Thanksgiving Dinner Flashback

Hello guys, 

I am blown away by the number of views, likes, shares, gems, and comments you have gifted me within the past week. For those of you leaving comments about grammar and sentence structure issues, I appreciate the time and effort it takes. Please know it is not in vain. I am taking notes and slowly editing through each chapter. 

If you love Damon and Elle, I cannot wait to share the next book in the series . The outline is coming along nicely, and I plan to start writing chapters by the end of the week! (However, you will have to wait until Damon and Elle's story is concluded for them to be published). 

To show my gratitude for all the kindness, I am sharing a flashback of Damon and Elle before he leaves for Alpha Training. Damon is sixteen, and Elle is fifteen-ish. (This chapter is completely free.) 

Happy Holidays.

XOXO 

Emma Taylor 

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Damon- 16, Elle- 15-ish

ELLE POV

The longer I stare at the dress Olivia laid out for me to wear at the Thanksgiving dinner hosted tonight, the more uneasy I become. Normally, Thanksgiving is a low-key affair, with only the Alpha family and everyone else in the pack spending the day separately, leaving me free to dress within Damon's strict rules. Meaning fewer chances of him becoming a pissy, arrogant bastard.  

Not this year, though. Unfortunately, the Alpha and Luna have to host a few neighboring Alphas and their sons, who are all male. Every. Single. One. So I will be forced into a room that's mostly unmated teenage alpha males. The only teenage girl to compete over, the fucking prize for them to compete over. The night will already be difficult enough, and Olivia wants me to wear this.

Is she fucking high? I wonder as I stare at the forest green dress I have found the courage to finally put on. I won't deny it; the dress is cute with its long sleeves and modest, yet low, neckline. The dress is designed to hug my waist, flaring over my hips and landing in the middle of my thighs, revealing my long legs. Damon will lose his absolute shit seeing me in this, especially if I am around other males with no females to distract them. 

Only on the rarest occasions do I join the Ledgers in their Alpha negotiations, and only when it cannot be avoided. Today is one of those days because of the holiday. I continue staring at myself, amazed at how my body has changed since moving here. I am older, filling out slowly, turning into a woman, and always wearing baggy clothes. I tend to forget what my shape looks like underneath. 

A slight knock startles me as the Luna pokes her head around the door, a victorious smile on her lips as she takes in my appearance. "Oh, honey, you look beautiful," she gushes, wrapping me in her warmth. 

"Is it time to head down yet?" I ask, the nerves bunching my intestines together, anxiety rising at the possibility of screwing this up somehow. I don't have the best track record of keeping my mouth shut around random Alphas, always saying the wrong thing. 

"Not yet," she says, finally releasing me to meet my eye to hers, "would you let me do your makeup? And maybe your hair?" Olivia asks timidly. As a total girly girl, she is completely wasted on a son, but I think the Alpha can appreciate one less strain on his credit card. 

Tonight is going to be a shit show anyways. I might as well look cute while it happens; when will I ever get another chance? Nodding yes, I sit into the chair in front of the vanity I have no use for. 

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DAMON POV 

The longer it takes for Elle to come downstairs, the more unstable Slade becomes. Having this many unmated alpha males around Elle has him on high alert. It doesn't help that this whole thing was thrown together within the last few days, but something seems fishy about the whole arrangement. I can't put my finger on it, but my mom has been too giddy since informing me. 

No longer able to handle Slade's constant pacing, I weave through the eleven visiting Alpha heirs, heading towards the bar. "Whiskey, please?" I ask Harry, the omega working behind the bar. The nice thing about having a wolf is no one blinks an eye when I order alcohol at a function. 

"Of course, Alpha," he replies, quickly pouring the drink and handing it to me. "Thanks, Harry," I say, taking the glass into my hand and downing a large gulp instantly. Bending over the bar, I attempt to relax as the drink's heat warms my chest. After a minute or two, I feel a figure standing next to me; glancing upward, I groan inwardly when I see who it is. 

Tristan Dugray is a particularly annoying douchebag, even among Alphas. Until recently, our packs were not friendly; even now, that relationship is tenuous. The Dugrays of the Redshaw Pack are one of the few that hold onto the old conservative beliefs. Women in their packs do not fight or work; their only responsibility is to their mates and pups. Tristan's father never brings his Luna on business trips or into meetings. Although everyone else knows it's sleep with other women, since he rejected his fated and took a chosen. 

