Page 23 of Howl For A Kiss
"You understand the ins and outs of attacking bigger structures. And you seem to know intimate details about pack methods and countermeasures." She leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms. "That's not knowledge you pick up from rebel training, Damon. That's the kind of expertise that comes from being on the inside."
The shuttered expression that descended over his features was immediate and complete. The warm, collaborative partner vanished, replaced by the stoic stranger she'd first met.
"Elena—"
"What aren't you telling me?" The question came out sharper than she'd intended, but something about his evasiveness triggered every survival instinct she'd honed over the years.
Damon straightened, putting distance between them. "We should get some rest. Tomorrow's mission requires us to be sharp."
Frustration flared in Elena's chest. Just when she thought they were connecting, he retreated behind those carefully constructed walls. "You're doing it again."
"Doing what?"
"Shutting down. Running away." She stood up, matching his movement. "Earlier today when I asked about your life at Silvercrest territory, you did the same thing. What's so terrible about your life that you can't even?—"
"It's late," Damon interrupted, his voice taking on that formal tone that made Elena want to shake him. "We've had a busy day, especially with your first transformation. You need sleep."
The dismissal stung more than it should have. Elena had thought they were building something—trust, partnership, maybe even something deeper. But apparently, she'd been fooling herself.
"Fine," she said quietly, hating how small her voice sounded. "I won't push."
Something that might have been regret flashed in his eyes, but it was gone too quickly to be sure. "Goodnight, Elena."
"Goodnight."
She watched him leave, noting the rigid tension in his body. Whatever secrets Damon was hiding, they ran deep enough to cause him real pain. Part of her wanted to pursue it and to demand answers, but a larger part recognized that pushing would only drive him further away.
If there's something important, he'll tell me eventually,she told herself, though the words felt hollow.
Back in her bedroom, Elena lay staring at the low wooden ceiling, her mind churning with questions that had no answers. The word "mate" echoed through her thoughts like a persistent whisper. Her wolf had recognized something in Damon tonight—something primal and undeniable that transcended logic or reason.
But what did it mean? Elena had never been one for long-term thinking, preferring to live moment to moment and mission to mission. The idea of destiny or fate felt foreign and unsettling.
Yet as night deepened around her, she became aware of a presence just outside her bedroom door. Not threatening but protective. Damon stood guard in the hallway, and somehow she could feel his proximity like a warm touch against her skin.
The strange pull toward him grew stronger in the darkness, as if invisible threads connected them across the thin barrier of wood and circumstance. Elena pressed her hand to her chest, feeling her heart beat in rhythm with something she couldn't name.
Was her destiny always tied to Damon?
The question haunted her as she finally drifted toward sleep, Damon's silent vigil somehow more comforting than any words could have been.
TEN
DAMON
Damon's eyes cracked open to unfamiliar surroundings—hardwood floors, cream-colored walls, and the unmistakable ache of sleeping upright against a door frame. His internal clock told him it was just past dawn, and the realization of where he'd spent the night hit him like a slap in the face.
Christ. He'd fallen asleep in the hallway outside Elena's bedroom.
The Beta of the most powerful pack in the Pacific Northwest Cascade territory had spent the night on the floor like some lovesick pup. His wolf rumbled restlessly, completely unrepentant about the protective vigil. The mate bond pulsed stronger this morning, a constant thrumming under his skin that made every instinct scream to stay close to Elena.
Damon pushed himself to his feet, his joints protesting the uncomfortable position. The same churning thoughts that had plagued him before exhaustion finally claimed him returned with vengeance. Elena was growing more attuned to their connection—last night's transformation had awakened something primal in her wolf that recognized him as mate.
Which made his deception infinitely more dangerous.
He moved quietly to his adjacent bedroom, grateful that none of her rebels seemed to be early risers. The last thing he needed was questions about why he'd been sleeping outside her door like a guard dog.
His small attached bathroom offered blessed privacy. Damon stripped off his clothes—the same thermal henley and dark jeans he'd been wearing for two days straight—and turned the shower as cold as it would go. The shock of frigid water against his overheated skin did little to calm the restless energy thrumming through his system.
