Damian sighs, dropping his gaze. “I’m not taking you back,” he says, his voice hardening, his eyes going glacial in a way I’ve never seen before as he lifts them slowly. “You don’t have a choice, Sophie. You can’t leave.”
That’s when it hits me.
This isn’t a misunderstanding. This isn’t a concern. This is captivity.
I swallow hard, fear crawling up my throat as I meet his gaze, my mind racing even as I force my body to go still. There was a time I would have said yes to him without hesitation. A time I would have believed every word he said was for my own good. But the man standing in front of me now feels like a stranger wearing Damian’s face.
“You really think you can just kidnap me and propose?”
Damian’s shoulders square, and his chin tilts up. “This isn’t a request, Sophie. This is what needs to be done. For your own safety. Trust me.”
Trust him?
Hah! As if I’d ever trust him again!
Except, there’s nothing in his eyes that shows me there’s even a small chance that I can talk my way out of this.
For whatever reason, Damian has to do what he’s doing right now; he’s sure of himself.
“You don’t actually believe that I can trust you,” I sneer, and Damian shrugs, turning back to the door and strolling toward it calmly.
“It doesn’t matter if you do or not, but you’re not leaving this place. You will be my wife tomorrow night.” The words are final, and the door closes behind him when he steps out. There’s a metallic click, and that’s what spurs my steps as I rush to the door, only to find that it’s locked.
He didn’t even give me a chance to protest, argue, or fight this ridiculous decision. I don’t know what’s going on and why, but then again, I don’t want to accept what I thought I saw.
Fine.
If this is a cage, I’ll play along long enough to find the door and escape. Escape this place.
And most of all, escape Damian.
Chapter 5 - Damian
“Sophie, my fated mate…” I add with a gulp as I recount the events of last night, my inner wolf murmuring under its breath in the back of my mind, reminding me of the importance of Sophie’s life and her existence in mine.
The pause is to make a mental note to come back to this specific thought, to reflect on more than just the demon’s attack last night. Luckily, everyone’s eyes are on me, like there’s a spotlight illuminating my face from where I’m seated in the council’s cabin.
“…passed out upon seeing me shifting into wolf form,” I continue. “But it was the only way to protect us both out there. The demon went after her first, as if it knew who she was, her importance to the pack.”
Elder Mortimer nods thoughtfully, fingers steepled in front of his face as she turns to my uncle. “If the demons are aware of our plans to find the fated mates of our alphas, we’ll have to be more careful next time.”
“Agreed,” Uncle Joel nods once. “Luckily, the human is here now, and we’ll just enhance safety measures around the pack territory to keep the demons out.”
“Wait…if she passed out,” Conan interjects, leaning forward with one brow arched at me, “it means that she couldn’t stand the sight of you shape-shifting, right? She’s weak. How do we know—”
My blood boils when he says this, and it rushes through my veins like fire, scorching hot enough to send my good hand slamming onto the table. The impact cuts him off, creating an eerie silence in the meeting room.
“Be careful, Conan,” I warn, pointing a finger at him. “That is my fated mate you’re speaking about, and I won’t tolerate any disrespect.”
Conan backs off, holding his hands up in surrender. I proceed with the rest of the update, even when I notice some eyes remain wary.
“The demon attacked then, and I fought it long enough to grab Sophie and run across the river, but not before getting hurt,” I say, gesturing to the arm that was injured in the fight. The demon clawed my forearm when I was in wolf form, grazing the spot that had been burned during the ritual. I’m not healing as quickly as I’d like, but I was able to cast a barrier from the river, allowing me and Sophie to get past the patrol line and into the safety of Red Moon territory.
“The demon disappeared then,” I continue, and lean back to signal I’m done explaining what happened.
Heinrich stares at me keenly. “Do you think your abilities were enhanced because of the presence of your fated mate?” he asks, to which I purse my lips in contemplation.
“Perhaps. It is a possibility, though my healing still remains stunted.”
