The Alpha's Bride

Talia glanced around, how much her current position allowed, and she observed the hotel room. It was nice and clean.

She spotted a second bed which added to the confusion of why she was sharing a bed with Alpha Damon.

What about the other two people?

She concluded that this was not the Dark Howlers pack. Did they make a stop along the way?

Maybe this is the part where she finds out how Damon tricked her, and he is about to sell her kidneys and liver, and then discard her in the forest for beasts to eat her!

She didn't dare to wake Damon up and she couldn't get out of his hold without big movements either. She was stuck.

Talia resigned herself to the current situation and she slowly returned to her original position, with her head on Damon's arm, but this time, she kept her hands to herself. Just thinking that her arm was draped over his firm abs made her blush profusely.

Talia took a deep breath and savored Damon's scent of forest and dark chocolate. It was nice and for some unknown reason, it relaxed her.

She closed her eyes in the hope of falling asleep and dreaming of that chocolatey forest again. Maybe this time she gets to eat something.

Talia let out a long exhale, and in the next moment, Damon shifted sideways, entrapping her completely in his arms and holding her so close that her face was stuck to his chest.

His breath seeped into her scalp, making her hairs stand on ends.

Talia couldn't see when Damon's lips lifted into a smile. He was content that she gave up on leaving.

From the moment Talia woke up, Damon was awake as well, but he stayed still while waiting to see what she will do.

Damon was aware Talia had wounds that needed tending, and that she was probably hungry as well, but he wanted to extend this moment in bed for just a bit longer.

Damon cradled Talia in his arms, and he enjoyed the sweet citrusy scent of freesia that somehow got amplified by the sensational sparks wherever his body touched Talia's even through their clothes.

His palm held onto her tiny waist, and he confirmed that Talia is delicate and fragile.

He had an urge to feed her.

It's not that he minds Talia's skinny frame, but he would prefer if she is stronger and not in danger of being carried away by the wind.

Ever since she entered his sight, two days ago, other than cuts and bruises from Marcy's beating, Talia hit her head in the refrigerator, she bumped her forehead in the window of a car, and she fell off a bed, and those are only things he saw.

Damon is convinced that Talia is prone to injuries.

He never saw such a clumsy werewolf.

Adorably clumsy.

When he held Talia's hand, the sparks were more intense than over the clothes and he wondered how it would feel if they increased the skin-to-skin surface.

Damon thought of removing his shirt. And her sweatshirt.

Nudity among werewolves is not uncommon. After all, they end up naked whenever they shift into their wolf form, either because they undress or rip their clothes in the process, and anyone who is nearby, gets a good view of everything.

But Talia seemed uncomfortable around Damon, and he had a strong feeling that if he removes his (or her) garments, she might freak out.

His wolf was silent, but Damon could feel the happiness that radiated from the ancient creature.

One excitement amplified the other, and Damon really-really wanted to touch Talia more.

His hand which rested on her waist gradually sneaked lower while pulling the edge of her sweatshirt higher, bit by bit, just enough for his fingers to slip under her top. And then Damon's fingers crawled higher, in search of Talia's skin and he felt his heart thundering against his chest.

Damon chided himself. Why the heck was he so nervous? His hand was on Talia's side, away from her private parts, and he touched many women everywhere. This was definitely not a big deal... but somehow, it was.

His index finger brushed her skin, just above the waistband of her pants and he jolted upon contact. The sparks were like an electric current, catching him by surprise, and he cursed internally when Talia stirred.

Talia was drifting in and out of sleep and she was not sure if she dreamed about his hand moving about in her waist area.

Talia slowly lifted her head, and she froze when she spotted icy blue eyes which observed her intently.

She thought that she might be imagining it, or that he was doing it in his sleep, but this… just what is this?

Talia didn't think that she compares to any of the pretty girls, and a guy who is handsome and powerful like Damon will definitely have plenty of beauties around him.

It never crossed her mind that Damon might be interested in her.

Talia became painfully aware that he was holding her. They were both lying on their sides, facing each other, and his arms were around her… and he was watching her.

She wanted to move away or to say something, anything, but her tongue refused to cooperate, and she felt the heat seeping into her cheeks.

"Did you have a good sleep?", Damon's deep voice shook the silence away.

Talia responded with a small nod.

Damon hummed in approval. "How do you feel? Are you in pain?"

"It's fine…", Talia responded in a small voice and forcibly inhaled, to get some oxygen in her system and snap out of her daze.

Right! She is Talia, no one… She escaped the Red Moon pack, and she has no idea where she was heading, but she knew that at that moment she was in bed with a scary Alpha and she felt the urgency to increase the distance between them.

No matter how handsome he is, or how good he smells, this was not proper.

"Hey… Do you…?"

"I have a name.", he cut her off sternly.

Talia realized that she called him 'hey' again and that he didn't like it.

She grew up in the Red Moon pack, but due to her special circumstances, Talia was not exposed to the strict hierarchy that werewolves follow, so those things were not ingrained in her, however, she was familiar with the protocols.

"I apologize. Alpha Damon…"

"Damon.", he interrupted her again. It didn't sound right when she used his title to call him. "Just Damon."

Alpha is the title that represents strength while reminding others of respect and submission, and he didn't feel that was appropriate for her.

"Damon…", Talia said awkwardly, and Damon smiled victoriously.

"Can you let me go, please?"

Damon's smile fell when he heard her question.

"Why are you making it sound like I'm holding you against your will?", he asked with a slightly pitiful expression.

Talia was confused. Did she give him permission to hold her? That could happen only if she did it in her sleep. Ah! Did she throw herself at him?

Damon saw Talia's frantic expression and he chuckled.

"You fell off the bed. I'm holding you so that you don't get another bruise on top of existing ones."

"Oh…", a sound escaped Talia's lips. "Well, thank you. I'm awake now, so… can you let me go?"

Damon cocked an eyebrow and ignored her question. "Do you want to freshen up? While you shower, I can order some food."

"Will you let me go if I agree?", Talia asked helplessly.

"Not necessarily.", Damon responded with a straight face.

Talia swallowed hard. "If you don't let me go, how will I shower?"

"We can shower together."

Talia's eyes widened in horror. How can he say that like it's a totally normal thing?

Damon saw color draining from her face, and he cleared his throat while trying to salvage the situation.

"I meant, if your injuries are bothering you, I can help you wash up."

"No need.", Talia squeaked, and she scrambled off the bed clumsily the moment Damon released her from his hold.

She dashed into the bathroom, closed the door, and locked it with a loud 'click' sound.

Damon stared at the door with a complex expression on his handsome face.

So many women would do community service to be with him, and this girl can't wait to escape.

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