Chapter:- 6

"I hate going Alpha on them," Damon said as he and Moni crossed the street, both of them activating their power as they walked. They both had a lot of "It's the same every time! Can't I just once walk into a station that isn't full of disrespectful assholes?" he asked, rolling his eyes when she smirked.

"You would be out of a job if you walked into a station full of decent, hardworking wolves. Get these for me," Moni said absentmindedly as she yanked the back of her shirt up so he could activate the power on her back. "You should have seen Ram when I escorted him to his room to collect his things. He cried like a baby, muttering about how you left him defenseless against the mixed-blood vampires," she said with a grin as they dodged out of the way of a group of schoolgirls, oblivious to the two wolves skirting their group.

"He stole a vampire's fangs!" Damon said incredulously, running his luna stone over the left side between her shoulder blades. "Did he think he could get away with that without facing the consequences? He's lucky I didn't haul his ass off to the Gard. I wouldn't be surprised if Clary demanded we turn him over to the mixed one. How long has this been happening? Seriously, how many of them are involved? I saw several of them pale when I said their rooms would be searched. What else will turn up?" he asked as he scrubbed a hand through his spiked hair.

"They had almost completed their search when we left; we will find out when we get back," Moni said as they turned a corner. "Tell me again why we are meeting the omega in her store and not the station?" she asked, huffing at the pace he set.

"Because the omega refused to come to the station," Damon said as they dodged across another road, yanking the back of his own shirt up so she could activate the wings on his back. He had run out of space on his chest, arms, and legs years ago and had had to have her carve a lot of them into his back. "She won't set foot in that nest of vipers. I can't say I blame her, but it is inconvenient, especially in light of what I found this morning. There's a shitstorm of epic proportions heading our way, Clary. I can feel it coming. As Jasmine said, we need her; we need to make an ally of her before she becomes another giant pain in my ass."

"Are you okay?" Moni asked when she heard him cut off with a sigh. She watched him as she activated his wings and dropped the hem of his shirt, noting the looseness of his shoulders, the change in his gait, and his pace quickening as he walked. She almost had to run to keep up with him.

"Yes, surprisingly enough, I am," Damon said. He felt lighter with every step he took, like a huge weight was being lifted from him. The further from the station they got, the easier it was to breathe. He hadn't realized just how stressed he was until that moment. He smiled when they cut through a park, seeing the children running around and screaming at the top of their lungs.

"Woah, it's been a long time since I've seen you smile like that," Moni said as she grabbed his arm, stopping him in his tracks as she stared at him. "What's going on?" she asked, taking in his peaceful expression, relaxed posture, and tap of his foot as he grinned at her.

"What?" Damon asked with a grin as he linked his arm through hers and pulled her forward. He had expected to feel more and more stressed out the closer they got to their destination, but he felt the opposite. It was as if something was pulling him in that direction. He felt a rightness, like it was where he was meant to be. He laughed when he caught his best friend watching him. "What? What are you staring at?" he asked.

"You're acting weird; when was the last time you were this happy?" she asked when he started whistling. "Did you have some 'alone' time in the shower or something?" she asked, wiggling her eyebrows at him, smiling when he laughed properly, with all his teeth out. It was her favorite laugh. "No seriously though, you look like you're... free," she said, mashing her eyebrows into a thin line as she described it. It didn't quite seem right, more like he was at peace.

"I feel good," Damon said with a shrug as he looked across the street, seeing their destination. The sign said Clary's antiquities, and the store was locked up tight, giving an abandoned look to the place that had him frowning. He saw the glamour fall away as they crossed between a couple of parked cars and stepped onto the sidewalk outside the store, where they were supposed to be meeting the omega. It looked inviting, he thought as he glanced through the window, seeing a cozy-looking soft glow. He glanced back up at the sign to see that it now said Clary's magic emporium. In their world, omegas know how to do magic.

"Come on," Damon said excitedly, dragging her towards the store, feeling an almost giddy, lightheaded sensation rush through him. He felt his stomach doing somersaults and his heart starting to beat a little faster as he reached for the handle of the door. He had to take a minute to compose himself. What was wrong with him!? Every cell of his body was trying to drag him forward, every single one of his instincts pushing him towards the store. As if there was something vital that he had to get to inside. A low growl, full of Alpha, rumbled through him when Moni put a hand on his shoulder, stopping him from entering the store. He couldn't stop it from ripping out of him when she spun him on the spot.

Moni took a step back, staring at him when Damon's growl turned into a full-on snarl. She almost dropped her gaze and bent her neck toward him. Almost. It was close; she had to fight her entire body as her head screamed at her to run, to hide, to submit. "Damon, are you... what... are you...okay?" she stuttered out as her heart raced in her chest, making her head pound with the force of the blood rushing through it.

"Moni, I'm sorry... I don't know what came over me." Damon said he felt like a complete asshole when he saw the muscles in her neck clench with the strain of keeping her head up. "I'm so sorry," he said, hating himself for unleashing himself on her. The careful control he usually held over himself disappeared the second she tried to stop him from entering the store. Even now, his eyes kept straying to the door. He desperately wanted to turn and walk through that door. It was a need he didn't understand and could barely control.

"Damon stops!" Moni said when she saw him start to turn, taking an involuntary step towards the store. She flinched at the glare he directed at her but ploughed on: "We need to go in there with a plan, not just barrel in gung-ho. What is wrong with you?" she asked when he tried to turn away again, his eyes fixed on the door. Was he even listening to her?

"Moni, I need to get in there," Damon said desperately. The longer they stood outside, the more his instincts drove him. It was like a physical pull now, his entire being screaming at him to get into the store by any means necessary. He didn't even realize he was moving as he spun around and grabbed the handle, yanking the door open and stepping into the threshold before she could stop him.