Heavenly Poison

Damien Gray

“Damien,” Emilia whispered.

“What are you doing here?”

“I came to talk with your dad,” I told her.

She tried moving closer to me but I took a few steps back.

“Don’t,” I said, putting a hand on her shoulder to stop her from getting any closer.

I noticed the hurt that crossed over her eyes, which were looking tired and dull. I hated seeing her like that but something in me enjoyed her pain. She deserved to suffer. All the time I spent flying, before I met with Cassidy, I’d been going through hell and back over what happened.

I was supposed to be the dick and she was the one shoving her tongue down the dog’s throat.

“Come on in then,” she said in a soft voice.

I followed quietly after her. Her back was in front of me and I was clearly able to see the light tremble running through her body.

“Damien, it’s good to see you,” Anthony said as soon as he spotted me. He was sitting behind his desk, but he stood up to greet me.

I nodded at him, noticing that just like Emilia, Anthony looked worn out.

“I need to talk to you,” I told him after shaking his hand.

I expected some sort of reprimand from him, but he didn’t say anything. He motioned to the chair across from his desk and went to take a seat himself.

“Anything to drink?”

“I’m good,” I told him.

“Just make coffee,” Anthony said, giving Emilia a half smile.

She nodded and reluctantly left the room.

“You’re back. I assume you thought about our proposition,” he said.

“I hid some things from you the other day,” I told him honestly.

He looked at me thoughtfully for a few moments, but his eyes remained warm.

I kept thinking so much about it since the day I met Anthony. He really didn’t seem like an Alpha. The few moments I had been with Layton, I had felt his strength, his Wolf.

Anthony felt different. It was probably the worst day to be examining his Wolf, who I was sure, could definitely use a break. I just couldn’t let go of his passive attitude.

“What is it?”

“I had come across Rogues before. My cousin Sebastian and I, we’d seen Wolves before. I didn’t know how packs really worked, but I knew Emilia was a Wolf,” I admitted.

He cocked an eyebrow at this. The way he was looking at me, it seemed like he didn’t believe my words.

“Did Emilia tell you what happened yesterday?”

“With Luke?” Anthony asked, letting out a tired sigh.

“I took off and I talked to one of the other Alphas. He wants to meet with you and me,” I explained.

This time, the Alpha cracked a smile.

“You expect me to believe all this?” He asked. I could hear the humor in his voice.

I nodded at him. My plan had been to make the trip quick. I didn’t want to be around Emilia for too long.

“It’s the truth. You can call him if you’d like, he’s Layton from Blue Bloods. He wants an alliance. If you are going to give me the position, I’m accepting.”

I had caught his attention after saying that.

“How do you know Layton?”

“I didn’t know him before. I met him yesterday.”

“He’s an Alpha,” Anthony said.

His voice had taken a certain edge to it that I hadn’t heard before on him.

“I’m aware.”

“You can’t be talking about our pack problems with other packs. Once they find out what we’re dealing with, they might try to take over.”

“He wants an alliance, he doesn’t want your pack,” I assured him.

Anthony didn’t look convinced.

“How did you meet him? There’s no way you could have made the trip so quickly.”

Emilia walked in the study carrying a tray. Anthony and I stayed quiet, while Emilia handed her father a coffee. She gave me a Dr. Pepper and she had a coke for herself.

“His mate and I, let’s just say we’re long lost friends. Long story short, he wants to set up the meeting. I didn’t agree with anything because, well this is your pack. You decide. I just wanted to let you know that if you’re in, I’ll be here.”

Emilia was listening attentively to what I had said. It didn’t go unnoticed by me that she’d taken the chair closest to me.

Her scent was hitting me directly, and it was hard to concentrate. I was so ready to just give up and take her in my arms.

“Will you accept to giving me a grandchild?”

“Emilia said you had changed the terms. I don’t want a kid, that isn’t going to change.”

“The pack will get attacked, you are aware of that, right?” He asked.

Emilia glanced at me nervously.

“They might but it’ll be fine,” I replied.

“How do you know that? Pack members might question you and Emilia,” he said.

“I will accept any challenge. I’m not scared of anyone in the pack.”

“It’s good that you’re strong-willed Damien, but wills don’t win battles,” Anthony said, giving me a sad smile.

“I’m not a great fighter, at least not compared to a Wolf,” I admitted.

