The beast and the blessed novel by Ashley Breanne novel Chapter 185

Nine: Damien

Damien P.O.V.

Five men.

She lived with five men who snored louder than most bears. It wouldn't have been a problem if I hadn't found myself back at her camp listening to them for the past few hours after they had all gone to sleep. Four were in tents, but the smallest one slept by the low burning fire on a bedroll.

He didn't seem to be bothered by the drop in temperature once the sun went down and snored the loudest. It disrupted the peace of the night and reminded me of why I enjoyed the solitude of my cabin. I loved hearing the chirping of the crickets and the cooing of owls. I liked the sound of birds in the morning and how the wind would whistle through the trees.

It could be a little lonely at times, but it was peaceful.

I had crossed the river and shifted into my beast, only to sit about ten meters from Charlotte's tent upwind. Even with the space between us, I could hear her teeth chattering and the tiny whimpers that left her perfect lips as she slept.

I wondered how she would react if she woke up to me climbing into her small one-person tent and curling around her to share my body heat. After what happened today, I didn't think it would go over well.

She would either tell me to get out, or we would wake up the rest of her camp as we finished what we had started by the fire earlier. I would give anything to have her wrapped around me again. But I was also trying to be responsible.

The same concerns had been swarming my head since we first crossed paths.

We clearly came from different social standings, and she deserved better than a cabin or house in the woods, even if she was sleeping in them for the time being. That wouldn't be permanent. I knew one day Charlotte would end up back in society with a house filled with everything she could ever want and men falling over themselves to get her attention.

She wanted her soulmate, and I wasn't that.

She was a wolf, and I was a bear. Our kinds didn't get along, and I couldn't imagine how difficult that would make our children's lives.

I closed my eyes tightly, shaking my head as I tried to get the image of Charlotte holding our baby from my mind. Having those thoughts so soon wasn't healthy, and I couldn't do that to myself or her. Did she even want kids?

She was easily the most attractive woman I had ever encountered, and the way she took control today was the hottest thing I had ever experienced. Our mutual attraction felt like two flames crashing together, ready to burn down this entire forest.

The sound of someone moving made me tense, and I watched as one of the men exited their tent. It was late, so I knew they weren't up for the day. Probably heading out to take a leak.

It was the man she had been training with. I had heard her address him as Roman, but she and I hadn't talked about any of the men...or talked at all. That was something that bothered me. I wanted to know her. It was a burning need in me to learn everything I could about her.

If I didn't, how would I know if she was a match for me? Pushing aside all of the things that would prevent us from being together, even if they were a factor in my decisions, I didn't know her well enough to see if we would be compatible beyond our insane physical attraction.

He moved toward me slowly with his hands in the front pockets of his jeans. His eyes locked with mine, and my body relaxed. He could be a threat if he wanted to be, but nothing about his demeanor told me he was here to cause trouble.

Roman reached me, sitting on a tree stump about seven feet in front of me and to my right. His forearms rested on his knees, and his hands were clasped together.

"She's told us about you." There was no tightness or anger in his voice. He was simply stating a fact, and I appreciated that he didn't come out here with hostility or aggression. A man in his line of work with a level head and temper was rare, and I would hear him out. "Damien, right?"

I stared at him for a moment before nodding my head. My body shook as I began the shift to my skin, but he held his hand up to stop me.

"No need, man. It's pretty cold out here tonight."