DAMIEN
As her lips crashed against mine, a jolt of surprise shot through me, momentarily stunning my senses. Her desperation was palpable, her kiss frantic and fervent, but it wasn’t the taste of her lips that overwhelmed me. It was the sudden rush of warmth, of life, that surged through me, drowning out the hunger that had threatened to consume me.
Swiftly, almost instinctively, I pushed her away, breaking the kiss with a forceful shove. As I pulled back, I felt a cold mask settle over my features, my gaze hardening as I met her eyes.
“Don’t ever do that again,” I warned, my voice cold and authoritative. “You have no idea what you’re playing with.”
She recoiled at my sudden change in demeanour, her eyes widening in confusion and perhaps a hint of fear.
“I-I’m sorry,” she stammered, her voice tinged with confusion and embarrassment. “I don’t know what came over me. I just… I had to stop you.”
I shook my head, the memory of her lips against mine still lingering like a phantom touch. “It doesn’t matter-” Before I could continue, a subtle shift in the air caught my attention. It was Ralph’s scent. Instinctively, I turned, and there he stood in the doorway, his presence ominous and foreboding.
His eyes bore into mine with a murderous intensity, his fists clenched at his sides as he glared at me, his anger simmering just beneath the surface.
For a moment, neither of us moved, locked in a silent standoff as the weight of his gaze bore down upon me. But then, with a swift motion, he stepped forward, his every movement calculated and deliberate.
“I knew it,” he snarled, his voice dripping with venom as he advanced toward us. “I knew you were up to something, you filthy bloodsucker.”
Before I could respond, his mate stepped forward, a futile shield between us, her voice trembling as she attempted to defuse the tension. “It’s not what you think,” she pleaded, but Ralph’s focus remained fixed on me, his anger a palpable force.
“Please, Ralph, not here,” she implored, her voice laced with urgency.
His attention flickered momentarily to her, then back to me. “Since you’ll be ahead of me, let’s meet up and talk,” he growled before grabbing his mate’s hand and storming out.
Just not long before they left, his mate barged in back frantically, calling her friend’s name. She dashed past me, throwing me a quick glance before taking her friend with her, leaving in haste. As they disappeared, my eyes caught a glimpse of a trail of blood on her friend’s hand, igniting my thirst. Damn it, this drives me crazy. How did I end up in this mess? I grumbled as I raked through my hair. With scarcely a second thought, I turned to her friend’s freak husband on the floor, seizing his unsuspecting form up and sank my fangs deep into his neck.
As I drank deeply from his veins, the intoxicating rush of his life force flooded my senses, momentarily quelling the relentless thirst that gnawed at my insides. Yet, beneath the surface, an unidentifiable void lingered, a hunger that remained unsated despite the crimson stream flowing into me.
With each swallow, the void seemed to deepen, a hollow ache echoing within me, leaving me unsettled and restless. I couldn’t discern its origin, couldn’t fathom why this insatiable thirst persisted even as I fed.
With a disdainful sneer, I hurled him onto the couch, his face drained of colour.
Frustration welled within me as I paced the room, grappling with the inexplicable emptiness that haunted me. It was a torment, a reminder of the insatiable hunger that defined my existence, a hunger that no amount of blood could satiate.
Frustrated, I approached the freak’s limp form sprawled across the couch. With a deft motion, I reached out, my fingers curling around the edges of his eyelids. I pulled them apart, revealing the vacant stare of his unconsciousness. Whispers of incantations danced on the edge of my consciousness as I wove the threads of magic, erasing unwanted memories and crafting new ones to my liking.
Satisfied that he won’t be a problem, I cloaked myself in the veil of my powers and vanished, reappearing near Ralph’s territory.
***
A while later, he emerged from the forest, hurtling towards me with the speed of a storm. His transformation back to human form was abrupt, yet his eyes retained the ferocity of the wild. I braced myself, ready for whatever storm he brought with him. His fists clenched in fury as he lunged forward, but I anticipated his attack, effortlessly sidestepping his blow, allowing his momentum to carry him past me.
“Cool it, big boy,” I said, my voice calm yet firm. “There’s no need for violence. I’m not in the mood for a fight.”
He spun around, his eyes still smouldering with anger before gradually cooling down.
“Stay away from my mate, Damien. She’s mine alone,” he growled, his voice carrying a warning.
I couldn’t help but chuckle in disbelief. “Are you kidding me right now?” I questioned, taking a few measured steps forward. “Is that how wolves treat their mates?” His response was a lethal glare, but I pressed on.
