Chapter 7 - Damian
My eyes fall to my arm, my jaw slack with shock as I stare at what was a gruesome injury from the demon attack the other night.
I lift my hand to touch the rubbery scar, frowning at the texture, because I've only witnessed such quick healing during the height of my reign as the alpha of Red Moon, before the demons began attacking us.
With the increase in attacks came the dampening of our powers, along with the stunting of our quick healing abilities.
I just witnessed magic when Sophie touched me, as if confirming that fated mates are the key to regaining our powers. But there is still a lot of uncertainty, doubt that a human could be the key to me becoming strong again and enhancing our water-wielding abilities.
But then again, is it a far-fetched notion when it's not the first time Sophie has seemingly healed me?
Back when I woke up in the hospital after nearly losing my leg, it was Sophie's face I saw first, Sophie who cared for me and nursed me back to good health. I was able to walk again, able to function as if the demon strike that sent me to the hospital never happened at all.
What if she healed me back then, without knowing that she was my fated mate? What if the bond kicked in back then, even when I thought I was only falling for her under the guise of a fantasy I could never obtain?
The council…
The council needs to hear about this. They need to see that, despite Sophie being human, and without consummating the fated mate bond, I was still able to heal.
While I'm in shock, Sophie is too spooked to speak to me right now. I saw it in her eyes, fear written across her face.
She just witnessed my wolf power surging enough to turn her eyes red, as if she responded to my inner wolf. She needs space.
It's the least I can give her for now.
***
“My injury healed,” I say as I gesture to my arm.
“I think my wolf is getting stronger again, and that means a resurgence of my power.
I even tested it out at the lake, and it's looking pretty good,” I continue, pride filling my chest, because even if she doesn't know it yet, Sophie and I have proved the skeptics wrong.
“It doesn't change the fact that you've dragged a human into pack politics,” Conan grouches with a lowly snarl. “Do you really think it's a coincidence the demons were sighted down south? They're hunting your little human bride, and that puts us all in danger.”
Glaring at the dark-haired alpha through narrowed eyes, I retort, “Which is all the more reason to have brought her here, where Red Moon can keep her safe.”
“Silver Stone stands with you, Alpha Damian,” Heinrich declares. “If there's anything we've learned through all of this, it's that the theory is true.”
“There's something else,” Amos chimes in, raising his hand for a chance to speak. He's granted permission by Uncle Joel with a curt nod.
“We've been doing more digging, and it's actually no coincidence that demons were sighted in the south,” Amos says, glancing at his assistant and the rest of the research team who'd joined us for the meeting. “The Ashclaw Pack wielded fire—the only thing that could kill a demon.”
“That's why they were wiped out…” I murmur thoughtfully, and Amos agrees with a nod.
“Precisely. And we found something else.” His assistant hands him a box, which he opens up, then lifts out a single firewheel flower. “This is from the south. It's like the ground is awakening.”
“The land out there has been dormant for as long as we've been researching the area,” another member of the research team adds. “No sign of life, until now.”
“It's like the earth is responding to fire-magic awakening,” Amos's assistant says.
“That's impossible. There were no survivors of the Ashclaw Pack,” Elder Bernard dismisses.
“Perhaps the land is responding to the enemy,” Elder Mortimer offers.
Uncle Joel nods. “Or the remains of Ashclaw strewn across their land. Their ancestors are giving us a warning.”
Amos returns the bright red flower to the box. “We will continue doing research and figure out what this means.”
While the meeting wraps up, my mind wanders to Sophie, and the way her eyes changed color when she touched me and felt the surge of healing. Perhaps humans can respond in ways only werewolves can if they're a werewolf's fated mate.
Wondering what’s going through Sophie's mind, I head back home after the meeting, only to spot her in the kitchen through the window.
I slow down, putting myself at risk of appearing like a creep watching her move around.
But seeing her after nearly the whole day, coupled with the two years lying between us like an elephant in the room, I can't help myself.
She vigorously scrubs a plate clean with a sponge before chugging a glass of water in one go, spilling some on her chest. It's like she doesn't care. It's like she's trying to distract herself.
It's like she's refusing to accept that there's anything between us after all this time, ormaybe she just has a lot going through her mind after everything. If it’s space she needs, she’s doing a fine job of avoiding anything else that might be heavy, like our mate bond.
