CHAPTER FIVE

I stopped at the edge of a table, holding tightly to the back of a velvet chair.

Face-to-face with him, Damon was overwhelming; he smelled dangerous, hot, and consuming. His sheer size made the massive dining table look small. He didn't sit; he waited for me to come. "Sit," he murmured, pulling out the chair for me. I sat down, and he pushed the chair in, his body brushing against my shoulder. The heat radiating off him made my skin prickle. I expected him to go to the end of the longer table, just like the Alpha of the Silver Moon pack sat miles away from his family just to show dominance, but he didn't; he pulled his chair right next to mine, scraping the wood against the floor so close that our knees almost touched.

"Eat," he commanded, pointing at the food. My stomach growled loudly in the quiet room. I felt embarrassed and looked down at the plate. There were pancakes, eggs, bacon, fruits, and pastries. It was more food than I usually saw in a whole week at the pack house.

"I... I can't pay you for this," I whispered, my hands resting in my lap. "I don't have money. I don't have anything." The mood in the room changed. Damon reached for my fork, picked up a piece of melon, and held it to my mouth.

"Open," he said. I looked at him, my heart beating fast. "Damon, please..."

"I don't want your money, Elara," he said softly but firmly, "and you are not leaving this table until you eat; you are too thin."

I opened my mouth, and he gave me the fruit. It was so sweet and cold. "Good," he said. Again, for the next ten minutes, he fed me like a child. At first, I felt embarrassed, but when the food reached my empty stomach, the shame went away, and I realized how hungry I really was. I ate the eggs, and I ate the bacon.

When I reached for the knife to cut the ham, my hand shook. I was still weak from everything that had happened. I tried to slice, but I couldn't do it properly.

Then a big, warm hand covered mine; Damon gently took the knife from me. 

Let me..., he said.

He cut the meat into small, perfect pieces; every moment was calm and sure. It was strange how someone so dangerous could be so careful with me.

Kael once said that Damon can burn down the world, but yet here he was cutting my food because my hands were shaking.

Why are you doing this?  I asked softly. 

He stopped and put down, and then he turned to face me fully. He reached out and touched my jaws, lifting my face so I could look into his red eyes.

Doing what? he said softly 

treating me like... I hesitated, like it mattered to you who I am. Liam told everyone.

Damon's jaw tightened.

Liam is a fool. 

he's I said quietly,he's right I am eighteen. I haven't shifted. I can't smell other wolves. I can't hear the pack. I am empty. I am broken.

empty?

Damon gave a short, dark laugh. He leaned close to me; his face brushed my neck right where a mate mark should be. I stopped breathing for a second. "Elara," he whispered, "you are not empty; you are the loudest thing I have ever felt."

"I...I don't understand," I said. 

He pulled back just enough to look into my eyes. "Your wolf is not dead," he said firmly. "She is only sleeping. I can feel her. She is old, she is strong, and she's very choosy." He gave a slow, dangerous smile that made my stomach twist.

She didn't wake up for Liam because Liam is a weak little boy; your wolf refused to kneel to a beta. He took my hand, pressing it flat against his chest right over his heart. I could feel the thud-thud-thud of it, slow, deep, and powerful.

She was waiting for a king.

The words stayed in the air.

waiting for a king 

So... I swallowed. You really think I will shift one day?

"I don't think," Damon said, "I know, and when you do, you will bring this city to its knees." Then he stood, and the moment broke; the warmth in his eyes disappeared, and the cold, powerful leader came back. "I have to go to the tower," he said, checking his watch. "I have a meeting with the council. They are unhappy that I crossed a border to get you."

Fear rushed into my chest. 

Are they going to hurt you?

Damon smiled.

It wasn't a nice smile; it was the smile of a wolf who was about to eat a sheep.

"Let them try," he said.

He leaned and kissed the top of my head softly and carefully. Stay inside, eat, and rest, and if you need anything, ask Kael.

He walked towards the elevator.

Damon, I called out before the door closed.

He stopped, looking back. 

"Thank you," I whispered. 

For a second his face softened. You never have to thank me for taking care of what is mine, Little Wolf.

The doors slid shut.

I sat alone in the huge dining room staring at my empty plate. I touched the place where he had kissed me.

For the first time in my life, I didn’t feel broken. I felt dangerous.