Damon:

“What do you mean, leaving?” she asked, stepping closer and looking into my eyes.

“Clara…”

“Don’t you ‘Clara’ me. You always do this! Push me away when things get tough! I thought we were a team!” she screamed, tears streaming down her cheeks. I sighed, reaching for her, but she pulled away.

“Why are you making this difficult, Clara? Things are getting rough. You’re being targeted. I can’t risk you getting hurt,” I explained, noticing the stubborn set of her jaw.

“I can take care of myself, by your side,” she argued. I smiled.

“I don’t doubt that, but I won’t risk your safety, or our children’s,” I said. She frowned.

“Damon…”

“There’s no room for argument, Clara. I’ve made up my mind. Prepare to leave tonight,” I said firmly. She pouted.

“You don’t get to decide for me. I’m not leaving. You can’t make me,” she insisted stubbornly. I sighed.

“Leave,” I told everyone, keeping my eyes on Clara. “I want to speak to my wife alone.”

As soon as they were gone, I cupped her face as she dissolved into sobs.

“You always do this to me. Why?” she cried, burying her face in my chest. My heart broke, seeing her like this. But no matter how much I wanted to keep her, I couldn’t. I couldn’t fight and protect her simultaneously.

“Please understand, my love. I just want to protect you,” I murmured. She frowned. “Then who’s going to protect you?” she asked, her voice cracking.

I kissed her softly.

“I won’t die without seeing our children, Clara. And I can’t bear being away from you. I’ll make sure I don’t get killed. When it’s over, I’ll come for you, and we’ll go away for a while. Just the two of us. Doesn’t that sound good?” I asked softly. She nodded.

“It sounds like a dream.”

“It will be reality soon enough,” I replied, kissing the tip of her nose.

“Where am I going?” she asked after I pulled away. A sigh of relief escaped me; I’d finally reached her.

“It’s a place only Luca and I know about. We’ll drop you off tonight.”

“How long will I be without you?”

“I’ll make this quick. I’ll be back to you as fast as I can,” I murmured. She reached for my pants. “Make love to me before we leave,” she said.

“You don’t have to ask twice, baby,” I murmured, lifting her into my arms. We made love until our bodies could take no more.

Darkness fell quickly. Even though it was time to take Clara to the safe house, I was reluctant to let her go. It was ironic that the mate I never wanted had become the bane of my existence.

“It’s getting late, but I don’t want to let you go,” I said honestly, tightening my arms around her, my nose buried in her neck. “Then don’t,” she whispered. If only it were that simple.

“We need to leave now. We need to get there before dawn. It’s far,” I said. She sighed, saying nothing.

After a few minutes, we got dressed and left. Luca was waiting by the door.

“Her things are loaded. Can I speak to you privately, Alpha?” he asked. I raised an eyebrow. Luca only asked for private conversation in front of Clara if it concerned her.

“Can you wait in the car? We’ll be right there,” I told Clara, putting my hand on her back. She rolled her eyes.

“Go on, keep your secrets. I don’t care anymore,” she muttered, hurrying away before I could stop her.

I sighed as Luca approached.

“This better be worth making her angry,” I said. He nodded.

“Earlier, when I went to get Clara, I heard her talking on the phone. Before I could hear clearly, she hung up—probably because she knew someone was coming. I checked her phone. This was the last number she called,” he said, producing a phone. “It’s her uncle’s.”

I squeezed the phone so hard I almost crushed it.

“Why is she so damn stubborn?” I snarled. He sighed.

“She’s worried about you. She’s trying to help,” he said. I knew he was right, but still…

“Tighten security around the safe house. I don’t want her running off to see her uncle,” I said. He nodded, pulling out his phone to make calls.

I went outside and found Clara leaning against the car, frowning. As much as I wanted to scold her for calling her uncle, I didn’t want to upset her further.

I approached her. Even though I was right in front of her, she pretended not to see me.

“Ignoring me won’t make me go away, little devil,” I murmured, smirking, and tried to kiss her. She turned her head.

“Well, you’ll be leaving soon, so it doesn’t matter, does it?” she asked. I sighed, pulling her close.

“Give me one week. I’ll handle everything in a week and come get you.” As hope flickered in her eyes, my heart melted.

“You promise?” she asked softly. I nodded.

“I promise.” That beautiful smile bloomed on her face.

“Then I’ll count down the days until I see you again. And if you don’t come get me after a week, I’ll come get you, no matter where you are.”