Chapter 35 Damon
THIRTY-FIVE
Damon
I’ve taken on every extra shift since we officially started courting Faye.
If it means spending less time in our house that’s gradually becoming filled with her scent, I’ll take it.
Still, her scent spreads like wildfire; I can’t get away from it.
If it’s not embedded in our sofa, it’s caught in Ren’s hair or wrapped in Cole’s shirt.
It’s like a delicious but fatal smoke that lures me in. Yet if I inhale, I’ll suffocate.
“You’ve been keeping secrets, pussycat.” Rook nudges me. “Everyone’s talking about the Silverwood Pack courting, but you haven’t even told me about your omega.”
Friday is one of our busiest nights, and we’ve just finished our regular patrol of the beta blocks, where parties get pretty wild. We’ve already confiscated two bottles of absinthe and broke up three fights over nothing.
“There’s nothing to tell,” I mutter.
“Come on, pussycat!” Rook won’t drop it. “What’s she like?”
“I don’t want to talk about Faye, okay?” I snap.
“Faye,” he hums. “So that’s her name.” I glare at him, and he raises his hands. “Put away your claws, pussycat. I’m not planning on stealing your omega.”
I march ahead, hoping to run into a bunch of alpha knuckleheads to release some of my building frustration.
This is all her fault. Why did she have to come into our lives?
We were doing fine without her. Cole’s dad would have found us an arranged match.
It would have been a business arrangement—nothing more—and I’d have been happy with that, knowing I’d never lose control.
It doesn’t matter how many times the guys tell me that the Roxanna incident wasn’t my fault; I still won’t believe it.
Yes, she used Ruttcol. Yes, she specifically targeted me.
Yes, she tried to use instincts against me.
But none of that matters. None of them know how it feels to lose control or to be so close to biting a stranger.
My inner alpha is a beast, and I won’t bring that on Faye.
She’s too precious for someone damaged and broken like me.
Our boss, Orin’s, voice crackles down our radio—we use walkie-talkies to communicate around campus. I check my cell phone while Rook speaks to him.
“We’re wanted down on Bonded Beach,” Rook informs me. “The alpha football team has been spotted trying to crash a party.”
Brilliant. This is the opportunity I’ve been waiting for.
It’s unusual for there to be trouble at the beach.
Usually, we spend our nights circling between Club Knotty, the beta dorms, and the alpha quad.
In fact, in the years I’ve worked as security, this is the first call I’ve had about the beach houses.
Bonded packs don’t tend to have wild parties, and alphas rarely hang out there as they know the omegas are already claimed.
“On it,” I reply, striding to my motorcycle and jumping on. “See you there!”
“Hey, what about—”
My engine roars as I kick off and leave Rook behind me in a cloud of dust. It serves him right for asking about Faye.
The campus is abuzz with activities. I speed past a bus of packed students and a few tipsy ones who are being helped into golf carts by sober driver volunteers who escort students to and from their dorms.
As I near the lake, I get a good look at what’s unfolding.
It looks like about ten alpha football players—easily recognizable by their bright-red jerseys—have descended on a party.
From their aggressive body language, they’re facing off with a small group.
Judging by how the players are swaying, they’ve hit the punch bowl too hard.
I keep driving, pulling to a stop on the road, back from the sand.
That’s when I smell her.
Reflexively, I draw in a deep inhale.
Faye.
Everything else fades into insignificance as my protective instincts jump into gear. Unbonded alphas are here to cause trouble, so my omega is in danger. Instantly, I forget about my job and the fight that may be breaking out, only looking for her.
“Where are the rest of you?” an alpha woman with a Spanish accent storms over. “I hired extra guards to cover this party, but they’ve all disappeared!”
I barely look at her, scanning the beach. “Backup is on the way.”
When I see Kady’s white-blonde hair and Sabs and Delilah huddled together, anxiety floods my bloodstream.
Where the fuck is she?
The sun has set, the half-moon casting an ominous glow on the lake. Suddenly, the music cuts out, and drunken slurs ring through the air.
“Come on!” one football player shouts. “What’s one omega to you?”
“You’ve got plenty to go around!” another adds, sniffing the air. I can detect his arousal from here—a sickening stench of fried onions and raw meat. My eyes follow to where his finger is pointing. “What about that one?”
There she is.
Faye’s face drains of color, then she turns and runs. He takes the chase as an invitation and launches after her.
I spring into action, sprinting across the sand, not caring who I knock into or how many drinks I send flying. There’s a crash to my right that could be the barbecue toppling over, but I don’t care.
I catch up with the alpha in no time, barging into him at full force and tackling him to the ground. He lands face first in the sand, coughing.
I turn him over then raise my fist. His eyes widen in panic as I pin him in place with just one hand. However, beyond him, I see Faye. In her haste to escape, she stumbled, and I can smell her fear.
“Break it up!” Rook’s voice booms. “Any uninvited alphas must leave. Now!”
Rook has an overpowering bark, which is one reason he’s so good at his job. Even alphas outside of his pack have a hard time not complying with his orders, especially when under the influence, so the football team has no chance.
