Alpha Damon (Sienna) novel Chapter 59

Sienna:

The night air was colder than I would have expected it to be, wrapping around me as I leaned against the wooden railing of the porch, my arms folded over my chest. The stars stretched endlessly above me, scattered like tiny diamonds against a velvet sky.

I inhaled deeply, trying to find some sort of solace in the silence, in the rhythmic sound of the wind rustling through the trees.

It had been a long day. A long few months, really. But tonight, something felt different.

Something felt off.

Everything felt different and no matter how hard I tried to deny it, I just couldn’t.

Evelyn’s words played in my head and I couldn’t help but find myself wondering where things were going now. I couldn’t help but find myself thinking of how I was going to be able to deal with things, how I was going to be able to maintain them.

I wasn’t sure if it was my own restlessness or the heavy energy that seemed to linger in the air, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.

And when I spotted Damon standing on the other side of the porch, arms crossed, his face unreadable, I knew that I wasn’t the only one who couldn’t sleep. It seemed to me that he couldn’t sleep either, that he was lost in whatever thoughts he had in his mind.

He looked… irritated.

I debated for a moment whether or not I should say anything. We weren’t exactly talking lately. Not in any real way.

But something about the way his shoulders were tense, the way his jaw was clenched, made me speak before I could stop myself.

“What’s bothering you?” I asked, keeping my voice neutral. “You are the last person that I would have expected to see on the front porch this evening.”

Damon’s eyes flicked toward me, but he didn’t answer right away. Instead, he tilted his head slightly, studying me like he was trying to decide if I was worth responding to.

Finally, he let out a humorless chuckle. “I could ask you the same thing. Considering your training and the need for arrest, I am surprised that you chose to walk out.”

I frowned. “I’m just getting some air. I figured that the front porch is the right place to do it. It’s too cold overnight for me to be roaming around.”

“So am I.”

I sighed, shifting my weight. “You want to talk about it? You will never walk out like this when you’re annoyed.” Damon’s expression hardened almost instantly, and I knew I had lost whatever small ground I had gained. “Mind your own business, Sienna. How are you feeling? What I’m doing is not of your business. Nor should it be of your concern,” he said coldly. “Just focus on our daughter. She is the one responsibility that you need to have. Whatever happens around you, you should not be caring about. And I think that you know that you should not be addressing it either. Especially when it comes to the alpha.”

“Damon…”

“I would recommend they remember your place. The man standing in front of you is an alpha. If I am allowing you to cross a few boundaries, it does not mean that you need to forget your place.”

The words stung, even though I told myself they shouldn’t.

I opened my mouth to respond, to snap at him, to tell him that I was focusing on Isla, but before I could say a word, he turned and walked back inside, leaving me alone in the cold night.

I clenched my fists, resisting the urge to throw something at the door.

What is wrong with him?

What the hell did I do to deserve such cruelty?

“Don’t stay out too long,” he murmured. His voice was quieter this time. Not harsh. Not cold. Just… neutral. “You don’t need to be sick. Your body barely just recovered, you can’t throw it through another wave of exhaustion.”

And before I could even form a response, he was gone.

The door shut behind him, leaving me standing there in the still night, the warmth of the blanket pressing against my skin in contrast to the cold confusion settling in my chest.

I tilted my head back, staring up at the stars.

I should go inside.

I should.

But I didn’t.

Because despite the small gesture, despite the fleeting moment of warmth that Damon had offered, I was still left with a question.

One that lingered in the back of my mind, louder than anything else.

Who are we anymore?

And why did it feel like I wasn’t the only one asking?