Chapter 26 CAN'T LOSE HER
DAMIEN’S POV
“… Do you have a problem with me mating with Amber?” He asks, and my frown deepens.
“She wouldn’t like that,” I say, completely against his instruction.
She shouldn’t have to be subjected to such treatment just for his good. It annoys me that Derek keeps treating her as a tool for his comfort and satisfaction, rather than the queen and partner she is.
“That’s why I’m instructing you to make her like it,” he says coolly, and I marvel at how selfish his reasoning is.
“I can’t make her sleep with you, Derek,” I state, this time fiercer.
“You don’t have to, I’ll handle that part, your job is to make her say yes to this,” he says, still with a nonchalant tone as though we are talking about an object and not his mate.
The fact that we are having an argument on convincing his mate to have sex with him is the exact reason this is insane.
“What’s the point of taking her out to taste a little freedom and be happy just to put her in a bad mood?” I ask him, now annoyed that it’s this hard to drive any logical reasoning into him.
For days, I’ve been trying to get him riled up and see the wonderful person he is passing up on. I’ve been trying to let him see that she is beyond perfect for him; in fact, he probably doesn’t even deserve someone as perfect as she is.
She is fierce and compassionate, smart and reserved, gentle but outspoken. The perfect qualities of a Luna, and I’ve only started getting to know her.
It’s like stabs in my heart when, for brief moments, I see her zone out and sadness fills her eyes as she thinks about him.
He shouldn’t let her feel pain or sadness in the slightest; it’s his responsibility to cater to her heart, her spirit, and her soul, and yet he’s letting her wither.
“Watch your tone, Damien, you seem to have forgotten where your loyalty lies. This isn’t a request, it’s an order!” He says, and his eyes glow as he watches me with a clear death threat in his eyes.
My wolf acknowledges his superiority as alpha and submits as I bow my head in respect. “Okay, I’ll talk to her. I can’t promise anything, though, but I’ll try,” I say, resigning to obey him.
It’s not like I have a choice to defy an alpha heir.
“Do your best and report to me once you return,” he says, effectively dismissing me as he turns away, walking to his table.
I step out of the office, shutting the door behind me as I clench my teeth, feeling my annoyance return.
He becomes unrecognizable with everything about his mate. His usual consideration and empathy seem to flee whenever Amber’s name is brought up.
My annoyance dwells while I walk back into the garden, but it immediately disappears when I spot Amber, crunched down and inhaling a flower.
She moans in delight, and my insides fizzle in awe of her radiance.
I don’t know how long I stand in the same spot staring at her, moving from one flower to the next, but I only snap back to the present when her eyes find mine, and she smiles at me.
“These are really beautiful,” she says with a light smile, pointing to the flower patch, but suddenly stands up as though remembering something and makes her way to me.
“Princess, you’ve got mud on your thigh,” I say, after carefully running my eyes over her figure, amused by the amount of mud she has on her and the simple farm girl look it gives her.
I really like this short.
“Are you okay? Did he hit you?” she asks, her voice sounding a mix of sympathy and worry, while she gestures with her hand for me to bend low a bit so she can properly access my face.
“What do you think, Princess?” I say, bending to her height, and she cups my cheeks with her palms.
For the umpteenth time, the effect of her touch amazes me. I feel an instant sense of comfort and calmness once I feel her hands on me, one that has me closing my eyes while she begins her inspection.
“He shouldn’t have hit you,” she says, her voice somber, and I smile in response, loving every second of her undivided attention.
“What’s two bleeding noses to not risk for a chance to feel your touch on me?” I ask, masking my seriousness with a playful tone before opening my eyes to watch her reaction.
“I don’t like it when you get hurt,” she says with a quiet tone, and I place my palm over her hand on my cheek before saying my next words.
“I don’t like it when I get hurt either, I’m far too special for that. Imagine an almighty beta getting beat, that’s a travesty,” I joke, and she laughs, rolling her eyes before taking her free hand to hit me on the chest.
“I wasn’t even playing,” she says, playfully glaring at me, and I laugh, silly at how adorable she looks right now. She tries to move away, but I tighten my hold on her, one hand on her cheeks and the other on my chest.
“Can I take you out, Princess?” I ask her, masking my tone to sound less nervous than I feel. She lifts an eyebrow in confusion at me.
“Out?” she asks. “Where?” she asks curiously.
“Out of here. I’ll take you to all the nice places I know of in the pack. You’ll get a break from all of this. You’ll have one day where you can simply have fun without worrying about how cold your prison is,” I say, persuasively.
“You mean you want to take me out of the pack house for today?” she asks, her tone holding underlying excitement, though gratitude is on the tip of her tongue.
“Yes, Princess, if only you agree to it,” I say coolly, and her smile widens.
“Oh my God! You aren't joking, are you? Because I’ll never speak to you again,” she asks, beginning to sound frantic.
“I’m not joking, Princess, and if you say yes, we can go right now,” I say, watching her beautiful grey eyes light up in excitement within seconds.
“Yes!” she squeals before throwing herself on me and hugging me tightly.
“I haven’t taken you out yet, and I’m already getting a hug. When I officially impress you, I expect a full body massage,” I say jokingly, and she laughs.
“I have to clean up and get changed, give me twenty minutes,” she says, still in a bubble of excitement, before walking away from me speedily to her room.
Once she’s gone and I’m alone in the garden, worry and guilt settle within me.
There’s no nice way to tell her that she needs to have sex with Derek as an alternative because he doesn’t trust her enough to mark her.
How do I tell her that her mate, who has been nothing but cruel to her since he found out her identity, justifying his actions based on loyalty and duty to his pack and family, wants her to have sex with him?
How do I tell her this without losing her?
‘Hey Princess, Derek told me to ask you to warm his bed before the induction ceremony on the blood moon night, so that he can be a true alpha at peak strength. I promise he isn’t being a selfish prick, he genuinely has good intentions and wants to connect with you more before marking you, don’t you agree?’
Complete bullshit!
A DATE TO REMEMBER