Breaking the Bond that Binds.

Chapter 43 - Don't get her Angry

This chapter will need tweaking,  haven't got it right.  It's fine having a good imagination but the writing skills have to match to get a story down on paper.   Yes, I know I have to get back to Virgil.  Just needed to fill out the villain a little more.

For Damien the next few days felt like a chess game. Everyone moving around a board with a goal in mind. There were the obvious things that played out in the open, where the machinations were predictable and barely warranted a second thought. Then there were the other darker things. hidden away and nurtured in secret.

It took everyone by surprise when Damos, from the instant he met Sophia became besotted, a fawning admirer. This didn't help the fact that bit by bit it was becoming clear his recent erratic behaviour was becoming his norm. His mate was nowhere to be seen and Damien was becoming concerned for his mother. Damos would swing from being his stoic old self to a raging brute in the matter of minutes, the smallest slight would send him into a fury. Where ever he went there was an atmosphere of tension and fear around him, a far cry from the respect he was shown as the former Alpha.

As for the unflappable Sophia, it appeared that she had moved in for the long haul. She'd acquired in a very short time a new puppy, Damos; and Damien noticed she'd already made subtle changes in the main house. He planned to put an end to that. Although at first glance he had thought she would be a good Luna for the pack he now was having his doubts.  He felt he should have been attracted to her at least a little. Sophia was beautiful, sultry but when she occasionally laid her hand on his or ran her fingers along his shoulder, looking dewy eyed and available....nothing. Her appeal lay in the fact she was strong, well educated and knew her responsibilities as a high ranked Pure Blood. These were all qualities essential for the Luna of a large and wealthy pack but there was no softness or empathy in her. Damien felt that caring for the pack also need a just and gentle hand.

He was also unable to shake the uneasy feeling he had when had to interact with her Secretary, there was never any pleasantries. When he met her he was surprised to find out she was human.  He'd missed that in Paul's report.  The woman was like Sophia's extra shadow. Maria Orlando was a dark cloud, the Sword of Damocles, a silent tsunami heading for you in the night. To look at her one's first thought was plain but in reality if you looked closely she was probably only a few years older than Sophia. Her face was long and pale but the skin soft and unblemished. Her eyes cold but a beautiful dark blue. Everything about her was harsh and stark but there was still a woman some where in there. Damien found out she wore black as a sign of respect for her dead husband, covering herself from neck to her wrists, her skirt below the knee....like an old dried up widow.

Thankfully, Paul was the go between with Sophia, her Secretary and his father. He had little to do with them apart from arranged meetings and social events meant to introduce the Pure Blood families to the visiting Pure Blood royal. After a week Damien realised that this wasn't going to work. He would have to tell her soon that he would not accept her as his mate.

Easier said than done considering in the background other people were making their own plans and were equally serious about making sure Sophia became the Luna.

......

Sophia and Damos were sitting in the conservatory. It was a green, lush space. Enormous ferns in baskets hung over head and terracotta pots of different size and shapes were clustered around the room, it was full of light and peaceful compared to the bustle of the rest of the building. She was holding a blue green bottle of liqueur in her hands. "What a considerate gift Damos." She purred, her smile demure.