The Alpha's Claim

11

"We almost died," I said. Berry laughed and waved me off. "No, really! There was a squirrel and I'm pretty sure he is plotting his revenge." Eric snorted in laughter. Even Damien had a smile across his face.

"Okay, well, we made it here safely," Berry defended.

"How about I drive down the hill today?" Eric suggested, at which Berry elbowed him.

Damien glanced at his watch. "Speaking of, it is about time for you to start your hall meeting," he said.

Eric sighed and grabbed his plate. Berry followed suit and glanced our way. "Are you not coming?" she asked.

Damien shook his head. "I am taking Naomi to Cedar pack."

I whirled my head around in shock. "What?" Berry and I both asked simultaneously.

"Naomi and I are going back to Cedar pack. Eric will be finishing up here  and then you will be joining us in a couple weeks, at least for the short run."

I opened my mouth, but Berry beat me to it. "Why are you taking Naomi?"

Damien growled and Berry stepped back. "She has not been treated...well...here. I am taking her somewhere safe. You will see her soon. And we will say goodbye before we leave."

Berry just nodded, walking off with Eric. Damien stood and sat beside me, piling my plate on his. I hadn't touched the tacos, but had almost finished the pear smoothie.

I turned to Damien. He was handsome; there was no doubt there. He reeked of confidence and power. His deep green eyes seemed to peel away at the deepest mysteries. The scruff on his chin didn't look unkempt, but recklessly sophisticated. He was hot. "Are we mates?" The question blurted out before I could stop myself. 

Damien sighed and a puff of yellow air froze the room around us. I turned, seeing everyone frozen in time. Food was suspended mid-air. Laughter was crystalized. Slowly I turned to face Damien.

Suddenly, his lips were on mine. I felt fireworks explode in my gut as his hands dug through my hair, cradling my head like he was holding a newborn. His lips were softer than I anticipated, and I leaned in, inhaling his sweet scent. Suddenly, he pulled back, panting with pale eyes.

"So..." I said. He gently pulled my forehead close, and he tenderly kissed it.

"Yes," he breathed. He leaned back. "I didn't know there was any question."

I blinked away the fuzziness that had wrapped around my brain. "I'm sorry. I feel like..." I thought back to his distance and hesitation around me. It didn't square in my head, not with how Eric and Berry were acting. I suppose everyone is different. "No one else knows," I said lamely. "Berry doesn't."

He smiled softly and leaned back. I glanced down and saw that our plates looked comically small in his hands. "That is by design," he sighed. "It is complicated. You have stepped out of one danger into another. If other people knew, you'd be at a greater risk that you are already. At least for now. I will explain more later. We have a long car ride ahead of us." I nodded.

A sudden puff of yellow sent the room back into a frenzy of movement. Damien put our plates away and the rest of the pack continued cleaning up. I saw a few of them grab the sanitizing buckets and wipe down their own table. I stood and grabbed a rag out of one of the sanitizing buckets. The liquid was cold. It wasn't supposed to be cold. It was supposed to be warm. I blinked, trying to dislodge the fear in my gut. Jody had punished me for using cold sanitizer.

Suddenly, I felt a hand gently grabbing the bright yellow rag out of my hand. "I've got this, Naomi. Sit," Damien said. Once I sat, he started dragging the rag across the table.