Claimed by My Ex's Half-Brother-Chapter 105 I had no idea

Victoria’s POV

"When did you arrange all this?" I asked suspiciously. "Did you plan to bring me here all along?"

Damien gave a soft laugh, his eyes glinting with mischief in the moonlight. "You’re here now, aren’t you?"

He poured the wine and handed me a glass. We clinked them together before settling back in our chairs, gazing at the sky and the distant glowing shoreline. The full moon hung heavy and bright above the horizon, rising from the sea in a perfect display of natural beauty. It called to our wolves, though both of us were skilled enough to keep them contained during this non-ceremonial night.

I had initially been wary, thinking Damien might have other intentions in bringing me to such a romantic spot, but he seemed content to simply enjoy the moment. I allowed myself to relax.

"When are you heading back to Crescent City?" I asked, taking another sip of wine.

"What, are you going to miss me?" His voice was teasing, that familiar arrogance coming through.

"Quite the opposite," I retorted. "I can’t wait for you to leave. You’re completely disrupting my work!"

Damien laughed, the sound rich and genuine. "I had no idea I wielded such power over you, to distract you so thoroughly."

"If it weren’t for you," I pointed out, "I’d be in my hotel room working right now. How is that not disruption?"

"If you love working so much, why don’t you handle my workload too?" he suggested with a smirk.

"Dream on. I can barely manage my own responsibilities. Seeing how much free time you have, maybe you should be handling mine instead."

"I’m not part of the Crescent Dawn Pack or Lancaster Enterprises," he said, his dark eyes fixed intently on mine. "What position would justify me working for you?"

"Does it need justification?" I thought for a moment before brightening. "I know! You could be my secretary. Then you could legitimately handle my work."

"That’s quite the scheme you’ve concocted," Damien said, genuinely amused. "Having me as your secretary? Could you even afford me?"

"Whether I can afford you or not depends entirely on if you’re willing to take a pay cut," I teased. "If you lower your standards, I’m sure I could manage it."

"Then I refuse."

"If you’re going to refuse, why bring it up in the first place?" I laid back in my chair, gazing at the star-filled sky, savoring the peaceful moment.

The night was perfect—stars scattered across the dark canvas above us, the gentle breeze carrying the salt-scented air, and the rhythmic sound of waves breaking on the shore. I felt myself relaxing, my eyelids growing heavy as the tension of the past weeks began to melt away.

I must have dozed off because I was awakened by the sensation of something warm being draped over me. Opening my eyes, I found Damien kneeling beside my chair, placing his jacket over my body. He was close—too close—and our eyes met unexpectedly.

Any trace of sleepiness vanished instantly. I sat up quickly, accidentally bumping my forehead against his with a soft thud.

"I’m so sorry!" I exclaimed, instinctively reaching out to touch the spot where we had collided. My fingers gently rubbed his forehead, and I suddenly became aware of how intimate the gesture was.

"Why were you so close to me anyway?" I said, withdrawing my hand. "I thought you might be trying to take advantage of me in my sleep."

Damien let my hand linger on his face, an uncharacteristic allowance from an Alpha who typically permitted no one to touch him so casually. His dark eyes locked with mine, and I felt my pulse quicken.

"I was just worried you’d catch cold and blame me for it," he said, his voice a low rumble that made Nora stir within me.

"My immune system is perfectly fine," I protested, pulling my hand away. "I don’t get sick that easi—achoo!" The sneeze interrupted me mid-sentence, completely undermining my claim.

Damien’s lips curved into a knowing smirk. "Of course you don’t."

"That was just coincidence," I muttered, but another sneeze followed immediately after, betraying me again.

"We should head back," he said, rising to his feet in one fluid motion, his tall frame silhouetted against the moonlight. "It’s getting late."

I stood as well, suddenly aware of the chill in the air. I started to remove his jacket to return it, but Damien shook his head.

"Keep it on," he instructed, his tone carrying that subtle Alpha authority that made it difficult to refuse. "The wind’s picking up."

I nodded, pulling the jacket tighter around me. His scent—smoky cedar with midnight rose—enveloped me completely, causing Nora to rumble with contentment inside me. It felt strangely intimate wearing his clothing, carrying his scent on my skin. Part of me wondered if he’d given me his jacket purposely to mark me with his scent—a subtle territorial move that wolves often employed unconsciously. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

By the time we returned to my hotel room, Grace was lounging on her bed, scrolling through her phone. She looked up with a mischievous grin as we entered.

