Alpha Damon (Sienna) novel Chapter 93

Lysandra:

The fire crackled low in the corner of the room, casting flickering shadows across the stone walls. I sat in the armchair furthest from it, arms folded over my chest, trying to contain the storm that had been brewing inside me for weeks now.

A storm that refused to be tamed, no matter how hard I tried to tame it, no matter how hard I tried to control it, no matter how hard I did my best to stand calm, to stand tall, and to stand away from all the trouble that was brewing around me.

And he was sitting there.

Calm.

Unbothered.

Smug.

As always.

Giovanni.

Father.

He sipped on his whiskey slowly, like we had all the time in the world, like the plan hadn’t failed miserably, like he didn’t just get shot on pack land for the sake of a stunt he pulled without thinking of the consequences.

“You’re awfully quiet tonight, figlia mia,” he mused, swirling the glass between his fingers, not even looking up. Surely you have more to say after the dramatic way you stormed out of that pretty little packhouse. You seem to be quiet and you seem to try and play this game of being gentle in front of me when you know for a fact that I’m not being fooled for it.”

I clenched my jaw. “You went to their pack. Of all the places that you could have gone to, you went to them, didn’t you? After what had happened, you went to them, Father.”

He raised a brow, finally meeting my eyes. “Yes. And? I do not understand your anger or where you’re going with what you’re saying.’

“”

“You were shot, Father,” I snapped, unable to hold it in any longer. “And all for what? To prove a point? To make a mess I now have to clean? Amazed that I cannot find myself trying to understand how I would be able to control now that you are making this mess. How am I going to be able to claim my right to stand by his side?”

He laughed, an amused, mocking sound that scraped at the inside of my ears.

“Oh, Lysandra,” he drawled. “I didn’t get shot because I was reckless. I got shot because Damon Lockwood is exactly what I said he was, hotheaded, impulsive, and easily manipulated when the right string is pulled. That woman is one that I need to control, the one that I need to eliminate because you have failed to do so by pushing your own way to what was right. I am going to be the one to do it. I was simply reminding him of what she was and who you are. I was simply reminding him of what he had lost.”

I stood up, unable to sit still, pacing the room like I could walk off my fury. “He didn’t fall apart. He didn’t run after me. He didn’t beg me to stay. If anything, he’s been more distant than ever. He’s now choosing her over me. The two of them are just going to be spending more time together. He’s going to grow closer to her, to simply be stubborn. Father, what game are you trying to play? Because you’re not telling me anything.”

Giovanni tilted his head slightly, considering that. “Yes… he’s more stubborn than I gave him credit for. But don’t mistake distance for indifference, cara. Sometimes distance is just the calm before the strike. Sometimes for you stay quiet and keep your distance from him is what is going to pull him closer. For me to be the one to take charge would only show that he has hurt you and that you are not alone.”

I slapped his hand away. “And what if he never wanted to be taken? What if Damon Lockwood doesn’t come crawling like you expected?”

Giovanni smirked, leaning closer.

“Then we break him,” he whispered. “Piece by piece.”

I stared at him, something cold curling around my spine.

Because I knew then, Giovanni didn’t just want Damon broken.

He wanted him destroyed.

And I wasn’t sure anymore if I was part of the plan…

…or the pawn being played.