The Night It All Clicked – 1

Damien’s POV

I groaned with satisfaction as I cum onto her breasts. This was exactly what I needed, the best way to relax and unwind that I knew.

“So when are we doing this again? Tomorrow maybe?” She looked up at me, panting, her eyes gleaming with expectation.

I didn’t answer immediately, just got up and grabbed a towel to help clean her chest. She looked more relaxed than when she’d arrived, so clearly this sex had benefited us both. But she should know the rules between us were simple—I contact her, not the other way around.

Once she was dressed, I glanced at the clock. It was nearly 10:30 PM. The Pack had important business to handle tomorrow, and I needed to keep a clear head. As I said, she knew the rules, which meant she wouldn’t be staying overnight. We were fuck buddies, nothing more.

“Dami, you haven’t answered my question,” she reminded me softly.

I frowned at the nickname, feeling annoyed. “Look, I don’t like being questioned. These things happen when I decide they happen, got it?”

A flash of hurt crossed her face, but I chose to ignore it.

“So I just wait around until you’re tired of fucking other she-wolves and remember I exist?” she asked quietly.

I’d never hidden anything from her. She knew she wasn’t my only option. I liked variety. Today I wanted to taste her. Tomorrow it might be her again. Or I might be interested in someone else.

I looked her straight in the eyes. “Yes.”

The light in her eyes gradually dimmed, and I could feel her struggling to control her emotions.

Fuck! I hated when this happened. When a fuck buddy started developing feelings for me, things got complicated. We’d kept this arrangement going for two years, and it had worked well until now. It was time to nip this in the bud.

As my assistant, she was competent, but that was it. Even if I wanted a serious relationship, she didn’t fit the standards for my world.

“I thought you understood and accepted the nature of this relationship, but clearly I was wrong. So we’re done here. You’ll continue as my assistant, but only if you can be completely professional and forget everything that happened between us. Understood, Blair?”

She stared at me, as if trying to see into my soul.

“I can’t do this anymore, Damien,” she finally spoke, her voice trembling. “I fell in love with you. But now I see you could never love me back. Somehow, you’ve closed off your heart, and I can’t keep fooling myself because I know you’ll never return my feelings.”

She was great at her job, but at this moment, I couldn’t care less about losing her.

“Then you’d better have your resignation ready by tomorrow, right?” I smirked, my tone mocking.

She didn’t answer, just shook her head slightly and quietly turned to leave. I listened to her footsteps fade away, then used my phone to unlock the security system on my front door. Once I was sure she was gone, I sighed deeply and fell back onto the bed.

She was right. I had locked my heart away. Promised myself I’d never fall in love. I believed that when the Moon Goddess gave up on assigning Sebastian a mate, she gave up on assigning me one too. But even if she did, I probably wouldn’t listen to any of that bullshit. Sure, my parents were a shining example of destined mates who loved each other and never wavered for decades, but I didn’t think I’d ever have that.

Beyond mating, I wouldn’t seek out anyone to “love” either. I’d witnessed how love could destroy a powerful Alpha, turning him into a shell without a soul.

When Sebastian lost Aurora, he was nearly destroyed. During that time, he numbed himself with alcohol every day until Leo’s birth brought some life back to him. Seeing all that, how could I possibly allow myself to end up in the same position? Why would I give any she-wolf that kind of power to destroy me?

My brother broke once seven years ago, and now? Now I worried the same thing would happen again. He hadn’t realized it yet. He’d fallen in love with Thea. And when he finally did realize it, it would destroy him all over again. Because he’d know that he had hurt the woman he loved over and over.

I got up and took a shower, but the feeling of unease lingered. Ten minutes later, as I put on my sleep pants to rest, that anxiety grew stronger. My instincts told me it had something to do with Sebastian.

The Night It All Clicked – 2

Just as I was about to grab my phone to contact him, I heard the security system unlock. Only one person had access to my place—Sebastian.

I quickly went downstairs to find him stumbling through the door, reeking of alcohol.

“Sebastian? What the hell happened?” I rushed forward to support him, deeply concerned by his condition.

Since that dark period, he rarely got this drunk. Something serious must have happened today to make him return to this habit he’d sworn to avoid.

I helped him to the couch and sat beside him. “What’s going on, Seb?”

“You were right, Damien. You were fucking right all along,” he slurred. “I fucked everything up. How do I fix what I destroyed with my own hands?”

The pain in his voice cut me to the core. As twins, we shared a connection that others couldn’t understand, and even our wolves had a special bond. When he suffered, both my wolf and I could feel it. I would do anything to ease his burden, but some wounds were beyond even my help.

“Tell me what happened. What do you think you fucked up?” I tried to get him to speak clearly.

He looked utterly devastated, like the whole world was collapsing beneath his feet.

“I love her, Damien,” he suddenly raised his head, his eyes filled with desperation. “I love Thea. Today I finally realized it.”

Fuck! My premonition had come true. This realization would be his undoing now that he’d finally grasped the truth.

“Why did it take me so fucking long to realize this?” he continued, his voice full of self-loathing. “For seven years, I made her pay for that night. I hurt her so deeply. Now even if I tell her I love her, she won’t believe me. I killed every feeling she ever had for me.”

A tear fell down his face. Pain marked his green eyes that looked so much like mine. My heart clenched, and I felt my wolf begin to whimper. Sebastian wasn’t the type to show weakness. Even when Aurora left him, he didn’t appear so broken. He didn’t cry. He didn’t lament how he would fix it. He just drank.

“What am I supposed to do? How can I fix all this? How do I heal a heart that I broke with my own hands?” His voice was almost pleading.

I grabbed his shoulders and pulled him toward me, letting him lean against me. This wasn’t the unstoppable Ashworth Alpha I was seeing, but a heart lost in love.

I didn’t know how to help him. Seven years of pain and heartbreak couldn’t be fixed overnight. Thea had grown into someone new, rebuilding herself from the pain. She wouldn’t easily accept those who had hurt her before. The challenge facing Sebastian was far more formidable than he imagined.

“I don’t know exactly what to do, Seb,” I said honestly. “But you’re Sebastian Ashworth, the strongest and most determined Alpha I’ve ever known. If anyone can turn this around, it’s you. You’ll figure it out, you’ll win Thea back. You’ve never given up before, so don’t start now.”

He straightened up, gazing into the distance as if considering something. “What if she never accepts me again?” he asked quietly, more to himself than to me.

This wasn’t like my brother. Sebastian was confident and certain. The fact that he was doubting himself now only proved Thea’s influence over him. I now fucking believed she had more power than Aurora ever did.

His feelings for Aurora were more like a youthful infatuation and obsession that couldn’t withstand reality, which is why they collapsed at the first challenge. His feelings for Thea, even though he hadn’t noticed himself, had already taken root in his heart, becoming part of his being.

“Then you have to give it everything you’ve got, prove it to her,” I answered. “Prove that your change is real, not just a momentary impulse.”

We sat in silence for a long time, each lost in our own thoughts. Eventually, the combined effects of alcohol and emotion put him to sleep. I helped him to his room at my place, watching his furrowed brow even in sleep.

Of course, I wanted him to succeed in winning back Thea’s heart, but reason told me it would be difficult. Seven years—that’s how long he had hurt her. Apologies and promises couldn’t easily erase that.

If Thea gave him another chance after all that, I’d be surprised. I could only hope the feelings for him in her heart weren’t completely extinguished. Because if she rejected him outright, I wasn’t sure Sebastian could bear that blow.