I huff irritably. “Still, you forced me into marrying you, because that’s what you had to do, right? To appease this council of yours, and to keep your pack safe. I know all about the ritual, about why the valley is dying, and marrying me was the only way you could save them.”
“Do you really believe that’s the only reason I did it?” Damian runs a hand through his hair, eyes glowering with frustration. “I planned on coming back and speaking to you, and telling you exactly who I am—whatI am—and giving you a choice. But that choice was stripped from both of us the second the demon came after you. And you were so stubborn. Like you’re being now.”
“I’m not being stubborn, and I don’t believe you!” I snap, throwing my arms up defeatedly. “You left me for two years, Damian! You don’t really believe that you could have waltzed in and made everything right again?”
“You think I’m lying?” he asks, taking a step forward, and I’m suddenly consumed by his presence, his scent, the warmth of his body surrounding me.
“Y-yes, you’re lying,” my voice cracks, and so does my resolve.
And when he does the unthinkable by grabbing my wrist and pressing my hand to his chest, I gasp.
“Look into my eyes and tell me you still think I’m lying,” he says measuredly while his heart races, my palm surging with heat and tingles as I cup his heartbeat, gauging the way the unsteady pace matches my own.
I gulp as I meet his eyes again, and that’s when everything comes crashing down—all the walls I’d built to keep my heart protected, all the anger I’ve been holding on to like it was my armor.
Something inside me shifts, or takes over me, and I’m pulled closer toward him as he leans in. My heart was racing because of anger, but now it’s racing because of how close he is.
“I’m not lying to you, Sophie,” he whispers, his hot breath fanning my face. “Perhaps I was too much of a coward in the past because I thought I was protecting you by leaving, but I never lied to you.”
“I can’t trust you, Damian…”
“Then trust yourself,” he says as he leans in further. “What is the bond telling you? Surely you can feel it.”
I swallow hard, only because I know exactly what he means, and there’s no denying it, even if I try. I’m not even a wolf, and I know that something beyond my comprehension is pulling me closer, like a magnet drawing me toward him, while a knot coils in the pit of my belly, full of awareness.
I don’t know which one of us moves first, but our lips meet with desperation that has me throwing caution out every window of this cabin and losing myself in Damian’s arms. I might regret this later, but for now, his lips feel right against mine, his tongue diving into the cavity of my mouth with authority that commands my body to melt against him. His hands are in my hair, pulling me closer, strong thighs pressed against my supple frame to keep me steady like an anchor.
Memories of our past come rushing in—all those memories I tried so hard to bury—and a surge of emotion rushes through me, overpowering my desire for him. I break the kiss abruptly, pushing at his chest, but it’s just in time for his eyes to do that thing where they turn blank, almost as if his vision is turning inward, and he doesn’t move, doesn’t breathe, just stands there for a few moments while I’m still reeling from the kiss.
My lips still tingle by the time he snaps out of it, his eyes returning their focus on me, but with a glint of panic.
“A report just came in about a demon sighting in the south of the valley,” he says with urgency in his voice before he gulps.
Dianna explained what the mind link is and how the werewolves communicate telepathically with each other, so I simply nod.
“You should go.”
Damian nods, pausing only for a few seconds to stare into my eyes before he rushes off, out of the cabin, and into the cold night air that seems to swallow him up, and it leaves a gaping hole in my chest.
A trembling hand comes up to my lips, where I can still taste him from the kiss, and tears fall from my eyes as my heart erupts in turmoil.
I just kissed Damian Hans after two years, and the kiss was everything I dreamed it would be, a reacquaintance with the lips of the man I love. Except, it was more intense than I could have imagined, and my body physically aches because of his absence. I hate myself for wanting him so much, even though I hate him, and I never thought that both things could be true at the same time.
Chapter 11 - Damian
I’m trying to stay focused, but all I can think about is that kiss, and how Sophie’s body felt against mine, or how her lips tasted like a sweet fruit dripping with nourishing essence.
“Damian!”
James’s voice snaps me into the moment, and I turn at the border of Red Moon territory.
“What are you doing, James?! Go back home!” I command, but the beta shakes his head as he joins me at the front line of our army.
“I have had enough time to rest. I am fighting with you, Alpha,” he declares firmly, standing beside me with squared shoulders and curled fists.
He almost got killed the last time he was so adamant, but there’s no stopping the beta. He’s as determined as I am to be on the frontlines in these fights, and I admire his courage.
Perhaps I need some of it to take the edge off of what I’m going through after what happened with Sophie.
