I stormed out of the council hall before I did something I would regret. My fists were shaking, my chest tight, and my wolf pacing angrily inside me. Every word from them kept replaying in my head, Lisa doesn’t fit... she’s just a human... the Luna must come from the Beta’s family.
I wanted to roar, to tear that entire table apart. But if I had stayed one more second, I might have gone for my own brothers’ throats.
"Damon!" Kael’s voice boomed behind me.
"Don’t you dare walk away!" Rowan shouted, his footsteps heavy against the stone floor.
I clenched my jaw and didn’t turn. My boots hit hard against the ground as I walked faster down the corridor.
"Damon!" Kael again, sharper this time. "Get back here. We’re not done!"
I kept walking, my hands curling tighter.
"You think leaving makes you right?" Rowan’s voice carried anger. "You’re running like a coward!"
That one almost made me turn around. Almost. But if I did, there would be blood, mine or theirs, I didn’t know. So I pushed forward, ignoring their voices echoing through the hall until finally the sound faded.
By the time I reached my chamber, I was boiling inside. My hand shook as I shoved the door closed and locked it. I leaned against the wood, my breathing harsh, trying to calm down. But there was no calm. Only rage.
"They don’t get to tell me who my mate is," I growled to myself. My voice echoed off the walls. "They don’t get to choose for me."
I paced the room like a caged animal. My thoughts wouldn’t settle. Lisa’s face flashed in my mind, her tired eyes, her fragile smile, the way she tried so hard to stand tall even when the whole world treated her like nothing.
"She’s mine," I whispered, my chest tight. "I’ll fight anyone. Everyone. I don’t care."
But after hours of pacing, shouting at walls, and replaying their words, exhaustion pulled me down. I threw myself on the bed fully dressed, fists still clenched, and somewhere between anger and pain, I fell asleep.
Morning came too quickly. The sun slipped through the curtains, and for a moment I just lay there, my chest heavy, my throat dry. But then I remembered, Lisa.
I shot up from bed, running a hand through my hair. I didn’t even think. I didn’t wash. I didn’t eat. My feet carried me down the corridor toward her room.
When I reached her door, my heart was racing. I pushed it open without knocking, and froze.
She was unpacking her things.
Her small hands moved slowly, folding a dress, placing it into the drawer. Her hair fell loosely around her shoulders. She looked pale, fragile.
Relief flooded me so fast I almost laughed. My chest felt lighter just seeing her move.
"Lisa," I breathed out, stepping closer. My voice was softer than I expected. "You’re unpacking..."
She didn’t look at me. She kept folding, her eyes focused on the drawer.
I smiled faintly, forcing my steps slower. "You don’t know how glad I am to see this. To see you here. To see you..." I swallowed hard, trying to find the right words. "Did you like your room?"
Finally, she turned her head. Her eyes met mine, but there was no warmth. Just coldness.
"How are you feeling?" I asked quickly, desperate to break that wall between us. "Better? Did you sleep? Do you still feel weak?"
"I’m fine," she said flatly.
I blinked at her tone. "Fine?"
"Yes. Fine." She closed the drawer and turned away, picking up another piece of cloth. "You don’t have to keep checking on me. I don’t want people talking more than they already are."
Her words hit harder than a blade.
"Rumors?" I asked, frowning. "What rumors?"
She scoffed lightly, still not facing me. "Don’t act like you don’t know. Everyone is whispering about me. About us. And I don’t want it anymore. It’s not as if you truly care!"
I stepped closer, my hand twitching at my side, aching to reach for her. "Lisa, I don’t care what they whisper. I want to care for you genuinely and that can happen If you allow me."
"I don’t want to be your scandal," she snapped, finally looking at me. Her eyes burned with anger, or maybe pain. "Every time you do something for me, it only makes it worse. People already hate me, Damon. They already think I don’t belong. And when you keep stepping in, it only proves them right."
Silence fell for a moment, heavy between us.
I took a slow step closer, lowering my voice. "Lisa... don’t push me away. Please."
I froze for a moment, her words cutting sharper than any blade. Still, I forced a small smile and stepped closer.
"Lisa," I said softly, "I’m not trying to buy your trust with furniture or curtains. I just... I just want to know you. I want to be your friend."
She let out a bitter laugh, shaking her head. "Your friend? Damon, you don’t even know what that word means. You and your brothers, friendship isn’t in your blood. All you know is control."
Her words stung, but I tried not to show it. I moved another step closer. "You think I’m like Kael? Or Rowan? Always scheming, always looking for ways to cage you?"
She lifted her chin, meeting my eyes with a cold glare. "Aren’t you? Redecorating my room, ordering people around, acting like you’re doing me a favor? It’s all the same thing, Damon. Power, control, pretending it’s kindness."
I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck. "Maybe you’re right. Maybe I don’t know how to show kindness the way normal people do. But I’m trying. Doesn’t that count for something?"
Lisa scoffed again, crossing her arms. "Trying? Trying would mean listening to me when I say stop. But you won’t, will you? You’ll just keep pushing until I bend."
Her words twisted something inside me. I stepped closer, close enough to see the tired lines on her face, the way her shoulders stiffened.
"I’m not here to break you," I said firmly. "I swear I’m not. I just... I want to understand you. Please, Lisa. Let me try."
She shook her head, a small, humorless smile tugging at her lips. "You can do your worst, Damon. You always do. You and your brothers play your games, and I’m the one who pays for it. So don’t stand here talking about friendship. You don’t even know me. And you never will."
Her words landed like stones in my chest. I swallowed hard, staring at her, searching for any crack in her armor, any small sign that she didn’t mean it. But all I saw was pain, and the wall she had built around herself.
"Lisa..." I whispered, almost pleading. "I don’t want to hurt you."
"Then leave me alone," she shot back, her voice sharp.