Damon

　　I spotted Carlisle was pacing up and down when I entered the room. She did not notice me enter, or the sound of the door opening. I could hear her mutter under her breath, and I caught some choice curse words spilling from her lips.

　　As soon as I had shut the door behind me, she jolted and turned around, finally noticing that there was another person in here with her. She gaped at me briefly before shaking her head, bringing herself to focus.

　　“What are you doing here?” She snapped at me, leveling a sharp glare at me.

　　“Why?” I could not help but ask, crossing my arms. She mimicked me, crossing her arms over her chest as well, scrunching her face up in a way that made her look equal parts adorable and intimidating.

　　“I ask what you are doing here and you ask me why? Tell me, what right do you have to barge into my room?” she advanced, pointing a finger in accusation at me. I grabbed her hand when she got closer and pulled her closer. Our faces were just an inch apart now.

　　“Is that really what you’re upset about then?” I queried, leaning in and catching her gaze. Her breaths came out in pants and she did not relent in her glare.

　　“What else would I be upset about? You keep me in here and try to make it seem like I have no reason to be upset?” she ripped her arm from my grip and walked away, putting some distance between us. I did not stop her, even though all I wanted to do was pull her body to mine and never let go.

　　Seconds passed as we stared at each other. The weight of my gaze was fully on her now, and I could hear through my wolf senses how hard her heart pounded, which made me raise my brow at her, and I was unable to conceal a smirk at how flustered she seemed so suddenly. Carlisle looked away now, and I felt triumphant.

　　Finally, I spoke, getting right to the heart of the matter. “I heard some news just now, and I want you to confirm it.”

　　“What news might that be?” She asked, voice petulant, and she moved to stand by the nearest window. She looked like she would rather be anywhere but here in her room with me, having this conversation. But this conversation was one I would not relent on, especially not when it concerned a topic as sensitive as this.

　　“That you seduced the guard,” I retorted, and she fell silent. “Is that true?”

　　Her reply to my question came without hesitation, which both angered and hurt me. “Yes.” Every muscle in my body suddenly became tense at her answer. A few moments passed by before she turned to face me again, eyes meeting mine. “I did so. I seduced the guard in order to escape. What of it then?”

　　I flared up, taking a step towards her. I did not know what I wanted to do, but the urge to hit something was great now. She pursed her lips at the look on my face, tilting her head as if to dare me.

　　“Why are you upset? You should be happy I told you the truth,” she huffed, shaking her head in disbelief at me, as if I was the one in the wrong here.

　　I may have looked merely upset to her, but inside me, I felt a myriad of emotions, especially hurt – hurt that my mate would do this to me, and worse, be unashamed to tell me that she had done this.

　　“Must you be this way?” I could not help but ask, my voice was terse as I gritted out the words. I had clenched my hands into tight fists in order to stop myself from punching something at her reply. “Do you have to speak like this to me? Does it satisfy you to answer my question without any hint of remorse in your voice?” I took a step towards her, and she stepped back.

　　“What will you achieve by fighting with me, Carlisle? Have you thought about that?”

　　For every step that I took towards her, she took a step back. Soon, she could not take any more steps, as her back hit the wall. I could see her frantically look about her, unable to stop me from coming closer. Soon, I was right in front of her, barely inches apart.

　　“Why must you keep acting like this towards me, Carlisle?” I asked her, our breaths now mingling together. Her eyes widened and she tried to lean back, but I would not let her, maintaining my stance firmly. Seeing that there was nowhere to go, she chose to face me, raising her gaze to meet my eyes and in them, I could see defiance.

　　"Why would you think to ask me such a question?” She asked angrily. “I should ask you the same, then, if you are confused about the way I’m acting. You are the reason for all of this, Damon. Not me, but you. You can take all the blame in this. Please leave me out of this,” She put her hands on my chest and tried to push me away. I did not move an inch, and despite all her tries to hit my chest to make me stagger, I did not once respond.

　　My mind was whirling, and I could only focus on the object of my affections in front of me, my mate. I gripped her arm firmly and pulled her to me, taking her mouth in mine. She tried to pull away but I did not let her, instead focused on tasting every bit I could draw out of her. my other hand moving around her waist to hold her.

　　She made grunts and noises, trying to get out of my grip, but slowly, she began to relent. I was not going to let her go. I nipped at her lips and she moaned, loudly.

