Free Web NovelChapter 23: Fangborne’s Packhouses
After a relaxing bath where Damon had tenderly helped me scrub my back and wash my hair, my mind was whirling a mile a minute.
Physically, I felt a lot better. Emotionally though, I felt like I was on a rollercoaster that had taken a few sharp turns while all I had on was a faulty seatbelt. Even after the ride was over, I was still suffering from whiplash.
Damon was kind and caring and those were adjectives I would have never thought to describe him.
Did having sex with me change his personality so much? I had heard stories about men being led by their lower halves, but Damon Valentine was sleeping with hordes of women. He wouldn’t be so pent-up that sleeping with me would cause such a drastic personality switch.
No, I decided that this man was simply trying to lull me into a false sense of security. He was my mate, but I wasn’t really his. I was nothing more than one of his playthings― even a cherished toy would be discarded the moment he ran out of space.
I had to keep my guard up and still try to find a way to escape from this hell, but it was hard to remember Damon’s terrible attitude when he held out a bundle in his hand for me.
"You’re giving me clothes? Are you sure?" I asked incredulously, looking at the white and blue fabrics held in his hand. It was merely a simple white blouse and a pair of denim shorts, but they were leagues better than the bedsheet I wore, let alone that silky lingerie outfit!
This time, Damon had even provided underwear! Decent underwear― an actual cotton bra and panty set that a woman would normally wear. I nearly wanted to weep in joy when I saw it. I didn’t think Damon knew what normal clothes looked like, but I knew better than to say it and risk him taking it away.
"If you want to go naked, be my guest. Perhaps you like the thought of being seen by everyone," Damon retorted with an amused tilt of his eyebrow. He turned away to leave, but I hurriedly grabbed onto the clothes before he could go.
Like hell was I going to let him take this away from me!
"No, no, thank you for the clothes," I said quickly, immediately putting them on before Damon could do something nonsensical like change his mind and rip them off me. When cool cotton embraced my skin, I finally felt more like a person and less like a plaything.
A quick glance at the bathroom mirror showed the reflection of a beautiful young woman, with messy dark brown hair and bright green eyes. To my surprise, my skin had never looked better, it was clear and radiant, a healthy flush on my cheeks― or maybe that was the afterglow of some highly good sex.
I patted down the flyaway strands of my hair, and adjusted the blouse, trying to look more presentable while I admired myself in the mirror.
There was nothing to be done about the collar around my neck, but I still had hopes that it would be temporary. However, I knew better than to tug on it when Damon could see me― and I knew he was watching me from the mirror.
Even if I didn’t see Damon watching me from the corner of his eyes, I could feel the weight of his gaze heavy on my back, causing embers of desire to resurface.
I heartlessly snuffed them out before they could spread, but to make sure that my new clothes would still remain on me, I had to chase him out of the room.
"What are you looking at?" I asked, feeling a bit self-conscious at the intensity of his stare. My cheeks heated up.
Was it a crime for me to admire myself just a bit? Especially after the insanity of the past few days? freēwebnovel.com
"Didn’t you say you have a meeting to go to? Don’t let me keep you," I added, giving the door a subtle glance.
A muscle twitched in Damon’s jaw, but thankfully, the amusement in his eyes outweighed whatever irritation he must have felt.
Damn. Was the sex that good that he could even forgive the jabs?
"I’ll see you soon, little rabbit," Damon said, tilting my chin up so he could plant a searing kiss on my lips.
"What am I supposed to do in the meantime?" I asked when we parted. "Surely you don’t expect me to be waiting for you in the room, right?"
Damon rolled his eyes and sighed, as though I asked a particularly troublesome question. "I’ll get Elijah to show you around the pack house. If you want to be punished, feel free to cause more property damage."
He gave me a slow lingering stare as his arm wrapped around my waist, causing butterflies to erupt in my belly. I thought he would lean down and kiss me again, but then a knock interrupted us.
Damon sighed. "Enter."
"Hi Alpha, I’ve got your message," Elijah said, blinking in surprise as he caught sight of us. He coughed awkwardly. "Ah, I’m sorry for interrupting. I’ll come back later?"
Damon must have already planned this, since I didn’t see any indication of him contacting anyone via his mind link. Or perhaps Damon was so skilled he could do it without visual cues, unlike Stormclaw’s old alpha, better known as my father, who always had to put his fingers to his temple.
I wouldn’t put it past Damon. Everything about him screamed domineering overachiever.
"No need," Damon growled out, and he pulled his arm away from me, leaving me colder than before. "I’m done here. Take her outside."
Then Damon turned around and left, leaving me alone with Elijah, who was beaming at me with a bright grin on his face. I could tell he was relieved when he caught sight of me being noticeably unharmed.
Which meant that other women Damon was with tended to look worse for wear. I had gotten off lucky.
"Harper! It’s good to see you again," Elijah said as if we had not seen each other in weeks and not just hours.
"Likewise," I said with a smile. This man must have expected me to be in a worse state. "I heard you were going to give me a tour?"
"That’s right," Elijah said, eagerly leading me through the hallways like an eager puppy.
I was surprised how someone as warm as him could possibly be working for Damon and Blaise. He pointed out the rooms on the different floors― the Alpha of course had the biggest room, and the Beta had the one right across from him. Their offices were also on the same floor.
That made sense. Work was sure to pile up well into the night on the occasion. It was easier for their rooms to be right next to each other.
Elijah also added that it was rare for Blaise to stay in this packhouse, unlike the betas of older generations. While that raised my curiosity, I had a more pressing question.
"Where is the Luna’s room?" I asked curiously.
"There isn’t one," Elijah said, matter-of-factly. "There’s never been a luna in Fangborne, so the Alpha never had one built."
I blinked in surprise.
"Ever?"
