Chapter 5 - Damian #2
I look up as my face pales with the striking realization that my inner wolf isn’t completely satisfied. There’s still one more step before our mate bond is sealed, even if the mark she wears on her neck solidifies her position as my mate and luna.
But the anger burning like embers refusing to die remains in her eyes as a warning that I shouldn’t even be thinking that far ahead.
Her hatred for me bleeds outward in the air surrounding her, like a shield to protect her from me. I clear my throat and step back, swiping the back of my hand across my mouth and swallowing down the traces of her blood from my teeth.
The mark should have settled my wolf. Instead, it only sharpened the hunger.
My wolf has accepted the first step.
It demands the rest.
I need to blow off some steam, and when I turn to Jaimie, it’s evident that he’s noticed I’m not doing well.
He averts his eyes and lifts the relic from the podium, tucking it carefully under his robe between the layers.
“Alpha,” he bows curtly.
“You are dismissed, Jaimie,” I say, then watch as he scurries off toward his office in the corner of the chapel.
I extend a hand toward Poppy. “Ready to go home?”
She deliberately crosses her arms and tilts her head defiantly as she turns to the door. “I can walk perfectly fine.”
I nod slowly, catching the way her creamy white skin glows like molten gold beneath the light of flickering flames, the mark from my bite adorning her skin like a precious but unwanted jewel.
She walks ahead of me, lips pressed tight, and I decide not to probe or try to make conversation that will become a fight.
Every gust of wind carries her scent back to me, taunting me with how close she is while she deliberately keeps those few feet between us. My wolf wants to close the distance. To erase it completely.
I force myself to stay where I am. A safe distance.
I want to taste every inch of her, reacquaint my tongue with the sweeter tastes she has to offer.
But I can’t. I know that. If there’s one thing I can control, it’s this.
It’s the only way I can stop myself from turning into a monster.
An unforgivable monster whom I will hate even more than she will.
Once she reaches the porch of the mansion, she stops outside the door, moving to the side to allow me to unlock it.
“We made a deal,” she reminds me, and I pause, staring at the cast-iron handle in my hand.
At least she’s talking now…
“I didn’t forget,” I reply, turning slowly as I take a deep breath. She’s glaring at me now, her fury burning in her eyes.
What does she need so badly in Fort Smit?
Why is she so desperate to go back?
“I did what you wanted, Damian. Now let me return to my home.”
“This is your home,” I say, pointing at the door. “You’re going to have to accept that, Poppy.”
“I’ve already accepted this ridiculous mate bond,” she scoffs. “The deal was that if I went through with it, I’d be free to return to Fort Smit.”
I nod slowly. “You’re not doing it without me. I will take you back personally.”
“Then let’s go,” she says, brows raised.
I chuckle lightly, running a hand through my hair. “Right now? Don’t be ridiculous, Poppy. It’s late.”
“Ridiculous? I’m ridiculous?!” She rolls her eyes and laughs sarcastically. “You’re the one who kidnapped me and forced me into this. Now, you need to keep your end of the deal.”
My nostrils flare as I huff, pushing the door open and pointing inside.
“Get inside, Poppy. We’re not doing this right now.”
Poppy shakes her head, eyes blazing with fury as she remains cemented on the spot.
That’s when my wolf snaps, and I grab her wrist, pulling her closer until my head is bent to stare into her eyes.
I want to be angry because of her defiance, but it’s hard to think clearly when she’s so close, and I can feel her chest pressed up against my arm. The heaving rise and fall of her chest allows me to feel where her mounds are, and I’m so close to her face that I can conquer her lips if—
“What kind of alpha are you if you can’t keep your word?” she grates through gritted teeth, and my heart sinks.
The words land with surgical precision.
My grip on her wrist slackens for half a heartbeat before the pain curdles into anger. A surge of rage explodes from deep within, from where the pain extending to my brother resides inside me.
“What did you just say…?” I ask measuredly, a flicker of pain tightening my chest.
She’s questioning my honor as an alpha, and it hurts more than it infuriates me.
“I—”
“Damian! There you are!” My mother’s voice cuts through the palpable tension between Poppy and me like a cool blade.
“Mother,” I say as my gaze snaps to her, and I immediately release the tight grip on Poppy’s wrist. “You’re back already?”
My mother’s gaze flits between me and Poppy, then stops on me. “We didn’t see you at the celebration last night, so I decided to come home earlier than expected. I thought I’d find you here.”
Mother steps down to the porch, studying Poppy, who now has her head lowered. She spots the fresh mark on her neck, then gasps.
“Who—”
“Mother, this is—”
“Poppy Barnes…?”
When my mother says her name, Poppy looks up hesitantly. “Luna Diane,” she bows, but my mother steps forward and places her hands on Poppy’s shoulders.
“My Goddess…you have grown so beautifully, child.”
“You remember Poppy?” I ask with a frown, and Mother nods.
“I was the luna of this pack for many years, my son,” Mother smiles, not taking her eyes off Poppy. “Of course, I remember my pack members, amongst other things.”
Mother glances at me with a knowing look in her eyes, and a shiver runs through me. Was she aware of our relationship in the past?
I clear my throat before saying, “Poppy Barnes is my fated mate, Mother. I have claimed her in a private ceremony tonight.”
“So, that’s what you’ve been getting up to, huh?” Mother chuckles as she folds an arm across Poppy’s shoulders. “Welcome home, Poppy. Let me show you inside.”
My jaw drops with surprise, and it takes me a moment to realize that my mother is accepting of the mate bond because, after all, Dorian married a human.
“Oh, that won’t be necessary, Luna Diane. I can find my own way,” Poppy assures her, and it’s probably because she doesn’t want to be shown to my bedroom.
“Are you sure?” Mother asks, to which she nods. Then, Mother turns to me. “Well, I do need to speak to you, anyway.”
I rub my nape, watching carefully as Poppy heads inside, feeling unsettled because I don’t want to leave her alone.
But I have to.
It’s the only way I can calm my wolf before I do something I’ll regret later.
“I need to go for a run,” I murmur to my mother.
She touches my arm. “This will only be a minute, Damian. It’s about your brother’s pack. The corruption in Nightclaw has spread.”
I watch the front door long after Poppy disappears inside.
Every instinct tells me to follow her. To make sure she hasn’t vanished again. To convince myself she is still here.
Only when Mother clears her throat do I finally drag my eyes away.
If running is the only thing keeping the monster inside me on a leash, then I’d better start running.