Page 51 of Forced Alpha Bride
Damon tenses up, and I wish I could see the look on his face. Being snuggled against him seems to have helped him open up a bit, though, so I stay where I am.
“My uncle Leroy told me about it. He said it was a very small, beautiful town. A simple place. Mostly farmers, not much modern civilization. It wasn’t easy for him to leave, and once he escaped, he couldn’t get back through the sentries posted by the Eyrie.”
“Why did he leave?”
“Mostly because of the feud. Besides, after my father died, he had no reason to stay, and it wouldn’t have been easy for him to do so, considering the circumstances.”
“What do you mean? How did your dad die?”
“He was killed in the alpha’s challenge.”
I go quiet, feeling Damon’s heart beating through his chest right next to my cheek. I can feel how tense he is now. All of his muscles tighten up as his heartbeat gets stronger.
I want to ask him how he feels about all of this and what it was like for him to end up out in the woods with his uncle, literally between the two towns, belonging to both but having a home in neither. But I don’t want to tread all over his pain.
He’s not just an outcast from both places, though. He could heal the rift! He has royal blood from both packs, and if he could rule both, he’d reconcile them.
This realization is as shocking as a bucket of ice water tipped over my head.
No wonder Regina sees him as a threat!
My mind is full of even more questions now. If Valentine Creek really is a peaceful place, then it would be for the good of everyone to stop the fighting and bring peace.
What if they are all thieves and murderers, though? Then it would be the end of Gryphon Eyrie. And Regina is a champion of righteousness. I mean, they did kill Damon’s dad.
Yeah, in an alpha challenge. Just like the one here, where Damon killed nine wolves to ascend.
My head is suddenly aching, and I sit up, rubbing my temples. All the good feelings are gone. I’m so conflicted, I feel sick.
“Are you alright?” Damon asks gently. “Do you have a headache?”
“Yeah,” I say. “It’s not too bad, though.”
“You haven’t eaten since breakfast. Do you need something now, or can you wait for dinner at the manor?”
I examine him closely, and I can’t detect any false concern. When he acts like this, he seems entirely genuine in his desire to care for me.
“I could use a snack,” I admit.
“Sure,” he says, getting up. As he walks across the room, I notice his natural grace, apparent in his every movement.
It’s a crime this man never got to dance ballet.
The idea of Damon in a tight leotard makes me giggle, but when I think a bit harder about it, the idea of his hard, bulging muscles lined by slick white Lycra distracts me so much, I have to shove the image out of my mind with brute force.
Now I’m horny again. I’ve never been this turned on by anyone.
Damon comes back into the room with a cup of tea and a small plate of biscuits. He puts them down on the table instead of handing them to me. When he stands in front of me in complete silence, I look up into his eyes to see him scowling.
What the fuck?
He grabs my chain, and I brace myself for the worst. But to my shock, he pulls out the key and unlocks the manacles.
“Thank you,” I say, stunned.
“Yeah,” he mutters, sitting down next to me. “I still don’t trust you, but it just doesn’t seem right to leave them on.”
“Because it was right to put them on in the first place?” I challenge.
