The hum of the engine was the only sound that broke the night's heavy silence. Rain had started again, tapping against the windshield like a soft drum, each droplet mirroring the racing of my heart. Leo slept in my arms, his chest rising and falling in a fragile rhythm that made me want to protect him with every fiber of my being. I had never felt more responsible for another life. Never felt more exposed.
Damien's hands were steady on the wheel, his knuckles just pale enough to betray the tension beneath his controlled exterior. Every movement he made radiated authority, an Alpha who didn't merely command — he owned the space, the moment, the air around him. And I hated that I couldn't stop noticing him. Every line of his body, the tight set of his jaw, the slow, deliberate way he glanced at me, made something ache inside me that I couldn't name.
I tried to focus on Leo, smoothing his hair, whispering quiet reassurances. But I couldn't ignore the way Damien's gaze seemed to linger on me, just long enough to make my skin prickle, to make me aware of every inch of me he could see.
"Lia," he said finally, voice low, a growl buried beneath the words. "Do you feel that?"
I blinked, confused. "Feel what?"
He didn't answer immediately, just let his eyes sweep over me with that slow, deliberate intensity that made my stomach tighten. "This… tension. Between us. You can't hide it, and I'm not asking you to."
My throat went dry. "It's… it's not what you think," I murmured, but my words were weak, almost a whisper, because I knew he already knew. Damien never asked questions he didn't already have answers to.
He leaned just slightly toward me, and the heat radiating from his body brushed against my arm. "Oh, I think I know exactly what it is," he said, voice rougher now. "It's fear… mixed with desire. Confusion. And maybe a little bit of excitement. You hate it, but it's there. You can't deny it, Lia."
I wanted to pull back, to escape the magnetic pull of his presence, but my hands were occupied, holding Leo, keeping him safe. And even if I wanted to, I couldn't move. Damien had a way of making you feel trapped without touching you, a predator's dominance that was irresistible, terrifying, and intoxicating all at once.
"Damien…" I breathed, trying to sound steady, but failing. "Leo… he—"
"I know," he said sharply, glancing at the rearview mirror to check the sleeping boy. "He's safe. Don't speak. Don't move unnecessarily. Just… feel."
The intensity in his gaze pinned me in place, and I realized with a jolt that he wasn't just protecting us; he was testing me, daring me to acknowledge the pull between us without giving in completely. My pulse raced, but I couldn't look away. Not from him. Not ever.
He shifted slightly, the movement slow, careful, but deliberate. The car was small, intimate, and suddenly I was hyper-aware of the space between us — the heat of his body, the faint scent of him that clung to his shirt, the way his hand hovered near mine, brushing against the edge of my sleeve as if it belonged there.
"You're trembling," he said, and there was no judgment in his tone, only observation. "Is it fear? Or something else?"
I swallowed hard, heart hammering. "Both," I admitted, the word almost lost in the thrum of the engine and the rain against the windshield.
His lips curved in a subtle, knowing smirk. "Good," he murmured. "I like honesty."
I felt my breath hitch at the deliberate closeness, the way his presence pressed into me like a living force. My body betrayed me with a flush I couldn't control, heat pooling in places I tried desperately to ignore. He noticed. Of course he noticed. Damien Hale noticed everything.
"Look at me," he commanded softly, but with the absolute certainty of an Alpha.
I lifted my eyes, meeting his, and the intensity there made my knees weaken in ways I hadn't experienced in years. His gaze was dark, hungry, protective, and terrifying all at once. "Do you trust me?" he asked, voice a dangerous low.
"I… I do," I whispered.
"Good," he said, leaning just slightly closer, so close I could feel the faint warmth of his breath against my skin. "Because if you didn't… I'd make sure you did. One way or another."
There was a pause, a tension that thickened the air between us. Leo shifted in my arms, murmuring softly in his sleep, and I pressed him closer, unwilling to break the fragile peace. Damien's eyes softened briefly at the sight, but only briefly. Then his Alpha dominance returned, undeniable and intense.
"You feel it too, don't you?" he murmured, voice rough, low, almost a growl. "The pull… the tension… the… desire? You can't hide it from me, Lia. And don't even try."
I swallowed, breath coming in uneven bursts. "I… I don't know what to do," I admitted, my voice trembling despite my efforts to be composed. "I've tried to… I've tried to resist you for so long. But… I…"
He leaned closer, closer than ever before, and the car seemed to shrink around us. His hand hovered near mine again, fingers brushing against mine ever so slightly, sending sparks through my body. "You don't have to do anything," he whispered. "Just feel. Let me guide you. Trust me. I've been waiting for this… for you… for us."
Something inside me shivered at the weight of his words. Waiting for us. Waiting for me. The realization hit me like a physical blow. For years, I had run, hidden, survived. But he… he had never given up. Never. And now, here, in the cramped, silent car with Leo sleeping between us, I could feel it. The connection. The pull. The undeniable force that was Damien Hale.
He shifted again, placing his hand lightly on the small of my back, guiding me slightly closer without breaking the fragile barrier between us. My body responded instantly, heat pooling in places I had long denied. I bit my lip, fighting the tremor that threatened to betray me.
"You're mine," he murmured, voice thick with ownership and promise. "Not in some cruel, possessive way. But in the only way that matters. I will protect you. I will guide you. I will… claim you, Lia. And you won't fight it forever."
I closed my eyes for a moment, letting the words sink in, letting the heat of his hand, the strength of his presence, the intensity of his gaze wash over me. He was dangerous. He was overwhelming. He was the Alpha. And yet… I didn't want to run. Not anymore.
"You're… impossible," I whispered, my voice trembling.
He smirked, brushing a stray lock of hair from my face, his fingers lingering just long enough to make my pulse spike. "I know," he said simply. "And you… are exactly what I need. Exactly what I've wanted. And now… you're right here. With me."
Leo stirred slightly, murmuring again, and I instinctively kissed the top of his head, murmuring softly to soothe him. Damien's hand stayed on my back, grounding me, a silent promise that we were safe — for now. And yet, the tension between us remained, unbroken, alive, and scorching.
The rain intensified outside, drumming against the roof of the car like the rhythm of a heartbeat. I realized, with a jolt, that no matter what came next — danger, enemies, chaos — this moment, this closeness, this undeniable pull between Damien and me, was unshakable.
And I feared it. And I wanted it.
Both at the same time.