Chapter 9
1149 Words
Damien’s POV
She shouldn’t still be here.
That’s the first thought that crosses my mind as I step into the room.
She’s sitting up now. Pale. Injured. Still defiant.
Still looking at me like I’m the problem.
Most people don’t look at me like that.
Most people don’t look at me at all.
My jaw tightens slightly as I close the door behind me. Matteo and Enzo are already inside. Matteo stands near the window, calm as always. Enzo leans against the wall, arms crossed, eyes fixed on her like he’s waiting for her to do something stupid.
She probably will.
“She’s awake,” Enzo mutters.
“I can see that,” I reply flatly.
Her gaze shifts between us, unreadable but alert. She’s listening. Watching. Calculating.
Not scared enough.
That alone makes her dangerous.
Matteo steps forward. “I checked everything.”
I don’t look at him. “And?”
“No records. No links. No communication traces with the Ukrainian group.” He pauses. “She’s clean.”
Silence.
Heavy. Still.
I finally glance at her.
Lila Hart.
A random girl who walked into the wrong place at the wrong time.
And somehow… became my problem.
My wolf stirs.
I ignore it.
Enzo exhales sharply. “Clean doesn’t mean innocent.”
“It means we have nothing,” Matteo replies calmly.
“It means she’s good at hiding,” Enzo shoots back.
“She’s a journalism student, Enzo. Not a trained operative.”
Enzo’s gaze hardens. “You’d be surprised.”
I let them talk.
Not because I care about their argument.
But because I need the distraction.
Because every second I stand in this room, something under my skin feels wrong.
Too aware.
Too… focused.
On her.
I hate it.
I step closer.
She watches me immediately.
Of course she does.
Always watching.
Always pushing.
“You hear that?” she says quietly. “I told you I wasn’t part of anything.”
Her voice isn’t weak.
Even now.
Even after everything.
Still steady.
Still sharp.
It irritates me more than it should.
“This isn’t about what you told us,” I say coldly.
“Then what is it about?”
Her eyes hold mine.
Too direct.
Too fearless.
My fingers curl slightly at my side.
“It’s about what I decide.”
Silence falls again.
Matteo shifts slightly but says nothing.
Enzo stays still.
Waiting.
They’re both waiting.
For me.
I could end this.
Right now.
One word.
One order.
And she disappears like she was never here.
That’s how this works.
That’s how it’s always worked.
Clean.
Simple.
Controlled.
But my wolf—
I shut it down hard.
Enough.
“She’s not a threat,” Matteo says carefully.
“She could become one,” Enzo counters.
“She won’t.”
That comes out sharper than I intended.
All three of them notice.
Including her.
Her brows pull together slightly, like she’s trying to understand why I sound so certain.
I don’t give her the chance.
I turn away from her, pacing once.
Twice.
Control.
I need control.
“She doesn’t belong here,” I say finally.
Enzo straightens slightly. “So we’re just letting her walk?”
“Yes.”
The word lands like a gunshot.
Silence.
Then—
“That’s a mistake,” Enzo says immediately.
“I didn’t ask for your opinion.”
“You should,” he snaps. “Because if she talks—”
“She won’t.”
I turn back to him slowly.
“And if she does,” I add quietly, “I’ll handle it.”
That shuts him up.
Matteo watches me closely.
He sees it.
The shift.
The difference.
He doesn’t say anything.
But he knows something about this isn’t normal.
Good.
Let him wonder.
I look at her again.
She hasn’t moved.
But something in her expression changed.
Not fear.
Not relief.
Something else.
“Get up,” I tell her.
Her eyes narrow slightly. “Seriously?”
“Now.”
She hesitates.
Then slowly swings her legs over the side of the bed.
The second her injured leg touches the ground, she winces—but she doesn’t make a sound.
Stubborn.
I step forward before I can stop myself.
My hand grips her arm, steadying her.
The contact hits instantly.
Sharp.
Wrong.
My wolf reacts like it’s been waiting for this.
I release her just as fast.
Too fast.
She notices.
Of course she does.
But she doesn’t say anything.
Good.
“Listen carefully,” I say, my voice colder now. Controlled. “You walk out of here, you don’t come back.”
She tilts her head slightly. “Wasn’t planning to.”
“Good.”
I step closer.
Close enough that she has to look up at me.
Close enough that I can see every reaction in her eyes.
“If I see you again,” I continue quietly, “I won’t hesitate.”
A lie.
I hate that it sounds like one.
Her gaze doesn’t drop.
“Yeah,” she says softly. “You already proved that.”
That hits harder than it should.
I ignore it.
“You don’t speak about this place. About us. About anything you saw.”
“And if I do?” she asks.
I lean in slightly.
Lower my voice.
“Then you won’t live long enough to regret it.”
Silence.
Tension.
Then—
“Understood,” she says.
Simple.
Calm.
Like she’s accepting terms in a business deal.
Not a threat on her life.
Interesting.
I step back.
“Enzo.”
He pushes off the wall immediately.
“Take her out.”
He hesitates for half a second.
Then nods.
“Let’s go,” he mutters to her.
She moves slowly, limping slightly, but she moves.
No complaints.
No begging.
Nothing.
I watch her reach the door.
Watch her hand pause on the handle.
For a second—
Just a second—
I think she’s going to turn around.
Say something.
Do something.
But she doesn’t.
She opens the door.
And walks out.
Just like that.
Gone.
The room feels different immediately.
Quieter.
Colder.
Empty.
Enzo follows, the door shutting behind them.
Matteo stays.
Of course he does.
He waits a moment before speaking.
“That wasn’t like you.”
I don’t respond.
“You don’t let people go,” he continues. “Not like that.”
“I just did.”
He studies me.
Carefully.
“Why?”
I meet his gaze.
Blank.
Controlled.
Because I don’t have an answer I’m willing to say out loud.
Because the real one sounds like weakness.
And I don’t do weakness.
“She wasn’t worth the trouble,” I say finally.
Matteo doesn’t look convinced.
Neither am I.
But it doesn’t matter.
She’s gone.
That’s what matters.
That’s what should matter.
So why—
Why does it feel like I just made a mistake?
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