Chapter 11 #2
An official show of engagement. Of course, just stating we were engaged as grounds to delay my duel with Ivy wasn’t going to fly. I blinked, somewhat overwhelmed by how quickly everything was moving.
“The sixth floor.”
Alpha Damien clicked the button, and as the doors slid shut, I caught a glimpse of Wendy down the hallway staring at Alpha Damien, an unmistakable look of horror on her face.
The door slid shut. I frowned, confused. Why was she…the elevator jerked to a violent stop, and I lost my footing. Strong arms wrapped around my waist, catching and pulling me into Alpha Damien’s warm embrace.
Sparks erupted across my skin at his touch, a subtle heat licking up the sides of my nape as I tipped my head back only to find him staring down at me with a hooded gaze. My words were difficult coming.
“What was that?”
Alpha Damien let go of me, a soft curse leaving his lips.
“I can’t believe I forgot.” He pulled out his phone from his pocket. “Maintenance is being run today.”
As if on cue, the elevator went completely dark. My breath hitched. No. No. Alpha Damien’s words over his phone call warped, coming to me in disjointed fragments. Twenty minutes. They’d get the doors open in twenty minutes. I didn’t have twenty minutes.
My back hit the metal of the elevator. The files slipped from my stiff fingers.
“Mis— Raven?”
My throat closed up, and I couldn’t breathe.
When those nightmares of my parents had faded into nothing, I’d thought myself finally free from the horrors of that night.
But now, trapped in an unfamiliar place in complete darkness, it felt like I was being smothered.
It was as though I’d never made it out of that forest.
“Raven, look at me.”
The deep, dark rumble of Alpha Damien’s voice cut through the haze of panic surrounding me, and I realized the elevator wasn’t completely dark.
The flashlight from Alpha Damien’s cell illuminated the steel walls enough that I could make out Alpha Damien crouched next to me with an uncharacteristic look of worry in his eyes.
“I need you to take a deep breath,” he said softly.
I shook my head, and a helpless sob escaped my lips as I latched onto the lapels of his suit, needing something, anything to ground me. “I… can’t.”
Alpha Damien let out an expletive curse, and then he gathered me into his arms, his coarse hands stroking down my back to my hips in comforting movements.
“Breathe, Raven,” he commanded in a tone as tender as it was firm, brooking no arguments.
Spots danced in front of my eyes. Wheezing, my mind shot with blind terror, I gave in to his dominance. I breathed deep, dragging his intoxicating scent in, and I felt the outermost edges of my panic dissipate.
“Good girl,” Alpha Damien crooned, his voice reverberating through me as I lay my head on his chest. “Now another.”
I took in another breath, his solid presence anchoring me as much as his reassuring whispers and touch.
Then another. It took me several moments to get back to myself, and when I did, I was mortified.
I sprang out of Alpha Damien’s hold, slightly alarmed at how easy it’d felt to just let go in his arms.
“I’m sorry,” I rushed to explain, my voice heavy with embarrassment. “I…It’s the darkness and the feeling of being trapped. I haven’t had a panic attack in years. I’m so sorry.”
“You have nothing to apologize for,” Alpha Damien cut in softly, his large hand covering mine. “You are strong all the time. It’s alright to need help sometimes.”
I blinked, my embarrassment replaced by surprise.
“You think I’m strong?”
The side of Alpha Damien’s lips twitched as though he was barely holding in a smile.
“Hardheaded and infuriating, too,” he added dryly.
A surprised laugh left my lips, and next to me, Alpha Damien went still, his golden gaze holding a flicker of astonishment as though even he couldn’t believe we’d just shared a joke.
“Well, you aren’t all so pleasant yourself,” I retorted, but a smile was still tugging at my lips.
“I never claimed I was,” Alpha Damien shrugged easily. “As an alpha, I have to make tough decisions for the sake of my pack. Being pleasant won’t keep my people protected.”
In a way, I completely understood his point. Being pleasant didn’t save me from being betrayed. If I had been as ruthless and shrewd as Alpha Damien, I might not have lost my inheritance. I would have questioned everything and possibly even prevented my current situation.
It occurred to me in a roundabout way that Alpha Damien might not have been as big of an asshole as I’d believed. He was just making the best of trying circumstances, like me.
“ I…I shouldn’t have lied about knowing you from that night and the baby.” I looked away, suddenly feeling embarrassed. “I guess I figured I wasn’t so memorable if you’d forgotten what I looked like so easily.”
Stating it out loud, I felt so petty and vindictive. So what if he had forgotten? It had just been a few hours and—
“I was drugged that night,” Alpha Damien said, and a jolt of shock raced through me at his words. He’d been drugged that night? Even as the thought occurred to me, I recalled the glazed over look in his eyes, his edginess, and palpable confusion.
He hadn’t forgotten me of his own volition. Alpha Damien’s hand went beneath my chin, making me meet his golden gaze, and my heart skipped a beat at the impassioned look I saw in his eyes.
“Nothing about you is unmemorable.” His voice was low, thick, and surprisingly intimate. “If I hadn’t been drugged, there’s no way I could have forgotten you.”
Unable to find any words to respond, I swallowed, my mouth suddenly feeling dry, and Alpha Damien’s gaze dipped to my lips, following the movement as my tongue ran over my lower lip.
The air between us seemed to thicken, and I barely noticed the space between Alpha Damien and me rapidly dwindling as we leaned in, inexplicably drawn into each other’s orbit.
It wasn’t hot, heavy, or frenzied like all our previous moments.
It felt light and unbelievably fragile. Alpha Damien’s hand found the back of my neck, his thumb brushing over my lower lip, leaving sparks erupting across my entire body as his other hand found my breast. A soft gasp left my lips, my eyes falling shut as his lips hovered a breath above mine and—
The elevator lights came on with a sudden jolt.
We sprang apart, the spell broken, and not a moment too soon because the very next minute, the elevator doors were sliding open, about half a dozen frazzled-looking technicians waiting.
“Mr. Blackwell, are you alright?”
I straightened, easily exiting the elevator as the staff focused on Alpha Damien. But as I walked, I felt the burn of Alpha Damien’s stare on my back, and I couldn’t help but feel like something had shifted between us.
Something substantial.