Chapter 10 Damian's Pov
1030 Words
There was something about another Alpha sniffing around what was mine that made my wolf go feral.
And yeah, I knew Jane wasn’t actually mine.
But my wolf didn’t care about technicalities.
I waited a bit after the so-called Alpha left, and watched Jane from afar like a guardian Angel. She seems distressed, confused? I'm not sure, but then she suddenly ran into the bathroom.
"Tch," I clicked my teeth. She's in this state because of that bastard. I knew I had to follow him.
I took one last glance at the bathroom door before turning to go after the strange man.
...
The scent of the guy from the supermarket lingered in the air like smoke. Sharp. Aggressive. Way too confident.
I followed it without thinking—my feet moved before my brain did. The burn in my chest, that low, crawling heat of territory getting crossed, pushed me faster.
I rounded the corner behind the supermarket, and there he was.
Leaning against the wall like he’d been waiting for me.
He grinned. “Took you long enough.”
I didn’t bother pretending I wasn’t there to fight. “You’ve got about three seconds to explain why you were staring at her like that.”
He pushed off the wall slowly, as if he had all the time in the world. “Staring?” he repeated. “I was appreciating the view.”
My jaw tightened. “Try it again. See what happens.”
He laughed. Actually laughed. “Relax, hockey boy. I’m not scared of you.”
“Hockey boy?” I repeated in a question, feeling my wolf push forward hard.
He folded his arms, smirk widening. “Pretty boy Alpha who thinks being popular means being powerful.”
“Keep talking,” I said, stepping closer, “and I’ll show you power.”
He didn’t move back. “You should back off,” he said. “She doesn’t need some campus mascot pretending to be an Alpha. She needs the real thing.”
My wolf slammed against the inside of my skull.
I didn’t even remember closing the distance. One second he was standing there, the next I was in his face, my voice coming out low and rough. “Jane is my mate.”
The words felt too real coming out. They lodged in my chest, heavy and hot.
He raised an eyebrow. “Does she know that?”
“She doesn’t have to,” I said. “It’s still true.”
He snorted. “So she’s your ‘mate,’ but you’re hiding behind charm and hockey practice instead of claiming her?”
I clenched my fists. Hard. “You don’t get to say her name.”
He smirked. “Why? Because you said she’s yours?” He tilted his head mockingly. “That’s rich.”
I felt power roll under my skin, sharp and dangerous. My wolf scratched at me, begging to be let out. To tear. To win. To make sure everyone knew she wasn’t his to look at.
I took one more step, about to swing.
I could feel it building—my muscles locking, breath tightening, vision narrowing.
But then something tugged inside me.
It wasn’t fear.
It wasn’t hesitation.
It wasn’t even logic.
It was her.
Her presence hit me like a cold splash of water—faint, far away, but enough to pull me back.
“What, scared?” the Alpha taunted, mistaking the pause for weakness.
I stared at him, breathing hard, fighting myself more than him. “You don’t want this fight,” I said quietly.
He smirked. “I really do.”
He started to move forward, but something behind me caught my eye.
Movement.
I turned.
Jane and Geneva stood at the edge of the parking lot, half-hidden behind the corner of the building.
Jane’s eyes were wide, unreadable.
Geneva grabbed her wrist and whispered something fast.
And then—
they left.
Just like that.
Gone.
And it felt like the ground under me shifted.
Before I could process anything, the Alpha stepped forward again.
“Cute,” he said. “Looks like your girl didn’t want to see you lose.”
I forced myself to turn back to him. “Back off.”
“Or what?” he asked, stepping even closer. “You’ll glare me to death?”
My wolf growled so loud inside me I almost felt it in my teeth.
He leaned in. “I’ll make this simple. Saturday. The yard behind the old gym. My boys versus your hockey team.”
I stared at him. “You’re challenging the team?”
He shrugged. “You walk around here acting like you’re untouchable. So let’s test it.”
“You’re an idiot.”
He grinned wider. “Winner gets the girl.”
For a moment, everything in my head went quiet.
Dead quiet.
He repeated it slowly, savoring every word. “Winner. Gets. The. Girl.”
My hands went numb.
My wolf went wild.
I couldn’t speak at first. The shock punched the air right out of me. I’d been in stupid fights, pointless challenges, and dominance games since I was a kid—but this crossed something deep.
Something primal.
Something dangerous.
“You’re out of your mind,” I finally said.
He shrugged again, casual. “If she’s really yours, you’ll win. Right?”
I didn’t answer.
I couldn’t.
Because one thought stuck in my head like a blade:
He wasn’t just challenging me.
He wasn’t just challenging the team.
He was challenging the bond I wasn’t supposed to care about.
The bond I kept pretending wasn’t real.
But the problem was…
it felt real.
Too real.
And now everyone was going to see it.
He tapped my shoulder as he walked past. “See you Saturday, hockey boy.”
I stood there long after he left, staring at nothing.
The territorial burn was still there. The anger was still there. The instinct to shift and rip something apart was still there.
But under all of that, something else echoed—
heavy, cold, and terrifying:
I had something to lose.
And I had no idea how to keep it.
- Writer
