Maya's POV
I threw the burnt cookies into the trash so hard the pan clanged against the metal.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid," I muttered, wiping angry tears from my face.
I'd been trying to bake for three hours, but I couldn't focus. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Elena's cold smile. Every time I tried to focus, I heard her threatening words.
Sweet little omegas who don't know their place.
A knock at my cabin door made me jump. My heart started racing. Nobody ever visited me, especially not this late at night.
"Maya?"
My breath caught. That voice. Deep and rough and familiar.
Damon.
"Maya, please. I know you're in there."
I pressed my back against the kitchen counter, my hands shaking. What was he doing here? What about his fiancée?
"Go away," I called out.
"I can't." His voice was closer now, right outside the door. "I tried. I've been driving around for two hours, but I keep coming back here."
"You shouldn't be here."
"I know." There was pain in his voice. "But I can't stay away from you."
My heart was beating so loud I was sure he could hear it. I wanted to open that door more than I'd ever wanted anything. But I also remembered the way he'd looked when Elena suggested wedding plans. The way he couldn't meet my eyes.
"Please, Maya. Just let me explain."
Against my better sense, I walked to the door. My hand hovered over the lock.
"Your fiancée made it pretty clear how things are," I said through the wood.
"Elena isn't my choice," Damon said quietly. "She's my duty."
I closed my eyes. "What's the difference?"
"Everything."
The pain in that one word broke something inside me. Before I could stop myself, I unlocked the door and opened it.
Damon stood on my porch looking like he'd been through hell. His hair was messy, his clothes wrinkled. There were dark bags under his eyes.
"You look terrible," I said.
He laughed, but it wasn't a happy sound. "I feel terrible."
We stared at each other for a long moment. I could smell his scent, pine and something wild that made my wolf want to purr.
"Can I come in?" he asked.
I should have said no. I should have slammed the door in his face and gone to bed. Instead, I stepped back and let him into my small cabin.
"It smells like burnt cookies," he said, and I saw the ghost of a smile on his lips.
"I'm not good at baking when I'm upset," I revealed.
"Are you upset because of me?"
The question was so quiet I almost didn't hear it. When I looked at his face, I saw something I never expected to see from the powerful Alpha.
Fear. He was afraid of my answer.
"Yes," I said honestly. "I'm upset because for five minutes today, I thought maybe I was important to someone. Then I found out you're getting married."
Damon closed his eyes like I'd hit him. "You are special to me."
"Not special enough to choose over duty."
"It's not that simple." He ran his hands through his hair. "Maya, there are things you don't understand. Pack politics, alliances—"
"Then explain it to me."
He was quiet for so long I thought he wasn't going to answer. When he finally spoke, his voice was barely a whisper.
"My parents died in a war between packs. I was only sixteen, but I had to become Alpha overnight. I had to make hard choices to keep our people safe."
I felt my heart soften despite myself. "Damon..."
"The marriage to Elena would join our pack with the Cross family. It would avoid another war. It would save lives."
"But you don't love her."
"Love is a luxury I can't afford." He looked at me with such sadness that tears came to my eyes. "Until today. Until you."
The words hung between us like a bridge I was afraid to cross.
"What are you saying?" I whispered.
"I'm saying that for the first time in twelve years, I want something for myself. I want you."
Before I could think, before I could remember all the reasons this was a bad idea, I reached for him.
The moment our hands touched, that energy sparked between us again. But this time, instead of pulling away, Damon laced our fingers together.
"This is crazy," I breathed.
"The craziest thing I've ever done," he agreed.
He lifted our joined hands and pressed his lips to my knuckles. The gentle kiss sent heat rushing through my entire body.
"Maya," he said against my skin. "I know I have no right to ask this. I know I can't promise you forever. But can I have tonight?"
My heart was racing so hard I could barely think. This was dangerous. This was stupid. This would only end in heartbreak.
But when I looked into his golden eyes, I saw something that made me throw caution away.
Hope. Real, frantic hope.
"Yes," I whispered.
He pulled me closer, until we were breathing the same air. "Are you sure?"
Instead of replying with words, I stood on my tiptoes and kissed him.
The world exploded.
The kiss was gentle at first, almost careful. Like he was afraid I might break. But when I kissed him back, something wild stirred in both of us.
His arms came around me, pulling me against his chest. I could feel his heart racing, matching the rapid beat of mine. The electricity between us grew stronger, until I could see real sparks dancing around our bodies.
"What is this?" I gasped against his lips.
"I don't know," he said, but his eyes were wide with wonder. "I've never felt anything like it."
He kissed me again, deeper this time. I melted against him, forgetting everything except the way he made me feel. Alive. Special. Wanted.
Hours later, I lay curled against Damon's chest, listening to his heartbeat. His arms were wrapped around me like he was afraid I might disappear.
"I should go," he said, but he made no move to leave.
"Do you want to go?" I asked.
His arms tightened around me. "No. I want to stay here forever."
"Then stay."
I felt him press a kiss to the top of my head. "I've never done this before."
"Done what?"
"Stayed the night. Held someone while they slept." His voice was soft in the darkness. "I've never wanted to before."
My heart swelled with something that felt dangerously like love. "What's different about me?"
"Everything," he whispered. "You make me want to be different. Better."
I was falling off to sleep, safe and warm in his arms, when his phone buzzed on the nightstand.
He reached for it, careful not to upset me. I felt his whole body go stiff when he read the message.
"What is it?" I asked, suddenly wide awake.
Damon's face was white in the phone's glow. "Elena. She's moved up the wedding date."
My blood turned to ice. "What?"
"The wedding is next week." His voice was hollow. "She says if I don't show up, her father will consider it an act of war."
I sat up, holding the sheet to my chest. "Next week?"
Damon looked at the phone like it was a poisonous snake. "Maya, I—"
Another message came through. Then another. And another.
His face grew paler with each one.
"What do they say?" I whispered.
When he looked at me, his eyes were full of terror.
"Elena knows I'm here," he said. "She knows I'm with you. And she's sending her guards to make sure I understand the effects of defying her."
As if called by his words, we heard the sound of car doors slamming outside my cabin.
Heavy footsteps on my porch.
"Get dressed," Damon said, already moving. "Now."
"Damon, what's happening?"
The front door exploded inward, and three large guys in dark clothes stepped into my cabin.
"Alpha Damon Stone," the biggest one said. "You're coming with us."