Page 127 of The Pact

DAMIAN

I leave Thea to rest for a while. I hadn’t planned on punishing her today, however, her constant pushing of my buttons finally sent me over the edge. And God, it was worth it.

My pretty girl took it so well. All of it.

From the moment we met, I knew there was something special about her. Although I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t convinced that she could handle my needs. Wes is usually the deal breaker. He’s rough, but on a primal level, so it still feels fun for most women. He only wants their fear. I want so much more.

I want Thea’s mind, her submission, her trust, and her devotion. I want every dark corner of her heart and her head. With me, she’ll thrive, if she can handle what I want to do to her.

She’s broken. It’s not her fault. Everyone around her has let her down. They’ve ignored her, mistreated her, steamrolled her, and used her for their own gain. Thea has so much more to offer. I’m determined to show her that.

I’m already seeing her blossom. She stood up to her best friend—Cassie needed that. She needed to see that Thea’s opinions and feelings matter. I genuinely hope they can make up, but not at the expense of Thea’s self-esteem. She’s also mostly cut off her parents, if you can call them that.

Slowly, she’s gaining her voice. While it incites my anger when she uses it against me, it’s also incredibly sexy and gives me a chance to put her in her place. She surprised me today by completely giving in to me. First, in trusting me completely to stop if I went too far with her punishment. Then, not fighting my request that she’s never alone. It hasn’t been easy and we still have a long way to go. However, Thea is going to come out stronger, happier, and a fucking force to be reckoned with.

The four of us are her catalyst for transformation. I won’t call her a butterfly because she won’t sleep peacefully and emerge a delicate symbol of beauty. No, her change will be violent and harsh, ripping her from everything she knows to be true. She will die and be reborn. Our queen of darkness and moonlight, feared by all others except us. We are her flame. She is our moth.

But it’s not just us changing her. Thea’s altering us too. That’s the part that scares me. Laying in her bed, taking care of her, it did something to me. There were signs before this, like the day in the gym. However, today, I didn’t push her away. I showed her my gentle side because she trusted me. What did me in was her asking if I needed aftercare. What a fucking blow to my iron defenses.

I’m used to providing for everyone around me, so much so that my needs are deeply buried behind a fortress. As long as my people are happy, as long as I’m needed, I’m content. Well, that was until she asked that question and I answered truthfully.

I let Thea give me something I needed, and it felt so good. It healed a part of me I’d shoved into the shadows. And now, I want more. I want to tell her everything I need and let her provide it. My chest aches from both the fear of letting her in and the impatience of having to do it slowly. Although I’m good at controlling those restless urges…mostly. I can wait. I can do this the right way.

I pass Cole in the kitchen as I head to my room. I’m annoyed by his comment earlier. The embarrassment on Thea’s face was painful to witness. “Come with me,” I snap at him. I don’t miss the eye roll, but it’s the least of my worries.

Taking a seat in an armchair at the center of my room, I wait for Cole to follow my lead. He just stands there, making his defiance clear. It’s wearing my patience thin.

“Sit.” More and more, I’m feeling like his parent rather than his brother. Cole listens and plops down into the chair opposite me.

“What’s up?” He asks with an undercurrent of annoyance.

Taking a deep breath, I try to approach him with respect and understanding. “What’s with your reaction to what Thea said earlier? You made her feel bad.”

Cole’s hazel eyes shift to look out the window. “I didn’t mean to. I was surprised to see her like that. Between her ass and the bruises from Wes…” He runs a hand through his blonde curls. “She’s going to get scared away. I don’t want that.” It’s a lie. Does he think I’m stupid?

Calling him out on that is only going to make him angry. “Brother, she isn’t going anywhere. Thea’s taken everything we’ve thrown at her. She loves all of it. She loves you.”

He turns gaze back to me. He knows I’m right. “I guess so.”

“You owe her an apology.” Cole nods and I’m happy that he’s at the very least going to give her that.

He stands to leave. “Wait.” I stop him. “There’s something else we need to discuss.” His brows pull tight in confusion. “I’ve been going through the bakery’s bank statements over the last few months. Something isn’t right. I don’t know how I missed it before, but there are more discrepancies, like the one I found with Natalie. Overpayments to some of the employees. Are you still the only one verifying hours?”

I watch my brother carefully, looking for signs of a lie. He casually nods. “Yeah, I verify all the hours. I can go back and check if you give me the pay periods that were off.” I search his eyes, they remain on mine, unwavering. Taking a deep breath, I nod.

“I’ll email you a list of dates to check out. Get back to me when you can.”

I let Cole walk off this time. Something is off with him and I don’t like it. However, I have bigger issues to deal with—like Gavin.

The photos I mailed to him of the assault case and of his father with the judge did nothing to deter Thea’s ex. If anything, he ramped up his aggression. Now, I have no choice. Gavin must go.

43

THEA

“You should meet up with her. See if you can work things out,” Damian suggests.

“No, Thea did nothing wrong. Why should she grovel?” Cole seethes from the other side of the table. His knuckles are white as he clasps his hands in front of him.

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