Chapter 7: Dangerous Protection
1550 Words
Chapter 7: Dangerous Protection
(Elina's POV)
The rough scrape of asphalt against my palms made me wince. My breath hitched as I struggled to push myself upright, but before I could fully get to my feet, Lila Maddox took a step closer, crowding my space. Her sharp laugh pierced the quiet night, dripping with malice.
“Not so tough without your alphas around to save you, huh?” she sneered.
I held my ground, swallowing the anger that burned in my throat. Fighting Lila was a luxury I couldn’t afford—not when every penny was being scraped together for my mother’s treatment and my rent was just paid off for the month. Another fine would ruin us.
The screech of tires cut through the night air. A familiar black Land Rover pulled up, and Lila's face drained of color.
Damon’s black Land Rover.
His presence hit like a wave, his wolf’s dominance rolling through the air and crashing against everything in its path. It pressed heavily on my chest, and from the look on Lila’s face, she felt it just as harshly. Her aura of confidence shattered like brittle glass.
“Is there a problem?” Damon didn’t raise his voice, but the quiet power behind his words was enough to drain every drop of color from Lila’s face.
She stumbled over her words. “N-no, Alpha Blackwood. We were just... chatting.”
“Leave,” he commanded, voice sharp and cutting.
She didn’t argue, didn’t hesitate. With one last panicked glance in my direction, Lila turned and bolted, her footsteps fading into the night.
When she was gone, Damon shifted his piercing blue eyes to me. They swept over my torn clothes, lingering on the dirt streaking my knees and the scrape on my palm. For a moment, he was silent, his jaw tight. Then, without a single word, he opened the passenger door of his car and motioned for me to get in.
The tension in his shoulders made it clear there was no room for argument. I slipped inside wordlessly, sinking into the familiar leather seats.
As the car pulled away, the silence between us grew thick. Damon finally broke it, his knuckles white on the steering wheel.
“You didn’t fight back,” he said, his voice low but steady.
I hesitated, unsure how to respond. “I couldn’t risk it,” I muttered finally. “I just paid rent. If Lila broke anything, I'd be the one to pay for it all.”
His hands tightened on the wheel, his jaw clenching hard enough that I heard his teeth grind. He didn’t say anything, but the air inside the car grew heavier.
The scent of pine and storms surrounded me—his scent. My chest tightened, and before I could stop myself, tears burned at the corners of my eyes. I turned my face toward the window, inhaling shakily in an attempt to steady myself.
Damon noticed. His gaze flicked toward me briefly before he returned his attention to the road. His sharp features softened slightly, though his voice came out gruffer than before.
“You shouldn’t have been there alone,” he said.
I didn’t respond, unsure if he wanted an answer or if it was just his frustration talking.
---
At his private quarters, Damon moved around me like a storm contained within human skin. He led me to the bathroom without a word, turning the light on before signaling me to sit on the counter.
I obeyed silently, watching as he pulled out a first aid kit from the nearby cabinet. His movements were brisk, efficient, but the occasional glance at my face betrayed his concern.
“This will sting.” His voice was soft this time, his usual command tempered with something gentler.
I nodded, bracing myself as he dabbed antiseptic onto the scrape on my hand. It burned, but I bit my lip to keep from making a sound. He worked carefully, his hands firm but gentle.
His wolf stirred beneath the surface, protectiveness radiating off him in waves. My own wolf whimpered quietly, caught between comfort and unease.
“You could have called for help,” he said suddenly, breaking the silence.
I looked away. “It wasn’t that serious.”
“Serious enough that I had to stop it,” he shot back, his voice growing sharper. He paused, letting out a dry laugh. “Could’ve called Grey. Isn’t that what you usually do these days?”
I stiffened, my fingers curling instinctively. “Asher has nothing to do with this.”
He leaned back, his piercing gaze locking onto mine. “Doesn’t he, though?”
