Claimed By An Alpha

Chapter 9: Claimed

Tyler had 24 hours left.

And Damon was done waiting.

Lila found him in his office at dawn. No shirt. Just sweatpants and that wolf tattoo. Pacing. Like a caged animal.

“Damon?”

He turned. His silver eyes were wild.

“Come here,” he said.

Lila walked to him.

Damon grabbed her hand and pulled her in. One arm went around her waist. The other cupped her face.

“I can’t do this anymore,” he said. Voice rough. “The waiting. The pretending. The 3 months.”

Lila’s heart pounded. “What do you mean?”

Damon’s thumb brushed her cheek. “I mean I’m claiming you. Today. Right now. Before Tyler gets the chance to even look at you again.”

Lila froze. “But... the pack. The bond. Your mate—”

“My mate is dead,” Damon said quietly. “And you’re alive. And you’re mine.”

The word _mine_ did something to her.

Damon’s eyes searched hers. “Tell me no if you don’t want this. Tell me to stop and I will. But Lila, I need you to say something.”

Lila reached up and put her hand over his on her face.

“I don’t want to wait either,” she whispered.

Damon exhaled like he’d been holding his breath for days.

Then he kissed her.

It wasn’t like the kisses in the field.

This one was claiming.

His mouth took hers hard, then soft, then hard again. Like he was branding her with it.

One hand slid into her hair. The other pulled her up against him until there was no space left.

Lila moaned into his mouth and Damon growled. The sound vibrated through her.

He walked her backward until her back hit the wall.

“Damon,” Lila gasped when he broke away to breathe.

He rested his forehead against hers. Breathing hard.

“You smell like me now,” he murmured. “From the other night. But it’s not enough.”

“What do you want?” Lila whispered.

Damon’s eyes dropped to her neck.

“I want to mark you,” he said honestly. “Not just scent. The real mark. So every wolf knows you’re taken. So Tyler knows to stay the f**k away.”

Lila shivered. “Does it hurt?”

“A little,” Damon admitted. “But not as much as watching you leave will.”

Lila nodded. “Okay.”

Damon’s jaw clenched. “Lila. Are you sure? Because once I do this, there’s no going back. For me.”

Lila reached up on her toes and kissed him. Soft.

“I’m sure,” she whispered against his lips.

That was all Damon needed.

He lifted her. Lila wrapped her legs around his waist on instinct.

He carried her to the couch and laid her down gently. Then he came over her, caging her in with his arms.

He kissed her again. Slower this time. Deeper.

His hand slid under her shirt, warm on her skin. Lila arched into the touch.

“Damon,” she whispered his name like a plea.

He broke the kiss and trailed his lips down her jaw. Down her neck.

Right to the spot where her neck met her shoulder.

He paused. His breath was hot on her skin.

“Last chance,” he murmured.

Lila threaded her fingers through his hair. “Do it.”

Damon growled.

And then he bit down.

Not hard. Just enough.

Pain and pleasure shot through Lila at the same time. The bond flared to life between them, hot and bright and _theirs_.

Damon’s scent flooded her. Cedar. Snow. Home.

He licked over the mark when he was done. Soothing it.

Lila was shaking. Not from fear. From him.

Damon pulled back and looked at it. His mark. On her skin.

His eyes were dark with satisfaction. And something softer.

“Mine,” he whispered. He kissed the mark gently. “You’re mine, Lila.”

Lila touched his face. “And you’re mine.”

Damon’s expression cracked.

He kissed her again. Long. Deep. Full of everything he hadn’t said.

His hands were everywhere. Reverent. Like she was something precious.

They didn’t go further. Not yet.

But they stayed like that for hours. Kissing. Touching. Learning each other.

Finally Damon pulled back and brushed her hair out of her face.

“The mark will show in 2 hours,” he said. “When Tyler comes tomorrow, he’ll see it.”

Lila smiled. “Good.”

Damon stared at her. “I waited 3 years to feel like this again.”

Lila’s chest hurt. “I’m sorry you had to wait.”

“Don’t be,” Damon said. He kissed her forehead. “You were worth it.”

That night Damon didn’t sleep outside her door.

He slept in her bed.

With her in his arms.

His mark on her neck.

And his promise in her heart.

---

The next morning, the whole pack knew.

Maya saw it first and gasped. Then smiled.

Kade saw it and punched a wall.

And at noon, Tyler showed up at the gates.

Damon walked out with Lila.

Her head was held high. Damon’s hand was in hers.

And on her neck, clear as day: Damon’s bite.

Tyler saw it and his face went red with rage.

“You marked her?” he spat.

Damon stepped forward. Arm around Lila’s waist.

“She’s not yours to claim,” Damon said. Voice calm. Deadly. “She’s mine. She always was.”

Tyler lunged.

Damon didn’t even flinch. He shifted fully. 7 feet of black wolf with silver eyes.

“Leave,” Damon snarled. “Or die here.”

Tyler backed down.

Because for the first time, Lila wasn’t alone.

She was claimed.

---