ELEVEN: Active Aggressive

DAMIEN

When Callum had told me that Seraphina had left the pack house, I instantly knew she was in trouble. 

We’d littered the borders with traps after one of my men’s head was sent back to me yesterday, a note poked into the hole his eyes used to be.

The free men will rise again. 

That was all it read, bringing all of my fear back to life. The last war between packs and rogues who called themselves the free men had lasted two years, taking two thousand lives with it. 

It seemed, as days went by, that the threat was coming alive. The leader, Matthias, who claimed that wolf pack politics are binding, made us simple-minded fools, had died by my hands, but not before he killed Seraphina’s parents.

I was too late and so I took her, but not without her bloodied little knife pointed at my neck at first when we’d found her under the heap of dead bodies. Her bright blue eyes were defiant as she tackled me, trusting no one.

She was perfect. She still is. And I just knew what an amazing addition she’d be to the pack and she was.

Normally Seraphina would know about the traps as she was one of the strongest defenders of our territories, but she already had a lot on her plate. And she hated me now. 

I had run out of the house like a madman, shifted and gone through the woods to find her. The clothes I had on were from one of the reservoirs we dump clothes for shifters who were stranded, but she hadn’t seemed to notice. Thank God. 

I didn’t want anything to give away how easily she could drive me crazy more than she already knew. 

I carried her and walked out of the woods, breathing evenly through my slightly parted mouth and focusing on anything but the feel of her warmth on my chest or my hand on her bare thighs. 

I thought about Marcus. I thought about alcohol. I thought about old women with no teeth. Just anything that took me out of the moment and kept my blood warm. Not hot.

But Seraphina wasn’t making it easy. Upon every step I took, she kept making this small sound, almost like a moan, but not quite, and it was due to pain, but fuck, it wasn’t helping me at all.

She’s fucking twenty-three and I was twice her age. Not to mention she almost married my son so why the fuck?

I clenched my jaw and looked down at her small face, her lashes fluttering as she blinked slowly then without warning, she looked up and stared at me.

“I didn’t bring the car,” I blurted.

Then it actually sank in that I didn’t bring the car. We had no way of getting home except to shift again which I knew was impossible for Seraphina.

She raised her brow, her gaze hard. “Just call Callum.”

Well…. “I didn’t bring my phone either.”

“What? Did you just sprint out of the house?”

Yes. “No.” 

“No, what?”

She jerked down impatiently. “So what are we going to do now?”

“Get to the open road.”

“Damien!”

“Alpha Damien,” I corrected sternly. “Like everyone else, Sera.” I don’t bother to catch the lasers her eyes were shooting as she limped forward, muttering to herself.

We get to the open road in minutes and Seraphina held her arm out to wave down passing vehicles if there were any. 

Having vehicles when we were surrounded by woods was hardly ever anyone’s first choice. Not even mine being Alpha. The three cars I owned were the pack’s contribution and one of them had purple seats, thanks to Seraphina.

In a pack like this, who needed cars?

“This is fucking annoying!” She grunted.

“Language young woman.”

“You are the reason we are stuck here!” She whined. “People who normally came to rescue others like to bring cars along, Alpha Damien.”

I said nothing. She was being a little brat and it didn’t even annoy me. It made me want to kiss the dirty words off her pretty little lips and fuck her mouth until she swallowed every drop of my seed.

“Ugh! Fuck.”

“You will begin teaching kids with that filthy mouth?”

She snapped her head in my direction. “I can do a lot of things with my filthy mouth.”

Fuck. I swallowed. “I’d get you home. Just hold on tight when I shift.”

“Oh, I get to ride you?”

“Seraphina.”

“I am sorry,” she apologized immediately, seeing my stoic expression. “I am sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I—”

A car stopped right in front of us, interrupting, and out stepped a gorgeous woman, probably the blondest I had ever seen with pale green eyes, grinning from ear to ear as she approached.

“Alpha Damien?” She called out questioning, approaching with caution, and something that read like fear.

“Yes?”

“Oh my god.” She exhaled deeply, still grinning hard like I was supposed to know who she was. “Dr. Clarissa George. Hilltop pack. You accept my request to move to your pack as the primary art and history teacher.”

Oh. One of the many names from the document for the children’s program. According to credentials, this Clarissa George was incredible and well respected as a seasoned teacher. She’d also decided to do it for free as long as her accommodation was sorted.

“Hello. Damien Wolfe.” I take her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“You don’t understand. I have read about you, heard of all the amazing things you’ve done! You’re… a prodigy, Alpha Damien, and if anything it is my pleasure to meet you!” She shook me rigorously, then her gaze flitted to Seraphina. “And your daughter, am I right?”

“Yes.”

“No.”

We’d respond at the same time, Seraphina and I. Then she continued, awkwardly and sternly. “No, he’s not my real dad. Just adopted me.”

Dr. Clarissa shook her head in reverence. “You are just wonderful, sir.”

“Thank—”

Seraphina interrupted.“Right. Yeah well, Dr…Claudia…”

“Clarissa,” Dr. Clarissa corrected her with a genuine smile. 

“Right. Dr. Clarissa, do you mind giving us a ride back to the pack since you are headed there?”

Dr. Clarissa nodded. “It’s my pleasure.”

Seraphina chuckled dryly. “You seem to like that word a lot,” she mumbled.

I grabbed her hand and pulled her aside. “What are you doing?”

“What?”

“That woman is here to help us, to help kids, tons of kids that’ll benefit from the free education. Don’t make an enemy of her. You will be working together.”

“Right. Will you be working with her too cause she seems very excited to do that. I mean, can’t you see the way she looked at you? Like she can’t wait to see you naked?”

“What is wrong with you?”

“Wow, you seem to like her already. Liking everyone…” she trailed off. “But me.”

God. Anger burned in my chest. But the urge to take her lips was stronger so I just stared, seething.

“Why? Isn’t she your type? Blonde, perfect, oh, and old enough? She looks about forty so that should be good for you, yes?” Tears welled up so fast in her eyes and she dragged in a deep breath as the tears rolled down. “I… didn’t mean that. I am sorry. It’s just really hard. I can’t… do this. I—”

“Everything okay?” Dr. Clarissa asked from inside her car.

“Yes,” I told her, then faced Seraphina. “Let’s continue this talk in my study.”