Chapter 9 Damien
Damien
Ismell Elias on her before I even open the door.
My wolf claws under my skin, snarling with territorial fury as I turn the key in the lock with more force than necessary. The door flies open, slamming against the wall with a crack that makes both occupants of my cabin jump.
Karina sits perched on the edge of my couch. Elias sprawls in the armchair across from her, posture deceptively casual, his smile a little too familiar.
“Well, that was fast,” Elias says, rising with an easy grin that can’t quite hide the tight coil in his shoulders. He knows he’s pushing it. “Your girl here was just telling me about her life among humans. Fascinating stuff.”
“Out.” The word grates from my throat like broken glass.
Elias lifts his brows, glancing between us. “Is that any way to thank your faithful guard dog? I kept the wolves from your door, literally.”
My fingers curl, claws threatening to break skin. “I said, out.”
Karina shifts slightly, watching the standoff with wary attention. Her pulse beats fast at her throat, chest rising and falling with quickened rhythm. The sight of that delicate skin, the scent rolling off her in waves sends another surge of hunger tearing through me.
“Don’t make me drag you out,” I growl, the words meant for Elias even as my focus is pulled inexorably toward her.
“Jesus, Dom.” Elias shakes his head but moves toward the door. “Ask nicely.”
“Nicely?” I slam the door behind him with enough force to rattle the windows. The lock clicks with finality, and suddenly the cabin feels impossibly small with just the two of us inside. “Since when do I ask for anything nicely?”
Karina flinches at the violence in my tone, pressing herself deeper into the couch cushions. Her scent wraps around me like a drug, making my wolf pace frantically beneath my skin.
“You didn't have to be so rude to him. He was just keeping me company. Like you asked him to, remember?”
I move closer, unable to stop myself from prowling toward her. “Why is his scent all over you?”
Her cheeks flush pink. “We were just talking. He sat across the room the entire time.”
“Talking about what?” I stop in front of the couch, towering over her seated form. This close, her scent is overwhelming, which makes my mouth water.
“Nothing important. My job, my life...” She trails off, her attention flicking to my hands where claws have begun to edge through. “Why are you so angry?”
Because another male scent clings to you. Because I can taste your arousal in the air, and it’s driving me insane. Because every instinct I possess is screaming to claim you. Right here. Right fucking now.
“Because you’re mine,” I growl, the words ripping free before I can stop them. “And I don’t share.”
Her breath stutters at the declaration, her scent shifting.
“I’m not yours,” she manages, but the protest trembles at the edges. “And I wasn’t doing anything wrong.”
I lean down, planting my hands on either side of her against the couch, caging her in. The move brings me so close I can feel the warmth radiating from her skin, close enough to catch every shiver in the air between us.
“Your scent says otherwise, kitten.” My nostrils flare as I inhale deeply, drowning in the honeyed vanilla that's now sharp with arousal. “You're practically dripping.”
She gasps, her cheeks flushing crimson. “That's not—I can't help—”
“Can't help what? Getting wet while talking to another male?” The words taste like poison on my tongue, but I can't stop them from coming.
“It's not like that. It doesn't mean anything.”
“Doesn't mean anything?” I laugh, the sound harsh even to my own ears. “Your body responds to me. Your wolf recognizes me. And you want to tell me it doesn't mean anything?”
She shifts beneath me, her thighs pressing together in a futile attempt to ease the ache I can smell building between them. Her wolf is closer to the surface now, golden flecks dancing in her eyes as she stares up at me.
“I barely know you.” Her pulse hammers at her throat, a rapid flutter that makes my mouth water with the need to press my lips there. “This is just biology. Chemistry.”
“Then let's talk chemistry.” I lower my face until our lips are mere inches apart, drinking in her scent like the finest whiskey. “Because right now, every molecule in my body is screaming to claim you.”
Her breath hitches, the sound sending a jolt of electricity straight to my groin. “Damien...”
The way she says my name—half plea, half warning—nearly breaks my control. I pull back slightly, fighting the urge to crush my mouth against hers.
“What happened with Anselm?” she asks, clearly trying to change the subject, to diffuse the tension crackling between us.
“We aren’t finished with our current discussion, kitten.”
Her brow furrows. “Elias was protecting me, at your request, remember? That’s all.”
I let out a harsh breath, trying to cage the growl building in my chest. “My wolf doesn’t care about logic.”
“He didn’t touch me, Damien.”
