Chapter 50: Confession

Damien's POV

"Damien, Dad is here, and he came with Victoria," Eve reported. I frowned. 

"Tell him, I have an emergency at the hospital. I will come over to his place in the morning," I said, having an idea why he wants to see me, and I was not ready to talk.

"Damien, I don't care about whatever emergency you have at that nonsense hospital. I want to see you right this minute," my father yelled into the phone.

"Dad, the hospital is my business. I can't let it go down because of a petty squabble," I said calmly over the phone. 

"Petty squabble? Damien, I am warning you," I heard my father say, his voice sounding like he had his teeth clenched.

I turned and stared at Ariana, lying on her side on the bed. I felt she would make another attempt to leave if I left her alone. I can understand that she is scared for her life. A human caught up in the fight among wolves, I can understand. I need to protect her, now that I know she is my mate. And the beneficiary of my sister's heart.

"Dad, I believe whatever it is can wait till tomorrow. I don't think someone is dying," I said, calmly over the phone, staring at Ariana. 

"Damien, are you going against my order?" I heard my father question.

"Yes, since you have failed to be reasonable," I replied and shifted my gaze away from Ariana. "It's already late. Whatever you want to talk about can wait till sunrise," I said, and my father cut in.

"I am your father and an Alpha, you can't disrespect me," I heard my father yell.

"Father, you do forget, I am the new leader of the pack, and technically, I have power over you. So if I submit to you because you are my father, do not abuse the privilege," I said and ended the call.

I knew why my father had called. Victoria reached out to him to tell him about what transpired between her and me at my mansion. 

Before that meeting, where I felt a bond with Victoria, my father was already suggesting that I marry Victoria, to stop Demitri from taking revenge on me. Victoria was not someone I would have dated or even looked at, if not for the bond. Today, I found out, she used witchcraft. Using witchcraft on people is a crime punishable by death, but I spared her life because of Demitri. She plotted my accident, another crime, but I still let her off with a warning and the first thing she did was run to my father.

I slowly walked back to the bed. I stood there staring down at Ariana. She stared back at me. I knew I had to tell her something. The future is going to be rough with my decision to love her. 

"Ariana," I called out to her and sat on the edge of the bed, close to her. 

I rested my hand on her shoulder and rubbed it gently.

"Victoria and I are no longer together," I said, and her eyes widened at the news. 

She pulled herself up and sat down, and stared at me, as if to ask if I was crazy.

"We were never together," I informed her. "I had thought she was my mate, so I put up with her. There was nothing that brought us together. I was going for a surrogate because she was not ready to bear my children. I delayed our marriage because I never felt right about her. I was only with her because of the bond we shared. She didn't care either; she kept travelling the world, and we spent little to no time together. The only reason why you were seeing so much of her was because of you," I said.

I lowered my head and reached for her hand. She sat there like a statue. I held her hand in mine and shifted my gaze back to her face.

"You came in as a surrogate. There was something different about you, and each day, I felt different about you," I said. "I felt something special inside me. Something I had never felt before," I said. "Ariana, we are meant for each other. You are my fated mate," I said, and she frowned. 

I was not one good at being romantic, but I tried. I was hoping I was not too upfront in my delivery. I stared at her face, waiting to see if she would say something.

"You dumped Victoria for me?" she asked, staring at me with a look of shock. "I am human, Damien," she said.

"I know," I replied.

"You hate humans?" she said. 

"I know, but I don't hate you," I replied, and she creased her brow. 

"Damien, I can't fight a she-wolf or any wolf for that matter," she said, shaking her head.

"Your statement tells me you feel something for me, too, but you are afraid of what Victoria would do to you," I said, and she just stared at me. "I made you a promise and I will keep it as long as I am alive," I assured her. 

"Damien, this is not right. I am human, you are a werewolf. I am a nobody, an orphan, and you are the president. You come from a powerful family with a powerful background, I am just a poor girl....," Ariana said, and I kissed her, silencing her.

She didn't push me away, but she didn't respond to my kiss either. I was glad she didn't push me away, meaning I was right about her liking me too. I held the side of her face while kissing her, and she held my hand, and her other hand rested on my chest, but she didn't push me away. 

The taste of her lips was very familiar. I had never kissed Victoria since we became mates. I was now wondering if it was Victoria in my room that night or it was Ariana. 

"Damien, wait," Ariana whispered, withdrawing from the kiss, with the little distraction I had going on in my head.

"You are right. I like you too," Ariana said, lowering her head.

Hearing her confession brought an unexplainable joy to my heart. I tucked a strand of her beautiful hair behind her ears. Her hair had been held in a bun so it didn't sweep over the medicine applied to her back, but there were so few loose strands dancing on her face.

"No one would accept a relationship between us," Ariana said, and I felt the pain in her voice. "We are worlds apart," she went on. "I am human, how can I be a luna?" she asked with her head lowered, and I raised her head, placing my finger under her chin.

"Don't think about that," I said to her. "What do you know about fated mates, when it comes to my world?" I asked her and read the pain, confusion and fear altogether in her eyes.

She shook her head in a no. 

"What it means is that we have been paired to be together. You are my other half, as I am yours. Together, we become whole and strong," I explained. "If you leave, I would be weak, unless I break my bond with you, and I don't want to," I said, and it was my turn to be emotional. "Because I cared deeply for you," I confessed.

I wanted to tell her I love her, but I felt that would be too early, and I might scare her. I thought.

I leaned forward and kissed her again. She responded this time, following my lead. I wanted to hug her, but I remembered her injury on her back. I kept my hand on the side of her face as we continued to kiss passionately.

"Damien, I am scared," Ariana withdrew from the kiss and whispered to me, resting her head on my shoulder. 

"I know, but you don't have to. I would do everything to protect you. Please, don't try running away again," I whispered to her, as I rubbed her shoulders, holding her in my arms. 

I love the feel it gave me. She didn't say anything after I made my statement, she rather relaxed in my arms. 

I planted a kiss on her forehead. That is not what I wanted to do. I wanted to kiss her again, but I didn't want to scare her. At least, I was glad my confession went well. 

Did she like me from the start? I thought feeling she accepted me too easily.

I had thought she would reject me, and I would have to prove I was for real. I smiled, rubbing her shoulders gently. She is my mate, and I am glad she didn't give me a hard time, but rather shared her fears with me and accepted me. 

I planted another kiss on the top of her head, and she lifted her head to stare at me. She had such beautiful eyes. I was mesmerised by them. I lowered my head and captured her lips in another passionate kiss. 

I, Alpha Damien Dakota, would love and protect you for the rest of my life. I made the vow in my head while kissing her. 

I felt my wolf come to the surface. I had to control myself and Kai. Kai was eager to mark her. I felt that would scare her. I continued to kiss her, passionately, but very gently. I wish I could have her, but I felt that would also scare her. 

I was ready to take my time with her, one day at a time. I pulled away from the kiss and lay down next to her on the bed after taking off my shirt. I realised she became tense immediately when I took off my shirt.

"I am not going to do anything," I said. "Just lie down and sleep," I said, and she slowly lay down in my arms, resting her head on my chest. 

I wrapped my arms around her shoulder and kept the blanket covering our waist. As if she was tired, she drifted off to sleep, after nestling into my arms and relaxing. I closed my eyes and equally went to sleep, knowing at sunrise, I would have to face my father.