Chapter 4

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to… I'll clean you up," the girl stammered, gently wiping at my chest. This only made things worse.

"Stop that," I muttered, slapping her hand away. I started to walk away, but she grabbed my hand.

"At least let me help you clean up. You can't just walk around like that," she said. I scoffed. "No shit, genius."

"This suit cost more than your entire life. What exactly can you do?" I asked. She gasped.

"I'm your mate," she whispered, disbelief coloring her voice. I snorted and turned away.

"Congratulations," I muttered, walking off.

"Jerk," she muttered through clenched teeth. I ignored her. Kudos to her for ruining my already terrible night. I needed to escape.

"Damon, I've been looking everywhere for you… Oh my god, did you vomit on yourself?" My right-hand man, Luca, exclaimed, his eyes wide.

"Give me your suit," I said. He frowned.

"But there's vomit all over yours," he protested. I sighed. Why was I surrounded by idiots today?

Seeing the look on my face, he sighed and began removing his suit.

"Can I at least know why you vomited?" he asked.

"I met my mate, and that's how she greeted me. It doesn't matter; I'm going to reject her anyway," I said, starting to leave. Luca grabbed my hand.

"You found your mate? And you want to reject her?" he asked. I looked down at his hand, then he quickly released it, clearing his throat.

"I don't want a mate, I don't need a mate, and certainly not someone as uncouth as her. She's not my type," I said, walking away.

"But your father…" I turned sharply, cutting him off.

"Not a word about this to my father. I mean it, Luca."

"Are you insane, Damian?!" My father roared from across his office desk. I glared at Luca, who was avoiding my gaze. I'd deal with him later.

"I don't see what the big deal is," I muttered. My father sighed in exasperation.

"You want to ruin me, and I won't let that happen. Do you want misfortune to befall this pack? I'm the Alpha King, Damian. If misfortune falls on me, it falls on everyone," he said. I rolled my eyes.

"That's just superstition. Has it ever actually happened? No," I murmured. He glared.

"If you weren't my only son, I would have killed you a long time ago. Go find your mate and bring her here now," he said, leaning back in his chair.

"I don't want her, Father. You can't force me to accept this mating bond," I said. He tilted his head.

"Really? I can't force you, huh? If you don't bring that girl to me, marry her, and mate with her, I'll hand the Alpha King title to Luca when I retire." Luca gasped; my eyes widened.

"Luca, I don't want to be involved in this," Luca said, but we ignored him as my father and I stared each other down.

"You won't dare. You can't bear the thought of your lineage ending with you," I said. He nodded.

"That's right, but I'd rather that happen than for you to be the reason the wolf clan diminishes. You have until tomorrow to bring her here, or everything goes to Luca. Dismissed," he said. I glared at him.

"You can't…"

"Dismissed!" he roared in his Alpha voice. I had no choice but to leave. I clenched my fist as I walked out. Who did he think he was?

"I just had to tell him, Damon. It's for everyone's good," Luca said. I rolled my eyes.

"Everyone be damned, I'll always put myself first, and I'm not accepting her," I muttered. He sighed.

"You literally just spent a few minutes with her," he murmured.

"And I wanted to kill myself during those minutes. How can I live with her as my wife?" I asked rhetorically.

"Oh, she couldn't be that bad; you're being dramatic," Luca said. I stopped and turned to him.

"She vomited on me," I said. He sighed.

"Okay, maybe she had a stomach bug. There are plenty of explanations. You should have taken care of her," he said. I almost laughed. Me? Take care of anyone?

"In short, you have to find her, or I'll be the one giving you orders," he said, grinning as I glared at him.

"Fine, run a background check on her, then find her. Give me the report in an hour," I ordered, walking away. I could hear him grumbling.

Reaching my room, I paused at a suit bag on my bed. Opening it, the stench hit me.

"What in hell did she eat?" I muttered, throwing the suit in the trash. I'd never wear that again.

I collapsed onto my bed, sighing. She wasn't bad-looking, so maybe I could manage her.

Chapter 4

Exactly an hour later, Luca burst into my room, breathless, clutching a file.

"Got… the information… you needed," he panted. I sat up and held out my hand.

He gave me the file. I scanned it.

"Her parents' names aren't listed," I said. He nodded.

"Couldn't find anything on them. She was taken in by her Alpha's family after being abandoned at six. The source said she has no memory of them," he said. I nodded.

"Let's go get my mate, then."