“I know.” The words scrape out like gravel. “But knowing doesn’t stop the part of me that wants to rip out the throat of anyone who even looks at you too long.”
She stares at me, chest rising and falling fast. “You think that’s fair?”
“No,” I admit, voice low. “It’s instinct. Irrational. But when it comes to you, kitten…” I lean in, close enough to feel her breath tremble against my lips. “…my wolf doesn’t understand reason.”
She frowns, confusion cutting through the heat between us. “You’re acting like I did something wrong. You said I shouldn’t be alone while you met with the alpha here.”
“I know what I said.”
“Then why are you acting like I fucked your friend the second you walked out the door? I know him even less then I know you.”
“Elias might be my best friend, but he’s still a dominant male. His wolf would’ve reacted, even if he didn’t mean to. And mine…” I shake my head, forcing down the growl building in my throat. “Mine didn’t like it.”
“You’re jealous of him? Of Elias?”
I meet her gaze, no use hiding it now. “My wolf is.”
She studies me for a long moment, something like understanding flickering behind her eyes. “But he didn’t touch me, Damien. We talked. That’s it.”
“I know,” I answer, running a hand down my face. “But knowing doesn’t quiet him. He still sees Elias near you. Smelling you. Protecting you. It feels like a challenge, even when it’s not.”
Her lips curve faintly, a breath of humor slipping through the tension. “So, your wolf’s an overprotective idiot.”
A low sound rumbles in my chest—half laugh, half growl. “Yeah,” I admit. “But he’s my idiot. And right now, he’s losing his mind over you.”
She blinks, still catching up. “I don’t understand. Why does it matter what anyone thinks if nothing happened?”
“Because it’s not just about what happened,” I say, forcing my voice level.
“It’s about how they see you. How they see us.
” My wolf bristles again at the thought of Anselm, the man already circling like a vulture.
“And how little protection you have right now. It’s the only reason why I agreed to the alpha’s demands. ”
“What demands?”
I straighten, giving her space to breathe. “He won’t extend his protection unless you’re wearing my mark and he gets to meet you.”
Her face drains of color. “What does that mean?”
“It means we're fucked unless I claim you…properly.” The words taste like ash on my tongue, but they’re the truth. “As long as you're unmated, any alpha can challenge my right to you. Anselm made that clear.”
“Challenge your right?” She stands abruptly, fury flashing in her eyes. “I'm not property.”
“In our world, you are.” The admission hits like a gut punch, even to me. My wolf paces inside me, ears flat, tail low. He hates it. I hate it. But that doesn’t change the fact that it’s true. “I hate it as much as you do, but that's reality. You’re free game, and he has three available sons.”
“That's barbaric.” She backs away, her scent spiking with distress, sour and sharp, like panic and rage tangled into one.
“Yeah,” I grit out. “It is.”
She’s quiet for a beat. Then she shakes her head and spits words like a weapon, “Then I’ll leave.”
Something snaps inside me.
I move before I think, closing the space between us in two long strides. I don’t touch her. Not yet. But I make sure she feels every inch of my presence pressing down.
“The only way you’re leaving,” I say low, my words razor-sharp, “is if I’m walking beside you—or I’m dead.”
She blinks, startled. I can see her wolf stir just beneath the surface, confused, hesitant.
“You don’t get it,” I continue, softer now, but no less intense. “You’re thinking like a human. This isn’t their world. You walk out of this room unclaimed, unprotected, and you won't make it past the fucking gates.”
Her mouth opens, but I keep going.
“You're a wolf, Karina. Whether you want to be or not. You don’t get to ignore that anymore.”
Her hands are balled into fists at her sides. She’s shaking. With rage. With fear. Maybe both.
I want to touch her. Pull her close. Let her feel that she’s not alone in this. That I’m not the enemy. But I can’t do that right now, not when she’s one wrong word away from bolting.
“I’m not trying to control you,” I say, quieter now. “I’m trying to keep you alive.”
She stays silent, jaw tight, fists curled as if holding herself together by sheer will. The struggle is clear—the human in her pushing back against the pull of the wolf. But I can also feel her wolf. Stirring. Restless. Curious.
I take a breath, trying to keep the edge out of my voice.
“Your wolf wants me,” I continue. “I can smell it on you. I can feel it calling out to mine.”
“My wolf is an idiot,” she snaps, but her body betrays her. Her nipples are hard beneath her shirt, her breathing shallow and rapid.