Chapter Three

Damon

I couldn’t deny it. I had heard it loud and clear. This couldn’t be happening. Why me? Why would my mate be a slave from another pack? It didn’t make any sense.

I was staring at the ceiling watching the fan rotate slowly. It was getting dark, and it would soon be time for me to head home. I had lied just so that I could come here. I needed to relax, and the only person that could do that for me was her.

She shifted to the other side of the bed. She was exhausted. Probably because of the number of times we had sex. She needed rest.

Could I sneak out and leave her in bed? That wouldn’t be right. I would have to tell her goodbye myself. That was the only way I could be satisfied with myself. With everything going on already in my life, I never thought that this would happen.

I had always suspected that she would be my mate. I had felt the attraction towards her since the first time she met me. She had been little, and I was only a young man who was getting used to being Alpha. I had done some reckless things in the past, but destroying the Nightcrawlers wasn’t one of them.

I had told my mother of this, and she had made Anna become our maid. It didn't look good in my eyes because I always wanted to be alone. Waking up every morning and looking at the girl who would potentially be my mate while I had another lover didn’t sit right with me. That was why I never told her.

She shifted on the bed once more and I could tell that she was awake. Perhaps she was listening to me. Listening to my heartbeat, listening to my steady breathing, and savoring my presence as I lay with her.

And then, she turned to face me. I could tell that she had been awake for quite a while now.

Her long blonde hair was scattered across her face and I used my fingers to brush them off her face. She gave me a weak smile, making her blue eyes glitter. They looked just like Anna’s.

“Are you okay?” She asked.

I sighed at the question.

She was Sophie Rottard. My girlfriend for nearly fifteen years. We had been together ever since we were kids. That was to show how unsettling this was. I always thought that it was a mistake and I would finally mate with Sophie when the time was right.

But I was wrong.

After everything we had been through together, I had disappointed her. Sophie watched me steadily. I could tell her eyes were following my every movement.

She seemed uncomfortable with the silence. As she leaned onto my chest, I could feel her heart thumping against her chest. She was nervous. Maybe even scared.

“Damon. Please talk to me,” she begged.

I leaned off the bed and sat at the edge. My hands were on my head as I thought of my next move. Should I tell her about the current situation? Could I tell her that my maid for the last five years turned out to be my mate? She would lose her mind if I told her that.

Sophie moved across the bed on her knees and came to me, wrapping her hands around my upper body. I sighed again and ran my fingers through the jet-black hair in frustration.

“Talk to me, baby,” she begged. “You’re scaring me.”

I turned to face her. Her cheeks were against mine now, and I could feel her warmth and breasts pressing against my back. It was usually therapeutic, not now at least.

“Sophie. There’s something I have to tell you,” I finally said.

I could feel my heart in my mouth after that sentence. Maybe if the realization that things were going to go south. Maybe it was because nothing was going to be the same after that. I breathed in deeper to call my nerves.

“What is it?” She asked.

I rose from the bed, peeling myself from her warm embrace. I was stark naked as I stood between the bed and the dresser. The fan above us was making a clunking sound.

“Sophie, I found my mate,” I replied.

There was silence. She didn’t say anything. Well, I didn’t expect her to. I turned around and found her sitting on the edge of the bed. The sheets were covering her thighs but left her melon-sized breasts hanging. Her eyes were focused on her feet so I couldn’t tell what she was thinking.

This must be a bombshell to her. I swallowed her and waited for her to speak.

A few moments later, her face came up and she had a smile on. This puzzled me. She was smiling? Maybe she hadn’t heard me. Perhaps she thought I was talking about her. Did she misunderstand my words?

“So?” She asked.

I was amazed by this.

“I…I mean that I had found my mate, Sophie. And it’s not who you think,” I replied.

She still had her smile on.

“I always knew I wasn’t your mate, Damon. If I was, we would have felt it since we turned eighteen.”

She was right. She must have noticed that. Then why did she still stay with me? It was confusing. That was more than eleven years ago. There was no way that she would have stayed that long if she didn’t see a future with me.

“So you’re not mad?” I asked.

She chuckled and I felt a drop of sweat trickle down my spine.

“I mean, I always knew I wasn’t the one, Damon. This isn’t a surprise.”

I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair. So I was worried for nothing? She didn’t look fazed about my discovery.

Instead, she rose from the bench and walked up to them. The sheets fell off her thighs and she moved towards me, her body contours in full display. I couldn’t deny that I was distracted by them. They could make me do anything for her.

“Tell me, who is she?” She asked as I held my cheeks.

I shut my eyes and felt her fingers caress my cheeks. Her body plastered against mine, and I could feel her warmth soak into my skin.

“My maid, Anna Parker,” I replied opening my eyes.

She chuckled.

“You don’t have to worry about her. We are always going to be together, Damon.”

I nodded at that.

“Yes. I’m going to send her away so that she can never destroy us,” I said, staring at her blue eyes.

Sophie nodded as she stared back at me.

“I love you,” she said, before wrapping her arms around me and placing a kiss on my lips.