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Chapter Eleven: Night Sky

We arrived at the lake just as dusk turned to night. I stepped out of the car and looked up towards the sky. Without any light pollution, every star in the galaxy was visible. At least it looked that way. I'd never seen anything like it in Raleigh, North Carolina, where the stars were only visible in small towns and rural areas. I'd never lived outside of a city until now, and the last time I had taken the time to admire the sparkling constellations was with my dad before he died.

"Incredible isn't it," the deep husky voice of Damian asked.

My heart fluttered.

"It's spectacular," I said breathlessly.

I felt his eyes on me, so I looked over towards him. The darkness made it difficult to see his face, but it didn't matter because I had already committed the hard line of his jaw, soft lips, and deep brown eyes to memory. I wasn't aware how long we stood staring at one another until Luca called out.

"Yes, the sky is just wonderful. Are you two going to stand there all night or help us set up camp?"

Damian gave me one last look before he went to the back of the Jeep to help unload, and I followed close behind.

Chase and the girls arrived after we had started setting up tents, and I seemed to be the only one struggling to see in the dark. Everyone else went about their business unpacking and setting up without stumbling over tree roots.

"Someone is blind as a bat," Chase teased, steadying me as my foot caught on another root.

"If I were a bat, at least I'd be able to see in the dark right now." I laughed, accepting his outstretched hand so he could navigate me around what I thought was a massive rock.

Chase dropped my hand as Damian arrived at my side.

"Go start the fire, Chase," Damian instructed.

"Yes, Alpha," Chase said. I thought I saw his head bow slightly before leaving.

I felt Damian's hand wrap around my arm delicately when I turned to walk away. He slowly turned my body to face him. I was close enough that his warm breath fanned my face as he looked down at me, still holding my arm.

I didn't register what my body was doing as I stepped forward, closing the distance between us. Damian seemed to stop breathing as my chest rested against him, head tilted back in the direction of his face. Heat and unidentifiable energy between us.

"Yes," I whispered.

"I-uh," for once, Damian seemed unsure. Then his body went rigid.

"Are you interested in Chase?" He asked in a low-stained voice.

The question took me by surprise. Damian let out a strangled noise as I took a step back, our bodies no longer touching.

"What? No, I'm not." I stated.

Damian seemed to relax, he took a step toward me, but I stepped back away from him.

What were we doing? Why was I practically throwing myself at this man I didn't know, and why did he seem to care so much?

"Hey," Damian said softly, reaching forward, but again I took another step away, backing into the rock Chase had helped me avoid. Damian dropped his hand.

Someone cleared their throat.

"Ahh, I'm sorry to interrupt, but everything is ready to go when you are Alpha." The voice of Chelsea said.

Damian let out an annoyed sigh and then asked me.

"Will you be okay making it over to the campsite?"

I looked behind me and saw that Chase had started the fire. The soft glow and flicker of the flames allowed me to see much better than before.

"I'll manage," I said.

"Okay, let's go then," Damian said.

I watched the dark shadows of their figures retreat until they blended in with the night, leaving me alone to ponder over what had just happened.

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A little more Damian for y'all.

Happy reading!