It was the truth. A human, I could beat any day. Sebastian was a much better fighter than me. Even without his gifts, just his extra strength had helped bring down Wolves. I couldn’t always do that.

I could break their necks without even touching them. I could play them like puppets and they wouldn’t be able to do anything about it.

“Then how do you suppose you will handle an attack? You won’t always have to deal with a Rogue or two. Sometimes, they might be more. If your own pack turns against you because you can’t protect them, what will you do then? What about the other packs? What if they try to take members away because they have a strong Alpha that can protect them?”

I would have been angry over the lack of faith Anthony had in me. I couldn’t even be mad though. The way he’d voiced that and his eyes had shown the concern he was already feeling.

So this is what’s eating at him, the fate of his pack.

“I can handle the Rogues, don’t worry about that. If anyone from the pack turns on me, I’ll turn on them. I will banish anyone who goes against me, as cruel as that might sound. Layton will back me up with other packs. The alliance includes another pack, New Elite. Their Alpha Zeverus will be at the meeting as well,” I informed him.

The frown in his expression was palpable.

“How exactly did you manage that?” He asked.

“You are forming an alliance?” Emilia sounded surprised.

“We need it. Layton said the other Alphas won’t be too happy because I’m not a Werewolf. I guess you all like your traditions,” I shrugged.

“I don’t trust them.” Anthony was quick to add.

“I can vouch for Layton. He’s the mate of- he’s good for his word,” I said instead, not wanting to go into the Legen thing.

It was a lot to explain and I was itching to leave. I had Sebastian outside in the air, doing rounds over Mountain Peak territory. He told me that while he waited, he was going to find Luke’s house, give him a little scare.

I was partially worried that the Wolves from Mountain Peak would sense Sebastian flying in the air. At least if they felt him, they wouldn’t be able to see him. Of course, I still didn’t know what plans Sebastian had to torment Luke.

“I know Marcus, he’s Zeverus’ father. I have met Layton, but we haven’t spoken too much. Both he and Zeverus became Alphas last year,” Anthony said.

The thoughtful expression returned to his face and Emilia used that moment to speak.

“You’re staying?” She asked with a shy smile on her face.

I nodded at her.

“Can we talk when you’re done here?”

“I need to leave after this,” I told her.

“Oh,” she mumbled.

“You have to work things out. If you are willing to take the risk of becoming Alpha, I can’t have you two fighting. You’re mates,” Anthony said.

He gave both of us a stern look. I was partly embarrassed that our personal problems had circulated around her pack.

I knew that it was the way it would be if I stayed. I already hated my decision, but Cassidy and Layton had made me think a lot.

I couldn’t think of just myself anymore.

Seb had agreed to help, although I knew his help came in the form of commanding the shifters.

“We’ll fix things,” I reassured him.

When I said that, I heard Emilia’s loud sigh. That made me smile.

“Why did you pretend like you didn’t know? You looked surprise the day I explained everything,” the Alpha asked.

I looked down at my hands. I’d been waiting for the question, not that it made it any easier to answer.

I thought Anthony had terrible ideas, but I didn’t think he meant to cause harm. He was a good guy, anyone could see. That was what made it harder to admit that I had omitted things and basically lied.

“This is the first time Sebastian and I move into any pack territory. We had come across Rogues, but we hadn’t been around too many pack Wolves. We only knew the basic things about packs. I learned a lot that day. And I was still in shock about your proposition.”

“You knew?” Emilia asked beside me.

She got up from her chair, and gave me a look I definitely didn’t want to see directed to me.

“I knew,” I nodded.

“But you didn’t know I was a Wolf, right?” She asked.

I could hear the hope in her voice, willing me to tell her that I hadn’t known.

“I knew about that too and I knew who all your pack members were as well,” I admitted quietly.

The Alpha sat on his chair, silently watching the interaction between his daughter and me.

“Please tell me you didn’t know we were mates,” Emilia asked.

Her voice shook when she spoke and I considered lying to her. It would have been easy and no one would know except Sebastian and me.

“I knew that day at the diner.”

A silent tear slipped from her eye at my confession.

“You couldn’t have known. How did you know? Humans can’t detect us, they don’t know what we are,” Emilia said in a desperate voice.

“I do.”

