Page 61 of Aine

They move slightly as he attempts to deepen the kiss, but I refuse to let it go any further than a peck. A part of me expects him to force it, but to my surprise he allows me the win, and pulls away.

His warm breath fans across my cheek as he brings his mouth to my ear.

“Freya and Alex are causing a scene in front of the dining hall,” he whispers. “I need to break them up.”

I struggle to hold back a grin. If I’d known that allowing him to kiss me was all it took for him to talk, I would’ve done that ages ago.

Well, I probably wouldn’t have, but it’s nice to know now.

Damien says nothing further before rushing into the woods, following the path of the man who alerted him of the issue. I’m hyper-aware that he’s able to feel my emotions and struggle to taper them down. The last thing I need is him confusing my excitement over him telling me what’s going on with excitement over him kissing me.

I’m indifferent to his sexual desires. Or at least that’s what I tell myself whenever he looks at me for too long.

Shaking my head, I push those thoughts aside as Damien disappears from my line of sight. I can only imagine what Freya and Alex are arguing about, and I hope nothing too bad has been said. Alex has been trying so hard to avoid her recently, and I’m sure if they ran into one another, it was her purposeful doing.

My anxiety over her cruel actions has me hurrying in the direction of the dining hall. I’m sure Damien will arrive long before me, but given his history of choosing Freya over his brother, I’d like to make sure somebody’s there to have Alex’s back.

There’s already a crowd by the time I arrive, the beasts huddled together as they watch. Their oversized bodies push against one another and create an impenetrable wall, but some take pity and step aside so I can wiggle my way to the front.

I have to do a double take when I get there. Alex stands shirtless in front of a terrified-looking Olivia, his face red as he screams indistinguishable words at Freya.

Olivia stands directly behind him, her hands gripping his belt loop as she hides from the female beast. She appears to be wearing Alex’s shirt, the long fabric falling to her knees and covering her frame like a sack. I look around for her clothing, quickly spotting them in the hand of a very angry Freya.

She waves the items as she screams, her fury only rising as Alex puts himself in front of the shaking human and yells back. They shout at the same time, making understanding their words impossible.

I lean forward as I try to make sense of what they’re saying, my eyebrows raising when Freya accuses Alex of cheating. Alex laughs, claiming that at least he didn’t fuck Freya’s sister.

My attention slides to Damien as he says this, feeling only slightly satisfied as his jaw clenches and he glares at the sky. He looks about ready to melt as he shifts his weight between his legs.

I wonder what the point of him rushing over here was if he’s just going to be a bystander and watch them argue.

“She’s a whore!” Freya shouts.

I gasp and stumble back as Alex lunges and grabs Freya by the throat.

The beasts surrounding me go silent at his violent outburst, their shock mirroring my own. These are actions I’d expect to see from Damien, but never in a thousand years did I think I’d see them come from Alex.

“Watch your fucking mouth,” he threatens.

Alex’s eyes darken as he grips her throat and walks her backward until she bumps into Damien’s front. The man remains still as he’s used as a wall, his hands clasped behind his back and head tilted toward the sky. Freya gasps and tries to pry Alex’s hands away, her face going red as she scratches at his arms.

“You don’t get to make demands of me after all you’ve done,” he says, his body twitching as he fights back a shift.

Olivia shakes as she watches the scene unfold. Large tears fill her eyes and drip down her cheeks as she turns toward the crowd. The beasts look disgusted and don’t even bother to hide their dislike for her.

It’s identical to the way people would look at me whenever Henry would have a public outburst. My heart aches for her as I push the rest of the way through the crowd. She may have been a bit standoffish when we first met, but she doesn’t deserve this harsh treatment.

Her body crumbles as I wrap my arms around her, and I grab the back of her head and tuck it into my neck to hide her from the prying eyes of the beasts. It’s what my mother would do for me when things got especially bad, and it always made me feel safe.

I instinctively look toward Damien as all the attention falls on me. He seems surprised, undoubtedly having expected me to stay in the gardens after he left.

His lips purse before he shifts his body to the side and wraps his arms around both Freya and Alex’s necks. They hunch as he holds them in identical headlocks, their faces cast downward as they continue to scream at one another.

“We’ll finish this in my office,” he says before turning to me. “Will you take her home?”

I nod. I was going to anyway.

Damien doesn’t wait for Freya or Alex to settle before yanking them in the direction of his house. They both fight against his hold, their arms trying to pry his off, but he doesn’t let up.

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