The Night He Stayed
1381 Words
Rain poured heavily outside Damien’s mansion while I slowly opened my eyes. For a few quiet seconds, I forgot where I was, but then the memories came rushing back all at once. The attack. The wolves. The healer’s warning. The fear of losing my baby. Panic immediately tightened inside my chest as my hand moved instinctively toward my stomach beneath the blanket. Relief flooded through me when I realized the pain had eased slightly. I closed my eyes for a second, silently thanking the Moon Goddess that my baby was still safe.
The room was dimly lit by a single lamp near the bed, and the soft orange glow made everything feel strangely calm compared to the chaos from last night. Then my eyes landed on Damien sitting quietly beside the window. He wore a black shirt with the sleeves pushed slightly upward, exposing the strong muscles in his forearms while rain shadows moved across his face. His sharp eyes remained fixed outside like he had been guarding the room all night.
My heartbeat stumbled nervously.
He stayed.
Even after everything that happened, he stayed beside me the entire night.
“You’re staring.”
His deep voice startled me immediately. Heat rushed to my face as I quickly looked away.
“I wasn’t.”
A small smirk touched his lips before disappearing again. Somehow that tiny smile made him look even more dangerous.
I slowly pushed myself upright against the pillows before wincing softly from exhaustion. Damien stood instantly the moment he noticed my movement. Concern flashed across his face so quickly that I almost missed it.
“What hurts?”
The question came too fast. Too naturally. Like caring for me had already become instinct to him.
“Nothing,” I answered quietly. “I’m just tired.”
“You shouldn’t move too much yet.”
I stared at him for a second before giving a weak smile. “You sound exactly like the healer.”
“She was right.”
Of course he would say that.
Damien walked closer before handing me a glass of water from the bedside table. His fingers brushed mine briefly during the exchange, and somehow that tiny touch affected me far more than it should have. Everything involving Damien affected me lately. His voice. His presence. Even his silence. It was becoming dangerous in ways I didn’t understand.
Rain continued hitting the windows softly while silence settled between us again. But unlike before, this silence didn’t feel uncomfortable. It felt peaceful. Safe. And honestly, that scared me more than anything else.
“You didn’t sleep at all, did you?” I asked quietly.
Damien shrugged slightly. “I’ve had worse nights.”
That wasn’t an answer.
Still, something about the tiredness hidden behind his calm expression made guilt twist inside my chest. He had protected me all night while I slept peacefully upstairs. Nobody had ever done that for me before.
A knock suddenly sounded at the door before Ethan walked inside carrying a breakfast tray. The moment he noticed I was awake, relief crossed his face dramatically.
“Oh good. You’re alive. Damien was starting to look homicidal every time somebody breathed too loudly.”
Damien looked completely unimpressed while taking the tray from him.
“You talk too much.”
“And yet somehow people still love me.”
I couldn’t stop the weak laugh that escaped me. Ethan immediately pointed at me proudly.
“See? I’m emotionally supporting the patient.”
Damien ignored him completely while placing the tray carefully on my lap. The simple action felt strangely intimate, especially when his fingers adjusted the blanket around me afterward without even thinking about it.
Ethan noticed too.
The grin spreading across his face instantly made me nervous.
“Oh wow,” he muttered dramatically. “You two somehow became worse overnight.”
“There is no ‘you two,’” I answered too quickly.
Ethan’s grin widened.
“That response alone tells me everything.”
Before I could argue again, his expression suddenly became serious.
“There’s another problem.”
My stomach tightened immediately.
Damien’s face darkened. “What happened?”
“Black River Pack is searching nearby territories.”
Fear instantly crawled through my chest.
Searching for me.
“For us?” I whispered quietly while touching my stomach protectively.
Ethan nodded slowly. “Some of the elders believe Damien hiding you confirms the mutation rumors.”
I felt sick instantly.
Everything kept getting worse.
Damien crossed his arms while his jaw tightened dangerously. “Logan lost control of his pack.”
“He’s trying to stop them,” Ethan admitted carefully. “But some of the older wolves aren’t listening anymore.”
I looked down at the untouched breakfast on my lap while anxiety slowly consumed me again.
“This is all because of my baby.”
“No.” Damien’s voice came immediately. Firm. Certain. “This is because weak men fear power they can’t control.”
My chest tightened slightly after hearing that.
The way he spoke about my child was different from everybody else. The elders spoke with fear. Victor spoke with caution. Even Logan sounded worried sometimes.
But Damien?
Damien spoke like my child was worth protecting no matter what.
And honestly?
That affected me more than it should have.
A loud knock suddenly echoed from downstairs.
Every person in the room froze instantly.
Damien’s entire expression changed immediately. Calm disappeared from his face, replaced by something colder. More dangerous.
“I’ll check,” Ethan muttered.
“No,” Damien answered instantly. “Stay with her.”
Without another word, he walked toward the bedroom door.
The moment he disappeared downstairs, the room suddenly felt colder somehow.
Ethan noticed my expression immediately.
“Oh, you’re attached already.”
“I am not.”
“Mhm.”
I glared weakly at him. “Why does everybody keep saying things like that?”
“Because it’s painfully obvious.”
Before I could respond, raised voices suddenly echoed from downstairs.
My heartbeat stopped instantly.
Logan.
I recognized his voice immediately.
Fear and anxiety twisted painfully inside my chest again.
Why was he here?
I stood from the bed too quickly before Ethan grabbed my arm carefully.
“The healer said rest.”
“I can’t stay upstairs while they fight.”
“That’s fair,” he admitted. “Still a terrible idea though.”
Ignoring him, I slowly walked downstairs despite the lingering weakness in my body. The closer we got to the living room, the louder the argument became.
“She’s carrying my child,” Logan growled.
“And yet she feels safer here,” Damien answered coldly.
Silence crashed heavily across the room after those words.
I froze halfway down the staircase.
Because somehow…
That sentence hurt everybody.
Especially Logan.
Pain flashed openly across his face before anger quickly replaced it again.
Then suddenly his eyes lifted toward the stairs.
Toward me.
Everything about him softened instantly.
“Ava.”
Something painful twisted deep inside my chest.
Because despite everything…
Part of me still loved him.
Still reacted to him.
Still hurt because of him.
Damien noticed it too.
Of course he did.
His jaw tightened slightly before he looked toward me carefully.
“You should be resting.”
Logan frowned immediately. “She shouldn’t even still be here.”
Anger replaced my confusion instantly.
“Oh really?” I snapped softly. “And where exactly should I go?”
His expression tightened with regret immediately.
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Then say what you actually mean for once.”
Silence filled the room again.
Victor leaned carelessly against the far wall watching the argument like entertainment. Honestly, I wanted to throw something at him.
Logan slowly stepped closer toward me.
“I came because I needed to see you.”
The quiet honesty in his voice hurt more than shouting would have.
“And?”
His eyes shifted briefly toward my stomach before returning to my face again.
“I’m going to protect both of you.”
Before I could answer, Damien spoke from behind him.
“You’re too late for that.”
The tension that filled the room afterward felt suffocating.
And the look Logan gave Damien promised something terrifying.
War.
- Writer
