Chapter 10 – Whispers in the Walls

I woke up way before the sun came up. The room was still really dark no moonlight, a weird gray light coming through the curtains. It was like this light was too afraid to be. Damon was sleeping next to me lying on his back one arm thrown out like he owned the bed. His chest was going up and down slowly. His face looked softer not like the guy who had been treating me badly for ten years.

I did not move at first. I just lay there staring at the ceiling feeling his body heat on my side. The mattress was dipping under his weight like it was made for him. My wolf was inside me feeling happy and sleepy like a cat. This made me want to punch something. Because feeling happy is not safe. When I feel happy I let my guard down.. I learned the hard way what happens when I do that. People get hurt or leave me.

My hands were hurting under the bandages. It was a pain but I could ignore it. I moved my fingers anyway. The cuts were already healing, faster than they should. I guess my wolf healing was kicking in.. Maybe something inside me was finally waking up after all these years.

Damon moved. He said something sleepy that sounded like my name but I do not think it was. His hand moved towards me like he was reaching for me in his sleep. I froze. He did not wake up sighed and turned onto his side facing me. He was close enough that if I took a breath my nose would touch his chest.

I got out of bed before I could think about staying. The floor was cold. I walked across it feeling the cold and looked through a crack in the curtains. The pack area was still quiet. There were a people outside like guards changing shifts and an omega carrying firewood. It was all normal. Nothing seemed wrong. Not yet anyway.

I put my forehead on the glass. I felt the bond between Damon and me like a pull trying to bring me back to the bed. I tried to ignore it. Mostly.

In the kitchen everything was already busy. There was bread baking, meat cooking in a pan. A few omegas were moving around trying not to be seen. I took a piece of bread and ate it slowly. I pretended my stomach was not tied up in knots.

Lila, one of the omegas came up to me while I was eating. She had been acting strange around me since the ascension ceremony when the bond between Damon and me changed. Like she was not sure if she should feel sorry for me or be scared of me.

"Isla " she whispered, looking around like she was afraid of being heard. "You stayed in the Alphas room night?"

I stopped eating. I swallowed my food. "Who is asking?" I said.

She jumped back looking scared. "Everyone. Well not everyone, but people are talking. They saw you go into his room after training yesterday.. You did not come out."

This was not good. Pack gossip was spreading fast. I should have seen this coming.

"What are they saying?" I kept my voice flat like I did not care.

Lila twisted her apron in her hands. "Some people think he finally decided to make you his for real. Others think he is just keeping you close because you are still weak and he does not trust you.. A few people..." She spoke very quietly. "A few people are saying you are not what you seem. That the bond should not have changed for someone like you."

Someone like me. A person without a wolf. A person who is worthless. The girl who got her parents killed.

My jaw got tight. "What do you think, Lila?" I asked.

She looked at me looked at me with curiosity in her eyes. "I think you are different now. You seem stronger the way you walk and the way you look at him. Like you are not scared of anything anymore."

I did not answer. I just took another piece of bread. Ate it.

Lila bit her lip. She leaned in closer. "Just be careful okay? People are watching.. Not all of them are happy that the Alphas mate is you."

She ran away before I could say anything.

I stood there looking at the bread in my hand like an idiot. I felt the bond between Damon and me like a hook in my chest. Damon was awake. I could feel him moving around upstairs. I could feel his worry through the bond.

I put the rest of the bread in my mouth. Went back upstairs.

Damon was putting on a shirt when I walked in. His hair was still messy. His eyes were tired but sharp. He looked at me like he knew I had been gone long.

"Is everything okay?" he asked.

I closed the door behind me. Leaned against it. "The pack is talking."

He stopped with his shirt half-buttoned. "About what?"

"About me sleeping in your bed. About the bond. About how I am not the omega anymore." I crossed my arms. "Lila said some people think I am hiding something."

His jaw got hard. "They are not wrong."

"No they are not." I pushed off the door. ". If they start asking questions if they start looking for answers we are in trouble. I still do not have control over my wolf. If someone sees anything if someone finds out the truth..."

He stepped closer. "They will not."

"You do not know that."

"I know I will do whatever it takes to protect you." His words were serious like he was breathing.

I looked at him. I felt something scary in my chest. It was not hate. It was something. It was trust. The kind of trust that can get you killed if you are not careful.

"Do not say things like that " I said.

"Why not? It is true."

"Because it makes me want to believe you." My voice was shaking like a teenager. I hated it.

He reached out slowly giving me time to move away. I did not. His hand touched the side of my neck his thumb brushing my jaw softly. "Then believe me."

I closed my eyes. I leaned into his hand for a second. "I am trying."

He pulled me in, not just solid. His forehead was against mine breathing the air like it was the only thing keeping us alive.

"We keep training " he said quietly. "We keep our mouths shut.. When the time comes we fight. Together."

I nodded against him. I felt the bond between us, deep and warm like it belonged there.

Outside the door the whispers were already spreading like poison.. In a pack, like this whispers can become dangerous.