Alpha Damon's Mate

Chapter 17

We had been silent throughout the journey, now I opened the front door.

"Wilhelmine?" I yelled loudly. "Yes?" the answer came promptly. Obviously from the kitchen.

I took off my shoes and pulled Tom behind me. "William, this is Tom. We went to school in Germany and by chance he also moved here. Tom, this is Wilhelmine. My foster mother" I introduced the two to each other.

Wilhelmine smiled at me furtively and made a definite movement with her mouth. I chuckled and waved my hand dismissively.

Meanwhile, the two shook hands. "I have to say, your daughter is really adorable." Tom sulked immediately and I slapped him on the shoulder.

"Well, let's go upstairs now, okay?" My foster mom nodded happily.

"Stay for dinner Tom, I'll make pancakes"

Tom nodded. "I'm happy to accept the offer." I shook my head, slightly annoyed, and pulled him up the stairs behind me.

When I got to my room, I sat down on my bed and knocked next to me. "Sit down," I offered and he accepted. "So what do you have to tell me...?"

Tom sighed softly.

"Actually, you already know it, but you don't want to admit it. Damon is a werewolf. A lycanthrope, as the saying goes. You've already figured it out yourself. Well, so there are people like Damon. werewolves. They are brutal, killing anyone who gets in their way and most of all they are manipulative.

They sneak into the government, hold high positions everywhere. They absolutely hate people, the only ones they accept are those who are their mates.

But human mates are rare. Usually a werewolf has another soul mate. Very few people know about werewolves. Just mates or something like me.

We call ourselves the hunters. You may find it cruel, but our goal is to eradicate the werewolves before they reach their goal of bringing the earth to their command."

I opened my mouth to say something but Tom kept talking so I closed it again.

“There are different clans among the hunters. They have a family structure. And unfortunately, in contrast to the werewolves, we are far outnumbered.

That's why it's important to educate people like you, Mates. There's no way you can get involved with Damon. He's an alpha, you would be the key to destroying his pack.

And before you say you can't be that cruel, if you don't it will cost countless lives.

please think about it All you have to do is face Damon and say the words, 'I reject you'. That is enough"

I didn't say anything. I just kept silent. Was stunned to process this information.

"Maybe you should know that you aren't just destined for Damon," Tom mumbled when I didn't answer for minutes.

"Every hunter is granted a mate before your mother went insane...well, before that she was a hunter and she decided with my mother that we were meant to be together."

Tom smiled uncertainly. I took deep breaths, counting to twenty in my head to calm myself. It did not work. How am I supposed to process something like that?

"It's okay that you need time now. If you like, I'll tell your mother I'm sick and can't stay to eat."

He tenderly stroked a strand of hair from my face. I shook my head. I didn't want to be alone now.

"No, keep calm"

I flopped back onto the bed and stared at the ceiling.

Strange how much my life had changed since living here in Canada.

"You can be proud of yourself. You know you're strong."

Tom had flopped down next to me and was staring at me incessantly. I was uncomfortable, so I looked up at the ceiling again.

"You know Elise? I know you'll probably never feel anything for me, but I'll do anything to win your heart."

Now I looked at him. His voice had sounded so vulnerable.

"The only thing there to conquer is some shards..." I sighed sadly. "Shards. That's all. My heart is broken at the moment."

God, did I want to dramatize even more?

"Then I will do everything I can to put every shard, every shard back together and mend your heart."

On the one hand his words were sweet, on the other hand I didn't hope for anything more when Damon said them.

I knew I couldn't destroy him and his pack. No matter what Damon did to me, I would never willingly hurt him. And that was exactly where Tom got it wrong. I wasn't strong. Not even remotely. I wouldn't even be able to throw a rabbit to his death, how could I do it to Damon and his pack?

♧

Tom left yesterday right after dinner.

We had exchanged numbers and chatted a bit throughout the evening. It felt good to be able to talk to someone.

Tom understood me, didn't ask anything of me that I didn't want and was still honest with me.

Above all, his honesty probably distinguished him from Damon. Unusual. When I thought of Damon, there was nothing. I would have expected to burst into tears at everything that reminded me of him, but all there was was a comfortable emptiness.

It was like 'Silver, The Second Book of Dreams'. Liv also felt as if she had been replaced by an unfeeling clone.

