Chapter 111: 111 - want anyone
111
~Lisa’s POV
I sat there, feeling weak, my body still aching from everything I’d been through. My legs felt like they weighed a ton, but I forced myself to walk anyway. Each step was slow, deliberate. My head felt heavy, and the sight of Damon sitting there made my chest tighten.
The moment our eyes met, I felt that familiar sting of anger. My gaze hardened into a glare.
"Just go," I said sharply, my voice not as strong as I wanted it to be. "Go meet your brothers. You don’t have to be here."
Damon’s brow creased, but he didn’t say anything right away. He just stared at me, like he was trying to figure me out.
"I mean it," I continued, my voice rising despite my weakness. "I’m not okay with you here. I don’t want to see you, and I don’t want to see any of them either."
"Lisa...."
"No!" I cut him off, my hands clenching at my sides. "Leave my place, Damon. And I’m not coming to the palace anymore. My father was the only reason I was even in your pack. He’s dead now... there’s nothing for me here."
For a moment, he just looked at me. Then, without saying a word, he stood up.
I thought maybe he was finally leaving, but instead, he walked over to the table where the fruits he brought earlier were still sitting. My heart raced as he picked up the plate, grabbed a slice of apple, and walked back to me.
"What are you doing?" I asked, stepping back slightly.
"You’re talking rubbish because you’re hungry," he said in a low, firm voice.
"I’m not hungry..."
Before I could finish, he pushed the apple slice against my lips. I turned my face away, but he followed my movement, holding it there until I had no choice but to take a bite.
"Damon!" I snapped, chewing angrily just so I could speak again.
He didn’t flinch. "Your father died because it was his time to leave," he said bluntly. "That’s how life works. But I’m not allowing you to leave my pack."
I froze, stunned by the way he said it, like his word was final, like my choices didn’t matter. My chest rose and fell faster as anger burned through me.
"You..." I started, ready to let my fury out.
But before I could even get the words out, he moved so fast it felt like the air shifted. One second, I was glaring at him, my mouth ready to spit out every angry word I’d been holding in... and the next, his lips were on mine.
It wasn’t gentle. It wasn’t slow. It was a collision, firm, unyielding, and so sudden that my whole body jolted. My breath caught in my throat, my mind going blank. The shock hit me first, like cold water spilling down my spine. This wasn’t the first time he or his brothers had kissed me, which was something forced, but then, this was different.
I gasped against his mouth, my eyes wide, my body tensing. My hands shot up to his chest without even thinking, palms pressing hard against the heat of him. I pushed, but it was like trying to move a wall. His chest was solid, unmoving under my fingers, and his grip on me was steady, too steady.
"Damon..." I tried to say, but the word was lost against him. I turned my head slightly, desperate to break free, but his hand slid to the side of my neck, not in a forceful way, but enough to keep me there.
My heart pounded so loudly I could hear it in my ears. The closeness was overwhelming, the scent of him filling my head, that mix of something dark, earthy, and familiar. I hated that my body recognized it, hated that it made my pulse race for reasons I didn’t want to admit.
I wriggled, twisting my shoulders, trying to make space between us. "Stop..." I breathed against him, but my voice was faint, almost swallowed by the heat between our mouths.
And then, just as quickly as it started, he pulled back.
The sudden distance made the air rush back into my lungs, and I dragged in a shaky breath. My fingers were still pressed lightly against his chest, but now they just hovered there, unsure whether to shove him or curl into fists.
His eyes... they were locked on mine. Intense, sharp, like he was trying to burn something into me with just his gaze. I couldn’t look away.
My lips still tingled from the contact, and that only made me angrier. I hated that I could still feel the ghost of his kiss when I didn’t even want it in the first place. My chest rose and fell quickly, and I was sure he could see how rattled I was.
"What... what the hell was that for?" My voice came out hoarse, and I hated how weak it sounded.
He didn’t answer right away. His gaze traveled over my face, lingering like he was searching for something, maybe a crack in my anger, maybe a flicker of something else. Then, slowly, he let out a breath.
"You needed to stop talking," he said simply, his tone maddeningly calm, like what he’d just done was the most normal thing in the world.
I blinked at him, disbelief flooding me. "You think you can just..."
"Remember," he said, his voice deep and steady, yet carrying a softness that almost disarmed me. "You’re still our mate."
I just stood there, completely frozen, my lips still tingling from his kiss, my thoughts tangled and messy. I didn’t even know if I was breathing.
"I’m leaving now," he went on, his tall frame straightening as if he was already preparing to walk away. "I’ll send someone over to care for you until you’re ready to come to the palace."
"No, Damon..." I tried, my voice tight with frustration, but he didn’t give me the chance to finish.
Instead, he stepped closer again, and before I could move back, he pressed his lips softly against my forehead. It was gentle, lingering, so different from the kiss before, but it left me just as shaken. Then, without another word, he turned toward the door.
That small gesture made my heart twist in ways I didn’t want to admit.
Then he turned and started walking toward the door.
"I don’t want anyone to care for me!" I yelled after him, my voice cracking. "Do you hear me, Damon? I don’t want anyone!"
The door closed behind him, leaving me standing there with my breath coming fast, my emotions tangled and messy. My chest felt heavy, my eyes burning with tears I refused to let fall.