Page 50 of Howl For A Kiss
"Yes," Elena said, her voice rough with emotion. "We did."
Strong arms wrapped around both sisters from behind as Damon enfolded them in his protective embrace. Elena leaned back against his solid chest, feeling the rightness of it settle deep in her bones. This was her mate—not the Beta constrained by duty and tradition, but the warrior who had chosen love over everything else.
"Welcome to the rebellion, Fiona," Damon said, his voice rough with emotion. "Welcome to your real family."
As their group celebrated around them, Elena looked up at the star-filled sky and felt something she hadn't experienced in years—hope for the future. They had struck a blow against the old ways tonight, but more than that, they had proven that change was possible.
The rebellion had found its strength not in violence or hatred, but in the simple act of refusing to abandon the people they loved.
TWENTY-TWO
DAMON
The warmth of the rebel cabin wrapped around them like a protective embrace as Elena guided Fiona toward Elena's bedroom. Damon watched his mate's gentle care with her sister, noting how Elena's features softened when tending to those she loved.
"Take a long shower," Elena murmured, pressing clean clothes into Fiona's hands. "Sleep in my bed tonight—you need the rest more than I do."
Fiona's hazel eyes flickered between Elena and Damon, understanding passing across her features. "Thank you," she whispered, then looked directly at Damon. "Both of you. I don't know how I can ever repay?—"
"Family doesn't keep score," Elena interrupted softly. "Get some sleep. We'll talk more in the morning."
After Fiona disappeared into the bedroom with a grateful smile, Damon studied Elena's profile as she stared at the closed door, her fingers unconsciously touching the partial mate mark on her neck.
Pride swelled in his chest as he remembered her restraint with Marcus Tidewater. The old Elena might have put a bullet through the Beta's skull without hesitation. Tonight, she'dchosen mercy over vengeance—not because she was weak, but because she was strong enough to be better than her enemies.
"You showed remarkable control tonight," he said quietly.
Elena turned to face him. "I wanted to kill him. For what he did to Fiona, for holding a gun to her head, for making me choose." Her voice carried the weight of old pain. "But I realized that becoming a killer like him wouldn't bring back the years Fiona lost. It would just make me another monster in a world that already has too many."
Damon closed the distance between them, his hands finding her waist with the possessive certainty that came with their growing mate bond. "That's why you're going to change everything. You understand that true strength comes from choosing what's right, even when what's easy would feel better."
He led her toward his bedroom, their fingers intertwined. The moment he closed and locked the door behind them, the atmosphere shifted. The mate bond that had been simmering between them all evening suddenly blazed brighter, filling the small space with electric tension.
Elena moved closer until she stood within touching distance, her voice dropping to an intimate whisper. "Damon, I was really proud of you when you renounced your Beta position tonight." She paused, searching for words. "But you didn't have to do that. And you certainly didn't have to do that for me."
Damon's hands framed her face, his thumbs tracing the delicate line of her cheekbones. "I did it for us. For our future." His voice carried absolute conviction. "I want to spend every day for the rest of my life with you, Elena. I want to help you change our world and restore the harmony that's been missing for three centuries. I want to stand beside you as your equal as we build something better here."
Elena's breath hitched, her blue eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "Damon, I care about you more than I've evercared about anyone. And I want to spend every day for the rest of my life with you too."
She took a shaking breath, her next words barely audible. "I love you, Damon."
Her declaration hit him with so much force that his knees actually weakened, forcing him to grip her shoulders for support as fifteen years of emotional numbness shattered completely. In all his carefully controlled existence, he'd never imagined three simple words could undo him so thoroughly.
"Elena," he breathed, her name carrying the weight of everything he'd never allowed himself to feel. "I love you too. More than duty, more than tradition, more than the life I built before you showed me what living actually meant."
He kissed her then with desperate intensity, pouring years of loneliness and the promise of their future into the connection between their lips. Elena melted against him, her arms winding around his neck as she kissed him back with equal fervor.
When they finally broke apart, both breathing hard, Damon rested his forehead against hers. The words he'd been carrying like stones in his chest finally found their voice.
"I need to apologize," he said, his voice thick with emotion. "Not because you require it, but because you deserve to hear it. I'm sorry for fifteen years of silence and compliance. I'm sorry for not fighting for what was right sooner. I'm sorry for the role I played in the horrible acts carried out in the name of tradition and pack law."
His grip on her tightened possessively. "I'm sorry for the pain you've had to carry alone for so long, and I'm sorry I didn't find you sooner so you'd know you weren't alone. But I promise you'll never be alone again."
Elena's eyes filled with tears she didn't try to hide. "Damon?—"
"You are mine," he continued, his alpha nature asserting itself as he pulled her flush against his body. "And I am yours. Forever. No laws, no traditions, and no Council will ever come between us again."
Elena's voice was barely a whisper. "I've known that, deep down. But I was too afraid to let myself want something real and lasting. Too afraid to say it out loud because I thought I'd lose you if I revealed the truth, and I can't lose you."