But all I can think about right now is Faye.
Leaving the coughing jock, I rush to her side. She lays in a heap on the sand, shaking.
“D-Damon?” Her bottom lip trembles. “Is that you?”
Why does she have to look at me like that? Like because I’m here, everything will be okay?
“Get up,” I growl, pulling her onto her feet.
“What’re you doing here?”
She wobbles, struggling to keep her balance. I grit my teeth and put my arm around her shoulders to steady her.
Hold it together, Damon. Hold it together.
“What’re you doing here?” I scowl. “I told you to stop putting yourself in dangerous situations!”
Her face crumples, like she’s trying not to cry, making me feel like the biggest asshole of all time.
“I didn’t know this would happen,” she whispers.
“Are you hurt?” I force a slightly calmer voice.
“N-no.” She shakes her head. “I mean, I don’t think so.”
She winces when she takes a step, so I grab her bicep, scanning her for signs of injuries. “What is it?”
“It’s nothing.” She sucks in her bottom lip, chewing on it.
“Faye.” I glower. “Don’t make me ask you again.”
“I think I may have cut my leg on a rock or something when I slipped.” She flaps her hand. “But I’ll be fine. It’s nothing.”
I drop to my knees to take a look. “It doesn’t look like nothing.
” She has a nasty gash on her shin, blood trickling down her leg.
I tear off a shred of my shirt then wrap it around her leg a few times.
Not perfect, but it’ll do for now. “I’m taking you to the clinic to get checked over. No arguments.”
She takes a few more pathetic limps. If she continues at this speed, we won’t reach the clinic by sunrise. It’s like she’s doing this on purpose. Why can’t she be more careful?
I groan. “I’m carrying you.” I scoop her up into my arms without waiting for permission. Feeling her warmth pressed against my chest is a personal form of torture.
“Are you okay, Faye?” an omega I don’t recognize runs over, flanked by Taj and Leon, members of the Princeton Pack. I’m guessing they’re bonded. I’ve met Taj and Leon before. They’re good guys but that doesn’t lessen my fury at this happening. Where was their security protocol? “I’m so sorry.”
“She cut her leg and probably needs stitches,” I snarl at them. “You should hire more security next time.”
The same alpha woman who confronted me when I first arrived overhears and steps in. “I hired extra security. They just didn’t show up.”
“Not good enough,” I growl. “My omega got hurt.”
Did I just call her my omega? Shit. This is why I’ve kept my distance. She gets under my skin.
“Damon, this isn’t Carmen’s fault,” Faye murmurs. “Don’t worry about it. It’s my fault for falling over.”
Carmen’s omega is on the brink of tears. “I knew this party was a bad idea.”
Leon wraps his arm around her shoulder. “Hey, it’s okay.”
“The party was great, Amora,” Faye says.
She’s too fucking nice. Doesn’t she realize she could have gotten seriously hurt or worse?
I saw how those football players were scenting her.
“I’ll be fine. Really. It’s just a little cut.
” Even though I’m carrying her, she snubs me by looking away pointedly. “Ignore Damon. He has no manners.”
“We’re leaving.” I shoot a death glare at Amora’s alphas. I’m done listening to this bullshit. Screw being nice. What would have happened if I didn’t get here on time?
“You didn’t have to be so rude,” Faye huffs as I carry her across the sand. “It wasn’t their fault that football players crashed the party.”
I grind my teeth together. If I argue with her, I’ll only say something I’ll regret.
“Pussycat?” Rook jogs to catch up to us. A grin widens his mouth when he sees Faye in my arms. Fuck, I’ll never hear the end of this. “You must be Faye, right? Damon and I work together. I’m Rook.”
“Hi,” Faye replies shyly. “Did you just call him pussycat?”
“No, he didn’t.” I roll my eyes while Rook cackles. Before he can do any more damage, I turn off my radio. “I’m clocking off. Tell the boss.”
“You got it, pussycat.” Rook winks. “See you around, Faye.”
I carry Faye until we reach my bike. After carefully setting her down, I hand her my spare helmet from under the seat.
“You want me to…” she gulps. “Ride this?”
“It’s the quickest way to get you to the clinic.” I put on my helmet. “Now hop on, and hold on tight.”
She looks around. “Can’t we take a golf cart?”
There aren’t any spares around. Even if there were, their maximum speed wouldn’t be quick enough. Plus, there’s no way I’m leaving my bike out here with drunk footballers on the loose.
“Helmet.” I motion to it. I don’t care whether she likes the method of transportation. All that matters is her seeing a doctor fast. “Now.”
Shoulders slumping in defeat, she puts on the helmet then hops on after me. She’s so short that her feet hover mid-air.
“You’ll be fine. Just don’t let go,” I tell her, detecting her nerves. Being reassuring is more Ren’s thing, but she’s shaking like a leaf and I’m afraid she’ll fall off if she doesn’t calm down. “I’ve got you.”
Fuck. I vowed to keep my distance from her, so how am I going to get through the rest of the night when all I want to do is keep her close?