Alpha's Human Mate

CHAPTER 6: Damian's POV The next morning, I walked into Blackthorn Enterprises with the same confidence and calmness I always carried wherever I went, which I admit was part of my charm. The sun was high, but the glass walls of the building made everything feel cooler and somehow sharper, as if reflected dazzlingly off the cool pair of sunglasses I wore. As soon as I stepped through the doors of Blackthorn Enterprises, the whole lobby went silent, and phones stopped ringing while people froze mid-step. I felt their eyes, both humans and werewolves alike, aimed straight at me. The women were the worst, and more than a few of them gasped softly when they saw me, while others tried to hide their smiles, and some waved or tossed their hair in that way they thought was subtle enough to catch my attention. This was all normal for me and I wasn't entirely new to all of this. There were always ladies swooning at the sight of me and eager to catch my attention, though I suspected that the humans would immediately pass out if they were to find out who I truly was, or rather what I was. I kept walking calmly. I had seen it all before and wasn't in the slightest bothered about their reactions. Their stares slid over me but I didn't return them as I pressed the button of the elevator and waited. A pair of girls near the reception whispered, and I saw one brush her hair back and look at me, fluttering her lashes, but again, I ignored it. I had no interest and not now of all times. The elevator doors opened, and I stepped inside while the silence in the lobby stayed behind me like a shadow I had left behind me. When I reached my floor, the corridor was quiet too, and a few staff members greeted me nervously as I passed. I nodded but didn't stop. My mind was somewhere else. I finally pushed open the door to my office and walked in. Everything was in place as always, with expensive shelves, a wide desk and my floor-to-ceiling windows showing the beauty of the city. I sat down slowly in my chair and sighed heavily. The moment I leaned back, the memory hit me again, and one name and one image came to my mind. Ivy. Her name came back as clear as her face and the way she had looked up at me after I caught her with the warmth of her skin when our hands touched, and also the spark that had raced through me when we connected. I rubbed the back of my neck unconsciously. I had tried not to think about her last night when I got home but it hadn't worked and even now I couldn't push her out of my head. A knock sounded at the door, interrupting my blissful thinking. I had heard the footsteps with my heightened senses long before, and I knew the scent too well, Jason. "Come in," I said. The door opened, and Beta Jason Stark walked in as calm as always. He held a folded newspaper in his hand and, without a word, he placed it on my desk. I frowned and picked it up. The headline made my chest tighten slightly. 'GIRL FOUND DEAD AFTER GALA – THROAT SLIT: I stared at the words for a long moment with my hands stilled on the paper. Jason didn't speak yet. He only watched me. "What is this?" I asked at last, though I already knew. "Keep reading, Sir," he said quietly. I skimmed the article. 'A young woman had been killed in the woods near the hotel. Witnesses heard screams but no one saw the attacker and he police believed an animal had done it.' Beta Jason reached for the remote and switched on the television on the wall, where a news anchor was already speaking. "...authorities are now ruling the attack as a possible wild beast incident, pending further investigations," the reporter said, and a picture of flashing lights in the forest filled the screen. "Shut it off," I growled. Jason switched the TV off without hesitation, and silence settled in the room with Jason's gaze stayed fixed on me, steady and almost accusing. "What?" I asked. "I'm worried, Sir," he said at last. "Why did you kill that girl last night?" I leaned back in my chair, and my voice stayed calm. "I didn't plan to. My wolf was distressed, and she followed me when I told her not to. I warned her, Jason. She wouldn't listen." His jaw tightened slightly. "Sir, that doesn't change the fact that you lost control. We can't afford mistakes like that. Do you realize what could have happened if someone had seen?" "We weren't exposed," I said simply. "Not this time," he replied. "But the risk is real. One slip like that and the entire pack could be at risk. The humans don't know about us and they can't." I pushed the paper aside. "I know the rules, Beta. I didn't mean for any of it, and I shifted because I couldn't hold it back. She came after me when she shouldn't have." Jason stayed quiet for a few seconds in contemplation. He was the only one I could consider close to a friend, and only he addressed me this way. Our bond was stronger than friendship; we were brothers. He spoke again with a voice lower but firm. "Are you sure no one else was there? No one saw you?" I hesitated, and my mind went back to the forest. I could remember the run and the pain when the change hit me, and also the way the girl screamed when she saw what I was, and then, regrettably, the blood. But after that... things blurred. I knew I saw a shape, another person, standing in the dark, but I couldn't see their face, and my memory stopped there, as if a curtain had been pulled across it. I forced myself to meet Jason's eyes. "There was no one else," I said. He studied me, as if trying to read more than my words and then he sighed and turned to look out the window for a moment. "We might have a problem with Lucien D'Amato," he said finally...