NOT SHY, NOT YOURS

Damon's P.O.V

"No." She answers, shaking her head dismissively as she picks up her fork. But still, she doesn't make a move to eat.

"Oh shit, are you allergic to something?" I ask, my eyes widening as I look around for an EpiPen I didn't have, true fear building inside of me.

Humans were allergic to stuff like food, weren't they? Fucking waste of space species fucked up my mate.

They were also allergic to animals. I immediately send a glare Blaze's way, but he just continues to eat his leafy veggies completely undisturbed. What if she was allergic to bunnies and that's why she freaked out over Blaze?

"I'm only allergic to shellfish and last I checked pancakes didn't contain shrimps." She replies glancing up at me, her gaze playful which just made my stomach swirl. "Or are you a weirdo who puts shrimps inside of pancakes?"

"I'm not," I reply after swallowing, hating and loving the way my body seized under her piercing eyes. "So then what is it?"

"Nothing." She says visibly retracting as she begins to eat. She avoids my eyes, her heart picking up making my grip around the knife tighten with anger. It upset me that she was lying to me, but hurt more that she was still being cautious.

Patience Damon. Let's try having some fucking patience...

"So, how long have you been living here?" I ask after I get a few bites in and so does she.

"A couple of weeks, not that long." She replies keeping her answer vague. Leaning against the table by her wrists as she chews slowly. "You?"

"Today's my third day," I reply, looking away when thoughts of my parents swarm my thoughts suddenly.

"So we're both kinda new." She offers, voice growing quieter with each word. "The only two on this floor too."

A blessing and a curse.

"Yeah," I say instead with a nod, grabbing the syrup to drench my pancakes a bit more. "Is that something that bothers you?"

"What? No." She says quickly before snorting a little. "I don't really like people. One person more than enough."

Doesn't like people? Yeah, she's my mate.

"You took the words from my mouth," I reply with a small grin that only widens when she shoots me one back.

A bit of the new tension that'd plastered itself on top of the previous layers that'd built up over the last couple of days, eases away at the sight of her smile. That stupid, perfect smile. It seemed effortless and she actually looked happy. I wanted to keep her happy, that much I could accept for now.

I'd seen her when it was the other way round and Goddess knew I never wanted to see her so miserable ever again. I experienced a new kind of pain last night by seeing her so scared, seeing her on the floor, shaking. Then, as if that wasn't enough, I had to endure hearing her cry.

Goddess, hearing her in pain, hearing her broken sobs on the other side of the wall where I knew she was alone... it completely shattered me last night.

Took me down easier than any fight ever had while I stayed against the door, forced to listen to her anguish and not be able to do a single, fucking thing about it.

It was fucking awful, each sob inducing another round of endless torture. Just the thought of ever being the cause of her misery made Theo howl from the agony.

"This is seriously good," Will says, gesturing to the food with her fork. I refocus my attention on her, allowing myself to bask in her praise, struggling to not show her just how much her words affected me.

"Thanks." I manage with a voice relaxed enough to sound normal.

For the first time in my life, I found myself grateful for Peter's forced cooking lessons. The happiness simmers at the thought of him, I wondered if he was okay at school and in the pack without me, I could only hope that the twins and Mehki were watching out for him. I wondered if he would like Will, he probably wouldn't with the way he retracted to a bunny.

I glance at Blaze from across the room, he had finished his food and was sleeping under the couch. Blaze was fat, sure, but he wasn't scary and he definitely was not big enough to be mistaken for anything other than a bunny.

Yet, Will had screamed like she saw a monster. She didn't seem like an idiot but maybe I missed it because she's my mate. That would actually suck if she was stupid.

But I didn't think that was the case, something else possibly but I couldn't imagine what it could be. Perhaps she was afraid of bunnies, but that didn't make sense because she seemed unbothered by Blaze now. And how could she fear a bunny and not a dog like her own?

A dog which for some reason, did not see me as a God, as it should.

"What is wrong with your dog?" I blurt out without a thought and immediately regret it when she looks up at me with a deep frown.

"Nothing." She replies, her voice sounding less relaxed than it had a moment ago. The effect prompting a string of curses in my head directed at none other but me. Maybe I was the stupid one.

"Not what's wrong with it, just why does it hate me so much?" I reword, scrambling to fix my mistake.

"Sassy's just protective." She answers, cheeks filling as her anger fades.

"You named your dog Sassy?" I deadpan, leaning back into the chair since I was done eating.

"You named your bunny Blaze?" She retorts using the same tone.

"Oh, please," I say rolling my eyes while I fold my arms over my chest. "Blaze is an awesome name, what kind of name is Sassy?" I say not letting this go. Her mouth hangs open, wobbling a little as she struggles to not laugh, a smile forming while she leans forward with a pointed figure.

"Firstly, it's a fucking amazing name that suits her personality very well." She starts, between small, adorable giggles. "And second of all... I didn't name her."

I can't stop the way my body rolls with laughter at the revelation, I stretch my hand over my eyes while I laugh, Will laughing from her side. I glance up at her to find her leaning against her chair, her small body rumbling as she releases those sweet sounds.

"You have no right to come after Sassy." She says when she's managed to recover. "You named your clearly, obese bunny Blaze but I don't see his running anywhere."

"Blaze is not obese!" I protest but she swats me away with one of her hands.

"He probably is twice my weight." She retorts, her over-exaggeration only making me laugh more. "So don't come after Sassy, at least he's healthy."

"He's healthy!" I argue and look to Blaze who is chewing on the couch. I let my hands fall at the sight, my argument going down the drain in an instant. "The one time you had to perform, you let me down," I mutter making Will giggle again.

I return my gaze her way, a smile resting on my lips as I watch the way she caves in on herself with laughter. Her eyes shadowed with joy while her cheeks filled at the size of her smile. My body warms at the glorious sight and sound which rippled its way through me, convincing me that I couldn't continue living my life without hearing more of it.

"So he's a bitch, in both ways?" I ask making her laugh even harder.

"You're horrible." She breathes, looking back at me with a kinder gaze than I'd ever received in my entire life. It felt weird, having it directed my way instead of just witnessing it go to someone else.

"Guilty," I say with a shrug. She sobers slowly from her laughing fit, her smile refusing to leave. "So if she was to see me now, she'd be fine?"

"I think so, her usual attitude is indifference." She says as her fingers circles the rim of her now empty glass. I glance at it, wondering if she wanted more but not wanting to part from this moment for a second. I suffer through my internal turmoil for only a second before deciding staying close to her was better. "I guess she was just scared, it was her first time in a situation like that."

"But not yours?" I ask and her lingering smile immediately fading. Mine drops alongside her own as regret crashes into me. I watch the domino effect I'd triggered; her smile falling, her relaxed posture going rigid, her thumping heart picking up. Before I could stop it or redirect it, she cages back into herself.

I'd barely caught a glimpse of her before it was washed away.

"I think I should go."