“It would help if you didn’t keep putting yourself in situations where I have to save you,” he replies, only this time, there’s a playfulness to his tone.
“Still, you didn’t have to take me to the clinic.”
“You know I did.” He shakes his shaggy, black locks.
Our eyes meet. Heated desire stirs behind his piercing green eyes, making my perfume bloom. Damon oozes sex appeal. He’s hot in an intense, brooding way that makes me wonder what he’s hiding beneath his tatts.
I take a giant mouthful of ice cream, grimacing as I’m hit with brain-freeze. At least it cools me off.
He smirks. “Hungry?”
My breath hitches when he reaches for my face. His thumb brushes my chin, lighting up every nerve ending in my body.
“Fudge sauce.” I watch his Adam’s apple work as he wipes it off then yanks his hand away as if he’s afraid that touching me for too long will cause him to burst into flames.
“Damon, I…” We haven’t properly addressed what happened. “About your past?—”
His emotional walls are up a flash, his shoulders tensing. “We don’t have to talk about it.”
“But I want to,” I say. “I know you’re afraid of hurting me, and you blame yourself for what happened with Roxanna, but it wasn’t your fault that she got hurt. You were the victim.”
“An alpha’s job is to protect omegas,” he says through gritted teeth. “I failed.”
“You protected me tonight,” I remind him. “And the first time I met you. You work in security. Surely, you’ve saved many omegas over the years? You can’t let one incident in your past dictate your entire future.”
“You don’t understand.”
I sigh. “You know, I never thought I’d find a pack.” I push my ice cream away. “I grew up afraid of alphas because of what happened to my parents. I thought most packs didn’t care about omegas, that all they wanted to do was take what they wanted. But I was wrong. You and the others have shown me that.”
“That’s different.”
“My point is, I see things differently now because I tried,” I continue, determined to get through to him. “I could have fought this whole scent match thing, but by getting to know you all, I gained a new perspective. You can’t keep punishing yourself. You’re not a monster, no matter how much you think you are.”
“You don’t know me.”
“But I’d like to.” I hope he hears the sincerity in my voice. He’s my missing piece. Without him, there is no bonding or pack. “And no matter how hard you try to hide it, I think you’d like to get to know me too.”
“You don’t know what you’re asking.” I can see fear in his gaze, a hidden vulnerability peering out from behind his tough bravado. “If I ever hurt you, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.”
“You’re not going to hurt me.”
“You can’t know that.” He presses the heels of his palms to his forehead. “I’m not like the others. I’m wild. When I get past a certain threshold, I lose control. Lose myself to my alpha instincts. It’s almost happened once before. What if it happens again and something bad happens?”
“I’m not afraid of you, Damon.”
“Are you done?” He gestures to my sundae, signaling an end to the conversation. “I should take you home.”
Not waiting for my response, he jumps to his feet, dashing my hopes that we’re finally making progress. I don’t know how many more times I can deal with his rejection. Each one feels like losing another layer of skin.
“I’ll walk back by myself.” I head away from his bike. “It’s not far. The gate to OV is over there.”
He looks pained. “Faye?—”
“It’s okay, I get it,” I cut him off. “I’ve already made a fool of myself enough tonight, and you’ve made your feelings clear. But I need you to know that this hurt you’re feeling? Well, I’m feeling it too. You’re my scent match. You know you are. If this is how it’s going to be between us, I don’t know whether I can be part of the Silverwood Pack.”
I turn my back on him and start walking when my stupid shoe gets caught in a pothole. Everything happens in slowmotion. I stumble, yet right before my face hits the ground, powerful arms wrap around my waist to catch me.
How did he get here so fast?
