Free Web NovelChapter 60: The Soft Side III
[Third POV]
"Alpha...?" Nicole paused, blinking a couple of times in surprise. She stared at her alpha, unsure what to make of his words.
It was only after a few minutes of silence — with Damon staring her down emotionlessly the entire time — had Nicole finally nodded in acknowledgment. While she had some doubts about Damon’s orders, she couldn’t entirely ignore him or question his sanity.
She simply needed time to register the unfamiliar words emerging from Damon’s mouth before she could properly process the correct way to respond to such an insane request.
Then again, it’s not as though she could have said no to him. He was the Alpha, and she had no intention of being the next person lying on the hospital bed. If Damon could treat his fated mate like this, she had no chance of escaping unscathed if she ended up on his bad side. Kaine would not be able to save her from his wrath.
Yet, she couldn’t help but give Harper’s prone figure a worried glance as she moved away. Surely her Alpha wasn’t so heartless to kick a defenseless woman when she was down — literally — right?
"I’m not going to hurt her," Damon growled out, sensing Nicole’s hesitance to leave him alone with Harper. He felt strangely rankled by her distrust of him; she had worked for him for years and knew him for even longer. How could she think so ill of him?
"I hope not," Nicole said, giving him a small, tremulous smile. "She’s a very kind person who deserves more kindness in her life." Her hand hovered over his shoulder, as though she wanted to pat him, but then thought better of it. "I’ll give you two some space, then."
With that said, Nicole packed up her things and quickly left the room. As she did, she thanked the heavens that Elijah had been discharged earlier today. It would be awkward if he had to be stuck in that room with Damon and Harper. ƒгeewёbnovel.com
Damon stared down at Harper’s sleeping figure.
Kind. She deserved kindness. Nicole’s words echoed in his head.
What did Damon know about being kind?
Kindness to him was getting struck by the metal end of a belt. It was as incongruous to him as snow was to a desert. He made his way to Harper’s side, a hand hovering awkwardly over her face. Now that he took a closer look, he realized that when he stretched out his fingers, his hand could cover her entire face.
She was so tiny in comparison to him. Damon sucked in a breath.
How did one go about caring, especially for someone so... delicate and weak? He couldn’t care for her the same way he cared for Blaise. Blaise was just like him, they were carbon copies of each other save for the eyes. Damon could throw everything he had at Blaise and Blaise would return it ten-fold with a smirk, because that was what his brother was good at.
Blaise was also a lot better at caring than Damon. That was evident, too, with how Harper had chosen Blaise so quickly over Damon, despite the latter being the one to find her first.
He was the older brother. He found Harper in the ashes of a shattered home and brought her back to Fangborne. He was the first one to mark her and claim her as his. However, in the end, despite all of that, Damon wasn’t the first she claimed for her own.
Slowly, Damon sat down on the stool right next to Harper’s bed. He watched as her chest rose and fell slowly, in tune with the soft sounds made by her every breath. Nicole was wonderful at what she did― Harper was patched up nicely and some of her bruises even looked a little more healed than before. free𝑤ebnovel.com
If he concentrated hard enough, Damon could even see color returning to her cheeks bit by bit. Perhaps he was hallucinating it all, but he thought he could clearly see Harper’s recovery even with the naked eye. His theory had once more been proven― their time spent together had given both of them a boost in their strength.
Harper was slowly gaining a connection to her wolf.
Unable to resist, Damon found himself reaching out to her before he could even help it. His fingers combed back a stray strand of hair that had fallen over her face, combing it back so that her features were unobstructed.
Silence filled the room, lest for the wild thumping of their hearts. It formed a symphony, lapsing over one another in a rhythmic harmony. When Damon’s fingers accidentally brushed against Harper’s skin, it felt as though he was struck by a bolt of lightning. Sparks crackled and fizzed beneath his skin, and Damon nearly jumped back in shock.
It had been a while since he had touched her like this, so tenderly. He stared hard at his hands, his mind beginning to play tricks on him. For a second, Damon thought that his hands were red, coated by a thick layer of blood.
Harper’s blood.
It took a few panicked, confused blinks to get rid of that image and have a glimpse at reality once more.
Alas, it was true― his hands were indeed coated red with blood. He had done Harper wrong, goaded by his own pride and ego when he could’ve used a different approach to have her stay by his side, rather than accepting her ridiculous challenge when it was clear to see that Harper was definitely going to lose.
Jealousy was a curse and green was an ugly color on Damon.
If only he could rewind time back to the moment when he first met Harper. Perhaps, if he had done things differently, she would’ve chosen him instead of Blaise.
Lost in his thoughts, Damon hadn’t even noticed that Harper was beginning to stir in bed. She moved around, adjusting her position before eventually, the weight on her hand and the warmth against her cheeks caused her to open her eyes.
Damon was caught unawares, his expression akin to a deer lost in the headlights when he finally noticed the pair of bright green eyes staring right at him. He, too, stared back. This time, he was lost for words.
