Fated

Chapter 9

Some time passed before I heard Damian clearing his throat. I looked up to see him now standing in front of me with a light smile on his face. I closed the book but kept a finger in it to mark the page.

"I am sorry," I sat up straighter. "Was I bothering you?"

"No," Damian sat in the chair beside me on the other side of his desk. "I finished my work a while ago but you seemed to be taken by the book, so I decided to wait for you. But then I saw the time and thought we should go for supper."

"Oh," I nod and stand up. "Do you have a bookmark?"

Damian leaned forward and grabbed a scrap piece of paper from his desk. He ripped it apart and handed me the silver so I could keep track of my place.

"Thanks," I smile and tuck the paper inside. "Can I return this book to you when I am finished?"

"You can keep it if you would like," he stood up and put on his suit jacket, making him look like an official prince once again. "I have read it before and I don't usually read books twice."

"Reading books twice only helps you to realize what you missed the first time you were reading," I stood up and fixed my dress skirt (which had become wrinkly because of sitting for so long).

"That is true, but I hardly have the time to read a book twice," he gave me his arm, which I hesitated to take. He notices, so he tries to ease my mind by asking, "shall we head to dinner?"

"Alright," I nod and slowly place my arm through his. "Before we go I should also mention that I do not eat tomatoes. I am allergic."

"I will inform our cooking staff about that right away," he nods and leans me out of the door and down a long hallway. I look around as I walk, making note of the nice art and statues. "You may also feel free to decorate any room in the castle to your choosing."

"I don't need to," I smiled at just the thought. "I like all the rooms the way they are."

"Well our bedroom might need a makeover," he went on to say. "I confess that I did not care for many colors and the room is very plain. I don't spend much time there so it is bare. But you may add whatever you would like to it to feel more welcoming."

"Our bedroom?" I asked as I stumbled.

"Yes," he nods and protectively grabs onto my waist so I don't fall. "I mean, you will be moving into my room after we finish the mating bond process, so you will need to decorate the room to suit your taste as well."

"I..." I didn't know what to say.

Part of me was excited at the thought of completing the mate bond, but the other part was worried. I have scars from wounds that never healed. What would Damian think of those? Would he feel disgusted as I do?

"You don't have to think about it if you do not want to," he said to reassure me. "We will complete the bond when you want. I will wait until you are ready."

I felt comforted by his words. Deep down I knew Damian was a good man and would wait for me, but that didn't mean I wasn't still scared. A part of me believed all of this was too good to be true and my world would come crashing down around me after I gave in. Another part of me just wanted to let go.

We walked to a small dining room where four servants were already waiting. The table was set for two and there was a white candle as the centerpiece. It was very romantic and reminded me of a scene straight out of a romance book.

"Inform the chef that Rachel has a food allergy to tomatoes," Damian said as he pushed in my chair. He walked elegantly to his side of the table and sat across from me.

"Right away," a young male servant bowed and rushed off.

The other servants went into the other room and came out with two trays and a bottle of wine. They showed Damian the label and he approved the bottle before it was poured into wine glasses.

A plate was placed in front of me with a small steak and potato wedges. Then the green beans were uncovered. It all seemed too much and I knew I would never be able to finish a meal this size.

I grew up on the scraps of other people's food and my stomach isn't that big, but my mouth watered just looking at my plate. Damian started to dig in and I followed, watching what utensils he was using.

A while passed before I started to struggle, not finding the proper silverware to eat my salad with. "Your salad fork is the small one closest to your plate," Damian said when he noticed I was confused.

"Thanks," I blush in embarrassment.

"Did you pack never teach you proper table manners?" Damian said but in a way that didn't sound like he was annoyed. Instead, he sounded curious.

"I didn't get to eat with my pack," I shrugged. "I ate with the other servants and even then I just got the scraps. I have never eaten a meal this fancy before."

Damian's grip around his fork tightened and his knuckles became white, but his face remained neutral. I noticed of course and decided to stop talking about this because I didn't want to make him angry.

"Well the food around here is very good," Damian said, his voice stranded with anger but he was trying to sound normal. "You will be able to have whatever you desire."

"I wouldn't even know where to start," I forced out a laugh. "I mean, this one time Donna got me a blueberry scone from somewhere and that was by far the best thing I ever tasted. Maybe I can have that sometime? Or I am up for trying new foods."

"Donna?" Damian was trying to make small talk and slowly he was calming down.

"Donna is the woman I was with yesterday. Conner's mate. She is also my best friend," I smiled for real as I thought about my friendship with her.

"She seems nice," Damian nods and cuts into his steak.

"She was always nice to me. She was my only real friend there. She would help me with chores and lend me books to read. She would even wash my wounds when they became infected." I said, running off-topic.

I hadn't realized what I just said, but it was already too late. Damian had heard it and his fork bent in half as his eyes started to swirl with black. "What did you just say?" Damian's voice was dark and angry.

I flinched back and tucked my hands in my lap before looking down. "Nothing." I tried to pretend that nothing was wrong, but the whole mood of the room was ruined. It was to late to take it back.

"You just said you had wounds. Did they hurt you? Did your pack hurt you?" Damian stood up so fast his chair crashed to the ground. I flinched at the noise and closed my eyes, expecting a blow that never came. Instead, I heard the door open and slam close.

I opened my eyes and saw Damian was no longer in the room and I felt a pang of regret in my heart. I never should have said anything. I opened my mouth, feeling safe, and looked where it got me.

Tears pooled around my eyes and I stood up and went to clean up the spilled chair. "Allow me, Miss," a young servant girl came over and lifted the chair. "Shall I walk you back to your room?"

She had a sympathetic look on her face, so I just looked away. I was too ashamed. I just wanted to go lay down. I nodded my head and she grabbed me a tissue before opening the doors for me. I tried to hold back my tears as we walked and lucky for me there was no one else in the hallway.

The servant brought me back to my room and I thanked her before going in. She left me in peace and I lay on my bed and let the tears fall. I drew a pillow to my chest and wrapped myself in the comfortable top sheet of the bed.

Soon my tears dried and I felt my eyes becoming swollen. I closed them, deciding it was best to just get some sleep. I could deal with the rest of it in the morning. But right now I just needed to rest.