On My Knees For The Cursed Alpha King

Chapter 14: Seconds After...

Natasha’s POV

I gasped sharply, my fingers flying to my neck almost immediately.

My eyes widened in disbelief as I stared at the exact spot where Alpha Damon had bitten me moments ago only to see Nothing. Nothing at all.

The skin was completely bare.No mark or trace that he had marked me at all.

My breath caught painfully inside my throat at the sight and for a second I just remained lying there frozen, unable to look away from my own shoulder as confusion slowly twisted into a dull wave of disappointment inside me.

Why did this hurt?

This was never supposed to matter.

I had only wanted one night. One stupid reckless night where I could finally feel something for once in my miserable life.

That was all. So why did seeing the mark disappear make my chest ache like something important had just been ripped away from me?

Slowly, I lifted my gaze toward Alpha Damon.

The expression on his face made my stomach tighten instantly.

Earlier, his face had been filled with satisfaction, amusement and raw hunger. But now?

Now he looked ruined. His jaw was clenched so tightly I thought his teeth would crack while his eyes remained locked on my bare shoulder with a look so dark it sent chills crawling down my spine.

“Alpha…” I called softly, my voice barely above a whisper. His chest rose sharply without responding at first then suddenly.

“f*****g unbelievable.”

The words came out like a growl instead of a sentence and the sound made me flinch.

And I watched as he dragged a hand through his dark hair roughly before laughing under his breath, but there was nothing amused about the sound. It was cold bitter and almost broken.

“Selene has to be f**king mocking me at this point.”

Something inside my chest tightened painfully at the look on his face.

I didn’t know much about Alpha Damon, but even I could tell this wasn’t the first time this had happened and somehow… somehow that made it worse.

Because for a moment back there, when he looked at me after marking me, there had been hope in his eyes. Real hope that he had found his mate but now it was gone.

“Alpha…” I tried again carefully, shifting toward him slightly. “Maybe—”

“No.”

The sharpness of his voice sliced straight through me and I froze immediately when I saw his eyes flashed red in the darkness.

“Don’t try to explain it.”

The words weren’t loud but that didn't make anything better, I swallowed hard, my fingers curling slowly into the bedsheet beneath me as I thought of what to do and I was still on it when suddenly he stood up from the bed so abruptly that I jumped back slightly in fright.

The room instantly felt smaller from the moment and I watched as he paced away from me before raking both hands through his hair again like he couldn’t stand inside his own skin.

“What the hell was I even expecting huh?” he muttered bitterly. “Of course it disappears. Of f*****g course it does.”

His laugh sounded hollow this time making my chest tighten harder.

Though I knew I shouldn't care of course I shouldn't I I barely knew this man.

But seeing him like this angry, humiliated and disappointed all at once hurt in a way I couldn’t explain.

“Maybe the bond takes time,” I whispered quietly, trying to ease the tension choking the room. Though I knew it was stupid the day I found out Kade was my mate it didn't take time or anything but now...

Hell the second the words left my mouth, he turned toward me sharply and God the look in his eyes made my pulse stumble.

“You think I don’t know how marking works?” he asked coldly.

I swallowed hard. “No, I—”

“Then Don’t.” His voice sharpened instantly. “I told you already don’t try to explain sh*t to me because it's f**king pointless.”

I fell silent immediately after that just as the tension inside the room thickened heavily.

For a long moment neither of us spoke.Then after a while he let out another humorless laugh before looking at me again.

Only this time the anger in his eyes was gone and what replaced it looked worse. Exhaustion mixed with frustration.

“So that’s it then,” he muttered quietly the words so inaudible that I barely heard it.

“What do you mean?” I asked but he didn't answer immediately instead his gaze dropped briefly to the floor before returning to mine again.

“When a woman fails the mating test…” he said flatly, “she leaves in three days.”

The words hit harder than they should have and a strange heaviness settled inside my stomach at the sound of it though I tried not to show it.

“Oh.”

That single word tasted strangely bitter in my mouth despite my attempt not to show how this was affecting me and Damon noticed.

I could tell from the way his jaw tightened again.

“This was never supposed to be permanent anyway,” he added coldly, though the words sounded more like he was trying to convince himself.

I looked away first.

For some reason, embarrassment slowly began crawling over my skin.

Maybe because only moments ago he had held me like I mattered. Like I belonged to him and now—

Now I was just another failed attempt.

The thought stung badly enough to make my throat tighten.

“I understand,” I whispered quietly.

The room went silent again after that and I pulled the blanket closer against my chest while Damon grabbed his pants from the floor and shoved them on roughly.

Every movement he made looked tense and restless like he wanted to crawl out of his own skin.

He reached for his shirt next then paused.

For a second he simply stood there with his back facing me completely still and then suddenly—

BANG!

His fist slammed into the wall beside the door hard enough to crack it.

I jumped violently at the sound.

Blood immediately streaked down his knuckles.

“Alpha Damon!”

Before I could stop myself, I rushed toward him and the second my fingers wrapped around his wrist, his entire body stiffened.

His breathing turned uneven.

I looked down at the blood dripping slowly onto the floor.

“You’re hurt—”

“I know.”

His voice came out strained not angry just strained.

I slowly lifted my gaze toward him and the look on his face made my chest ache again.

He looked conflicted. So conflicted and lost almost disturbed by himself.

“I don’t understand this,” he admitted hoarsely, staring down at me. “I don’t know why this is affecting me so much.”

My heart skipped painfully.

“And I don’t know why the thought of you leaving suddenly feels…” He stopped abruptly, jaw tightening hard.

“Fuck.”

The curse came out broken. Like he hated himself for even saying that much.

I swallowed hard then started again. “Maybe you should—”

“I said don’t.” His voice wasn’t harsh this time when he cut me off and that somehow made it worse.

His eyes dropped briefly to where I was still holding his bleeding hand.

For one dangerous second, something shifted between us again.Something heavy Intimate and utterly confusing.

Then suddenly he pulled away and the loss of warmth hit me instantly.

“You should get some sleep,” he muttered roughly.

“Alpha—” I started saying but he was already moving.

He ripped the door open before walking out without looking back, The slam echoed loudly through the room.

And just like that he was gone. Silence filled my room afterward. Thick heavy and painfully empty.

I stood there frozen for several seconds before finally looking down at the blood he had left smeared across my fingers.

My chest tightened again.

Why did it feel like something important had just slipped through my hands?

Slowly, I touched the bare skin of my neck

once more.

Still nothing. No mark. No bond. Yet somehow…I could feel my entire body still burning for him.Still burning from his touch and everything he did to me tonight.