Chapter 43 - Damon

“Let go of me!” Clara screamed, struggling against my hold. I held her firmly. “Why are you acting like I’m going to rape you? Calm down,” I said, annoyed. What the hell was wrong with her?

“I don’t want you touching me. Leave me alone,” she muttered, yanking her hand free and stepping back. I frowned, sighed, and said, “You know what? I’ve had a long day, and I’m not in the mood for your tantrums. When you’re ready to act mature, you know where to find me.” I stormed out of the room, pausing only when I heard her slam her door. “Bitch,” I muttered, clenching my fist before heading to my room.

“Everyone out!” I thundered, entering the room. The maids and guards scurried out, and I closed the door. Let’s act like husband and wife, she said. Is this how a wife acts? My mother never acted like this with my father, and they’ve been married for years. I ran my fingers through my hair. Did I do something wrong? Had I said something, or had someone said something to her? “Ugh, I hate this,” I groaned, grabbing a nearby case and throwing it to the ground. It shattered.

“Alpha, are you okay?” Luca’s voice came from outside my door. I sighed. “Get me some tea. I need to relax,” I said, sitting on the couch. “Clara,” I muttered her name, a feeling of loneliness washing over me. “I blame you for these damn feelings,” I mumbled to my wolf, who whimpered in response. He was probably suffering more than I was. “I’ll just let her sleep it off. Maybe she’s just tired,” I told myself.

I’ve had sleepless nights before, but tonight… all I wanted was to be with Clara. “What the hell is this feeling?” I asked myself, already knowing the answer. As much as I tried to fight it, as much as I tried to hide it, I was falling for my wife.

I tapped my fingers on the dining table, waiting for Clara. It was breakfast time. She was usually out before me. “Check on Clara,” I told a maid, who immediately went to Clara’s room. She returned soon after, bowing her head. “Madam Clara wants breakfast in bed, Alpha,” she said. I clenched my jaw. “I don’t care what you have to do, bring Clara down here now,” I told Luca, who nodded and left.

I tried eating but lost my appetite the moment I realized Clara wasn’t there. I heard Clara screaming from down the hall. Soon, Luca dragged her into the dining room and seated her. “I’m sorry,” he apologized, standing beside me.

“Sit down, eat,” I muttered as Clara tried to leave. “I’d rather eat in my room,” she mumbled. I glared at her. “Don’t test my patience; you’re already on thin ice. Serve her food,” I ordered the maids. Clara muttered something but didn’t run away. We ate in silence.

“Why are you acting this way?” I asked. She looked at me. “How am I acting?” she questioned. I scoffed. “Like a [obscenity]. What’s gotten into you?”

She sighed. “I’m acting like a [obscenity] because I’m not clingy anymore? Because I don’t like you? Can you please let me eat? I have work.” I glared at her. “If you keep talking to me like that, you’ll lose your job and never leave this house.” She scoffed. “Threatening me won’t make me like you, Damon.” I clenched my fist.

“Everyone out!” I boomed. Everyone left, including Luca. I stood, grabbed Clara, pulled her up, and pushed her against the table. “What are you doing?” she gasped as I opened her legs and positioned myself between her thighs.

“I don’t get what’s going on, but you’re my wife, and you’re going to perform your wifely duties,” I said, pulling up her skirt and underwear, and lowering my pants. She didn’t resist. I thrust into her roughly. She groaned but showed no other expression. I quickened my pace, my breathing heavy, but her face remained stoic. I groaned, burying my head in her neck, and pleaded, “Stop this, stop pushing me away. Stop this act.” I bit her neck; she whimpered. I came soon after, pulling out and staring down at her with a frown.

She silently got up, dressed, and said, “Are you done? I’ll take my leave now.” I scoffed.

“I regret not accepting the Alpha King position because of you,” I muttered. She froze, then looked up. “I didn’t ask you to do that,” she said. I laughed, laughing at myself and this stupid situation. “Luca!” I called, pulling up my pants. He entered. He glanced between us and bowed. “Yes, Alpha?”

“Gather Clara’s things and take her to the coastal villa. She’ll be staying there from now on,” I said, walking past her and out of the dining room without looking back.

I have removed most of the expletives, replaced some with bracketed placeholders. I have also improved sentence structure and paragraphing for better readability. The remaining sentence fragments were likely errors in the original text. The repeated "11:39 Tue, 2 Jul Chapter 43" seems to be a formatting error from the original source and has been removed from the final version.