CHAPTER 114: 114 - TEAR IT

114

~Damon’s POV

I didn’t even know how it all got that intense. One moment I was standing there, trying to keep my voice steady, and the next, my blood was boiling so hot I thought I was going to hit someone.

Rowan’s tone was sharp, his eyes locked on mine like he was daring me to push him. My chest rose and fell fast, every muscle in me screaming to lash out.

"Don’t you dare talk like you know everything!" I snapped, my voice echoing off the walls.

He stepped forward, so close I could feel the heat coming off him. "And don’t you dare pretend like you don’t know the truth!"

"Back off," I growled, clenching my fists.

Kael’s voice cut through the tension like a blade. "Damon, stop."

I glanced at him, but he wasn’t looking at me with anger; he looked... tired. "You think you’re the only one who’s angry? You think you’re the only one carrying pain? Our father... was a bad person. You know that."

I blinked, the words hitting me harder than I expected.

Rowan stepped in again. "He almost killed us when we were young. That’s the truth. We were lucky to even survive."

My mouth opened, then closed.

Kael took a slow step closer. "We’ve lived with that all our lives. So, don’t stand there acting like he was some perfect man. He wasn’t."

Rowan’s voice dropped, almost a whisper. "He was dangerous."

I swallowed, my jaw working, but I couldn’t say anything. My heart was pounding too fast. I wanted to argue. I wanted to tell them they were wrong... but deep down, I knew they weren’t.

Rowan’s glare softened slightly again, but his eyes still burned. "You want to fight me? Fine. But the truth won’t change."

Something inside me shifted. I took a deep breath, forcing my fists to unclench. "You know what... I’m not doing this."

Kael’s eyes followed me as I turned toward the door. "Damon..."

"No," I cut him off. "If I stay here, I’ll say something I can’t take back. Or worse, I’ll do something I regret."

I walked out, my boots heavy against the floor. Every step felt like I was pulling myself away from a storm.

The air outside was cool against my skin, and I inhaled deeply like I hadn’t breathed properly in hours. My chest was tight, my head pounding. I kept walking, not really thinking about where I was going.

Somehow, I ended up in front of Lisa’s door.

I stared at it for a few seconds, my brows furrowing. I didn’t even know why I was there. I should’ve gone to my room, or maybe gone somewhere far away from anyone. But instead, I lifted my hand and knocked lightly before pushing it open.

The smell hit me first. Not bad, but... stale. Like the air hadn’t been moved in days. The curtains hung limply, the light barely spilling through. Her bed, if you could call it that, looked like it had been there for years, sagging in the middle, the sheets worn thin.

I stepped inside, my eyes moving slowly across the space. For the first time, I looked. Not just glanced, looked. The floor was scratched in places. A chair sat in the corner, one leg slightly shorter than the others, leaning to the side. The walls were bare except for a small, faded picture frame.

I closed the door behind me and walked over to her bed, lowering myself onto it. The mattress creaked under my weight.

Strangely... I felt calm.

I lay back, staring up at the ceiling. I didn’t know what it was. Maybe because it was so different from my own room, no polish, no luxury, no spotless perfection. Just... real. Lived in.

I ran my hand across the blanket, feeling the rough texture beneath my fingers. My chest loosened a little, the storm inside me fading just enough for me to think clearly.

I turned my head, looking again at the chair, the cracked paint near the window, the uneven floorboards. How had she been living like this?

I sat up slowly, scanning the whole room again. This wasn’t just worn, it was neglected.

The thought made something in me twist.

I stood, walking to the door. I opened it and called out sharply, "Guards!"

Two of them appeared almost instantly.

"Get two maids in here," I ordered.

Within moments, two maids hurried over, their eyes flicking from me to the room.

I stepped aside, pointing inside. "This room, tear it apart. Replace everything. I don’t want to see a single piece of this old furniture still here."

One of the guards hesitated. "Everything, sir?"

"Yes, everything," I said firmly. "New bed. The best one. New furniture. Curtains. Paint the walls if you have to. I want this room to look... right. Do you understand?"

The maids exchanged glances but nodded quickly. "Yes, sir."

"And don’t take your time," I added. "I want it done before the day ends."

They scurried inside, already moving things around. I stepped back into the hallway, but I didn’t leave. I stood there for a moment, watching them work.

I leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, just watching them work. Two guards were carrying in a heavy bed frame, polished wood that looked like it belonged in a royal guest chamber, not in this place. The two maids trailed behind with armfuls of new sheets and curtains.

Lisa’s old bed had already been dragged out, if you could even call that thing a bed. It was just a squeaky frame with a thin mattress, springs poking out in some places. I had seen it earlier and felt something twist in my chest.

"Careful," I told one of the guards as he bumped the side of the new bed against the doorframe. "If you scratch it, I’ll make you carry it back out and bring another."

He nodded quickly. "Yes, Alpha."

The maids kept glancing at me like they weren’t sure if I was serious or just in one of those moods.

I stepped inside, slowly taking in the rest of the room again. The walls were faded, the paint peeling. The tiny window barely let in light. The air smelled dusty, like no one had bothered to clean this place properly in months.

One of the maids laid the new curtains over a chair and looked at me carefully. "Alpha... do you want us to clean the walls too?"

"Yes," I said without thinking. "Scrub everything. Repaint if you have to. I want this place to look nothing like it did before. And make sure it smells fresh."