I frowned. “I think about plenty of people I could call. Not him. It's not appropriate.”
Damon’s wolf bristled, and for a moment, I saw the raw jealousy flicker in his eyes before he masked it. “You’re closer to him than I realized,” he muttered, almost to himself. “His feelings for you are... more than I expected.”
His words hung heavily in the room, the unspoken tension between us threatening to swallow me whole. But to my surprise, he added, “I won’t interfere.”
I blinked, too stunned to respond as his focus returned to cleaning my wounds. The remaining minutes passed in silence, both of us unwilling—or unable—to breach whatever wall remained between us.
---
The next morning, I woke early and found myself drifting into his kitchen. It felt strange to move around his space, strange to feel the domesticity of the moment. But I pushed the thought aside and focused on preparing a simple breakfast as a small thank-you.
I kept my movements quiet, hoping he wouldn’t notice me bustling about. But of course, Damon noticed everything.
His sharp blue eyes watched from the doorway as I struggled to ladle the coffee into mugs without splashing it everywhere.
“You know,” he said eventually, amusement lacing his tone, “you don’t have to do this.”
I huffed, turning to face him. “It’s called being grateful.”
He stepped farther into the kitchen, his gaze lingering on me longer than I was comfortable with. “You’re surprisingly maternal for someone who insists she doesn’t want a mate,” he quipped. His smirk widened. “Sure you’re not pregnant?”
My heart skipped. For a single moment, I froze completely, my hands gripping the counter. But before I could respond, a knock echoed through the house.
“Damon?”
My blood turned cold at the familiar voice of Asher Grey.
Panic surged through me, sending my wolf into a frenzy. “I-I can’t—” I stammered, but Damon waved me off.
“Go,” he murmured, motioning toward the stairs.
I bolted, taking the steps two at a time and locking myself in one of the upstairs rooms. My wolf whined anxiously as I pressed my ear to the door, straining to hear their conversation.
“Grey,” Damon greeted coolly, the smirk evident in his voice. “Unexpected.”
“Asher,” I whispered to myself, barely hearing his response over the sound of my own hammering heart.
“I saw the security footage of the incident with Lila Maddox,” Asher was saying. “I wanted to make sure Elina was alright.”
“Shouldn’t you be asking her directly?” Damon responded, his tone dripping with sarcasm. “She’s fine. Already left.”
Asher's phone must’ve rung because the next thing I heard was a faint vibration.
“That’s her phone,” Asher said softly, amusement creeping into his voice. “She never keeps track of it. Reminds me of when we were pups.”
The silence that followed was suffocating. I could practically feel Damon’s wolf bristling from upstairs.
“If that’s all, Grey...” Damon’s dismissal was curt, firm, and unmistakable.
Their conversation moved toward the front door. I stayed frozen in place until I heard it click shut.
---
Moments later, Damon’s heavy footsteps thundered up the stairs. Before I could fully prepare myself, the door burst open, and he stood there, his sharp gaze blazing with anger and something darker.
“Damon, I—”
My words were swallowed by his lips. His hands grabbed my waist, pulling me against him with a force that left me dizzy. Every inch of him radiated his wolf’s possessive fury, as though sealing his claim over me with each touch.
I gasped into his mouth, trying to push him away, but his strength held me firm.
A knock at the bottom of the stairs froze us both.
“Damon?” Asher’s voice called out.
Damon didn’t release me. Instead, his hands slid down, lifting my leg to hook around his waist. His body pressed mine flush against the door, his wolf craving the tension and high-stakes adrenaline of the situation.
“Anything else, Grey?” Damon’s voice carried down the stairs, impossibly calm despite the fire in his eyes.
I was trapped. My heart raced as Damon’s hand tightened on my thigh. His closeness, the heat of his body, and the layered danger of Asher’s presence sent my wolf into a whirlwind of conflicting emotions I couldn’t even begin to untangle.
- Writer
