Chapter 2: Your intended mate
1644 Words
Chapter 2: Your intended mate
(Elina's POV)
That scent—pine and storms, sharp and intoxicating—hit me like a brick wall. My whole body stiffened. I knew it too well, more than I wanted to.
I stared down at the menu in front of me, fingers tightening around its edges. Maybe if I ignored it, if I focused hard enough on the options listed, it would go away.
But, of course, Asher had to ruin that thin chance of peace.
“Damon!” Asher called out brightly, his voice cutting through the calm evening air.
My heart dropped to my stomach. My eyes snapped shut, a futile attempt to prepare myself for what was about to happen.
Footsteps, steady and deliberate, grew louder as they approached the outdoor table we shared. The hairs on the back of my neck prickled even before I heard that voice.
“Asher Grey,” Damon said, his voice deep, commanding. It rolled over me, making me sink a little deeper into my chair. “What brings you here tonight?”
I didn’t dare look up. If I just stayed quiet, maybe—
“And who’s this?” Damon asked. His tone was light, almost playful. It made my heart ache more than if he’d been cold.
I felt his gaze on me then, heavy, deliberate. The air shifted around me, soaked in his Alpha dominance.
“This,” Asher said, blissfully unaware of the tension swallowing me whole, “is Elina Rivers. My lead designer. She’s actually working on your intended mate’s ceremonial marking gown.”
The casual drop of the words "intended mate" felt like a slap across my face. A bitter taste crept up the back of my throat.
“My intended mate,” Damon repeated lightly, as if testing how the words felt on his tongue.
I could practically feel his smirk, though I still couldn’t bring myself to look at him.
“Pleased to meet you, Miss Rivers,” Damon’s voice came softer now, but just as devastating.
With no way to avoid it, I forced my gaze upward. My eyes locked onto Damon’s. Cold, sharp blue. Piercing through every wall I tried to erect around myself.
He extended his hand, and I had no choice but to take it. The moment our hands made contact, that electric jolt shot through me, the same one I'd felt so many times before.
His grasp lingered just half a second longer than necessary before I pulled back. My heart raced as I fought to steady myself.
“The pleasure is mine, Alpha Blackwood,” I said, my voice steady despite the chaos swirling inside me.
“Elina,” Damon said, testing out the syllables like a secret only he could fully understand. “A beautiful name. Reminds me of someone.”
I froze. He was doing this on purpose. Of course, he was. He couldn’t let go of the past, even if he pretended it didn’t matter to him.
I schooled my expression, refusing to give him the satisfaction of seeing me flinch. “I’ve heard much about you from Asher,” I replied vaguely.
“Oh? All good things, I hope,” Damon said, leaning back into his chair like he owned the night.
Asher chuckled. “The best. Damon, why don’t you join us? We were just discussing some pack matters. It’d save me the trouble of making another trip to your territory.”
I wanted to scream the moment Damon accepted. Instead, I plastered on a tight smile and focused on not breaking the chopsticks in my hand.
Throughout dinner, Damon and Asher carried the conversation, completely unaware of the turmoil brewing inside me. Each word, each reference to Blackwood or Grey pack politics, felt distant, muffled against the sound of my own pounding heartbeat.
“So,” Asher brought up casually, “Seraphina’s finally back? I heard whispers.”
“Yes,” Damon said stiffly, his eyes flickering to me. “She’s back. The same Seraphina you remember from old times.”
I pressed my fork into my salad harder than necessary.
Asher grinned. “Good for you. It must feel like everything’s falling into place now, right?”
“Something like that,” Damon answered absentmindedly. His gaze lingered on me, burning, unreadable.
I refused to meet his eyes. But I could feel his wolf pressing against mine, testing my composure.
The claustrophobia only ended when Asher’s phone rang, shattering the bubble of tension suffocating the table. He glanced at the screen, his expression darkening.
“Duty calls,” he said apologetically. “Emergency situation back at Grey territory.”
I nodded. Relief washed over me at the thought of escaping this awkward dinner.
