The Alpha’s Contract (Taylor West) novel Chapter 162

Damien

“Desire?” She whispers back to me, refusing to look away.

“Yes.”

Her hands rest against my chest, a small crease forming between her eyebrows. “A desire for what?”

“To live.”

She glances down to her hand resting over my heart. It beated steadily under her touch. Yet her own heart starts to race and the wind catches in her hair, firing her scent in all directions.

“You were going to die?” She asks with a hint of concern

“We all die eventually, Raven. What I mean, is that I had enough of the same shitty life. Eat, sleep, hunt, repeat. I had a desire to break free from it.”

Her eyes flicker back up to mine. “And Mallory helped you?”

“She did. She gave me a home. She became a friend and is now practically a sister. She reminded me that just because I became a beast, it didn’t mean I needed to live as one. She still reminds me.”

“And just like that you turned back?”

“No, it was a long process. You know what humans are like with their addictions. It was the equivalent of me being addicted to drugs. It wasn't easy to break free.”

Her lips part a little as she thinks of something to say. “Oh.”

“Not what you expected to hear?”

“I didn’t know what to expect.” she murmurs. “This entire year has been full of surprises.”

“Are you afraid?” She hadn’t pushed herself away from me yet, but that may be because she knew she needed the crutches that were still on the grass a few feet away from us.

She shakes her head and presses herself against me. “You need to stop assuming that I am.”

Grabbing the back of her head, I tilt her face up to mine. Inhaling her delicious scent. I could claim her right here, but something tells me she would prefer us to be alone, away from prying eyes. I settle for a kiss, moulding my lips to hers, enjoying the taste of her. Smelling her subtle arousal.