Does she really not remember how I shifted in front of her, or is she still in denial?
She's stubborn, I'll give her that.
But she's also the prettiest creature I've ever laid eyes on as she messily bites into a sandwich, with ketchup running out from the corners of her mouth.
My chest pulls tight with an aching desire that awakened the moment I laid eyes on her the other night. I can't believe that I'd been so cruel to her, my only excuse being my determination to protect her after nearly losing her to a demon.
I lost her once to my own demons; I wasn't willing to lose her a second time to physical ones.
She's right here, where I can keep her safe, and it's about time we addressed the elephant between us.
As soon as I walk through the front door, Sophie stops chewing, slowly putting her sandwich down. She gulps before she rises to her feet, picking up her plate as if she's about to run. Again.
“Wait, Sophie,” I say, my voice firm as it bounces off the walls. I'm not sure if it's fear that stops her, or if she's genuinely interested in hearing me out, but I'd hate to think she's afraid of me.
She takes a deep breath as she sets her plate down with calculated precision. “What is it, Damian?”
Pursing my lips, I cautiously make my way toward her, careful not to startle her with any sudden movement. When she doesn't move, doesn't flinch, and barely bats an eyelid as she stares ahead at the fireplace, I take it as a cue to stop with a meter between us.
“We need to talk.”
“There's nothing to talk about.”
“There's…a lot.”
Sophie shrugs as she picks up her plate again. “I don't want to talk.”
She's about to walk out from around the table when I plant myself in front of her, standing there like a brick wall that won't move no matter what she says.
“What are you doing, Damian?” she asks without lifting her eyes, refusing to meet mine.
“I'm not moving until we talk.”
“So, now you're forcing me to talk?” she scoffs bitterly. “Was forcing me to marry you not enough?”
“Hmph! I'm not forcing you to talk, Sophie,” I sigh in frustration. “There are things you don't know, perhaps you refuse to accept, and it's about damn time you heard what they are.”
This prompts her to look up and meet my eyes, confusion and caution etched onto her face, her brows furrowed. “I'm listening….”
Relief washes over me, and I continue speaking. “I meant it when I said I'm protecting you. You said you didn't remember, but I think you do.”
Sophie gulps, her hands trembling on the plate. I move in swiftly to the plate from her, my fingers brushing her knuckles in a way that ignites a raging fire deep within my chest.
She feels it, too, I'm sure of it, because she gasps, her eyes flashing with a glint of recognition, the small gold flecks in the brown depths lighting up from the touch.
“I don't remember,” she whispers, but I shake my head slowly as I set the plate down on the table beside her.
“Stop lying to yourself, Soph,” I encourage softly, my voice dropping a decibel lower, my head tilting in an almost-bow, but high enough to stare at her through my lashes.
This close, I can hear the way she breathes, catch the inclining rate of her heartbeat, and feel her sweet scent filling my airways. It's intoxicating, but at the same time, it makes me internally chastise myself for ever being cruel to her.
“What you're refusing to believe, it's true. And I apologize for forcing you here and locking you up like a hostage, and forcing you to marry me. The beast inside me couldn't see you in danger. I did the only thing I could to protect you.”
“The b-beast…?” Sophie stammers, her bottom lip quivering.
As I nod slowly, my mind snaps open, communication from the mind link I share with my pack members as a message coming through.
“Alpha! There's a breach on the border! Demon! West of Red Moon!”
The volatile moment is lost when I hear the panic in my delta's voice.
“I'm on my way!” I respond, snapping out of the mind link and looking at Sophie, who appears stunned as she stares at my face.
She must have witnessed my eyes shifting in intensity when the telepathic message came through.
I place both my hands on her shoulders, feeling a surge of energy rush through my pain.
I don't mean to siphon energy from her, or drain her in any way, but whatever happens magically between us, because of the fated mate bond, is what I needed to strengthen my resolve.
It flows through my veins like red-hot adrenaline, and Sophie gasps as if she feels it, too.
“I have to go,” I tell her. “My sol—my friends are calling me.” I correct, not wanting to overwhelm her with too much information. Not yet.
“H-how…?”
“It will all make sense soon, Sophie,” I assure her. “I promise.”