Page 36 of Howl For A Kiss
The question burned in her throat as she sat up, studying him in the firelight. Even in his crude clothing from scraps found in the cavern, he still looked every inch the powerful Beta he was. Authority radiated from him even in this reduced state.
"Why are you still watching over me?" The words escaped before she could stop them, cutting through the tense silence.
Damon's eyes met hers across the fire. "Because it's what you deserve."
"I just beat the hell out of you." Elena's voice came out hoarser than she'd intended. "I said horrible things. Why aren't you angry? Why aren't you defending yourself?"
"Because I deserved everything you did to me." His response was immediate and unwavering. "All your rage and all your pain. I'd take that beating again if I had to."
Elena stared at him, searching his face for any sign of deception. But there was only that steady sincerity that had drawn her to him from the beginning, and the unwavering strength that made her feel safe even when her world was falling apart.
"Why did you lie?" The question tore from her throat like a physical wound. "Why did you feel the need to stay here with me? You could have just walked away after that first day. Gone back to your pack and your real life."
Damon was quiet for so long she thought he wouldn't answer. When he finally spoke, his voice was thick with emotion. "Because you're my fated mate, Elena."
Elena's breath caught in her throat, her heart stuttering against her ribs. "What?"
"I couldn't walk away from you." Damon's green eyes burned with intensity in the firelight. "From the moment I touched your hand, I knew. My wolf recognized you instantly. You're mine, Elena."
"So you orchestrated this whole charade?" Elena's voice climbed higher, panic and disbelief warring in her chest. "You manipulated me into trusting you?"
"Yes." The admission was stark and unflinching. "I knew you'd never let me stay if you knew I was a Beta. But I couldn't leave you. I couldn't walk away from my mate."
Elena's rational mind reeled from this revelation, but something deeper—something primal and true—sang with recognition. Her wolf wasn't surprised by this news. If anything, she seemed relieved that the truth had finally been spoken aloud.
You knew,Elena realized with dawning horror.Deep down, you knew all along.
The memory of their first handshake came flooding back—the electric jolt that had run through her system and the way her body had responded to his presence. The inexplicable trust, and the way she'd felt safe with him despite every logical reason to be wary.
Even now, after discovering his deception, part of her still felt that bone-deep recognition. That sense of rightness when he was near, and of completion she'd never experienced before.
You may feel terrible that he lied to you,her wolf observed.But what choice did he have? What choice did you give him?
The realization hit Elena like ice water. Her wolf was right—she would have cast him out immediately if she'd known he was a Beta. Would have seen him as the enemy. She might very well be dead right now or still trapped in her compromised rebel base without his protection.
Every action he'd taken, every lie he'd told, had been motivated by one driving need. To protect her. And he could only do that by staying close enough to keep her safe.
"You had no choice but to lie," Elena whispered.
Damon's eyes widened slightly, hope flickering across his features. "Elena?—"
"You knew I'd never accept you as my mate if I knew the truth." She was talking to herself now, working through the logic that her emotions had refused to acknowledge. "So you did what you had to do to stay close to me."
The foundation of her hurt began to crack, replaced by something far more complicated and terrifying. Understanding. And beneath that, the growing awareness that despite everything—his lies, his deception, his betrayal—she didn't want him to leave.
SIXTEEN
DAMON
The flicker of hope that had sparked in Damon's chest when Elena had begun to understand why he'd lied to her morphed into something heavier—acceptance mixed with profound regret.
"No, Elena, what I did was wrong," he said quietly, his voice rough with self-recrimination. "I shouldn't have carried on the charade for three days. I should have given you the respect you deserved by telling you exactly who I was when we first met."
His hands clenched into fists against his thighs, the makeshift cloth around his waist rough against his skin. The cave felt smaller suddenly, the air thick with unspoken truths and the weight of his guilt.
"You deserved honesty from the beginning," he continued, forcing himself to hold her gaze across the fire. "It was my own fears and insecurities about being Beta that made me lie. About questioning my role in an oppressive system, about enforcing traditional pack laws that are increasingly cruel. Laws I question more every day."
Elena remained silent, but something in her expression had shifted. The hurt was still there, yet underneath it he caughtglimpses of the woman who'd trusted him enough to let him see her vulnerability.
