The Heat

25

I couldn't fathom this pain. There was no way in putting it to words.

I felt the mark from Damian fading away, and our mate bond grow weaker and weaker.

George's teeth were still in my skin, finishing off his mark.

I was crying, screaming without any sound coming out.

I couldn't feel anything but the pain, all my senses were so filled by it.

Just as I was about to pass out, feeling as Damian's mark completely disappeared, the bedroom door shattered into pieces when a huge dark wolf ran in and ripped George off me.

Everything was so blurry. I faintly heard George yell in pain, before a gurgled sound was the last thing to leave his lips.

I wasn't even sure if I was breathing at this point, until all too familiar dark green eyes looked into mine from above.

"Damian.." I breathed, a tear rolling down my cheek.

He looked to be in so much pain, and the fear of him dying on top of me settled so deep within my chest.

"I'm so sorry, Sofia..." was the last thing he said before letting his teeth pierce the fresh mark George had created.

I screamed a broken scream in pain again, pulling at the cuffs.

Somehow, Damian managed to rip off the cuffs from the bedposts one by one, anger visible in his action.

I was now free to bring my hands up to touch him, nails digging into his skin while I cried in pain.

"Alph-" someone voice faded away from the doorway, most likely Jason.

In my heart I knew that Damian now marking me was to save both of us, but the physical pain induced from it still had me writhing underneath him and crying.

"Sofia," his dear voice was so low, murmuring lovingly against my skin after licking the mark clean.

I couldn't reply, I felt like my voice was completely gone even as small tears ran down my cheeks slowly.

He kissed up my neck and to my jaw so gently, my nails digging into his shoulders to ease the pain let go a little.

"I know you're still mad at me, but-" he now found my eyes with his dark green ones, showing me so many feelings I was now crying again for a whole different reason.

I brought my shaky hand up to cup his jaw, eyes slowly closing.

"I get it," I murmured out almost inaudibly before passing out.

I woke up. I had no clue how much time had passed, all I knew was that Damian's mark had returned successfully onto my neck.

I was in a bed, spooned by two strong arms with a hard and bare chest pressing up against me.

For a moment I panicked, thinking I was still in George's bedroom. Then I recognised the scent completely enveloping me, and knew I was back in the secluded cabin, this time with Damian.

"Damian, Damian!" A sudden fear of him not being alive drove me to turn around and push him onto his back, "are you okay? Please, wake up"

I was patting his cheek, running my hand through his hair in attempts to wake him.

I realised my wrists had bandages from the tight cuffs.

"Sof-" his low, morning voice grumbled through, his eyes squeezing shut. Such relief flooded over me at his signs of life, I had to wrap my arms around his torso.

I felt his hand on my lower back keeping me against him, him very much naked while I was still wearing his clothes.

"Are you okay?" We both spoke at the same time, and I felt his grin.

"I'm fine now, Sofia. How do you feel?" he replied, clearing his careful voice to rid the just-woken-up-rasp it had.

The sunlight beaming in from the window made me realise just how long we'd most likely slept.

"I'm not angry with you. George told me he was allies with my dad, and had planned to revenge you murdering Sawyer and kidnapping me," I told him what I knew, his hand on my lower back warming up my whole body.

I was home.

"You knew about it, didn't you?" I continued, lifting my head up a little to meet his dark eyes already looking down at me, "that's why you pulled the gun out on my dad..."

He sighed, resting his head back down the pillow as I sat up next to him on my knees.

"I was offering to give him parts of my territory, anything he wanted to leave you and I in peace. I didn't know that they were planning something like this, I just knew that the tensions were growing after everything..."

"He didn't agree to your terms," I frowned, remembering what he had spoken angrily when we had been visiting my family.

"He didn't," Damian nodded once, confirming, "I'm really sorry you had to see it and I ruined your time with your family, but he wasn't playing fair. I was offering to give up power and territory, and the fucking prick wasn't taking it"

I looked down at my lap. "You know, this all could have been avoided if we'd been honest to each other..."

If I had told him about my aunt having been here undercover and about the raid. If he had told me about why he acted the way he did at my parents', I wouldn't have been angry with him and wanted to be alone. If I had been with him, George wouldn't have been able to take me...

"You're right," he spoke, hand resting on the side of my thigh, "should we agree to be completely honest with each other from now on? I lost you for a moment, and I never want to feel that again"

I had felt it too. The most painful feeling ever. I didn't want to think about it anymore, just happy to be safe with Damian now, so I nodded and gave him a small smile.

My mind wouldn't leave one thing out, though. Why did our bond feel less powerful than before?

Don't get me wrong, these feelings were still so so strong, but it felt like there was something missing...

"I'll explain in a moment, baby," there was a boyish smile on his lips before he sat up to kiss me gently, "first I want to change your bandages, alright?"

At least he was still able to hear my loudest thoughts, so all wasn't lost...