Chapter 268: Reaction
"Who could that be―" I wondered out loud before my eyebrows shot to the top of my forehead. "You mean..."
"Yes," Damon said. His grin broadened, though it looked more sarcastic than anything. "If your relationship with him has gone to the point of sharing lunch, I think he should be able to take care of you against Dahlia Elrod, at least."
I didn’t even bother asking how Damon had guessed that Dahlia was one of my worries about moving to Thunderstrike. Instead, my jaw was already hanging agape.
"Kyle wouldn’t agree!" I immediately said. "He has a whole life here! Besides, until just a few days ago, he hated my guts and practically wanted me dead!"
"I have been told that he has sworn an allegiance to you," Damon casually said with a shrug. "Your importance to him, in that case, takes precedence over everything else, even the pack. I am sure he will have no qualms about leaving temporarily, especially after the fiasco his previous friends made about him taking your side."
"Have you even asked him?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow. The skin between my eyebrows wrinkled into fine lines as I frowned, blinking dumbly at Damon. "You can’t just assume he would be willing."
"If he isn’t, then I’ll just order him to go with you," Damon said evenly. "He can’t betray his alpha’s orders unless he’s planning to get himself kicked out of the pack."
I could only stare with my jaw hanging open as Damon shrugged. He acted as though this was the law of the world — to be fair, it probably was — and that everyone should listen to his every whim and word. However, he failed to understand that even as alpha, he couldn’t make the rest of the pack accept me― Kyle included.
If it weren’t for the vampire attack that night, Kyle would still be the president of the I-Hate-Harper club. Furthermore, it most certainly wouldn’t be the first time Kyle hadn’t listened to Damon’s orders! The two Valentine brothers had been telling them again and again to stop bothering me, and yet, it never ceased.
"Besides," Damon continued, "he should be honored to be tasked with protecting the luna of the pack. This isn’t something that can be entrusted to just anyone."
I coldly barked out in laughter. "I am not the luna of Fangborne. Your mate, yes, but not the luna in any form or way."
"Oh really?" Damon mused. "But it seems like the pack has already accepted you."
"Damon," I said, wrinkling my nose. "Lying could cause your nose to grow. I know it’s a fairytale and all, but with how faes truly exist, it might not be too far from the truth."
Damon rolled his eyes with a huff. "I am not lying," he said. "You may not have been officially crowned as the luna of Fangborne, but you wear the necklace of the luna. Besides, you’ve already seen how the wolves obey you. They might claim to not accept you as the luna, but it’s an unchangeable fact. You are the luna whether they like it or not."
"Since when have they obeyed me?" I scoffed.
In fact, it was quite the opposite! If I was truly already the luna of Fangborne, then these people had no semblance of respect or order. However, I couldn’t blame them; why would they respect somebody they didn’t wish to be in power? If they obeyed, it would’ve only been out of fear.
"Just now," Damon immediately replied. "When Amanda, Lucia, and Rachel were in your way, you commanded them aside, did you not?"
"You were there watching the whole time?" I asked, flabbergasted. "A little help would’ve been nice! I was starving and they were in the way."
"Definitely not famished to the point of death," Damon said with a deadpan. "I wanted to see how you would handle the situation. What happened to all the gusto of preparing for the role of luna?"
I opened my mouth but no words left my lips. He had hit the nail right on the head. I had indeed promised I would shape up and step into the role as per what was expected of me. As Damon’s mate, this was inevitable.
This should be a good thing. Being able to command the wolves of Fangborne so easily was a sign of power I thought I didn’t possess.
"Is that why they were staring?" I asked. My fingers curled into a fist before unclenching, repeating the action multiple times as though unfamiliar.
"They were probably surprised," Damon said. "Truthfully, I was too. I didn’t think you had it in you."
"Gee," I said, rolling my eyes. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."
This time, the smile that lit up Damon’s face was real. He stepped forward, and without warning, his hand came to the back of my head. Time seemed to slow down as he pressed forward, placing a lingering kiss on my forehead. The warmth of his lips seeped into my skin, and it was only after a few seconds did he finally pull back.
"I am proud of you," Damon murmured, his gaze gentle and his smile soft. "Thank you for trying."
A faint blush crept up my neck before dyeing my cheeks tomato red. My eyes had to be as wide as saucers as I stared at him wordlessly, forgetting to even breathe. He chuckled, his laughter like twinkling bells as he used his index finger to push my chin back up so that my mouth would close.
"Careful," he teased, "you’ll catch flies like this."
What was wrong with me?
There were a thousand butterflies surging through my stomach, and Damon hadn’t even done much. We had been intimate before in more ways than this, and yet, it was one small kiss that had my heart running around in circles, just an inch away from taking flight.
It was something I expected of Blaise, not his older brother. For the longest time, I had classified Blaise as the gentler one and Damon to be more brusque― who knew that one small action could completely throw my expectations off course?
Damon made use of my silence and stepped away, leaning down to pick up the spoonful of mashed potatoes I had previously prepared. He placed it in his mouth, nodding in satisfaction before returning the spoon to the plate.
"Now," he said, plopping down on the seat at his desk. "Let’s discuss your arrangements at Thunderstrike, shall we?"
