Chapter 271 The walk

All the while we sat in a position that could hardly be called friendly, I could barely focus on the movie. Not when the alpha’s hot breath brushed against my neck, time and again sending a cascade of prickling shivers down my spine.

At first, the discomfort was excruciating. Especially after that cryptic remark of his—that I was his first. He clearly meant something entirely different, but what exactly, I couldn’t fathom. After all, this was the impossible Damian Rainn; a single short phrase from him could mean anything under the moon.

My pathetic attempts to shuffle away yielded absolute zero. Keeping me pinned, he held me fast, though not painfully or unkindly. And after a moment, I simply froze.

I couldn’t believe how my own body had turned to absolute jelly in his hands, going limp and betraying me with a treacherous tremble.

I wasn’t sure I could manage to scramble back across his lap to my own side of the couch without revealing how terribly every single touch of his shook me. Damian, for his part, looked entirely content.

The moment the credits began to crawl across the screen and the theater’s dim lights flickered on, Damian reluctantly let me go.

Barely managing to steady my ragged breathing, I felt my cheeks burn. So intensely that I genuinely wondered why they weren’t glowing red in the dark, completely flushed with embarrassment from the whole situation.

"How about a walk?" Extending a wide, warm palm, the guy helped me up from the soft sofa.

"Where to?"

The idea of a walk actually sounded wonderful. I had never strolled through the city center, but as far as I knew, it boasted stunning parks and squares, and the scenery was breathtaking. Until now, I had only seen those places in old internet photographs, dreaming of visiting them and truly seeing the city.

"There’s a park nearby with lots of fountains." Intertwining our fingers, Damian confidently pulled me toward the exit.

"Awesome, I’ve always wanted to go there!" I blurted out with enthusiasm, obediently following the alpha toward the exit.

Outside, night had completely fallen. Rare passersby hurried along on their own business, paying us no mind whatsoever.

Strolling slowly and holding hands tightly, we eventually reached the park. True to his word, there were fountains everywhere—they seemed to be at every single turn.

All sorts of them. Some played classical music, while others lit up in brilliant colors. Some were quite simple, while others twisted water into whimsical patterns, spiraling outward with neon highlights cutting through the mist.

"Tell me about your childhood."

Damian dropped the question so unexpectedly that at first I didn’t understand what he wanted from me. Then, thinking for a moment, I realized I didn’t even know how to answer him. My life had been so ordinary, so gray, that there was honestly nothing to tell.

"A childhood like any other, nothing interesting." Shrugging, I suddenly caught a thick, rich scent of hot chocolate drifting on the air. Barely suppressing a soft groan at the sudden, sharp ache of a strange longing pulling at my chest, I pressed on. "Kindergarten, school, a summer side job, and dreams of moving to a big city where real opportunities awaited. Just like everyone else."

"Did you have friends? Maybe a boyfriend?"

Asking this with tense curiosity, Damian watched closely as I craned my neck, trying to trace the source of that excruciatingly mouth-watering scent. Turning, he suddenly pulled me toward a quieter path where the noisy fountains faded, giving way to a secluded, winding alley.

"I didn’t have friends. And guys didn’t interest me at all; my studies came first."

Following close behind the alpha—who seemed to track the aroma with infallible precision—I happily noticed that the deeper we walked down the trail, the stronger it grew. Soon, a sharp hint of cinnamon and warm, sweet pastries blended richly into the chocolate scent. Judging by the fragrance alone, they had to be impossibly sweet.

Actually, I had learned not to trust the scent of cinnamon and sugar back in my village. We had an old bakery there that always smelled insanely good. But as it turned out, the cunning baker simply tossed handfuls of sugar and cinnamon straight onto the glowing hot coals. That was the only reason it smelled so incredible, while the actual baked goods there left much to be desired.

"Why didn’t you have friends?" the alpha inquired with genuine interest, finally leading me out of the dark alley into a small, lantern-lit square.

Bright food trucks decorated with colorful graphics of street food and drinks stood parked there.

"Well, all sorts of rumors circulated about me. The locals especially believed I was touched in the head because I nearly drowned as a child. The scar on my neck was very noticeable, so other kids kept their distance, genuinely thinking I’d been mauled by fish. Then we grew up, social circles were already formed, and nobody wanted to take me in."

Scanning the glass display case intently, I chose a hot chocolate and a massive chocolate muffin. It just looked too appetizing to resist. Drenched in melted chocolate on top and studded with chocolate chunks—milk, dark, and even white chocolate shavings—it looked utterly fascinating.

Just as I was digging into my pocket for my wallet, I suddenly saw Damian tap his black card against the vendor’s terminal.

"I could have paid for myself." Frowning, I pressed my lips together in mild annoyance.

"Some other time," the guy replied with a carefree shrug.

For some reason, I was utterly certain he would do the exact same thing next time. His smirk was far too sly. Besides, it felt entirely strange to understand him this effortlessly, as if he were an open book to me.

Of course, back when I was his captive, I had desperately tried to memorize every expression on his face and in his eyes. But that had been pure self-preservation—like trying to anticipate a storm before feeling the first gust of wind. Now, though, everything ran much deeper. It was as if I could perceive things I had previously been blind to, and it felt devilishly strange.