PREDATOR AND PREY

DAMON'S POV

Her hands are small. Too small. After all what she's been through you would think her palms should be as hard as a rock. But they feel like cotton on the back of my neck. I started asking Morgana to massage me after a month of having her as a pet.

She hesitated the first few times, probably by how repulsed she gets when she's close to me. She does it naturally now, not because she's comfortable being around me now.

I think she likes to fantasize about all the ways she would like to hurt me. I can see it in her eyes. Her hands are soft on my skin but her facial expressions say something completely different. She hates me, as she should.

Her massages are something I've gotten used to. They do nothing to ease the pain in my muscles though. Her hands are too soft for that. It has just become a routine for me now.

I speak rudely to her not because I want to, but because that's how a master should treat their pet. I don't gain any pleasure from seeing humans in pain anymore, especially Morgana and I have no idea when that changed.

Every time I hurt her with my words now, it doesn't give me that sense of power it used to. I just do it out of habit now. I didn't think would start feeling guilty about it though.

I am the alpha for God's sake. She's my slave and I should not be feeling sorry for her.

The look on her face when I told her about the vampires attacking us sort of did something to me. She looked like I sent her on a trip to memory lane. My heart softened for her just a little bit. Something that should not be happening in the first place.

I can't grow a heart now. I can't start feeling sympathetic towards the humans now. I mean, I even agreed to the scientist request. The Damon I know would have never even given him the opportunity to make demands.

Morgana didn't look away when I entered earlier and I let it slide. Again, I would have never let shit like that slide few weeks ago.

 There is potential war coming along again and I need my mind focused on killing the vampires. Which is why I should probably create some distance between Morgana and I.

Lately I have been finding comfort in her presence. I even told her about the issue with the vampires.

She doesn't know it, but I needed someone to talk calmly to and she was there. In my own messed up way, I was confiding in her. What the fuck is happening to me?

I should probably create some distance between the two of us. She's clearly becoming a…. distraction.

"That's enough. Go back to your cage." I order in a deep voice stopping her hands from moving around my neck. She doesn't hesitate to get as far away from me as possible.

I wonder just how deep her hatred for me runs.

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After just a few minutes, Morgana is fast asleep already. I can tell she didn't get any sleep all day yesterday. The sun will rise in a few hours and I will have tons to deal with.

First, I'll have to visit the slavery organization to see just how much damage was done there. Then I'll have to come back to the castle and check on how things are going with the army and how many soldiers we have ready for battle.

Then I'll have to assign someone to take care of the scientist. Tomorrow is his first day out of his dungeon to clean my garden. Reece was supposed to take care of that but he was captured.

My blood boils in anger at the realization that he might be getting tortured this very instant.

I'll also have to speak to my brothers and discuss on how we will share the serum. I walk over to my cupboard and pull out the drawer that contains old paintings of my parents.

I specifically pull one particular piece of paper that contains a painting of my parents, my two brothers and I. My mom was wearing her favorite dress that day. A red gown that was wide enough to sweep the entire castle clean. She was wearing red lipstick and a wide smile plastered on her face.

Mother was always happy. She once told me: "There are a lot of things that can make a person cry son, but it is better to laugh. Just because one bad thing happened doesn't mean it is the end of the world."

She was always so optimistic and calm.

I look over to my dad. In his usual black coat, his expression unreadable. It was always hard to tell what my father was feeling. He always had a firm look on his face that meant business. His intimidating aura following him wherever he went.

When I was five years old, I got pierced by a thorn and shed a few tears. Disappointed is an understatement for how father felt.

"Tears are for the weak. I am raising a future Alpha, not a cry baby." Those were his words when he saw me crying. I haven't shed a single tear since that day. Even when my parents passed, I remembered his words. Tears are for the weak. Eventually, I became more like him as I grew older.

Ryder became more like mom and Colton…. Well, Colton was Colton.

I put the painting back in the drawer as Morgana's voice interrupts my thoughts. She's making those sounds she makes when she's dreaming. I take slow and light steps towards her cage careful not to wake her.

"No…." "Mother please, don't leave me." "Father, come back." "I love you both so much." "No.."

The same words every night. It must have been hard, watching her parents die. The humans were probably counting on the werewolves the day we attacked the vampires.

Some of their faces lighted up with hope when they realized we were winning the war. Until we started capturing them as slaves. Her parents' death was collateral damage. We weren't supposed to kill any humans. The goal was to imprison them.

Maybe her family ended up in the hands of an impatient werewolf that day, and when they tried to retaliate, he burned them right in front of her.

War, such a horrible thing isn't it. However, sometimes it is necessary. We needed vampire blood for the serum and in order to get good vampire blood, they needed to be fed. Hence, we needed the humans too.

It's not fair but when has life ever been fair. The strong will always trample on the weak. We are the predators and they are prey.

Each has a part to play. Morgana unfortunately just happened to be on the other side.