Claimed By The Alpha I Hated

Chapter 6: The Truth He Hid

My heart was still racing when Damien shifted back into human form.

"We need to leave."

His voice left no room for argument.

Unfortunately for him, I was done taking orders.

"No."

The single word surprised even me.

Damien's gray eyes narrowed.

"No?"

"No."

I folded my arms despite the tremor running through them.

"You don't get to drag me somewhere else and expect me to follow blindly."

His jaw tightened.

"Ava."

"No. I'm tired of this."

The anger I'd been holding back all night finally broke free.

"I'm tired of everyone treating me like some secret. I'm tired of people trying to kill me. I'm tired of hearing that I don't know who I am."

Warriors rushed past us in the corridor.

Neither of us paid attention.

For the first time, Damien seemed focused entirely on me.

"I deserve answers."

Silence.

His expression didn't change.

That somehow made me angrier.

"Say something."

"We're not having this conversation here."

I threw my hands into the air.

"Of course not."

"Ava."

"No. Every time I ask a question, you tell me to trust you. Every time I ask for the truth, you tell me it isn't safe."

His eyes darkened.

"Because it isn't."

There it was.

The same answer.

The same wall.

The same frustrating Alpha who refused to explain anything.

Before I could argue again, Damien grabbed my wrist.

The touch sent an unexpected jolt through me.

The mate bond.

I hated it.

Hated how aware I became whenever he touched me.

Hated how my wolf immediately became interested.

"Our mate."

"Not helping."

Damien ignored my glare and started walking.

I should have pulled away.

Instead, I followed.

Mostly because I wanted answers.

Definitely not because his hand felt annoyingly good wrapped around mine.

After several minutes, Damien led me into a private room deep inside the Alpha wing.

The moment the door shut behind us, the noise of the pack house disappeared.

Finally.

Quiet.

I turned toward him immediately.

"Talk."

Damien sighed.

The sound was so rare that it almost distracted me.

Almost.

"What do you want to know?"

I stared at him.

"Everything."

His expression remained unchanged.

"That's not happening."

I groaned loudly.

"You are impossible."

"And you're stubborn."

"I wonder whose fault that is."

Something flickered in his eyes.

Amusement.

It vanished so quickly I almost missed it.

Then his gaze dropped to my arm.

The one I'd scraped while running from the rogue.

Blood stained the sleeve.

His face hardened instantly.

"Sit."

I blinked.

"What?"

"Sit."

I looked around the room.

There was a couch near the wall.

"You can't be serious."

His expression answered for him.

"I asked for answers."

"And you're bleeding."

"It's a scratch."

"Ava."

"It's fine."

"Ava."

Something about the warning in his voice made me reluctantly sit down.

A victorious look crossed his face.

I immediately regretted obeying.

Damien retrieved a small medical kit from a nearby cabinet.

Of course he had one.

The Alpha probably had emergency supplies hidden everywhere.

He knelt in front of me.

My stomach did something strange.

I ignored it.

Damien carefully rolled up my sleeve.

His fingers brushed my skin.

Heat spread up my arm.

Annoying.

Very annoying.

"You should have let the healer look at this."

"It's not serious."

"That's not your decision."

I glared.

He ignored me.

The man was incredibly talented at ignoring me.

While he cleaned the cut, I noticed fresh blood running down his shoulder.

Then another wound across his ribs.

And another.

My irritation faded.

"You're hurt."

Damien didn't even look down.

"I've had worse."

The answer was so Damien that I almost rolled my eyes.

"You should let someone treat those."

"Later."

"You could be injured."

"I am injured."

His calm response caught me off guard.

I stared at him.

He finally looked up.

"What?"

"You don't care?"

"I care."

The words escaped before he could stop them.

For a moment, neither of us moved.

Then Damien looked away first.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

My wolf perked up immediately.

"See?"

"Quiet."

Damien finished wrapping my arm.

The bandage was annoyingly neat.

"Happy?"

"No."

His lips twitched.

Again.

Gone before I could be sure it had happened.

I hated that my heart skipped anyway.

Once he was finished, he stood.

The room suddenly felt smaller.

Maybe because Damien took up so much space even when he wasn't trying.

I took a breath.

"My father."

His expression instantly closed.

There it was.

The wall again.

"My father wasn't a traitor."

It wasn't a question.

The rogue's words had made sure of that.

Damien was silent for several seconds.

Then he nodded.

"No."

My breath caught.

One word.

One simple word.

And everything I'd believed my entire life suddenly felt uncertain.

"No?"

"No."

I stood.

"What do you mean no?"

"The official story wasn't true."

My heart pounded.

"Then why was everyone told it?"

Damien's jaw tightened.

"Because it was easier."

The answer stunned me.

"Easier?"

"For the pack."

"For the pack?" I repeated incredulously.

"My family lost everything."

"I know."

The quiet response stole some of my anger.

Because he sounded like he actually knew.

Like he'd seen it happen.

Like he'd hated it.

I shook my head.

"If my father wasn't a traitor, then what was he?"

Damien looked away.

That was answer enough.

He knew.

Of course he knew.

"You know."

Silence.

"You know."

Still silence.

Frustration exploded inside me.

"Then tell me!"

Damien's eyes met mine.

For the first time all night, I saw something dangerous there.

Not anger.

Fear.

Real fear.

And somehow that frightened me more than if he'd shouted.

"I can't."

My chest tightened.

"Why?"

"Because once you know, you can't unknow it."

I stared at him.

That wasn't an answer.

But it felt important.

"What does that even mean?"

Damien ran a hand through his dark hair.

For the first time since I'd met him, he looked tired.

Not physically.

Emotionally.

Like he'd been carrying something for a very long time.

"The rogues came for you."

"I know."

"They weren't the first."

My stomach dropped.

"What?"

His gaze hardened.

"There will be others."

A chill ran through me.

"What are you not telling me?"

Too much, his eyes seemed to say.

Far too much.

"Ava."

"No."

I stepped closer.

"You owe me the truth."

Something flashed across his face.

Guilt.

Gone almost immediately.

"My job is to keep you alive."

"My job?"

"Yes."

The answer came too quickly.

We both froze.

My pulse quickened.

"What does that mean?"

Damien cursed under his breath.

A tiny crack in his control.

The first one I'd seen.

"What does that mean?" I repeated.

His jaw clenched.

"Nothing."

"That's a lie."

"Ava."

"Tell me."

Before he could answer, a sharp knock echoed through the room.

Three rapid knocks.

Urgent.

Damien's expression darkened immediately.

"Come in."

The door burst open.

A warrior rushed inside.

His face was pale.

Terrified.

My stomach sank.

Something was wrong.

Very wrong.

"Alpha."

Damien stepped forward.

"What happened?"

The warrior swallowed.

"The scouts returned."

Silence.

"They found signs."

Damien went still.

The kind of stillness that came before a storm.

"What signs?"

The warrior hesitated.

Then he looked directly at me.

My heart stopped.

"There are more of them coming."

The room suddenly felt colder.

More rogues?

After tonight?

The warrior shook his head.

"No, Alpha."

Fear flashed across his face.

"Not rogues."

For the first time since I'd met him, Damien looked genuinely concerned.

The sight terrified me.

Because if Damien Blackwood was worried...

Then whatever was coming had to be far worse.

Who was hunting me now?