That's how I felt too. And that was probably a good thing.

Nobody had to know that Damon dumped me. That would have been quite humiliating and embarrassing, so it was a good thing my eyes weren't swollen with tears.

The gong rang and I made my way to the cafeteria. On the way I saw Selina. She looked at me, and then ignored me.

So be it. Should be fine with me.

And yet it amazed me.

Before it used to buzz around me like a burr and now I didn't itch it anymore.

Even when I met friends of Damon's, they only gave me contemptuous looks.

I then raised an eyebrow mockingly. Whatever problem they had, please don't bother me with it.

I didn't see Damon at school. I sighed and dropped onto a table and it didn't take five seconds for Tom to sit next to me.

People looked stupid, after all Tom and I had a pretty bad fight on his first day here, but I didn't care. Let them think what they want of me, as long as it wasn't something that attacked my pride!

Like Damon dumped me and I went to Tom about it. Even if that was somehow true.

I sighed deeply once.

"Everything okay?" Tom asked and I nodded slightly while I took out my sandwich and bit into it hard.

Clone Elise didn't care that people were looking at me, the Elise just screaming for attention and wanting to surface allowed herself a little moment of weakness.

Okay, definitely had to stop this clone stuff, that was creepy! After all, I wasn't Liv, not a fictional character!

I was finishing the last bite of my sandwich when someone pulled my hair. I squeaked softly.

"It's all your fault." A voice that was all too familiar to me hissed these words in my ear. I turned around abruptly. "Let. My. hair. Go" I tried with difficulty to suppress my anger.

Selina did as I said but continued to glare at me. Behind her were Jake and all of Damon's other cronies.

"I haven't done anything, so leave me alone" I tried to be a little calmer and Tom put an arm around me protectively. My brain was rattling. Selina was Damon's sister... That meant she was a werewolf too!

My thoughts were confirmed by the murderous looks Tom and Selina exchanged.

I stared at her in bewilderment. How could someone who seemed so nice and cheerful be such a monster?

Fearfully, I moved my chair a little away from her. She acknowledged this movement with a shrug. Jake moved in front of her.

"You little b***h! How could you do that to Damon?" His eyes were blank.

I snorted angrily, wanting to spit in his face. My clone made room for me.

Emotions rose up inside me like a whirlwind, threatening to swallow me up. I felt tears welling up in my eyes and wanted to answer something, but Tom answered for me.

"It was Damon who ruined your pack by leaving her alone and handing her over to a hunter. Better be glad I saved her and she's not dead in some lab now."

With those words he grabbed my arm and pulled me behind him. Outside we dropped onto a bench.

He looked deep into my eyes. "I'm really, really sorry. But I felt like you couldn't really have answered. Werewolves are all idiots! I bet Damon told them you turned him down!"

He snorted angrily.

"I don't want you to be sad! Please tell me how I can help you!"

Tom sounded so desperate I was almost sorry. "All is well. We go in there now and just ignore the idiots"

Clone Elise had regained the upper hand and I was grateful to her for that. Tom grinned. "Well then."

He took my hand and we walked back into the building smiling. I didn't know why I was happy right now. It had to be puberty.

There was nobody at our table anymore, the werewolves had found a table on the other side of the cafeteria.

"You know I'm a hunter. And now they're going to do everything they can to get me out of the way." Tom looked at me with a sigh. My eyes widened.

"Really?" I breathed. I couldn't believe they were all so cold-blooded. Most likely it was naïve, but they were all just men... stop! I couldn't even say that, after all they were werewolves. Or lycanthropes or whatever they called themselves now.

"But your family will protect you, right?" Tom nodded, smiling. "Yes, they will. We belong to one of the most powerful hunter clans. The guy who threatened you yesterday." Tom hesitated slightly.

“He was also a hunter. One of the weak kind. One of the bad guys. They catch human mates and... well. They study them in labs. What is so special about you is that you are the soul mates of werewolves. You search everywhere. In your bones, in your blood. They examine your brain, trying to find something that makes you different from other people. And they will stop at nothing for that.

They kill innocent people so they can figure out how to take out individual werewolves. After all, it doesn't kill the whole pack if one loses his mate."

Tom sighed deeply.

"There's good and bad everywhere..." "I just haven't found a single 'good' among the werewolves. Not that I've talked to them much."