“I should leave you two,” Anthony uncomfortably said, getting up from his chair to leave.

I was glad for the privacy, but I wasn’t looking forward to facing Emilia alone. Just seeing her already was breaking me.

“How could you possibly know?” Emilia asked, taking a step closer to me.

I got up from the chair and stood in front of her. I was tempted to take her in my arms and comfort her, but her expression kept me away. Any other day, she would have been happy with my attention. In that moment, she looked furious with me.

“It’s complicated,” I said, remaining vague.

“Why didn’t you tell me? All this time, I, I thought,” she said and then slumped herself back in the chair.

“You can’t be angry at me for this. You’re trying to take the easy way out after what you did,” I said, repeating that to myself as well.

I needed to find a way to stay away from her, at least while my guard was down. She betrayed me and I wasn’t going to forgive that over some tears, tears that might not have been genuine.

“Easy way out of what?” Emilia snapped at me.

“You’re forgetting what you did with that bastard? We had just broken up Emilia. Hell, I’m not really sure that was a break-up. I was thinking things over,” I replied, raising my voice as well.

“I didn’t do it on purpose, Damien. I didn’t kiss him!”

“You let it happen. You were there with him. What would you have done if Sebastian had taken me out with other girls to ‘clear my mind up’?” I asked in a sarcastic tone.

“You’re my mate!” She snapped. I laughed at her words and at her when she wrapped her arms around me.

“Maybe I should go out and do the same, just to call it even?” I asked.

“I’ll kill any girl that comes near you,” she said, breathing heavily.

Her blue eyes were quickly changing to a dark color, but her claws extracting from her hands were a new one. I felt them grazing the skin over my neck where her hands were resting.

“I’ll spare you the trouble. I’m not interested in anyone either way,” I replied.

I smiled at her teasingly. I was still mad but it felt good to get a rise out of her.

“Will you ever let it go?” Emilia asked, as she slid her hands over my chest and let them drop to her sides.

“Not yet,” I shrugged.

“Luke and I have nothing going on. He kissed me, I’m not lying, I swear.”

“Maybe I want to believe you,” I replied, shrugging once again.

“It doesn’t seem like it,” she said in a small voice.

“I’m here,” I said, and shrugged one last time.

“God, I hate it when you do that,” she said, turning away from me.

“You act so cryptic and I don’t know what’s going on in your head.” She sounded annoyed.

Too bad, I wasn’t going to make it easy on her.

“You cheated on me,” I told her flatly.

“I didn’t cheat on-” I interrupted her before she could finish.

“Can I tell you something,” I said, as I put my hands on my jacket pockets.

I slowly began pacing the room, thinking about how to phrase my next words.

“What is it?” She asked.

“You make every girl in school back off, but you’re always with Luke, and you know I hate the guy. Your excuse is that your friends would have made fun of you if you hadn’t gone to the mall? That’s the biggest pile of bullshit I’ve ever heard. And I live with Sebastian, he’s a great bullshitter. Luke kissed you, I’m over that. But you were there and let it happen. Come on, doesn’t your kind have fast reflexes? Don’t cry to me for forgiveness and pretend you were so innocent.”

I had brought her to tears again. The worst part was that I didn’t feel any better.

“I need to go,” I told her, giving her one last look before turning to the door.

I wasn’t ready to forgive her. Fuck, I wasn’t ready to forgive her. I kept telling myself.

“You’re leaving me?” I was barely able to hear her voice.

I turned around, I shouldn’t have, but I still did.

“I just need time Emilia. I’m taking care of some things.” It wasn’t a complete lie.

“I know you think you can take them, but Luke will challenge you and he won’t be the only one.”

I was getting really tired of how much hype everyone kept giving Luke.

“I can take Luke and anyone else,” I told her.

“Have you seen a Werewolf challenge?” She asked.

“Not exactly, but I have seen them fight.”

“It’s brutal Damien. You won’t stand a chance. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

“Thanks for worrying. I’ll keep that in mind.”

I was about to turn to leave, but she spoke again.

“These are Werewolves we’re talking about. Damien, you’re just- you’re just a human,” she said in a sad voice.

I should have left when I had the chance.

“That’s where you’re wrong. I’m not a human.” With that said and Emilia’s shocked expression, I turned towards the door and left the room.

I really should have left when I had the chance.