Their Thief

Thirty-two

WARNING: There's a part of this chapter that mentions child sex abuse. It doesn't go into great detail, but if you don't wish to read it, skip the Italicized part after the * * *

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Alec King

Anger fills every fibre of my being as I pull Damaris onto my lap.

She lied. She lied about something so fucking important.

For so long my brothers and I were told that our blood is tainted, that our bloodline can't be allowed to continue. We were told that we are monsters and that any children who carried our blood would be just like us- monsters. They drilled it into our minds until every breath that left our bodies carried self-loathing at what we were- that is until we realized who the real monsters were. With the unwanted touch that a child should never have to know, we learned that the real monsters hid behind sycophantic smiles filled with lies.

I wanted to prove to them that they were wrong. I wanted to prove the council wrong, show them that we weren't born monsters, they made us monsters when they're own came out to play.

To do that we need our bloodline to continue, we need our mate to have our children.

My children would be raised with love, knowing that their parents want them, that the blood that runs through their veins doesn't make them who they are, it's what they make of themselves that counts. They would experience all the love that my brothers and I never received- they wouldn't be mistakes left to be used and abused by people who fail to see their worth. They wouldn't have to grow up when they should be running around creating innocent mischief in order to protect themselves and their siblings because I would be there. We would be there, keeping them safe while they enjoy the carefree childhood that every child deserves.

But she made me lose hope of ever making that a reality.

She lied.

I lace my fingers through her hair and fist my hand at the nape of her neck, making her tilt her head back to meet my eyes. "You lied, pet," I spit out, anger prominent in my words.

She stares back into my eyes with fear. A small part of me feels satisfaction seeing that fear in her eyes. It tells me she knows she's made a mistake and has enough common sense to fear the consequences of her actions.

"You couldn't handle another doctor confirming the same thing again? What exactly was it you couldn't handle being confirmed another time, hm?" I ask, my voice taking on a calm tone that masks the growing rage that vibrates through every cell in my body. I tighten my grip further, causing her to wince and lean forward until my lips brush against her reddening ear. "Because it sure as hell wasn't your inability to have children like you had me believing at the time." I can't stop myself from growling out the last words, causing her to try to shrink away.

Like she was waiting for a cue, she starts struggling against my hold like a desperate animal. She kicks her legs out against the backrest of the seat while thrashing her arms around in an attempt to hurt me. Her fingers curve into claws and the striking blows against my shoulders turn into distressed scratches of captured prey trying to escape. I let out a hiss as the dull edges of her nails sink into my collarbone creating deep gouges that instantly fill with blood.

Stunned at the sudden change, all I can do is sit still, holding her in place with my hold on her hair as she causes herself damage with the rapid jerks of her head in an attempt to slip out of my grip.