts. Mallory approached her expression tight before shifting into a tentative smile.

"Do you think she’ll talk to me if you're here?" she asked, casting a hopeful glance at the door.

"Mallory, we’ve been over this," I sighed.

"Damien, I have to try."

"Nothing has changed," I reminded her. I wanted Neah to listen, but it had to be on her terms. I had learned that much about her. "And right now, she’s not in the mood. If you go in there, she’ll probably tear you apart on sight."

"Oh," Mallory muttered, leaning against the wall beside me. "Then how am I supposed to get her to listen?"

"You don’t. You keep your head down. You follow every order given to you. You show respect to everyone here. And maybe—just maybe—she’ll recognize that you’re trying. But right now, she’s pregnant. If she senses even a hint of a threat, it’ll be over for you."

Mallory let out a weary sigh.

"I told you this wouldn’t be easy. Do you think you have trust issues? The Alpha’s ability to trust is on an entirely different level."

She frowned. "She trusts you."

"No, she doesn’t."

"Then why are you guarding her?"

"Because I want her to believe I mean what I say."

Mallory rolled her eyes. We had always seen the world differently. She expected people to accept her as she was. I had always known I had to earn my place. Human or not.

"You know as well as I do that her suffering didn’t end after you almost killed her," I added.

Mallory stiffened. "Right."

She bobbed her head, quickly shifting the subject. "I still can’t believe you told them the truth about him being your brother."

She hated speaking openly about her past, so I didn’t push.

"If I want to stay here, I have to be honest with them."

"But you wouldn’t have told them if he hadn’t shown up, would you? And you haven’t told them everything." Her gaze sharpened. "You won’t be able to keep that secret forever. They’ll figure it out."

She knew me too well. But I also knew she wouldn’t say a word.

I hadn’t liked Mallory when I first met her. But when two people go through the same hell, it’s impossible not to form a bond. Now, I couldn’t imagine life without her. She had pulled me through the worst of it—more than her share of suffering alongside the other Rogues.

She gave me a small, sad smile. "You fit right in here. Who would’ve thought you’d take to pack life?"

"You just needed time," I reminded her. "Wasn’t that the first thing you told me when I found you?"

Mallory nodded. "True."

"Go back to the house. No point standing here with me."

"See you later?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"At least you and Jess like me," she muttered before turning away.

I watched her disappear down the stairs, leaving me alone once again. My thoughts drifted to Raven—how she hadn’t flinched, hadn’t backed down from me. There was no fear in her eyes, only anger and frustration. Even when I had pushed her against the wall, it was as if she had expected it.

A sudden shout shattered my thoughts.

"Damien!"

Eric, Dane’s Beta, came sprinting up the stairs, breathless.

"Dane needs you," he panted.

"Why?"

He shot a glance at Neah’s door, lowering his voice.

"It’s here. In the hospital. With Raven."