Chapter 14
Damon rolled over, throwing a hand to wrap around her, his eyes shot open when his hands landed on cold sheets and an empty space beside him.
Looking around, he did not need an explanation when he saw that her clothes which had been scattered across the room were now gone.
She had done it again, run away, she had left once more. It seemed she was very good at it. He had been knocked out after that intense love-making session, he had not even heard her sneak out.
Groaning softly, he clutched onto his head when he felt a pang of headache. Gets up and slips into his clothes and dashes out the door.
Quickly checking out of the hotel, Damon found his way to his car and drove home slowly. His head still felt foggy and memories of the previous night clouded his mind.
It had been magical for him and her too, he hoped, her moans and body language could attest to that.
She had had a good time too, his wolf leaped happily when Damon thought of how they had unconsciously completed the mating ritual.
He had not planned it at all, it just happened. His only wish and hope was that Ava was okay with this, just as he was elated about it.
Soon he was parked in front of his mansion and he walked in, oblivion of the preying and judging eyes of his guards and maids.
He still scented strongly of her, and he debated whether to take a bath.
Doing that would mean washing her scent off him, and the fingerprints, which he could still cry mildly Feel under his shirt.
Deciding to take a shower since as much as he scented of her, he still reeked of sex and could feel the stickiness of it on his skin.
Alpha Damon proceeded to the bathroom, peering his clothes off his body as he walked into the bathroom.
He ran the shower for a minute before stepping in, sighing at the warmth of the water that cascaded down his back, and fell in a pool at his feet.
It was soothing, and he stayed longer than he usually would, but in his defense he needed it.
Settling in after his shower, his mind went back to Ava, he seemed not to be able to control his thoughts about her.
She had slowly warmed her way into his heart and mind, even without any effort.
He wondered how she was, how she felt, and if she had any retreats about what had happened the previous night, what with him marking her and completing the ritual of mate bond.
“Or instead of sitting here and overthinking and assuming things, you could pay a visit to Mist Wood and seek answers.” His wolf suggested.
At first, Damon thought that was an outrageous idea, he could not just go all the way to Mist Wood Pack to ask her how she felt about them having sex and completing their mate bond ritual.
But again he had the perfect excuse to allow him to at least get to see her and perhaps judge from her reaction if she was okay with it or not.
They had left off a discussion on one of the newest projects the last time he had met alpha Jude, and they had promised to go through with it, but each of them had been just as equally busy as the other.
Alpha Damon smiled at the perfect opportunity to go to Mist Wood, it would be killing two birds with one stone, completing the new project outline, and getting to see Ava’s beautiful self again.
With the motivation of seeing her now anew in his mind, alpha Damon got up to get ready.
Settling for something simple and casual since it was just Saturday, and he wasn’t going to do anything fancy.
He threw on a blue shirt, pairing it with a pair of dark blue chinos pants to match Hands black half shoe that complemented the look. He dashed out, grabbing his keys on his way.
Soon he was at the mist wood pack, specifically Alpha Jude’s mansion. The guards stood more attentively as he walked by, it was their subtle way of showing respect, and the maids bowed as he walked in.
The butler showed him in, walking briskly in front of him.
“Alpha Jude should be in his study,” the sturdy middle-aged man said, pointing in the direction of him.
“Alright, thank you.” Alpha Damon said, regarding him with a nod.
Tucking his hands leisurely into his pockets, alpha Damon walked towards the study. Only stopped in his tracks when he heard raised voices from within.
He could make out alpha Jude’s voice and Ava’s unmistakable voice too, only that she sounded angry and hurt at the same time
The door to the study stood slightly ajar and while he could not see alpha Jude from when he stood, he could make out Ava’s figure and his face fell when he saw the streams of tears that trickled down her cheeks.
Was he hurting her? Was there something Alpha Jude was doing that made her cry? His mind reeled, and he held himself from barging in and helping her.
A long silence ensured before they spoke again.
“It is not my fault that you choose to hold on to your past, Ava, it has been what?” Damon heard Alpha Jude say, “Ten years? Ten years and you are still clinging to it, just let it go.”
What happened ten years ago?
Was it something that had to do with her past?
Did she have something she had been hiding?
Was that why she rejected him?
Many questions reeled his mind, but he silenced them and listened further, he badly wanted to hear her reply.
“You did not feel what I felt, Jude, you were not there,” Ava said, alpha Damon winced at her tone, the anger in her voice was too lucid, anyone would feel it.
From where he stood he could see the side of her face, her eyes welled with unshed tears and his heart broke at the sight of it
What had happened ten years ago?
Who hurt her this much?
Why would they hurt someone like her?
He asked himself multiple questions, still standing rooted to the spot, and he listened on.
“It was not you who had to go through sleepless nights, you were not the one who had to endure years of bullying,” Ava said, taking bold steps toward him with every pause.
Someone bullied her?
His blood boiled and anger raged from within him, who was this person he thought?
Alpha Damon moved closer to the open door, she had taken a few steps towards Alpha Jude and was a little out of his sight. He wanted to see her the whole time.
“It was me, Jude, me!” Ava yelled as the tears spilled down her face. Whoever had hurt her had hurt her badly.
Her eyes held so much and her tears held even more, she was in pain, so much pain he could feel it himself.
He wished he could reach in and take all that pain away, he wished he could wipe these tears with his thumbs and kiss her lids tenderly.
“So what If alpha Damon bullied you as a teenager?” Alpha Jude asked angrily.
Alpha Damon felt his heart stop, his head spun, and he gripped the wall nearby to steady himself. There was no way he just heard that.
“No, no, no” he muttered lowly under his breath. It was all slowly making sense, the puzzles were beginning to come together, and he was slowly piecing them together.
He watched tears fall from her face freely, he was the cause, he thought to himself he was the cause of her pain and sorrow.
He was the reason she had left Westwood packs don her family, he was the reason she had all those nightmares she had just spoken about.
“It was many years ago?” He added, “Yes he made you leave your family and a pack you loved with everything, shattering your dreams and aspirations to follow in your father’s footsteps.”
He could not hear anymore, he had heard enough. He had found the answer to all the questions that had been keeping himself awake.
Now he knew why she hated him, there was no need for further explanations or answers. He had found what he required.
Walking out of the mansion, I hurried steps, slammed the door to his car, and drove off.
Alpha Damon would have not believed it if someone had told him that one day he would hate himself so much. As much as he did at that moment.
He hated himself, his very existence. She was Mitchell, the same Mitchell. It was why she hated him and while he did not want her to, he knew she had every reason to hate him.
He hated himself, too, for causing her so much pain. Person his mother was right, he was not worthy of anything