Chapter 37 Chapter 37
ANNA'S POV
The sunlight was soft against my face as I woke up, but I didn’t want to open my eyes. My body ached in places I couldn’t name, and my mind refused to stop spinning.
Last night.
I could still remember the hall, the Alpha kings, the fear, and the humiliation I had almost suffered.
And then him.
Damon.
I remembered the way he walked into the hall with so much aura. I was incredibly gagged at the way he had walked into the hall and frozen everyone with just a look. The Alpha King who had stepped up… and Damon’s hands around his throat. How easily he had killed the man. There was no blood, and no scream, just a soft thud as he went limp.
I pressed my hands to my chest, as my heart was still racing.
Damon had killed to protect me.
And yet, I didn't think for a second… that he was dangerous.
The warmth of the bed beneath me reminded me of last night. I didn’t need to remember every detail—my body remembered for me. The heat between us, his closeness, his strength, and the way he made me feel… I had wanted him then, but we just kissed. And even now, my skin flushed thinking about it, my chest tightening.
A soft movement made me flinch.
Damon stepped into the room, his shirt half-buttoned, and his hair still messy from sleep. He leaned casually against the doorframe, watching me with that teasing, dangerous look that made my stomach flutter and my pulse pound.
“Morning love...” he teased with a slight pout.
I blinked. “M-morning.”
His gaze drifted to my arm and I joined him to look. The bandage from last night had shifted, and a thin line of red stained it. It was because the wound had opened again.
“You’re bleeding...” he said softly, but there was no anger in his voice—only that teasing, dangerous edge I could never resist.
“It’s fine...” I murmured.
He stepped closer, and the air seemed to tighten around me. “You keep saying that, and yet it’s never fine,” he said, kneeling beside me. His hands were warm as he lifted my arm gently, his fingers brushing my skin. “I have to bandage it properly again for you.”
I swallowed hard. “I don’t want—”
“You don’t have a choice, Anna...” he reminded me with a smirk, leaning closer so I could feel the heat of him. “Especially not when I’m around.”
His hands were skilled as he adjusted the bandage, smoothing it over the cut. His thumb brushed my wrist, and I shivered. The teasing in his eyes didn’t leave, but there was care there.
My stomach twisted. His words, his nearness… the memory of last night hit me again, the way he had held me, the way he had kissed me, the way I had wanted him even after… everything.
Damon's fingers lingered on my waist, brushing the small of my back, and I felt a pull I couldn’t resist. My hands twitched toward him, drawn to the strength in his chest, the warmth in his skin.
“Damon…” I whispered, breathless.
“You’re trembling,” he noticed, his voice soft but teasing. “Do you like being held like this?”
I wanted to deny it. I wanted to step back, but my body refused. I pressed closer instinctively, my cheek against his chest, my pulse racing.
“I—” I started, then shook my head. “I just—”
“You shouldn’t look so scared...” Damon suddenly teased with a smirk on his face.
I froze, his words sinking into me in a way that made my chest tighten.
Yesterday played over and over in my mind, every detail sharper than before—the way Damon had moved through that hall like he owned it, the way his hands had wrapped around that Alpha King’s throat with terrifying ease. He hadn’t hesitated, hadn’t wasted a second on doubt or mercy. One moment the man had been standing, alive, and the next… he was gone.
My stomach churned at the memory, a mix of fear, disbelief, and something darker I refused to name. How could someone be so calm while taking a life? How could he carry me out of that chaos as if I weighed nothing, while knowing exactly what he had done?
A cold clarity settled over me.
He was indeed dangerous. He wasn't just powerful, but terrifyingly so. And yet, even knowing all of this, I felt the pull—the magnetic, and infuriating draw that made my pulse race and my thoughts scatter.
I needed to understand. I needed to make sense of why he had done it, even if part of me already feared I might not like the answer.
“You…” I called out, my voice trembling,m with fear as I questioned. “why did you kill that Alpha King, Damon? Why?”
He didn’t flinch. “He was going to hurt you.”
“I don’t care!” I shot back, stepping closer, my hands shaking with anger. “That doesn’t give you the right to take a life! You could have stopped him without… without killing the man!”
For a moment, neither of us spoke. The air between us felt charged. My anger burned hot, but so did something else, something I didn’t want to name.
Damon suddenly straightened slowly, but jhir eyes darkening in that familiar, dangerous way. “You’re thinking about last night, aren’t you?”
I froze.
His words hit too close. Images of last night flooded my mind—the heat, the closeness, the way his voice had sounded against my skin.
My cheeks warmed despite myself. “I… maybe.”
He chuckled softly, that low, rough sound that always seemed to crawl under my skin. “Good, I like it when you think about me.”
I swallowed, my pulse quickening. “I… I wanted you so badly last night.” I murmured, the admission slipping out before I could stop it.
His smirk deepened, eyes glinting with satisfaction as he stared at me. “Oh trust me, I know you still do!” he replied.
My heart hammered. “Even after you killed someone—”
“Because it doesn’t change a damn thing, Anna.”