"Well, well, the mating dance returns," she teased, setting her phone aside. "Two hours alone together? Please tell me you weren’t having wild animal sex on the beach."

"Grace!" I exclaimed, feeling heat rush to my cheeks. "We just talked for a while, and then I accidentally fell asleep on the beach lounge. It was... peaceful."

"Talked for that long?" Grace raised a skeptical eyebrow. "With Mr. Tall, Dark, and Brooding here? Must have been quite the conversation."

I could see Damien’s amusement at Grace’s characterization of him, though he said nothing.

"I’ll leave you ladies to it," he said, nodding at Grace before turning his attention back to me. His eyes lingered on my face for a moment longer than necessary. "Goodnight, Victoria."

After he left, Grace immediately pounced. "I have to say, Alpha Sterling seems to have quite the collection of jackets for you to appropriate."

I glanced down at the jacket I was wearing, then at the other one still draped over the back of the chair from our previous encounter.

"I don’t know when I’ll get a chance to return them," I said, running my fingers over the expensive fabric.

"Maybe he doesn’t want them back," Grace suggested with a knowing smile. "Maybe he likes seeing his scent on you."

I shot her a warning look. "Don’t start."

It was late, and I desperately needed a hot shower to clear my head. The beach air had left my hair tangled and smelling of salt, and I could still feel the phantom touch of Damien’s fingers on my arm.

While I was in the bathroom, letting the hot water cascade over me, I heard a knock at our hotel room door. I couldn’t make out the conversation, but I recognized Damien’s deep voice intermingled with Grace’s lighter tones.

By the time I emerged from the bathroom wrapped in a fluffy hotel robe, Grace was sitting on her bed with a steaming mug in her hands.

"For you," she said, extending it toward me. "Your Alpha boyfriend brought it over."

"He’s not my—"

"Yeah, yeah," Grace waved away my protest. "The mighty Alpha of the Blood Moon Pack just happens to bring medicinal drinks to all his business associates in the middle of the night. Totally normal behavior."

I took the mug and sniffed it, recognizing the familiar herbal scent of wolf’s remedy—a special blend designed for our kind that worked much more effectively than human cold medicines.

"Cold medicine?" I asked, surprised. "How did he know I was getting sick?"

"Your sneezing earlier, I assume," Grace said. "He specifically instructed me to make sure you drink all of it. Said it would prevent the cold from taking hold."

I felt a strange warmth that had nothing to do with the hot drink in my hands. The fact that Damien had noticed, remembered, and then taken the time to bring this to me was... unexpected. It revealed a level of attentiveness I hadn’t associated with him.

"That was... thoughtful of him," I admitted, taking a sip. The liquid was still perfectly warm, the herbal taste strong but not unpleasant. It immediately began to soothe my scratchy throat.

"More than thoughtful," Grace observed. "That man is marking his territory, Victoria. First the jackets, now this? Classic wolf courtship behavior."

I rolled my eyes, though Nora perked up at the suggestion. "You’re reading too much into it."

"Am I?" Grace challenged. "Why didn’t you give him back his jackets, by the way?"

I glanced at the pile of Damien’s clothing that was steadily accumulating in our room. "Why didn’t you remind me while he was here?"

Grace shrugged, a sly smile playing on her lips. "Why would I? You can return them yourself next time you see him. I always returned Elijah’s things personally when we were dating."

"That’s completely different," I protested. "You and Elijah were actually in a relationship."

"And what exactly would you call whatever’s happening between you and Alpha Sterling?" Grace asked innocently.

"A temporary business arrangement with unfortunate proximity requirements," I replied primly, finishing the last of the medicinal drink.

Grace snorted. "Keep telling yourself that. Meanwhile, Mr. ’Just Business’ is bringing you medicine in the middle of the night because he heard you sneeze once."

I couldn’t think of a suitable response, so I carefully set aside the two jackets, smoothing out the wrinkles before climbing into bed. The warmth of the medicine spread through my body, and I found myself enveloped in Damien’s scent from the pillowcase where I’d laid his jacket.