　　The tension in her body was slowly melting away – I could tell by the way her hands that clasped my shirt at my chest had slackened considerably. I moved closer to her, pressing her against the wall. She responded by holding my arm, letting out a much softer moan. Then, almost at once, I felt her arms go round my heck, pulling me closer. She had succumbed to me, and her body trembled with shivers that I knew now were of pleasure.

　　Finally, I crowed in my mind with delight; she was finally surrendering to me. My wolf side loved this too – I could not help but let out small growls as I plundered her mouth, our tongues dancing together. I kept my hold on her waist and let my other hand travel up, burying themselves in her soft hair. I heard her let out a sigh, arching her back into me.

　　She gave as good as she got; her hand clutched fervently at my neck, clinging to me like I was her lifeline.

　　All too soon, we had to part for air, and I released my grip on her hair. She let out a soft sigh as our lips parted, and as I watched her, mesmerized at how her lips looked so swollen from our kiss. Her face was flushed, and I saw the red on her skin extend from her cheeks, running down her neck. My eyes could not help but be drawn to the sight of her cleavage now, heaving with every breath she took in trying to steady herself.

　　I, too, was very affected. I now had to control myself so that I did not take her right then and there. My chest heaved up and down as I panted. Our faces were still so close that I felt every exhale of hers hit my face. My senses were filled with her scent, the sight of her ravaged and swollen lips, the heat where her skin had touched mine akin to a brand I could not remove. She was everywhere.

　　I watched her try slowly to focus. There was a satisfaction that I felt at the look of dazedness on her face. Then, gradually, I began to see the realization set in. What she had done after I kissed her. How she had given in to me.

　　The corner of my lips crooked up into a small smirk at that. What excuse was she going to use now? But before I could speak, she had already lashed out, aiming a slap at my face. I took a step back, and my hand went to my face, right over the affected cheeks. The satisfaction I felt previously had now fled my body, only to be replaced by a burning anger.

　　“How dare you?!” She raged, her eyes wide in shock and fury. “You- How- You took advantage of me! You forced yourself on me, you bastard.”

　　“Oh, please,” I sneered at her, now seeing red. The sting of the slap was enough embarrassment, but for her to accuse me needlessly was too much. “Don’t be so damn dramatic. Take some responsibility for your actions.” I growled a bit at the last sentence, not caring for her reaction. I did not care that I looked absolutely furious, because I was. Nor did it occur to me to care about how upset my mate was at that moment; I could not have cared less right then, not with her attitude. She deserved my ire, as far as I was concerned.

　　“Fuck you,” she bit out, her words filled with a venom that I loathed to hear.

　　I ached to grab her by the shoulders and shake her in frustration. I wanted to silence those ugly words she spoke to me, but I dared not speak when I was practically shaking in anger, unable to control myself. “You are the one to blame for this! You are always the one to blame! Why are you doing this to me? Do you enjoy seeing me suffering? Is that it?” I watched Carlisle, not a word passing through my lips as she spoke. She began to pace the room erratically, fingers pointing at me in accusation. I did not respond anymore, trying to make an effort to calm myself down before I said or did something that I would regret. I kept my eyes trained on her movements, all the while raging inside my head.

　　How dare she?! After all that she had done, she dares accuse me of taking advantage of her?!

　　I let out a growl, not knowing when I raised my voice and silenced her ranting, “Enough!” her head whipped around as she turned to face me. She gaped at me in shock. “I have heard enough from you.”

　　I did not even look at her, only pushing past her and walking to the door of her room, and all but ripping the door off of its hinges with the force that I used to pull it open. But I did not leave the room yet. Instead, I looked at her over my shoulder, catching her eyes in my intense gaze. The tension was palpable when I spoke, “I’d suggest you use this time to think about what you have done.”

　　With that, I left, slamming the door shut and locking it before turning to one of the maids who stood nearby, looking terrified as I beckoned her to come. She approached me timidly, shuffling forward slowly.

　　“Sir,” she greeted me with a curtsey, and her voice shook as she spoke.

　　“She is not to receive any meals until I say so, understood?” I ordered, and at the wide-eyed girl’s nod, I strode away, moving towards my room.

　　By the time I got to my room, the fury I felt had still not decreased, and I turned around and punched the wall right beside the door, letting expletives slip from my mouth in growls.

　　How dare she? I cursed, picking up a decorative plate and flinging it at the door, watching it shatter in pieces.