CURSES UPON HER

DAMIEN

She’ll come crawling to me, begging me for the job. It is just a matter of time.

I used to walk in the woods. Just like tonight. I enjoyed knowing that my home and the pack were safe. Then I picked up her scent. I smelled her. Fear. What was she doing out here alone at this hour?

“What are you doing here alone in the woods? Don’t you know it’s dangerous?” I asked her after finding her under an almost perfect moonlight. It was almost a full moon, and I could barely keep the beast inside me at bay. I had to avert my eyes for a second as they were turning red.

“I’m not in the mood for your nonsense…” she told me, and I could swear I saw a tear rolling down her cheek. So I let the guard down. Something I never do. Just a bit. I approached and sat down next to her. To my surprise, she didn’t reject me, shy away, or move away.

Now I felt her pain even more intensely. And it wasn’t physical. Something was tearing her heart apart on the inside.

“I feel like something’s weighing you down,” I began. “Is it so bad that it’s consuming you like this?

“It’s none of your business, Damien.”

“Oh…no, I’m Damien. I love the way my name sounds when you say it,” I said, and suddenly turned towards her, placing my index finger under her chin, forcing her to look at me. Her eyes reflected even more pain. And yes, she was crying.

“Don’t do that! Stay away from me!” she cried and got up, starting to walk deeper into the woods. I followed her, and she didn’t get too far. “Why don’t you leave me alone? What is your obsession with me?” she asked as she stopped in her tracks.

“You are obsessed with me too; you just don’t know it yet.” I just loved teasing her.

“Don’t be delusional. Why do you think I got up and left? Because I was obsessed with you? Thank you for saving my life and all, but why can’t you see I want you as far away from me as possible?”

“I only heard up to I want you, and if you let me I can do something about it.”

“Don’t you dare!” she snapped.

“Well, from what I can see, you are the one who came into the forest alone. Either you’re very brave or you’re more naïve than I thought.”

“Aren’t girls allowed to walk alone in the forest anymore? Will the big bad wolf come and eat me?” she added, and something inside me changed.

“The big bad wolf, you say? Don’t tempt me,” I said with a smirk.

But she sighed and took a few more steps. She didn’t seem to know how close the danger was to her. “I can hear your heart beating like a drum. Are you sure you’re not afraid?” I insisted, circling her like a predator.

“It’s just like you said. If you had wanted to hurt me, you would have done it long ago. So no, I’m not afraid,” she pushed back, even harder.

“You know, you have that strong-girl look you want to show off. Except you always lose your self-control when I’m around.” I replied, taking advantage that there was a large tree in front of her blocking her path.

“Seems I am safe with you all over me,” she said, but even though she tried to appear strong, her body language told another story.

“Why do you feel so safe? Just because you can’t see the predator doesn’t mean it can’t see you. Maybe he is lurking nearby waiting for the right moment to attack”

“You know, at this point, I don’t even care,” she said, and again something changed in her voice. It was as if she had no will to live anymore. Like she had a death wish.

And saying that, she just remained in her position, motionless. In my arms. Gazing into my eyes. She remained captive in my gaze, as if begging for more. I pressed my palm against the tree trunk, feeling her shaking and contemplating the flame burning in her eyes, the same flame that consumed me and my wolf. I shouldn’t have been so close, and yet every cell in my body, every fiber of my being wanted to feel his lips. She was calmer now, but her heart was pounding even harder. And then she lifted her chin even higher, as if it were an invitation. One I had no intention of missing. Even if it meant marking her right here, on my territory.

Her lips parted slightly. I captured them with a hunger I could hardly control. Everything exploded inside me. She responded with the same thirst. Her sweet taste invaded my entire body, and thousands of dangerous sensations gave free rein to the lust between us.

I could feel her hot breath mixed with mine, and with every second I felt her fear and my own animal desire grow more intense. I grabbed her waist. She fit perfectly between my hands, and I practically crushed her against the tree bark. Her pulse was racing, calling me, challenging me. My teeth sharpened, and a cruel instinct pushed me to mark her, to make her mine forever. But I squeezed my eyes shut, resisting the beast inside me for now, to claim her.

Instead, I plunged deeper into her mouth, capturing her playful tongue and savoring its sweetness. She bloomed like a flower. Instinctively, she opened her thighs, pushing herself harder against me. She began to rub herself gently against my erection, and she moaned softly. “Damien…” I felt it growing, pushing through my pants.

Saying my name once more made me lose it. I lowered my fierce kiss onto her neck, inhaling her vanilla scent. This woman was driving me crazy.

She dug her hands into my hair and messed it a little, then pulled me closer to her so that our bodies touched at every level. There was no space. Perfect harmony. She acted as if she didn’t want to lose me, as if it was the end of the world for her. There was pain in her kiss, but I didn’t care. I was so close to marking her.

I was fucking loosing control. I had my hands all over her, preparing her. Everything in me screamed, she’s mine!

But suddenly I stopped. She looked at me puzzled. And just as suddenly, she slapped me.

“Are you trying to take advantage of me?” she yelled into the silence.

I would not have that. When she tried to slap me again, I caught her wrist in a tight squeeze. I could see in her eyes that I was hurting her.

“If you dare slap me again, I’ll forget what I promised you, and have my way with you until you scream my name begging me for more.”

Her cheeks turned red. And her eyes were also red, but with fury.

“And here’s how the beast came out of you. Typical,”

“Oh, Alyssa, trust me, you don’t wanna meet my beast!” I said, diving into her eyes again.

“Then, mark my words, and stay away!” she said and pushed back and out of my sight.

What I wanted to mark was on her. But it wasn’t time yet. She wasn’t supposed to find out what or who was hiding inside me. First she had to come to my house, under my control.

I let her walk away, but I followed her closely without her noticing. I wanted to make sure she got to the city safely. The time when I will make her mine will come. But until then, I needed to prepare the grounds. To gain her trust, so that she would see no other help but me, to worship me like a god and would see no other way out of the misery she was in but to turn to me.

Perhaps tasting her was a mistake, a vulnerability. One I couldn’t allow myself in the future. I knew everything about her. I felt her fear that tomorrow would be worse for her. Everything had already been calculated down to the last fucking detail. In my dark, twisted world, she was the only one missing. And she would be a part of it whether she liked it or not.

Her connection to me could not be explained in words. Only in feelings and revenge. So I couldn’t feel anything for the woman I was supposed to have revenge on and hate.

The secrets of my pack were well hidden. Only I knew them. Not even my brothers were aware of how much blood had been shed for me to become the Alpha. And for now, only I will know the secrets.

As for Alyssa, she was merely the heir to the man who had caused so much damage to my business. The Moonlight Pack was directly responsible for that man’s death. But Alyssa didn’t know any of that. Why did I have this thirst for revenge? She had his blood. She had to pay for her father’s sins.

She was so unaware of the danger that awaited her. And I was going to take full advantage of that. Because there was no way she would turn down my job offer. She was so desperate for money. And she would do anything for them. For her, it was a matter of life or death. For me, it was just a game of revenge. And I was really good at this fucking game. No way I was gonna lose.

She won’t even know when her life changed and all the curses will come upon her.

What she also didn’t know was the business card I slipped into her pocket.

She’ll come crawling to me, begging me for the job. It is just a matter of time.