Karis
Chapter 27
The weekend flew by much too quickly. I had enjoyed hanging out with Kelsey and Jenna far more than I’d ever imagined was possible. I had always let myself believe that I just wasn’t the girlie-girl type and didn’t connect with others, but that seemed to be a false shield that I’d used to keep others away. It felt great to let them in and really talk. I guess I had Damon to thank for that since I had never opened up to anyone before, the way I had with him.
In some ways Damon had changed me, but not in the important ways that made me, well, me. He opened me up to new experiences, new emotions, and helped me put myself out there easier. I knew I acted all big and bad like nothing in the world bothered me, but that was all bullshit. Inside I was still just a normal, insecure, selfish teenage girl wanting love and acceptance.
With that love and acceptance only he could ever provide, I felt stronger and capable of accepting my lot in life. It wasn’t an easy hand to be dealt. It had been a long, sad, and lonely path to get here, but with my mate I knew I would continue to grow and thrive and someday be a great Pack Mother for my people. So why was I still hesitating to seal our bond?
It was Sunday night and Damon had gone back to the doghouse to shower and change. He was packing a bag and planning to stay over for the week. I was back in my dorm, freshly showered and looking back over my notes for midterms when the door opened.
I stopped and looked up smiling, expecting to see Damon, but it was Sabrina.
“Hey, what are you doing here?” I asked a little confused. While she still had a few things in our room, she’d been staying over at the Theta house for the last two weeks.
“I live here, remember?” she said in a snarky tone.
“Sorry. Sheesh. It’s not like you’re ever here anymore. Are you staying here tonight?” I asked her.
“Of course I am. It’s my room too,” she said.
“You don’t have to get snippy with me, Sabrina. I haven’t seen you in over a week, so I was just surprised, that’s all.”
“Let me guess, you’re expecting your boyfriend here, so I just disappear?”
“It’s not like that. Why are you acting like this?”
She sighed and sat down. “I’m sorry. There’s a lot of drama going on at the house. It’s just more than I can handle with midterms coming up. I thought I’d move back in here for a few days, but if it’s too much trouble for you, I’ll find somewhere else to crash.”
“Sabrina, it’s your room. You’re always welcome here.”
“But you were expecting Damon, weren’t you?”
“Yeah, but it’s fine. I’ll call him and tell him to stay home tonight.”
“You don’t have to. He can stay over as long as you aren’t like having sex or anything while I’m here,” she said.
“No, it’s okay. I have a lot of studying to do anyway.”
I picked up my phone and dialed his number. He answered on the first ring.
“Hey gorgeous, miss me already?”
I couldn’t stop the grin on my face. “Always. But hey, Sabrina’s home tonight, and she seems upset. I think she needs a friend to talk to, so is it okay if I just see you tomorrow?”
“You don’t want me to come over? I’m hurt, amore.”
“Stop, you know it’s not like that.”
“It’s cool. Chad and Jackson were guilting me for being gone all weekend and not spending enough time with them. I’ll see you in the morning. Enjoy your girl time. I love you.”
“Love you, too,” I said before ending the call.
Sabrina was staring at me. “Did you really tell him not to come over?”
“Of course I did. I don’t want things to be any more awkward with us than they already are.”
“And he’s just fine with that?”
“Yeah. He’s going to hang out with his brothers,” I told her.
“With his reputation, don’t you worry he’ll stray on you?”
I laughed. “Not at all. Maybe it’s something to do with the bond, but I know he’s not even going to look in another girl’s direction.”
She shook her head. “You’re being very naïve, Karis. This is Damon Rossi we’re talking about.”
“I know exactly who he is and what his reputation was. Have you heard of him seeing anyone else? I mean Thetas gossip all the time. If Damon was sneaking around behind my back, then you’d have heard about it. Plus, we spend almost every waking moment together when one of us isn’t busy doing something else. And I trust him. I don’t care if that makes me naïve. He’s my mate and he’s not going to hurt me.”
“He hangs out with Kaitlyn all the time,” she blurted out. “I mean if he’s not with you, he’s almost always with her, Karis.”
I smiled and nodded. “They’re friends, Sabrina. Good friends. I’m not going to go postal and demand he stop seeing a friend just because she’s a girl. Kaitlyn and I have talked a few times. They’ve never, seriously never crossed that line. Besides, I would smell it on him, you know? Man, that sounds weird and stalkerish,” I laughed. “But seriously, I know exactly when he’s been anywhere near Kaitlyn, and not just because he tells me.”
She gave me a weird look. “Have you two had, you know, sex?” I couldn’t stop my cheeks from heating. Her eyes went wide. “Oh my God, you had sex with Damon Rossi? Why would you do that? You know he’s a one-night stand guy, right? Oh Karis,” she said, sounding sorry for me.
I laughed. “Sabrina. It’s not the same. He’s my mate. How many times do I have to tell you? When you find your one true mate, you’ll understand.”
