5

CHAPTER 5

DAMON'S POV.

I hurried down the unfamiliar path which led to my apartment. My feet was already aching from the pain of having to run all the miles from the pack house down here. But was it worth it?

My last night encounter with the Alpha was never supposed to happen. I wasn't suppose to feel drawn to him, to feel any ache to be in the arms of another man. But... The attraction was plunging, undeniable. He was my enemy, the one I swore to take down as soon as I got the chance. And then, just when I really did had the 'chance', I let myself slack off by sheepishly surrendering to a night of pleasure with the Alpha.

My jaw clenched as I felt a mix of emotions sprouting in my veins. This was never suppose to happen. I was going to bring him down— yes, that was and would always be the plan. I was going to avenge the death of my parents and all of the pack members he'd killed.

Lucky for me, I have something that could help, his diary. I could still feel the weight of it in my jacket's pockets. The Alpha must have already found out about his missing diary and should already have guards sent to tail on my every movement.

That was why I had chosen to take this unfamiliar path. It was shorter, faster, and less open compared to pulsing streets of the pack house where I could easily get recognized. Just as I made my way into the woods, the sharp dense smell of earth and decayed matter reeks into my nostrils as I paused.

Something was different. The usual silence in the abandoned paths of the forest weren't the same. Someone has been here. But who?

No one in the pack— other than Alex, my roommate, knew of this dark unfamiliar path to the pack house. I felt the air surrounding me shift as I halted in my tracks.

I was being followed. I could feel the presence from where I stood, my instincts were never wrong.

"HEY YOU!"

I paused slowly in my tracks, my breathing now racing through the clouds. I turned my head slowly and was shocked to see two unfamiliar figures tracing their way towards me. They looked dangerous— rogues, maybe.

I felt an instant sense of alarm as my wolf called on to me to run, to tear into the forest. I paused in my tracks, my chest heaving with constipation.

The forest was quiet— too quiet. There was only the crunch of leaves beneath my boots as I struggled to make my way through the darkness. I had to keep moving, stay low, stay hidden.

But I wasn't alone.

The first blow came out of nowhere, a hard crack against the side of my head that sent me reeling. My back hit the rough bark of a tree as I struggled to focus, blinking away the stars that danced across my vision. Then I felt hands on me— grabbing, pulling.

Rogues.

There were three of them, their eyes aglow in the dark, faces twisted into cruel smiles. A strong yank on my hair and my head jerked backward. I gritted my teeth in an attempt at resistance, but they were too powerful.

"You picked the wrong place to run, boy," one snarled, foul breath hot against my cheek as he leaned in, fisting my hair tighter.

I fought against the panic rising in my chest, kicking and shoving, but they only laughed, amusingly entertained with my attempts. I could feel my wolf stirring inside me, angry, ready to fight—but I couldn't shift. Not like this. Not now.

Just as one of them tugged on my jacket, I heard it. A voice that cut through the air like a whip, sharp and lethal.

"LEAVE HIM!"

Everything froze. My breath caught in my throat, and I looked up, eyes wide. The rogues went still-their sneers vanishing in a second.

And then-just like that-they were dead. Two shots, so quick I barely saw the movement. One second they were standing; the next, they were collapsing to the ground in lifeless heaps.

I froze, my heart racing, as one figure stepped forward through the shadows. Even in the dim light, I recognized him-the towering silhouette, the wide shoulders, the presence that made the air around him thick and suffocating.

Alpha Alejandro.

But he wasn't unarmed; he was holding a gun, and the look in his eyes made me realize just how much danger I really was in.

He walked toward me with slow, calculated steps, his boots crunching leaves as he came. My throat was swelling shut, and I felt it-the unmistakable burn of the mate bond igniting, a fire in my chest that was suffocating and devouring. The closer he got, the harder it became to breathe.

I was in so much trouble.

"Please." The word tumbled out before I could restrain it. I didn't know if it was mercy, release, or some semblance of grace from the raw heat that churned within me with every step he made. But I couldn't stop myself, all the same. "Please, let me go."

His eyes darkened, and a twisted smile played at the corners of his mouth. "Oh, you're not going anywhere, Damon."

With one swift movement, he caught me around the neck and pulled me towards him, the force sending my heart racing. His grip was possessive, unrelenting-as if he was claiming what belonged to him. I pushed him, but my hands were shaking, my body betraying me.

It was now close, too close, and the heat of his exhaled breath caressed my skin. In that low dangerous voice, a mix of desire and threat rumbled deep inside, sending shivers down my spine.

"Oh, I'm not going to let you go." His eyes latched onto mine, and I felt the weight of his words latch around me like a thick link of heavy chain. "In fact, I intend on doing far worse things to you than kill you."

The air crackled between us, and all I could do was stand there, entrapped in his hold, knowing whatever came next, I wasn't prepared for it.