Chapter 7 Killing his mate

DAMON

She didn't answer.

She simply stared at me. Those green eyes, wide with fear only moments ago, had gone strangely... still.

I tightened my grip slightly. "Well?" I asked quietly. "Give me one reason."

Silence. Her throat bobbed beneath my hand. I waited for the bargaining and then the begging. Instead, her lashes lowered.

"...Please." The word was barely audible. “If you're going to do it, make it quick."

For the first time that night, I paused, and not because I pitied her, but because it wasn't the response I had expected.

Every enemy I had ever faced had fought to survive. Even cowards and even the weakest prey clawed for one more breath. She didn't. This girl...

She had already accepted her fate. As though death wasn't something she feared and had already made peace with. My eyes remained fixed on her face. Then the scent reached me.

Blood. One that didn't belong to the warriors. I knew because my wolf surged forward immediately.

Mine. His voice became a growl.

Kill them all.

"I already did," I thought coldly. That should have satisfied him. It didn't.

The beast ignored me.

His attention remained fixed on the trembling female hanging from my hand. My gaze swept over her properly for the first time. One knee had been torn open against the rocks. Her dress hung in places where it had clearly been ripped. And beneath the torn fabric...

Old scars showed. They weren’t from tonight. Some already faded; others had not.

My wolf growled again, lower this time, more dangerous. I hated the sound. I hated him. I hated every instinct trying to force itself into my mind.

The only thing that mattered was ending this before the bond dug its claws any deeper. I tightened my fingers around her throat. Immediately—

Pain exploded behind my eyes. My wolf slammed against me with such force that my vision blurred. It almost made me stagger.

Release her. The command wasn't spoken. It was felt. Raw, primal and violent. I almost laughed. Since when did my own wolf think he could command me?

"You forget your place," I growled inwardly.

His answer came as another violent shove. My claws pushed through my fingertips as my breathing became uneven.

My vision flashed, changing from gold to normal to gold again. The wolf was fighting me. No...not fighting but trying to take control. Over her. 

Over a girl I had known for less than thirty minutes. Rage boiled inside me. This wasn't normal.  The mate bond wasn't supposed to have this much influence. I refused to believe it.

I deliberately tightened my grip again, ignoring the sparks I had been feeling under my skin from the moment I touched her. Just enough to prove that I was still in control. A whimper left her as her body stiffened. The reaction was immediate. Just like the first time, my wolf exploded against my consciousness.

The forest seemed to spin. My claws extended another inch. A growl ripped from my chest before I could stop it. In all my years of living, nothing had ever challenged my control. Nothing. Yet a single, wolfless girl had somehow pushed my wolf to the edge of taking over.

With a curse, I released her throat. Not because I wanted to, but because if I didn't...

She collapsed to the ground immediately, coughing violently while dragging desperate breaths into her lungs. I ignored her. My attention was entirely on the beast inside me. I would sooner tear the bond apart than kneel to it.

It wasn't going to make decisions for me. I would finish exactly what I had promised myself centuries ago. Resolve settled over me once more as I stepped toward her. A twig snapped somewhere behind me, and several more followed. I stopped as my head snapped toward the sound.

Alpha Gideon emerged through the trees, surrounded by half a dozen warriors. Behind them walked my Beta.

Arland.

The moment they saw us, every single one of them stopped. Their gazes flickered between me, and the girl.

Gideon's face visibly paled. "Supreme Alpha..." His eyes dropped briefly to his daughter before returning to me. "Allow me." He stepped forward.

A growl tore from my throat. Deep and animalistic. Everyone froze. Including me. Because I hadn't meant to make that sound. My wolf had. The forest fell deathly silent. No one moved, no one dared to even breathe.

Gideon's expression shifted from confusion to alarm. Slowly, I turned my head, and my gaze landed on her. The fear in her eyes had somehow deepened. Good. She should fear me.

Before I could speak, Arland's voice echoed inside my mind.

Alpha.

My attention shifted toward him. He wisely kept his face expressionless. 

Albus reached out. He said not to kill the girl.

My eyes narrowed at his words.  Did you tell him about her?

No. Arland's answer came instantly. I haven't spoken to anyone.

A frown settled across my face. Albus. That old wizard rarely involved himself in matters that didn't concern him. If he'd interfered, then he'd seen something. He was still in my territory. Miles away. Yet somehow… He already knew. The old wizard's visions were irritatingly accurate. That meddling old fool 

My gaze drifted back toward the girl. She had no idea how close she had come to dying. She would live. For now.

"No one touches her." The words echoed through the clearing. Every warrior immediately lowered his head. "No one speaks to her."

Gideon looked up. "Supreme Alpha—"

"Until I decide what to do." Silence answered me. "If anyone lays another hand on her..." I let the sentence hang. Then I finished. "I'll remove it."

Gideon's face lost what little colour remained. "As you command, Supreme Alpha."

I turned to leave. Behind me, I heard Arland take a careful step toward the girl. Instantly my wolf surged forward again.

Mine.

Another growl threatened to escape. I kept walking. If I stayed another minute… Someone else was going to die. And this time…

It wouldn't be one of the warriors.