“If you say so. I just don’t want to see you get hurt, Karis. I know what kind of man Damon Rossi is,” she insisted. A message dinged on her phone and she turned it to show me. “I also know he’s not hanging out with Chad and Jackson back at the doghouse tonight. I’m sorry, Karis.”
I gave her a skeptical look. “Damon’s not in that picture, Sabrina.”
“But he’s either lying about who he’s with, or he’s lying about where he is. Either way, that boy is lying.”
I shrugged. “Well, let’s find out.”
“Huh?”
I picked up my phone and slipped into my shoes. I was in comfortable pajamas and didn’t bother to change. I grabbed Sabrina’s hand and pulled her along with me outside.
“Where are we going?” she demanded.
“To the doghouse,” I said.
“What?” she shrieked. “You’re in your pajamas, and I already took my makeup off.”
I shrugged again. “So what?”
A little more than halfway there, I called Damon, putting him back on speaker phone.
“Amore, you lasted almost half an hour. I thought for sure you’d call me back before now.”
I laughed. “And interrupt your guys’ night?”
“Yeah, well, Chad and Jackson ditched me to go to Jack’s. They’ll probably be out late. I didn’t really want to go out clubbing on a Sunday night, but especially not without you. That means I’ve got the room to myself. Why don’t you ditch Sabrina, and come on over? Chad won’t mind if you spend the night.”
“Thanks a lot, asshole,” Sabrina said.
“You have me on speaker again?” he pouted.
I laughed. “Yeah, sorry. I’m on a mission,” I told him.
We reached the doghouse. I put the phone on mute as I opened the door. Sabrina’s eyes went wide, and she shook her head rapidly. We can’t just barge in there, she mouthed.
Yes we can, I mouthed back.
“So what is this mission of yours?” Damon asked.
I took him off mute after the door was closed. “Just proving a point to Sabrina,” I told him sweetly. We were just outside the door to his room. I hesitated only a moment. “So, what are you wearing right now?” I asked.
Damon laughed. “Karis, I’m not having phone sex with you while Sabrina’s listening in. Believe it or not, I do have some morals.”
Sabrina laughed.
“Just answer the question,” I said rolling my eyes.
“I’m in sweats, was thinking of hitting the gym. Sorry to disappoint you both.”
I opened the door, and there he was lying on his bed in sweatpants, but no shirt, talking on the phone.
“See, I told you so,” I said to Sabrina, hanging up the phone.
Damon jumped up. “What the hell?”
He was surprised, but I knew he wasn’t angry. He grinned back at me. “Amore, what are you up to?”
“Just a little bet,” I said.
“We never actually bet, Karis,” Sabrina reminded me.
“True. Still, I had to prove my point.”
Damon lifted one eyebrow my way. “What point was that?”
“Some of the Thetas sent a picture of Chad and Jackson at One Eyed Jack’s Bar and Grill. Sabrina thought you were out scouting for your latest conquest or meeting up with Kaitlyn.”
“Kaitlyn? I haven’t talked to her since we left for the weekend. Is she okay?”
“Fine. Apparently the Thetas think there’s a thing going on with the two of you.”
Damon laughed. “Kaitlyn and me? Never. You know that.”
“And that’s what I told Sabrina, but she’s been worried about me, so I’m just here to clear her concerns.”
He looked at Sabrina. “What concerns did you have? Let me guess? I’m stepping out on Karis because I can’t possibly commit to one girl. I only do one-night stands, so if we’ve been together—and we have, many, many times—then I’m ready to move on to a new lady friend?”
“Something like that,” Sabrina squeaked uncomfortably, looking embarrassed.
“I really do appreciate you looking out for my girl. I do. But you don’t have to worry about any of that. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Actually, you’re graduating this year, and Karis is a freshman. I just don’t want to see her hurt.”
“That’s fair. You know they have this thing called mated housing? We’re planning to apply for next term, and we’ll live there as long as necessary for her to graduate.”
“You’re moving out of our room?” Sabrina asked me, looking hurt.
“It’s not like you’re really there. Besides you said you were moving into the Theta house next term. And we haven’t been accepted yet. They won’t even consider us until we seal our bond.”
“If you’re planning this whole life together anyway, why haven’t you?”
Damon and I looked at each other and sighed. “It’s complicated.”
He offered again for me to stay the night. When I declined, he asked us both to stay for a movie. We declined that too. I gave him a kiss goodnight, and he pouted a little over the fact that I was really leaving, but it felt like the right thing to do.
“You could have stayed, you know,” Sabrina said.
“I know,” I told her, linking my arm through hers as we’d done our first day there. “But my roommate just seems like she needs a friend tonight.”
She laid her head on my shoulder. “I’m sorry I made such a big deal out of you and Damon. He really loves you. It’s easy to see when you’re together.”
I smiled. “Yeah, he does. I really love him too.”