The Alpha's Human Mate

A glimpse of power

Chapter 2

Damian's POV

Mr. Blackthorn, how do you feel standing here as the youngest billionaire CEO to win this award tonight?"

The question from the reporter came sharp and direct as soon as I stepped onto the stage. Flashbulbs blinded me for a moment, but I kept my face calm, my posture tall.

I leaned toward the microphone, my voice was deep and collected. “I don’t feel, I achieve, wealth is not about emotions, it’s about power. And power belongs to those who are willing to take it.”

The hall went silent for a moment, and then the crowd erupted with applause. Cameras clicked, people cheered, and I stood there, cold and unshaken, as though I had just confirmed what they already believed that Damian Blackthorn is untouchable.

They handed me the crystal plaque, heavy and gleaming. I raised it once, not in joy but in dominance. The lights reflected across the hall, and for a moment, every single pair of eyes were on me. That’s how I liked it: control, attention, fear.

When I stepped down from the stage, whispers followed. Men wanted to be near me, women wanted to be with me. And tonight, one woman decided she would not leave without trying.

She was tall, elegant, wrapped in a black silk dress that clung to her curves. Her diamond earrings sparkled like tiny stars, and her red lips curved in a smile that was nothing short of invitation.

She slid into my path like she had rehearsed it. “Congratulations, Mr. Blackthorn, I've been dying to meet the man behind Blackthorn Enterprises.”

I studied her, my gaze was sharp, measuring her worth in a single second. She was wealthy, polished, the kind who never heard the word no.

“Dying already?” I smirked. “Then let’s not waste time.”

Her laughter rang through the champagne glasses clinking. “Straight to the point, I like that.”

The event dragged on, but I left early. My driver pulled the car to the side entrance, away from the noise. She followed me without hesitation, her heels clicking against the pavement.

Inside the car, her perfume filled the air. It was expensive, but too sweet. She leaned close, her fingers brushing against my wrist as though she could claim me with a touch.

“So where are we celebrating, Damian?”

“Hotel.” I didn’t look at her when I said it. My eyes were fixed on the dark city lights rushing past.

Her hand slid onto my thigh, bold and confident. “Perfect.”

The hotel suite was five stars, the kind where the floor smelled of fresh roses and the staff bowed twice before leaving. I unlocked the door, let her inside, and watched as she walked straight to the minibar like she owned it.

“Whiskey?” she asked, already pouring.

“Straight.” I loosened my tie, my eyes never leaving her movements. She was trying too hard.

She handed me the glass, her fingers lingering on mine. “You know, Damian, men like you are rare, powerful, dangerous, I like dangerous.”

I took a slow sip, the fire of the whiskey burned my throat, but it wasn’t what heated my blood. It was something else, something darker stirring inside me.

My wolf.

He had been restless all night, clawing at the edges of my control. Maybe it was the crowd, maybe it was the constant attention, or maybe it was her perfume, sweet, fake, suffocating. My chest tightened, my pulse hammered, my eyes burned with that familiar glow I had buried under years of discipline.

The glass cracked in my grip.

“Damian?” she whispered, startled. “Are you okay?”

I dropped the shards into the trash, my breath was sharp. “Stay here.”

“What? Where are you going?”

“Out.”

I didn’t explain further, I pulled off my tie, threw it on the couch, and walked out of the suite. My body was heating, my wolf pushing hard against the cage I had built around him. If I didn’t let him breathe, he would tear me apart from the inside.

The hotel backed onto a thick stretch of woods. I moved fast, my long strides carrying me past the last lights of the parking lot, into the shadow of trees where the night swallowed everything.

The moment I stepped under the cover of darkness, my wolf roared inside me. My bones ached, my muscles trembled, and I felt my skin ripple with the shift. I gritted my teeth, fighting to stay half-human, half-wolf. Complete transformation would cause a scene and someone would hear.

I inhaled sharply, letting the air fill me, letting the earth connect with the beast that lived within me.

And then I heard a twig snapped, I turned, my eyes glowed gold in the night, catching the figure just at the tree line.

It was her, the woman from the award night, she must have followed me.

Her heels were gone, but her dress dragged along the grass. Her eyes were wide, her lips trembling as she whispered, “Damian?”

I didn’t answer, my chest rose and fell, my claws were already halfway out, my fangs pressing against my lips.

She took one step closer, her face paling as the moonlight revealed what I had become what I truly was.

“Oh my God…” her voice cracked.

“You.. are you not human!”

The scream ripped from her throat, it was high-pitched, terrified, echoing through the woods like a warning siren.

My wolf snapped.

Before she could turn, before her scream could carry too far, I moved very fast, deadly. My hand clawed, fur bristling and I slashed across her throat.

Her body dropped down, her eyes frozen in horror, her blood soaking into the ground.

I stood there, half-man, half-wolf, my chest heaving, the beast inside me was satisfied only by the kill, the wolf would always demand blood he loathed humans.