Chapter Forty One - Meeting with the Pack - Maya's POV

The way he looks at the cloth makes me want to comfort him. I approach him in his chair and stop when I'm only a foot away. Then he looks up at me. I can't breathe. The space between us is entirely too small and the tension crackles like a live wire. When his gaze falls to my lips, my pulse skips a beat. I really should turn away before something happens, but I don't want to. 'Damian," I whisper. He leans closer, and for a second, I almost think he's going to stand and kiss me. But the tension quickly fades when a knock at the door interrupts us. 'What now?" He asks, as he turns his head toward the door and growls. 'You are being really annoying today." He stands, the cloth dropping to his desk as he waits for the door to open. I turn to see who has come now, only to find Evelyn standing there. She takes in the room for about two seconds before her eyes widen. 'Am I interrupting something? I never took you for one to do things in your office, alpha." Another low growl rumbles in his chest. 'Please, what is it now, Evelyn?" His voice grows softer with her and I find it sweet. Almost. Just a minute ago, I truly thought he might eat whoever stood on the other side of the door. 'The pack has grown restless. It seems like someone has mentioned vampires, but I don't know who. They shouldn't have known that, should they?" Damian's growl grows louder. 'No. I'm not sure who else knows about the vampires besides me, Simon, and the man who grabbed the shirt for me. No one else should know, so I'm not sure who told unless it's the man in the infirmary or Simon." Evelyn shakes her head. 'I spoke to Simon, and he says he doesn't know who it is. The ones injured are in the infirmary and haven't spoken to anyone since they have been put on bed rest for the next few hours." 'When I find out who did this, I'm going to murder them all. Every single one of them is going to fall before me and beg for their very lives. And I'm not going to grant them mercy." Evelyn just shakes her head, almost as if she expected that kind of answer. I find it a little brutal. 'Very well, alpha. You better come along, so you can reassure the pack that we aren't dying yet." She chuckles as she leaves, but she doesn't close the door behind her. Damian stares out into the hallway, his eyes locked on some random spot. 'I'm sorry, Maya." 'For what? You can't help what is happening." He finally lifts his gaze and shifts toward me. 'You'll have to come with me. Are you ready?" I look down at my clothes, realizing I haven't changed since yesterday. My hair is probably a mess and I don't know that I want to face them like this. But I don't really have a choice. He says he needs me to go with him, so it's not like I can refuse him. 'Okay. I'll go." His lips part as if he is ready to argue with me, but then he stops when he hears my words. 'Good." I swallow hard, looking down at my clothes once more. They would have to do and the pack would just have to accept me as I am. There is no going back now. Damian glances over at me, taking me in from head to toe with a smirk. 'It's okay. They're going to smell me on you." My eyes widen. 'What does that mean?" 'You haven't showered since we kissed, have you?" 'No," I say, my voice barely above a whisper. 'Thought so." With that said, he strides across the room and waits for me at the door. I look at him, then wonder what I'm getting myself into. He's standing there so confidently, and I feel like a mess. He waits for me to come to him, then we head straight to the dining hall. It seems like the message has gotten out and those who had previously left, came back. I watch them as they walk into the room, their eyes on us. I feel the weight of their stares, but Damian stays calm. Most are just curious. Then there is that one group who I overheard talking yesterday with that one woman. She is beautiful, from what I can see, with dark brown hair and tan skin. Her eyes seem to sparkle as she talks to her friends. When they catch me looking, they tell her and she shifts her gaze in my direction. The light in her eyes dull and is replaced with something that rivals pure fury. She definitely hates me. Damian sees me looking and shoots her a look without me asking him to do that. 'What was that?" I ask when I see her look away as if she might cry. 'She will learn to respect you, but until she does, I will remind her that my mate is not to be messed with." The pack members closest to us quieten while some whisper. I turn my attention to them, meeting some of their gazes. I can tell they are wondering what I'm doing by his side. And now I question it too. He can't be serious about this and it has to be some kind of mistake. Once everyone is quiet, he begins speaking. 'Today, two members of our pack while out on patrol were attacked. Simon and I investigated the site and there were no traces of the attacker. However, one of our members was able to snatch a piece of cloth off one of them." One man, who looks to be about twenty, steps forward from the front of the pack with a look of concern flashing across his features. He's worried, but so are several others. 'Who was the attacker? Why didn't you find a trace?" 'Vampires." Damian only says one word and I see them all tense. And it's at that moment I realize that everything that is written about vampires in fiction is probably wrong as well.