Alpha's Regret: The Seventh Time was Forever

Chapter 759: Chapter 759 - Everything’s messed up

Damon felt like the air had been squeezed out of his lungs, every breath ripped away until his chest burned. He had only been away for a few months, and Quinn had never shown interest in any man but him.

The thought of her belonging to someone else clawed at something deep inside him, something primal and possessive that he had no right to feel yet could not stop.

”Quinn, if this is a joke, please drop it.”

Quinn lifted her left finger, the diamond on her engagement ring catching the light, throwing sparks that felt like daggers aimed straight at his heart. ”Do you believe it now?”

Damon’s throat was dry, sandpaper rough, every word scraping as it formed. Quinn was his mate. He could feel it now with the restoration of the mate bond, a pull so fierce it ached beneath his ribs, but she was already getting married? The universe could not be that cruel. It could not.

”Damon,” a familiar voice sounded behind Quinn, as the lady hastened forward and embraced him, her arms wrapping around his neck. ”Damon, you are back. How was your trip?”

It was Quinn’s best friend, Mary, and Damon noticed that Quinn’s expression lifted, something flickering across her face before she locked it away. ”Mary, all is well, but tell me, who is Quinn’s fiancé?”

Mary forced a smile, the kind that did not reach her eyes, and took steps back. ”I think you both need to talk.”

When she reached Quinn, she intentionally pushed her, causing her to trip forward, and Damon naturally caught her before she could fall, his arms wrapping around her, steadying her against his chest. The feel of her so close sent a rush of protectiveness through him so strong it almost hurt. ”Quinn, let’s talk, okay?”

Quinn nodded, her eyes suddenly glassy, glistening with unshed tears as her heart pounded against her ribs so hard she was certain he could feel it through her skin. ”In my office.”

Damon nodded, allowing her to lead the way. A lot had changed in just a few months, and he did not know if he had returned too late. The fear of it sat in his stomach like a stone, heavy and cold.

As soon as the door closed, Quinn hugged him tightly, her body colliding with his, her tears wetting his shirt as she buried her face against his chest. She was shaking, trembling like a leaf in a storm, and Damon felt every tremor like an earthquake beneath his feet. He gently pulled away and looked at her, searching her face with quiet urgency. ”Quinn, what’s wrong? You can tell me.”

Quinn looked around nervously, her eyes darting from corner to corner, and when Damon followed her gaze, he saw the security cameras installed in her office, their small red lights blinking like watchful eyes. His jaw tightened, a muscle ticking with rising anger.

Suddenly, an idea surfaced in his mind. ”Hey, how about we have pasta at Via Carota? You are engaged does not mean we can’t eat together, right?”

Quinn smiled, though her gaze was sorrowful, heavy with something she could not say aloud. ”I already ate, Damon. I just returned from lunch.”

”Then come watch me eat. I’m not going to stay for long anyway.”

Hearing he was not going to stay for long, something died inside her, the light in her eyes dimming until only quiet despair remained. ”Okay, Via Carota it is.”

Damon drove her through the busy streets of Manhattan before turning into the West Village, where he pulled up outside Via Carota, the little Italian restaurant she always loved, tucked away like a secret only they shared. The familiar place brought a bittersweet ache to both their chests.

He ordered her favorites, the pasta she could never resist, though she already had her lunch, but Damon was surprised to see her eating, really eating, forkful after forkful like she had not had a proper meal in weeks.

Her appetite got him curious, and he began to wonder if she was pregnant. Without his mark, he would not be able to feel her emotions, would not be able to sense the life inside her if there was one, and the thought left a hollow worry in his gut.

As if she realized she was being watched, Quinn dropped her cutlery, the clatter against the plate making her flinch. ”I lied. I couldn’t eat when I went for lunch. Everything’s messed up, Damon.”

Damon leaned back in his chair, pushing his plate of pasta towards her, the rich aroma of tomato and basil drifting between them. ”I’m not hungry. Just needed an excuse to get you out of the office.”

She hesitated, her fingers hovering over the fork, before she began to delve into the second plate. Quinn always loved pasta from this small restaurant, but Damon never saw her eat this much. After she was done, she began to explain everything, her voice hollow and distant like she was describing someone else’s life, each word heavy with quiet pain.

”A month ago, mom and dad brought home Edwardo Marcel. Said he was interested in me, wanted to marry me.”

Damon froze, the name hitting him like a freight train and sending a spike of pure rage through his veins. ”Edwardo? You mean that junkie?”

Quinn nodded, her eyes fixed on the tablecloth. ”At first I refused, but dad said he owed Edwardo’s father. The company faced challenges, and he took a loan he couldn’t pay back. He said that Edwardo’s father would write off the loan if I agreed. I refused, told him you could help, but I couldn’t reach you, so I ran away. Lived with Mary for a while, but my brothers found me. Told me I should be grateful because mom and dad aren’t my biological parents. They found me in a dumpster and raised me as theirs. That’s why I agreed.”

Damon took deep breaths, rage building in his chest, a fire he could barely contain, but he forced his voice to stay even even as his hands trembled under the table. ”So, did you fall in love with him along the way?”

Quinn shook her head, her voice dropping to a whisper thick with fear. ”The second time I met him was when he brought the ring and insisted that I warm his bed. I told him the wedding was close, and he almost forced me, but other people showed up and he let me go. Since then, I’ve been avoiding him, but he visited my office once, had the cameras installed, and told me he has eyes everywhere around me.”

Damon’s fists clenched beneath the table, his knuckles going white, as pure protective fury roared through him.

”I told him that if he couldn’t trust me, then why marry me? Then he laughed and said that I was just a payment for my family’s debt, only worthy of being his breeder. I haven’t been able to sleep, haven’t been able to eat. He shows up when any guy gets close to me with his thugs and harasses them.”

Damon was having a headache, a pounding behind his eyes that threatened to split his skull. ”I never imagined the Grandes would treat you like this.”

”It’s not their fault, and you treated me worse, Damon. I guess it’s my fate to end up with Edwardo.” Her voice cracked on his name, and she looked away, blinking rapidly as fresh tears threatened to fall.

Damon was about to say something when hurried footsteps echoed through the restaurant, heavy and purposeful.

The waiters hastened away, their faces draining of color, and Quinn paled, her skin going white as paper, pure terror flooding her eyes. ”Damon, you have to go. They’ll hurt you if you don’t.”