CLAIMED BY THE BANISHED ALPHA

walking away feels wrong

DAMON’S POV

I woke before her, I couldn’t remember the last time I had slept this well. As a matter of fact I don’t think I had ever slept this well in my life and I hated the fact that this was all thanks to her because it was making me face and accept a fact that I hadn’t been ready to.

For a moment, I didn’t remember where I was. Stone beneath me. Warmth against my chest. The faint scent of jasmine and moonlight. Then it returned, her…now her scent was not only covering the covers but me too. I could smell her on myself, and I instantly knew that so would everyone else. That made me panic, but when I looked at her, she looked so peaceful.

Elodie was curled against me on the floor, one hand resting lightly against my shirt as if she had fallen asleep reaching for something. Her breathing was slow. Even. Trusting.

The memory of the night before surfaced in fragments: her hesitation, her soft surrender, the way she had looked at me when I told her to trust me. I had wanted her not politically not strategically or willingly, but instinctively. And I had given in. My jaw tightened. Weak. The bond pulsed faintly now satisfied. Quiet. I carefully untangled myself from her, rising to my feet without waking her. The cold air hit my skin, grounding. Necessary.

This was exactly what I had warned myself against. One night of indulgence, and already my wolf felt justified. Validated. Entitled. I wanted more and I knew that I would want it. I crossed the room and poured water into a glass, forcing my breathing to steady. Control was not optional, It was survival. Behind me, fabric shifted.

“Elodie,” I said before she could speak.

Silence followed, I turned slowly. She was sitting up now, blankets pooled around her, hair loose over her shoulders. There was softness in her eyes that hadn’t been there yesterday. Hope. It irritated me more than it should have.

“You should dress,” I said evenly. “The servants will begin circulating soon.”

Her expression flickered.

“Good morning,” she said quietly.

I did not respond, The warmth from the night before evaporated between us.She studied me, confusion creeping in.

“You’re… different,” she said.

“I am the same as I was yesterday.”

“That’s not true… you were different last night”

I picked up my clothes which were scattered on the floor and prepared myself for a shower. Maybe a hot one would decrease her scent on my skin.

“What happened last night,” I said, fastening the cuffs, “does not change your position.”

Her fingers tightened in the blankets.

“You said I had to trust you.”

“Yes.”

“And now?”

“Now you will behave as though nothing occurred.”

The words felt harsher spoken aloud, but necessary.

Her gaze sharpened. “So I was what? An opportunity? A reminder of what a bond smbraced feels like?”

“You were,” I paused briefly, choosing the word carefully, “a lapse in discipline.”

The silence that followed was heavier than anything the bond had thrown at me. She stood slowly.

“A lapse,” she repeated.

The hurt in her voice was quieter now more controlled as if her she finally understood her position. That was good. Distance would rebuild structure.

“You allowed the bond to influence you,” I continued, forcing my tone into cold clarity. “It will not happen again, I wont let it.”

Something in her face hardened.

“You are ashamed of me and the bond,” she said softly.

I met her eyes.

“Yes.”

But I wasn’t only ashamed of her and the bond but of myself too, for making it so easy for her to seduce me. Ashamed of how easily I had abandoned logic the moment she touched me. Of how quickly instinct had overridden calculation.

“I will not be ruled by something biological,” I said. “And you would be wise to remember that.”

Her chin lifted.

“So last night meant nothing.”

“It meant,” I corrected, “that I am still capable of error.”

The bond recoiled slightly at the word. Error, I ignored it. She stared at me as if trying to find the man from the night before in my face. He was gone. Buried. Where he belonged.

“You said this would work in my favor,” she said.

“It will.”

“How?”

“By ensuring no one suspects anything. don’t you get it? Its better if no one knows abput this, about us”

Her lips parted slightly.

“That includes you,” I added.

I walked toward the door. The guards outside shifted when they heard movement.

“Damon.”

I stopped but did not turn.

“Was any of it real?” she asked.

I let the silence stretch just long enough to hurt.

“It was instinct,” I said finally. “Nothing more.”

And then I left. The door shut behind me with a quiet finality. As I walked down the corridor, my wolf stirred again, restless, dissatisfied. She had looked at me like I had shattered something.

Good, better she learn now. Hope was far more dangerous than rejection. Still… As I descended the stairs, one truth lingered with quiet, unwelcome persistence. If last night had been nothing…

Why did walking away feel like a loss? The last thing I needed was to worry about this damn bond, not when my entire body smelled like her. Now I would have to avoid Nyra, otherwise I would have to explain this to her. If she had found out about Elodie, I would have explained myself to her, and it could end way worse than I wanted it to. I know that Elodie didn't think keeping her locked up in my room was protecting her, but she would realize that it was once Nyra found out about her existence.