To my dismay, Asher draped his coat over my shoulders before I could argue. “It’s cold out tonight,” he said warmly, his beta scent wrapping me in a comforting shield.
Then, without warning, he turned to Damon. “Could I trouble you to see Elina home? I’d feel better knowing she’s safe.”
I opened my mouth to refuse, but Damon spoke up before I could.
“Of course,” he said smoothly. “It’d be my pleasure.”
And just like that, I was trapped.
The leather seats of Damon’s car were far too familiar. Memories flooded back, unbidden, of other nights spent in this space. Nights that confused me, warmed me, and broke me in equal measure.
“Light this for me,” Damon said, holding out an unlit cigarette as he drove.
I hesitated but took the lighter. Flame reflected in his sharp features as I leaned forward, igniting the cigarette.
His voice broke the silence. “You’re bleeding.”
I blinked. He glanced at my hand, where a small paper cut had gone unnoticed until now.
“It’s nothing,” I said, brushing it off.
“You should be more careful,” he muttered, turning back to the road. “You let too many things go unnoticed, Elina. It’s a bad habit.”
The way he said my name made every nerve in my body go stiff. The way he still thought he had the right to lecture me made my blood boil.
“Funny coming from someone who wants me to distance myself, yet can’t seem to let go,” I blurted.
A bitter laugh escaped him.
“What does that mean?”
I crossed my arms, refusing to let him keep control of the conversation. “It’s inappropriate for us to even have this conversation, given your upcoming marking ceremony.”
“Jealous, little wolf?” he asked, his tone mocking.
That word—jealous—was enough to snap my patience in two.
“Don’t flatter yourself,” I snapped, even as my wolf whimpered in agreement with him.
He stopped the car suddenly, pulling over to the side of the road. His piercing blue eyes turned to me, his expression unreadable.
“I could make this stop, Elina,” he said, his voice dropping low.
“Stop what?” I asked, my throat tightening.
“This—” he gestured between us, his hand briefly brushing the space between our hearts. “This mess you’ve left me with.”
I turned away, afraid of where this was headed. But his wolf surged forward, prodding at mine in the mating bond.
He leaned closer, until his face was just inches from mine. “If you wanted me to stop caring, why didn’t you just stay away?”
“Because,” I said, voice trembling, “you were supposed to be the one letting go. Not me.”
A single glance at Asher’s coat around my shoulders broke whatever spell hung in the air. Damon growled, yanking it off me in one swift motion.
“What is going on between you and Grey?” he demanded.
“Nothing,” I managed. “He’s my employer.”
“Then why does your mother practically sing his praises every time his name comes up?”
Heat rose to my cheeks as I realized he must have been keeping tabs on us. On her.
“She likes him,” I said, still shaken. “Not that it’s any of your business.”
His hands tightened on the steering wheel, and his wolf rippled under his skin.
We returned to silence until Damon abruptly stopped at the base of my apartment building.
“Why aren’t you living within Blackwood territory?” he asked suddenly.
"Because I don’t want to,” I said simply, before hurrying to exit the car.
But he wasn’t finished with me yet. Damon followed, his towering frame shadowing mine as we reached the stairs.
He stopped at the base, and his eyes followed my every move up the stairwell.
I pushed open the door to my apartment and froze.
A sickly smell of gas filled the air.
“Mom?!” I screamed, bolting toward her lifeless figure on the floor.
I fell to my knees, shaking her shoulder. “Mom, wake up!”
Trembling fingers fumbled for my phone, and I barely managed to dial the emergency number. My heart pounded so hard I thought it might burst.
“Help is on the way,” the operator assured me, but it barely reached my panicked brain.
The next thing I heard was heavy footsteps, impossibly fast, rushing up the stairs.
Before I could look, Damon appeared in the doorway. His sharp eyes immediately assessed the scene.
“She’s still breathing,” he said firmly, taking control. “We don’t have time to wait.”
His Alpha strength made it seem effortless as he scooped my mother into his arms, cradling her like a child.
He glanced at me, his expression unreadable. “Come on. The ambulance is downstairs.”
I followed numbly, my vision blurred with tears.
- Writer