“Avoiding your mate was my intention all along. But witnessing your actions made me reconsider.” I paused, letting the weight of my words sink in. “I saw how ruthless you were back there. It showed me it wasn’t your first time hurting her. And it won’t be the last, will it?”
He brushed back his dishevelled hair, clearly unsettled by my words. “What the hell are you insinuating?” he spat out.
I held his gaze steadily. “I’m insinuating that your behaviour is unacceptable. And it won’t be tolerated now that she has my mark on her.”
“Your mark?” he scoffed, his voice laced with disbelief. “You think that changes anything? She’s mine, Damien. No amount of your twisted magic or delusions of ownership will change that.”
I shook my head, a wry smile tugging at the corners of my lips. “You misunderstand, Ralph. My mark isn’t about ownership. It’s about protection. Something she clearly needs.”
His jaw clenched, his fists tightening at his sides as he struggled to maintain his composure.
“You’re playing a dangerous game, Damien,” he warned, his tone a barely contained growl. “If you think for one moment that you can come between us-”
“I’m not trying to come between you,” I interjected, cutting off his threat with a steely resolve. “I’m trying to help her. I want to make sure she’s safe from you and every other wol-” Before I could finish my sentence, he seized me by the collar, his grip like a vice as he yanked me backward, teeth clenched in fury.
“I can and will protect my mate. Whatever happens, it’s none of your business,” he spat out. “Are you doing this because you still think I am your wife’s murderer? How many times do I have to tell you it wasn’t me?”
I snarled, my fangs bared as I grabbed him by the neck, his naked form offering little resistance as I dragged him backwards, a sneer curling my lips. “I fucking know that already. So get her out of your mouth.”
Same to you, he snarled, and with a powerful shove, he sent me crashing backward, the force of his blow knocking the breath from my lungs as I hit the ground hard.
Before I could recover, he was already in his wolf form and upon me, his massive jaws snapping shut just inches from my neck. With a grunt of effort, I twisted to the side, narrowly avoiding his lethal bite as I scrambled to regain my footing.
The clearing erupted into chaos as our battle raged on, a symphony of snarls and growls filling the night air. Ralph’s sheer strength was formidable, his every movement calculated and precise as he sought to overpower me. But I was no stranger to combat. I launched myself at him, my fangs searing through the air as I aimed for his vulnerable spots.
Our clash was brutal and unforgiving, each blow fueled by a primal rage that seemed to consume us both. We circled each other, locked in a deadly dance of predator and prey, neither willing to back down in the face of the other’s ferocity.
Before either of us could make another move, a voice shattered the tense silence, echoing through the clearing with a commanding authority that brought us both to a halt.
“Enough!”
We turned as one to see the source of the voice. It was Ralph’s mate, standing at the edge of the clearing with a look of fierce determination in her eyes.
“Ralph, stop!” his mate screamed, her voice piercing through the chaos.
Ralph’s wolf turned towards her, a ferocious growl rumbling from deep within his chest. His eyes, burning with primal rage, locked onto her, and I knew he was about to pounce. With a swift motion, I sprang into action, positioning myself between him and his mate. But he was quicker than I anticipated. He leaped onto me, his claws sinking into my flesh and tearing through my clothes.
I grunted in pain, feeling his claws dig deeper. With a surge of strength, I twisted, trying to throw him off, but his grip was like iron. He snarled, his fangs bared, inches from my face.
“Stay back!” I shouted to his mate, my voice strained with effort as I struggled against Ralph’s brutal attack.
She hesitated, her eyes wide with fear and desperation. “Ralph, stop! Don’t hurt him!” she cried, her voice breaking.
Ralph’s wolf hesitated for a fraction of a second, his eyes flickering between her and me before the rage took over again. He snarled and tightened his grip, his claws raking across my chest.
I gritted my teeth, feeling the blood seep from my wounds. With a swift motion, I brought my knee up, striking him in the gut and forcing him to loosen his hold. I used the moment to shove him back, creating a small distance between us. With a crack of bones, he shifted back to his human form and held his mate’s hand, who shyly averted her eyes from his nakedness. He turned to face me, his gaze sharp and unyielding. “Next time, keep your nose out of my business,” he said before walking away into the forest with his mate.
Just as they disappeared into the dense foliage, a figure emerged from the underbush.
It was Dahlia, my wife’s sister.
Her eyes were wide with urgency as she rushed over to me. Listen carefully, she started, “I’ll show you the real culprit behind your wife’s death, but you have to promise me you’ll forever stay away from Alpha’s mate, and most importantly you won’t confront whoever the culprit is.”