Page 35 of Damon
“You don’t deserve to die easy, you deserve to be fucking starved and forced to fight when you are not able to do so. But I want you to die seeing the faces of the pack that you hurt. The ones you were supposed to protect and take care of.” Damon wraps his hand around his jaw and twists, breaking his neck. “Everyone get your clothes on and we will meet here, to talk,” Damon says.
Elizabeth runs into the field with her guard, and Maverick looks like he is about to stroke out at the sight of her. “Eliza, what the hell?”
She laughs and hands him some clothes; then she brings some to me and Damon. “Thank you,” I say.
Damon and I slip on the clothes. She brought me leggings and a shirt. Damon pulls me against his chest. “Did you seehow skinny they are?” I whisper softly, not wanting to upset anyone.
“That’s why all the guys just subdued everyone, they are all half starved. Their homes are just pieces of wood over their heads. I will make it right for them.” I nod. Damon pulls back, looking down at me. “I bought more territory, and I will keep on expanding and expanding until there is room for everyone. Everyone needs a home, this should never happen.”
“You are right, Damon, this has made me sick to my stomach.” My stomach churns again at the sight of a two-year-old looking at us from behind a tree. I wave her over, and she looks behind her and runs to us. I squat down in front of her. She has blond hair that is curly at the ends and freckles dotting her nose. “Hey, sweet girl, where is your mommy?” I ask her, and she just looks down at the ground. Her skin is filthy, and her hair has gobs of dirt in it.
“She doesn’t have any.” I turn around and see an older woman standing behind us.
“What happened?” I look down at the girl, who is sucking her thumb. She is so little.
“Her mom’s mate was a bear. She was seeing him in secret, and then she went into labor. It couldn’t be hidden anymore. They killed her mate and she died with him. We have all pitched in what we could to feed her, but we were not allowed to take her in. She is two.” Her voices trembles at the last part.
I shake my head in disbelief and look at Damon, who is also deeply affected.
“Can we?” I take his hand.
He nods immediately. “I had the same thought.”
I smile and rest my head on his shoulder; then I kneel down in front of the child again. “How would you like to come live with me and Damon?”
She looks up from the ground, her huge blue eyes hitting me hard. “Home?” she says.
“Yes, home with me.” I push her hair out of her face. She steps closer and I pull her to my chest. She holds onto me like I am her lifeline. Her skin is ice cold.
“Elizabeth, do we have any blankets?” I ask. She looks at the little girl and then at me. I mouth to her, “I will need you later.” She nods and runs back to the vehicles, with Maverick following close behind her.
Damon presses his hand to the child’s back. “You are safe, sweet girl,” he whispers, and her body relaxes. He kisses my forehead and moves to address the pack, which is standing, waiting for Damon’s orders. “I am Damon, the alpha of The Knights Pack. I am Damon Knight. I am here to make a change. No pack should live this way, and the alpha sold a little boy who used to live here. He made multiple attempts to take the little boy.”
Jackson growls at the mention of his son. I imagine how terrified I would be if something like that happened to Axel.
“I am here to offer you a deal.” They all step a little closer. “The deal is you can come to my pack, where you will have a proper home, food, and everything you could possibly need, but you will have to go through an extensive training process. Who here still wants to hurt my family? My pack?” Damonpresses all of his authority into his words, and no one can resist. “Step forward if this is so.”
Two guys step forward, and Jackson and Randall drag them out into the woods.
“My pack is a family, we support and care for each other. You will be protected and all mated couples are welcome. Even if you are mated to another species of shifter—like a bear, for example—or you are gay. We do not discriminate.”
A woman falls to the ground, crying. “I can call my mate and have him come?”
Two guys collapse onto each other, crying. They have kept it hidden. Tears fall down my face. These people have been through so much.
Damon presses his hand to the small of my back, and the little girl in my arms lays her head against him. I smile. I have a daughter. I will make it my mission to give her a happy and full life. I cannot imagine what her life has been, with no home or parents, having to go from place to place, begging for food. I am sick.
Elizabeth moves up beside me and hands me a blanket. I cover up the little girl, and she touches the blanket before tucking it under her neck. Her eyes close, and I rock her from side to side.
“We will send SUVs for you in the morning. Just pack the basics since your houses come stocked.” Damon tells everyone.
The other pack is still just standing around. I can see they are shocked, and I can tell these people have been sheltered from the outside world.
“What is her name?” I ask the older lady who told me about the little girl’s history.
“Hope.”
Damon reaches down and takes her from me, holding her so gently. I fix the blanket to make sure she is covered. We shifters run warmer than humans, and her skin is cold, even for a human. It’s fifty degrees outside and she is like ice.
