CHAPTER 5

Damon's POV

I barely made it to my office before my wolf completely lost control.

The moment I'd touched her hand, everything had shifted. Like the world had tilted on its axis and suddenly made sense. But that was impossible. The curse made it impossible.

I downed three fingers of whiskey, trying to calm the beast inside me. He was pacing, snarling, demanding we go back to her.

"Alpha King?" Marcus appeared in the doorway. "I thought you'd be... occupied."

"Not tonight."

His eyebrows rose. "Did something happen?"

"No." I poured another drink. "She wasn't ready."

"Or you weren't."

I glared at him. "Careful."

"When have I ever been careful?" He entered uninvited, sitting across from my desk. "You look rattled."

"I'm fine."

"You're lying."

The whiskey burned down my throat. "When I touched her—" I stopped, unsure how to explain.

"What?"

"Nothing. Forget it."

Marcus leaned forward. "Damon, what happened when you touched her?"

"It felt like..." I struggled for words. "Like lightning. Like recognition. Like my wolf finally woke up after years of sleeping."

My beta went very still. "That sounds like—"

"Don't say it." I stood, pacing to the window. "It's not possible. The curse prevents it."

"What if there is no curse?"

I whirled on him. "My mother saw the witch herself. She told me every day for eight years. I'm cursed to never find my mate, to destroy anyone who gets close."

"Your mother also locked you in a silver-lined room for three days when you were twelve. Forgive me if I don't trust her word."

"Marcus—"

"No, listen to me." He stood too, matching my stance. "Your mother was sick, Damon. Mentally ill. What if everything she told you was just her illness talking?"

"Then why haven't I found my mate? I'm twenty-eight. Most alphas find their mates by twenty-five."

"Maybe you just have. Maybe she's sitting in the guest wing right now, wondering why you left."

"Aria isn't my mate."

"How do you know?"

"Because I don't feel the pull." But even as I said it, I knew it was a lie. I'd felt pulled to her from the moment she'd walked into that dingy apartment.

"Don't you?" Marcus challenged. "You've been distracted all day. You personally made sure her room was perfect. You changed the examination location to make her more comfortable. And now you're here, drinking yourself stupid because touching her hand made you feel something."

"Even if—and I'm not saying you're right—but even if she was, it doesn't matter. The contract is signed. She's here to provide an heir, nothing more."

"You could release her from the contract."

"And then what? Court her properly? After I bought her like property?" I laughed bitterly. "She hates me, Marcus. Rightfully so."

"Does she? Or does she hate the situation?"

I thought about those violet eyes, the way they'd looked at me with such a mix of emotions. Fear, yes. Anger, definitely. But underneath...

"It doesn't matter," I said firmly. "Tomorrow night, I'll complete our arrangement. She'll get pregnant, have the heir, and then she'll be free. End of story."

Marcus shook his head. "You're a fool."

"I'm your Alpha King."

"Right now, you're just a fool." He headed for the door, then paused. "For what it's worth, I think she feels it too. Elena said she cried in the garden today. Why would she cry if you meant nothing to her?"

After he left, I tried to work, but concentration was impossible. My wolf was in agony, demanding we return to her. The whiskey wasn't helping. Nothing was helping.

Finally, I gave up and went for a run, shifting into my wolf form and racing through the forest. Usually, running cleared my head. Tonight, it only made things worse.

Every scent reminded me of her. Every sound made me think of her voice. My wolf wanted to howl, to call for his mate, but I refused to give in.

I returned to the fortress near dawn, exhausted but no calmer. As I shifted back and dressed, I made a decision. Tonight, I would complete the arrangement. No more delays, no more complications.

I'd ignore the way she smelled like home. Ignore the way my wolf sang when she was near. Ignore the possibility that Marcus might be right.

Because if she was my mate and I'd bought her, forced her into this situation, then I was exactly the monster my mother always said I was.

And monsters didn't deserve mates.

I stood at my office window, watching the sun rise again. Twenty-four hours since she'd arrived, and already my carefully controlled world was crumbling.

"Your coffee, Alpha King." Beth placed the cup on my desk.

I took a sip, same as always. Bitter, harsh, with a strange aftertaste I'd grown accustomed to over the years.

"Beth," I said suddenly. "Who makes this coffee?"

She looked surprised. "I do, Alpha King. Same recipe your mother taught me."

"My mother's recipe?"

"Yes, sir. She was very specific about it. Said it was important for your health, to keep you strong."

A chill ran down my spine. My mother had been very concerned with keeping me "strong." With keeping me isolated. With keeping me from finding...

"Thank you, Beth. That will be all."

After she left, I stared at the coffee cup. Eighteen years of the same coffee, every morning without fail. My mother's special recipe.

What if Marcus was right about more than just Aria?

What if my mother's lies went deeper than I'd ever imagined?

I set the cup aside, untouched for the first time in years.

Tonight, I would go to Aria. But this time, I'd go with clear eyes and an unclouded mind.

And maybe, just maybe, I'd finally understand what my wolf had been trying to tell me all along.