The Alpha's Bride

Damon climbed to the attic faster than the wind and his lips curved into a smile when he inhaled the scent of freesia he was craving for.

The girl was there.

He stared at the closed door in front of him and took a moment to compose himself.

Damon thought how he went all around the Red Moon pack's properties in search of the girl. Why didn't he think of checking the packhouse thoroughly?

He already knew that the girl was not in the common buildings because she came to the kitchen in the packhouse.

Now that he was standing in the attic, he realized that obvious places would be to check the basement and the attic, as well as any isolated places where guests don't venture. It seems that his mind was muddled and he didn't think straight.

Well, it doesn't matter.

The time has come. She is right there. Behind that door. Hopefully.

Damon knocked on the door lightly and waited. Nothing.

He knocked again, this time with a bit more force.

Damon thought that he heard some shuffling from inside, but he was not sure because his heart thundered in his ears. He was never this anxious.

He gave it another knock and then turned the door handle.

The dawn gave barely any light through the small windows, but Damon's Alpha sight was enough for him to see the scarce furniture and the girl sitting on the edge of the futon, in the corner, hugging her knees and looking at him with her big doe-like eyes.

Damon stood at the door frozen, locked in some kind of a staring contest with Talia, overwhelmed by his emotions that were amplified by the joy of his wolf.

Her head was buried in her knees, and he could see only her eyes between the strands of the copper-colored hair that fell over her face, but he knew she was watching him.

'Say something!', Damon's wolf snapped, startling Damon out of his daze.

"Hi…", Damon said awkwardly. "You are probably wondering why I'm here."

Yes, she was wondering why he came to the attic.

Did he come to hurt her? Or is this some prank? Since Olivia left the pack, no one came to the attic with good intentions.

That's the scary Alpha who was the reason she got beaten twice. The first time because she peeped when princess Marcy was between Alpha Damon's legs, and the second time because she complained how princess Marcy hit her the first time.

Well, the first time she was not peeping on purpose, and she definitely didn't complain to anyone, but it didn't matter. She still got beat twice and the only conclusion Talia had was that nothing good comes from being associated with this big scary Alpha.

And now he is here, in the attic, bringing more misfortune with him.

With every next second of Damon's presence in the attic, Talia sensed a calamity approaching, a calamity in the form of princess Marcy wanting to kill her.

Talia didn't say anything and Damon stepped inside.

She pushed with her legs, getting further into the corner while trying to increase the distance between them.

'You are scaring the girl again…', his wolf growled in his head.

Damon lifted his hands, palms facing Talia. "I won't hurt you."

'Yeah, you won't hurt me, but others will because of you.', Talia thought.

In slow movements, he closed the door behind him and approached her carefully until his feet touched the edge of the futon.

He went down into a squat so that they are on the same level, but she was still much smaller than he was.

"My name is Damon.", he put on his bestest non-intimidating smile, but she saw it like a beast showing teeth before devouring its prey.

"What's your name?", Damon asked.

Talia's eyes darted to the door and then went back to him.

"Please, leave.", she said in a shaky voice, and his heart ached.

He finally found her and there was no way he will leave just like that.

Damon was not sure what to do. Why was she so scared? Why was she chasing him away?

"I won't hurt you.", he assured her. "I'm here only to talk."

"Say what you have, and leave.", Talia said and gestured toward the door, her hand moving enough for the sleeve to hitch higher and expose her swollen wrist.

Damon grabbed her hand and pulled it toward him.

Delightful sparks formed upon contact, catching him by surprise. The sensation was stronger than he remembered, and he inhaled a shaky breath.

He focused mightily on inspecting her injury.

"What happened? Don't tell me that you fell again." His expression darkened. "Is it Marcy? I will teach her a lesson."

Talia panicked. "Please, don't. If you say anything, she will hit me more."

Damon paused and observed her face which was now peeking above her knees, and he noticed a few more bruises compared to what he saw the previous night.

Rage rippled thought Damon at the thought that Talia got hurt again, and he was right here, in this packhouse, oblivious to her sufferings. It happened on his watch!

Damon was enraged, and his wolf was as well. One fury amplified the other and Damon radiated inexplicable violence that was tangible.

At the sight of Talia shivering in fear, Damon forced his rage down. Settling scores will need to wait.

"Did Marcy hit you again?", Damon asked Talia, and the way she avoided him made him suspect another thing. "Was it because of me?"

Talia's eyes widened and that was enough for him to confirm how his intuition was right.

He knew that Marcy was a white lotus. There was no way Marcy would forget that Talia saw her in a compromising position (between Damon's legs, sucking him off). And when Damon told Alpha Edward that Marcy is hitting Omegas, Marcy probably connected how his comment was about Talia.

In a way, it was his fault that Talia got hurt. Twice.

He clenched his teeth as another wave of rage swelled within him. "I will kill her."

"Don't.", Talia pleaded. "Can you just leave and pretend that you didn't see anything? Don't come here and everyone will leave me alone."

Damon's heart cracked. Even if everyone leaves her alone, how the hell was he supposed to do that?

Doesn't she know that he went nearly mad when he didn't know where she was?

Without a word, Damon sat on the futon next to Talia and wrapped her in his arms, pulling her to lean on his chest.

The feeling of Talia against him made Damon's whole body hum in pleasure. Delightful sparks overtook his senses, and he was lost in a daze.

Talia froze. She was not used to physical contact of any kind. It took her a moment to collect herself and start squirming to get out of his hold.

"Shh…", Damon coaxed Talia to calm down, unwilling to let go of her. He is not a hugger, and he never cuddled with a woman, but this girl was different. He wanted to hold her, and her resistance hurt. "I won't harm you. Can I hold you like this, just for a minute?"

No, not a minute. He wanted an hour, or at least until he gets immune to these sparks that are making him crave to devour her. But if he said that aloud, she would definitely freak out.

Talia stopped struggling. Not because she agreed, but because she realized that he was too strong, and her struggle made her injuries ache more.

Talia resigned herself to her fate. There was nothing she could do. Even if he wants to harm her, she could only endure it. She was weak to fight for herself and if she shouted for help, no one would come.

Damon smirked when he felt that Talia relaxed. He wished to move her to sit on his lap, but he feared that it might be too much.

With his arms around her, Talia appeared tiny and fragile, and Damon was confident that he can carry her around with ease. Or maybe he should stuff her into his pocket, so that she stays close to him all the time.

Lost in the moment, Damon ran his fingers through Talia's coppery-colored hair and inhaled the sweet citrusy scent of freesia, and his world was at peace.

Damon closed his eyes, his enjoyment amplified by the sounds of yips and whimpers his wolf made in pleasure.

"Hey…", Talia called after some time. "When are you going to let me go?"

"First, my name is Damon. Not, hey.", Damon said with amusement in his voice. It's been a while since he heard someone speak to him this casually (other than Caden), and the lack of respect didn't bother him.

"And Second…", he drawled. "I'm thinking about it." If it was up to him, never.

To make his point clear, he tightened his hold on her, making sure he doesn't crush her.

Feeling that she was stiff again, he asked, "Am I hurting you?"

Talia was absolutely confused with this development. "Well… no… but…"

"Then, it's fine.", Damon cut her off. He didn't want to hear any buts.

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