His voice was firm as he interrupted me, carrying that weight that always made my heart pound. He tilted his head slightly, eyes locked on mine, and I felt that familiar mix of challenge and dominance that always left me trembling.
“Don’t lie to me,” he continued, a teasing smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. “There’s a part of you… a small part… that liked it. There's a part of you that liked the fact I killed for you. There's a part of you that loves the fact that I’d always be the one you want no matter what.”
I wanted to argue, but my voice caught in my throat.
I couldn’t.
Because he was right.
I hated it, but I knew, deep down, that there was a small part of me… a little piece I barely admitted even to myself… that had always wanted this. I had wanted him to be that man for me—the one who didn’t hesitate, the one who didn’t think twice when I was in danger. He seemed a man who would cross lines I couldn’t even imagine crossing, all for me.
I felt my stomach tighten. My thoughts scattered. Every rational argument, every warning I had rehearsed a dozen times in my head, melted away under the pressure of his gaze.
And that teasing touch, the way he had just leaned forward as if he could read every corner of my mind… it made me weak.
More than I wanted to admit…
I hated that I was thinking about it. I hated that I wanted him. I hated that even a fraction of me craved his protection, his ferocity, and his reckless devotion.
And yet, I couldn’t look away.
“You’re impossible…” I whispered, my voice trembling more than I wanted.
He smirked, stepping closer, that familiar, infuriating grin tugging at his lips. “And you can’t even hide it...” he teased softly, his eyes dark and unreadable.
My hand rose almost without thinking, pressing against his chest. It was solid, warm, and felt dangerous. My heart thudded so hard I thought he could hear it.
“Don’t…” I tried, my voice barely a whisper as I stared at his abs, “don’t make this harder than it already is, Damon.”
His grin deepened. “Harder?” he murmured, leaning so close that I could feel the heat of his breath. “I think you’ve been making it impossible for yourself all along. You can't resist me, Anna...”
My stomach tightened, and I wanted to argue, to tell him this wasn’t safe, that it was reckless, that the world outside these walls could destroy me if I let him in… but my words failed.
He was right...
I could never resist him.
There was something that attracted me to him and I couldn't figure it out yet.
“I can’t…” I admitted, almost to myself. “I can’t stop thinking about you.”
He tilted his head, his eyes glinting, and a teasing challenge there I couldn’t ignore. “Good,” he whispered, letting his fingers graze my jaw. “Because I don’t plan on letting you forget me anytime soon.”
My breath stopped, and my hand pressed harder against his chest. “Stop,” I whispered, “stop making me feel this way, Damon.”
He leaned closer, his lips brushing mine in a tease, slow enough to drive me insane. “I could say the same,” he murmured. “But neither of us would survive if I did.”
And then, like fire, I leaned in. Our lips met in a slow, teasing kiss—not gentle, not violent, but full of fire, desire, and everything we’d been pretending to ignore. His hand slid to my waist, pulling me closer, and I didn’t resist. My body pressed against his, cheek against his chest, my heart hammering.
The world outside his quarters disappeared.
There was only him, and the pull I’d been denying for so long.
He held my gaze, that smirk still in place, and I felt my chest tighten. The way he looked at me made my breath hitch, made my thoughts spin faster than my heart could beat.
Why does he do this to me? Why does he make me feel like this? I wanted him—more than I wanted anyone ever—and the thought both thrilled and terrified me.
“You don’t know how dangerous you are, do you?” he murmured, stepping closer, his voice low, confident, and extremely daring.
I swallowed hard, my fingers instinctively pressing against his chest. “I… I’m not—”
He leaned closer, ignoring me, and letting his hand brush mine. “Not what?” he teased, his voice dropping an octave, a soft growl threading through it. “Not irresistible? Not impossible to ignore?”
My stomach twisted. Every nerve in my body screamed for him. I shouldn’t want this. I shouldn’t want him.
And yet…
“You’re… infuriating!”
He chuckled softly, a sound that made my knees weak. “And you love it,” he murmured, stepping even closer, the heat of his body against mine making it impossible to think. “Admit it, Anna. You feel it too. I‘m sure you feel the connection between us that you’ve been pretending doesn’t exist.”
I wanted to argue. I wanted to push him away, but the truth hit me harder than I expected. Yes, I wanted him. I’ve wanted him forever, and every second he’s near, I want him more.
He smirked, leaning so close that his lips hovered near mine. “You know,” he began softly, teasing, confidently as he spoke, “I could stay here all night, watching you squirm, listening to your excuses, and hearing you pretend you’re not already craving me…”
My breath caught. My hand pressed harder to his chest, as if that could somehow tether me to reality. “Stop—please…” I moaned, though my body betrayed me, leaning closer despite my words.
He tilted his head, his eyes turning dark, dangerous, and far more alive with hunger. “Or… I could just skip the teasing.” He paused, and that grin—that infuriating grin—spread slowly across his face. “And just ask what I’ve been wanting to ask since you woke up…”
My heart skipped a beat, mind spinning. No, he wouldn’t… What was he doing? What was he about to ask me?
“Can I fuck you?”
I froze.
My heart skipped a beat.