Chapter 40 #2
“That’s enough.” I move toward the door, Shadow and Ghost at my heels. “Whatever you came for, the answer is no. We’re done.”
Caleb’s hand clamps around my wrist before I reach the hallway, his fingers digging into bone. “You think you can do better than me?”
Fear and rage explode in my chest, but my voice comes out ice-cold. “Let go.”
“You were mine for over two years.” He yanks me closer. “You think I’m going to stand by while you spread your legs for the first rich prick who comes along? After you ruined my life?”
Shadow lunges with a snarl. Caleb releases me to shove him away, sending him skidding across the floor. Ghost moves to take his place in front of me, baring his teeth.
“Get out!” I shout, rage overriding fear. “Before I let these two show you what they think of men who abuse women.”
Shadow recovers, hackles raised, positioning himself between us again.
Caleb raises his hands in mock surrender, eyes cold. “We’re not finished, Luna. You might think you’ve traded up, but men like Wolfe don’t waste time with small-town vets unless they want something.”
“The only thing I want is for you to back the fuck away from Dr. Foster.”
My head whips around at the menacing voice coming from the hallway. Damien’s massive form fills the doorway. His normally composed features are tight with controlled fury, eyes locked on Caleb with lethal intensity.
The air in the room drops ten degrees.
“This is a private conversation.” Caleb straightens to his full height, but he’s still half a foot shorter than Damien.
“Not anymore.” Damien steps inside the kitchen. He looks from Caleb to me, his gaze softening. “Are you alright, Luna?”
“I’m fine.” But my voice trembles, giving me away.
Damien nods once, then turns back to Caleb. “You’re leaving now.”
“Who the hell do you think you are?”
“Someone who respects restraining orders. And someone who doesn’t appreciate men who put their hands on women.”
Caleb’s face flushes. “You don’t know what you’re talking about—”
“Multiple domestic violence charges. Two dropped by previous girlfriends after mysterious settlements. One restraining order filed by Dr. Foster after you put her in the hospital with three broken ribs.”
My breath catches. How does he know those details? Aside from Maren, Karen is the only other person I told about the hospital when I filed the restraining order.
“Who the fuck do you think you are, investigating me?”
“I make it my business to know about potential threats in my vicinity.” Damien takes another step forward. Despite his impeccable clothes and composed demeanor, there’s something savage in his stance.
For a moment, I see a flash of something else. The dark silhouette of my masked wolf superimposed over Damien’s features. The resemblance is so striking, I gasp aloud. Same height, same powerful shoulders, same effortless authority.
It can’t be.
It’s just my mind playing tricks, associating two intense men in my life.
“You have thirty seconds to get off this property before I show you what happens to men who don’t understand boundaries.”
Violence hums beneath every syllable, and Caleb’s bravado cracks.
“This isn’t over.” Caleb backs toward the door. “She’ll get tired of you, too. That’s the bitch’s pattern.”
Damien strikes like a snake, faster than my eyes can track. Between one heartbeat and the next, Caleb is pinned against the wall, Damien’s fingers wrapped around his throat.
“The next time you come near her, they won’t find enough of you to identify.”
Those cold, calculated words send ice down my spine. This isn’t empty male posturing. It’s a promise delivered with the certainty of someone who knows how to fulfill it.
Caleb’s face pales as Damien releases him. He stumbles toward the door, casting one last venomous glance before disappearing into the night.
Silence falls between us as Damien turns to face me. His expression shifts, the deadly look fading from his face, replaced by the sophisticated businessman I’m familiar with. But I’ve seen what lies beneath, and the revelation both excites and terrifies me.
“I apologize for just walking in unannounced.” He straightens the sweater beneath his open jacket. “I arrived early and heard raised voices.”
I search his face, looking for any trace of the violence I just witnessed. The savage thing that pinned Caleb to the wall. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“Yes, I did.”
Shadow approaches Damien, pressing his head against the man’s hand. The gesture is immediate and trusting, and Damien scratches the top of his head. Ghost stays pressed against my leg, watching from a distance.
“Thank you.” My lips tilt upward, and the tension melts from my shoulders. “For stepping in.”
Damien’s gaze softens, though the dangerous edge remains. “No one should speak to you that way. Or touch you without permission.”
I turn away, needing a moment. I move back toward the counter and toss the flowers in the trash. “Dinner is ready. I hope you still have an appetite.”
“Starving, actually.” He holds up a bottle of wine I missed before. “How about I pour?”
I hand him a corkscrew, and he opens the bottle as I grab some glasses. He’s watching me with an intensity that sends heat blooming low in my belly. Exactly like how my wolf looks at me. Like I’m prey, he’s finally cornered.
Then he smiles, genuine and warm, and I dismiss the wild theory forming. My imagination is running away with me, creating connections where none exist.
Still, as I hand him the glasses and turn to the oven, a whisper of suspicion lingers, too persistent to dismiss.