Alpha Damon (Sienna) novel Chapter 82

Sienna:

I let the towel fall to the floor as I changed into a loose, soft shirt and a pair of cotton shorts. My skin was still warm from the shower, and for once, I allowed myself to enjoy the silence. A rare moment of stillness in a house constantly thrumming with tension.

I allowed myself to enjoy the temporary quietness in my room, knowing that my little girl was with the maids who were taking care of her based on Luna Evelyn’s her quest.

Or at least, this moment of peace was one that I could easily savor, that I could live with. I knew to be thankful for it. Other Lunas and other women within the pack did not have the same perks that I did when it came to that.

I ran my fingers through my damp hair, standing in front of the mirror. My reflection looked back at me, exhausted, but no longer fragile. There was something new in my eyes. Something I hadn’t seen in a long time.

Strength.

The day at work had drained me, but I was thankful for it. It told me that I could do something for myself, that I could go beyond myself, beyond my capabilities to do something that I wanted to do.

A knock at the door startled me.

Before I could respond, the door creaked open.

My heart nearly stopped when I saw him, Damon.

After our earlier argument, he was the last person that I expected to see.

He stood there, framed by the doorway, his green eyes darker than usual, his body tense like he was holding something back. His gaze dropped to my bare legs before lifting back to my face, unreadable.

“Damon,” I breathed, taking a step back. “You could’ve at least knocked.”

“I did.” His voice was rough, like it scraped against the inside of his throat. “You didn’t answer.”

“I didn’t think you’d barge in like this.” I snapped, looking him in the eye. “Plus, it sound like you really gave me a chance, did you?”

He didn’t answer. He just walked in and closed the door behind him with a soft click that sounded so much louder in the silence. My breath hitched as he took another step toward me, closing the distance in a slow, calculated way.

“You’re still refusing to come to the room, to come to the suite where you belong by my side.” he said, his tone deceptively calm.

“I needed space.” I said, crossing my arms over my chest. “I needed my privacy.”

“I gave you space.” His jaw flexed. “And you took that as permission to run again. You took it as an excuse to find it in yourself. So tell me that you did not want to stay.”

I swallowed hard, suddenly very aware of how thin the shirt was on my body. “I didn’t run. I moved into the room where I grew up. Where I feel… safe.”

His eyes flickered, and I saw it, the storm behind them. The tension, the restraint, the conflict.

“And you feel unsafe around me?”

I opened my mouth, then closed it. The answer was yes… and no. Damon was chaos wrapped in comfort, danger wrapped in desire. I didn’t know how to feel around him anymore. I only knew that being near him made my heart pound in ways I couldn’t control.

“I feel like I don’t know what you want from me,” I whispered. “I feel like I’m just alone in this, no matter how hard I’m going to try and convince you.

He took one more step, too close now, the heat of his body practically brushing against mine. I could smell his cologne, earthy and musky, grounding and completely disarming.

“I want you to stop pretending like you don’t know what this is,” he murmured, voice low, almost reverent. “I want you to stop acting like you don’t feel it too. I want you to stop playing hard to get and I want you to know your place by my side.”

“I don’t…” I tried, but my voice caught when he reached up, brushing a strand of damp hair from my cheek. The pad of his thumb lingered against my jaw, and my body betrayed me, leaning into his touch. “I don’t have a place by your side.”

“Are you sure that you don’t?” He lowered his voice to above a whisper as he kept his eyes on mine.

His hand slipped behind my neck, and he pulled me toward him, slowly, deliberately, until his lips hovered just inches from mine.

“Tell me to stop,” he breathed.

As if trying to control himself, trying to find it in himself not to escalate things any further.

And just like that, the spell broke.

He sat up, running a hand through his hair, avoiding my gaze like it burned. For a moment, I found myself remembering the first night the two of us were together.

“This is dangerous,” he muttered. “More dangerous than you realize.”

“I can handle it,” I said, even though my voice trembled. “I knew what I signed up for the first time that the two of us were together. The first time I believed that we would be something.”

“No,” he said, standing abruptly. “You don’t know what you’re asking for. Not with Giovanni, not with my mother, not with the pack watching every move I make.”

He looked at me for one long second before turning to the door.

And this time, he did knock.

Once.

On the inside.

He hit the wall beside the door.

Before walking out and closing it behind him.

And I was left there… breathless, burning, and wondering if I had just tasted something that would destroy us both.