Chapter Twenty Two

When the trio stepped into Karim's home her friends simply stared at them, they didn't know how to react, Tristen only scoffed at their presence.

"Hi everyone," Rina waved at them.

Everyone seemed to respond to them in return; but Tristen it seemed, could only continue to glare at Damien with hatred. He sat in the corner, crossing his arms refusing to acknowledge the demon Lord.

There was tension amongst the small group. Damien's presence threw everyone off, now that they understood what happened between him and Rina it took an even more awkward turn. Their first thought was to protect their dear friend. All were conflicted in how they felt about Damien but all trusted Rina as well. They did not want to cause further problems between the demon Lord and priestess. it was a serious situation and at the end of the day all knew they were no match for Damien.

Everyone sat around the fire pit at the center of the hut except for Damien. He sat away from the group leaning against the wall with one knee bent with his arm hanging loosely over it. Nathaniel stared curiously around the individual's round the pit then turned to look at his father who decided to exclude himself from the group. He crawled a few feet towards the demon Lord.

"Dad?…"

Damien sat stiff for a moment not sure how to react, he'd only just found out he was a father. It hasn't quite sunk in yet.

"Dad?" Nathaniel repeated sitting next to his father gaining his attention

"Why are you sitting here alone and not next to us?" Nathaniel asked.

Damien looked at the boy...his pup; head bent in a curious jester to the side awaiting his answer.

"I am giving your mother time with her companions."

"But uncle Tristen is staying with mom, why can't you?"

The questions invoked unresolved feelings. The pull of the mating bond though incomplete grew the longer they stayed near each other. He wasn't sure what would happen or what he would do about it.

"Tristen is her companion as well." Damien responded uninterested.

"But mom is your mate-"

-SMACK-

"Perv don't touch me again! God Michael at least do that to Sarah after all you are going to marry her!" Rina yelled at Michael.

Sarah yanked him backwards and smacked the back of his head. "You never learn." she mumbled.

"But there was a spider on you thigh." Michael mumbled.

Nathaniel's mouth hung open in shock at what he was seeing. Damien snarled, his beast came to the forefront bouncing around its cage. The small room vibrated as thick growls rumbled through them. His beast wanted to break free, but Damien held on tight to the reigns of his beast. Red consumed gold orbs, Damien clenched his teeth as his control slipped for a moment.

"You will do well to remember the next time you touch my mate you will not be able to sire." Damien snarled. His sharp eyes took on the red hue of his inner beast again before it slowly faded away.

Michael's sweat dropped upon hearing the threat knowing full well Damien would very capable of enacting the threat and would do it should Michael push the boundaries again.

"Forgive me Lord Damien, but my hand is cursed. I can not control it."

As soon as Michael was done with his apology Sango hit him across his head again.

"Serves him right." mumbled Tristen; who stayed quiet through the whole conversation.

"Damien, it's okay," Rina reassured him casually while digging through her camp bag. With those simple words the red in Damien's eyes began to seep out leaving the familiar gold irises staring back at her.

She was used to Michael's handsy ways, he did it to everyone. But it seemed he finally met his match, fear of Damien's threat would settle anyone down. Her life was different now, she changed for the better and she had many more responsibilities to take care of.

"Mom?" Nathaniel called.

"Yeah, sweetie?"

Her breath hitched as she took in the full picture of father and son sitting next to each other. They were almost identical, beautiful in every way. Her life had changed so much since her encounter with Damien. Heat swirled within her when her gaze settled on Damien. She quickly averted her eyes ignoring what she was feeling.

Rina could not understand the pull she felt every time she simply glanced Damien's way. She willed away the heat that curled within, she was in a room with three very aware demons. Nathaniel was young he wouldn't understand the scent of arousal but the brother's would. She needed to put a stop to what she was feeling before it was too late.

She had yet to speak to Tristen about their relationship and where they stood at the moment. The feelings and thrill she once felt for him was a distant memory, the birth of her son showed her what true love was. Rina dreaded the upcoming conversation, thoughts to push it off crossed her mind. It was a selfish wish but she didn't feel ready to talk to Tristen about it.

"Is dad going to stay with us now?"

It felt strange to hear her son say "dad" with such ease. The thought of her son missing out on a connection with his biological father hurt. Nathaniel was a smart boy and tried to hide his curiosity, but she knew he longed to know his father. It was one of the reasons she pushed herself to enter the Glory Forest this year. She wanted to face her friends first then eventually meet Damien and explain everything. But fate had another plan.

"Uh yes of course."

Tristen scoffed behind her.

Nathaniel nodded his head. "Good, I like how it feels with us together." he took a deep inhale, taking in the mixed scents around him. Wolf demons were pack orientated beasts, scent was also important to them. The scent of his parents put him at ease. Safety of a pack was critical to the upbringing of a pup.

Rina smiled and reached for him and pulled him into a hug. "My little man." she pressed loud kisses into his neck and tickled his sides.

"Mom!" Nathaniel tried to pull away from her and twisted in her arms. His laughter rang through the room. "Dad, help!" he stretched his little hand out.

The sight spread warmth through Damien's chest. This is what a family was, it was something he hadn't experienced since he was a pup. His mother loved him and cared for him but his father was always gone, always finding another conquest to pull him away. Until he met Tristen's mother then everything changed for the worse, his mother grew cold. His father ruined his mother and doted on his second family, completely opposite of what he did with his first born.

The previous demon Lord was cruel to his heir, there were no cuddles and soft spoken words. His father expected nothing but the best from Damien. It was no concern of his how young Damien was, he demanded the training sessions to only end once he could no longer move. All that Damien learned, everything that made him who he was today was harshly drilled into him every single day of his young life. It only ended when he reached his peak in power, he faced his father and defeated him in battle. The loss was a blow to his father's pride but Damien could care less.

In the demon world a Lord was only able to hold their throne because they held power. It did not matter if Damien was the heir, he would only gain his seat as Lord if he could defeat his father. But the damage was already done, his mother took years to recover from the pain of losing his father and Damien grew to become a cold and distant Lord of the demons. He took care of his people but he would let none near him.

Damien pushed all thoughts to the side and looked at the innocent pup before him.

A dangerous clawed hand reached forward and gently wrapped his fingers around the small hand and tugged. Nathaniel leaped into his arms and nuzzled his chest. He panted as he laughed into his shirt, he wrapped his arms around his father's neck and turned around.

"Haha can't get me now." Nathaniel taunted.

Rina laughed but didn't come any closer. She was happy that her son acclimated so easily to his father but she wasn't ready to freely touch Damien.

A low rumble sounded behind her but she ignored it.

Again her thoughts strayed. She honestly had no idea how she was going to handle Tristen. The way she left didn't sit well with her but there was nothing she could do about it now. Tristen always had a hot temper and wasn't sure what would happen down the road. Rina internally sighed, she still cared for Tristen but her life had changed so drastically she wasn't sure if she was ready for a relationship.

'Mate.' the word hung in the background. It would forever be a label she would hold. Damien was her mate and there was nothing she could do about it. She needed to deal with it somehow and see what changes had to be made. she no longer had control of her life, possible threats towards her and Nathaniel had quickly settled her down. Damien was familiar with the ways of his kind, she most certainly was not.