Leaning against the bar, he scans the room, slightly disappointed by the sausage fest this party is. Until a low whistle comes out of his mouth, "you've been holding out on us, Ledger. Damn, that's one fine bitch."

I look at him, confused by his words, until it hits me at full force, cinnamon and vanilla. Spinning around, I watch Elle descend the stairs, her hair falling in curls to the middle of her back. Her face has a light layer of makeup accentuating her features. The sheer lipgloss was like a lighthouse calling out to me from across the room. My eyes continue trailing her body, my blood turning into ice when I see the dress that's barely long enough to cover her ass. 

"Who is that?" Tristan asks, nudging my side as he nods to Elle, who has stepped into the room without my parents. They need to hurry the hell up, the sooner we eat, the quicker Slade, and I can get Elle away from the eleven Alphas watching her like she is a lone gazelle in a lion's den. 

"A nobody, Omega," I mutter, drinking the rest of my whiskey in one burning gulp, "don't worry about her." Tristan's attraction to Elle is obvious as his eyes watch her, the desire clear on his face. 

"She doesn't look like a rank chaser," he comments, his eyes never leaving her, which has Slade itching for control to treat him a lesson. My control holding on by a very tenuous thread on the verge of snapping. "Which will make it even more satisfying when I can get her to scream my name in bed," Tristan says, and any restraint that I did have snapped like a twig being stepped on. 

A low growl rumbles in my chest, causing him to study my face, a mischievous sneer overcoming his features, "Ahhh, so she is your little toy," excitement lacing his words as he eye fucks Elle intentionally, seeing my struggle against Slade's wishes to come forward and beat him into a bloody pulp he continues to taunt me. 

"What do you think, Ledger? Think I should try her next? We can have a little competition to see who can get her to scream the loudest-" Tristan taunts, but it's the last thing I remember before my peripheral vision fades to black leaving only his face in the center. That's all it takes for Slade to surge forward in a rage, tackling Tristan to the ground snarls and commotion surrounding the room as the other young Alpha's rush forward to watch. 

Tristen and I are rolling wildly on the floor, punches flying, and I am thanking the Goddess that more of mine are landing than his. Growling, I grab him by the neck, slamming his head back into the marble flooring, blood oozing into a puddle beneath him. I sense his stamina wavering as I deliver repeated blows to his bruised and bloody face.

After five minutes of endless punching and slamming his head into the flooring, Slade's gravelly voice says, "she's not your plaything, she's mine, and if you so much as look at her again, you'll leave my territory in a fucking body bag."

I drop him carelessly to the ground leaving him bruised and bloody without a care in the world, looking around at the other young Alphas in the room, making them understand the same will happen if they look at Elle. I don't feel satisfied until I see everyone nod in acknowledgment, Alphas can be a competitive bunch especially when another one has or wants something. 

As I scan the room, my eyes land on a pair of green ones, wide with shock. Launching forward, I easily catch up to Elle before she can bolt from the room. Grabbing her by the elbow, I nearly moan in pleasure from the sparks shooting wildly from the skin-to-skin contact. Thankfully, my anger at her stupidity keeps me from making any mistakes. 

I always avoid touching Elle, knowing it'll be easier to keep my self-preservation if I maintain distance; dragging her beside me, I throw her into a spare bedroom, following in behind her letting my aura wrap around her. As soon as the door closes, her warm and inviting scent engulfs the space making me dizzy and unable to concentrate properly. 

Growling, I turn my ice-cold stare onto her, enjoying the shiver that runs down her spine and the carnal desire that flashes in her eyes for the briefest of seconds before disappearing again. "You need to leave, now," I force out between clenched teeth, trying to let my Alpha orders work their magic. "These men will never accomplish anything with you dressed like a slut begging for their attention. Go!" I scream, pointing to the door and watching her flinch. 

 The urge to be defiant flits across Elle's perfectly shaped features. My fingers and Slade are begging me to reach out and touch her porcelain skin, but I don't, keeping my bloodied fists clenched at my sides. "NOW! LEAVE!" I scream one last time, watching her scurry out of the room. I listen as her shoes travel around the upper levels. 

Turning around, I see mom and dad standing in the hallway with disappointed looks and anger as they glare at me for messing up this entire evening. 

Fuck.