Page 73 of Aine

I huff but stop fighting as he pushes open the restaurant doors and leads me inside.

The place is already quiet when we enter, but the slight chatter diminishes even further as the humans take notice of the two giant beasts stepping inside. My palms grow sweaty as Damien leads me to the back, and I can’t help but notice the way the women look at me with upturned noses and scrunched lips.

I’m sure the sight of a human with the beasts is unsettling, and I wonder if they dislike me for it or are jealous. Given the fact Damien’s already slept with most of the human females here, it doesn’t seem as if they’re off-put by the beasts.

A man sitting at a table along the back wall stands as we approach, his tall frame and confident posture immediately giving him away to be a beast. He looks handsome, they always do, and he wears a well fitted suit. People in my old village never dressed so formally, but I’ve seen a few men wearing nice attire here.

I wonder if it has to do with the size of this place and all the visitors these people seem to get. This village even has restaurants, a luxury even Damien’s village doesn’t have.

Damien greets the man politely before pulling me to stand in front of him.

“This is my mate, Aine.” His hands slide over my shoulders and down my arms until they’re cupping my elbows. “And this is Freya,” he adds as she moves to stand in front of both of us.

Owen nods toward me in greeting before turning to Freya with a large grin. I resist the urge to scoff at his excitement to see her. Freya deserves many things in this world, but a kind man is not one of them.

She giggles as he cups her hand and leads her to the seat next to his.

I watch their every interaction through narrowed eyes and only turn away when Damien pulls out a chair for me. My actions go unnoticed by the pair as I sit with a quietthump. Damien lowers himself into the seat next to mine before clearing his throat to draw the table’s attention.

“We appreciate you traveling all this way to meet with us,” he says, placing his hand on my knee.

The sudden contact has me jolting, but it’s subtle enough not to draw too much attention. My mind wanders back to the time Damien called me “desperate” after being affected by his touch during dinner, and I suck my cheeks into my mouth to stop something similar from happening now.

It’s not the time for that.

Alpha Owen nods, the movement barely noticeable as he scans the perimeter of the room. The chatter amongst the humans grows as we settle, but it never reaches the volume it was at before we arrived.

I wonder what it must feel like to be the strongest person in the room. To know your safety is an absolute guarantee.

“You know I couldn’t turn down such an enticing invitation.” Owen chuckles, turning his attention to me. “When did Damien find you?”

I don’t love his word choice but plaster a smile on my face anyway. The last thing I need is to get on the bad side of another beast. I’d like to think Damien would protect me if I was in trouble, but I don’t want to count on that.

“A few months ago,” I answer.

Damien chimes in when it becomes apparent I have nothing further to add.

“It was a large adjustment on both our ends, but we’ve settled into it nicely,” he smoothly lies.

My pulse races as his grip on my knee tightens. Fear that Damien’s going to squeeze it in punishment for me not being friendly enough courses through me before I realize he’s simply adjusting his hold. My cheeks redden as Damien turns to me with a frown, probably wondering where my sudden fear is stemming from.

“Interesting,” the man mutters, chuckling to himself. “I’m both surprised and relieved to see you settling down, Damien.”

I would by no means refer to Damien as “settled down” and am surprised that’s the vibe Owen’s getting off him. After a moment’s hesitation, I turn to look at my beast, curious about what he was like before we met. I’d probably like him even less than I do now.

“So, Freya, how do you and Damien know one another?” Owen asks.

Freya offers a sad smile before responding. “My true mate was Damien’s cousin, and we’ve remained close since he passed away a few years ago.” The lie rolls smoothly off her tongue.

Owen appears quite solemn as he listens and places his hand on top of hers. I frown at the action, hating the way we’re tricking this man.

“My mate has passed away as well, and I find a lot of peace in remaining close to her family,” he says.

I turn to Damien, silently begging him to call this whole charade off. Owen is a lovely man who’s clearly been through a lot. He doesn’t deserve this. Damien ignores my glaring and calls a waiter over. My angry stare doesn’t lessen as he orders for the table.

Despite not knowing how, exactly, our marks convey emotions, I tense and try to force my annoyance into his head. Freya and Owen continue to chat amongst themselves as the waiter returns with a bottle of white wine for the table.

Damien doesn’t wait to pour me a large glass. He smiles as he hands it over, his fingers grazing mine as I accept it. As much as I’d like to hate it, I can’t help but find myself flustered every time his skin touches mine.

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