Chapter 300 300
Maurice POV
“Alpha word on the grapevine is that Gaston is dead.”
My Beta stepped into my office, and the words hit hard enough to stop me mid-breath.
“What?” I demanded. “Have you verified it?”
“I haven’t been able to reach Bloodnight’s Beta,” he admitted, “but my source is rarely wrong.”
“Cancel my meeting this afternoon. I’m leaving now.” I was already reaching for my keys, my wallet, my phone. “Do we know where the Bloodnight Alpha family is Bloodnight or Darkvale?”
“Our intelligence confirms Damien’s been at Bloodnight for a week.”
“And Aurélie?”
“She’s remained at Darkvale with the children. Most of the Bloodnight warriors stayed there as well. From what we can tell, Damien travelled alone.”
That was all I needed.
This wasn’t just big news it was seismic. For the werewolf community. For Damien and Aurélie. And for… Bee.
Pain tore through me at the thought of her. Mates weren’t meant to be separated like this not without rejection. Distance weakened them, frayed bonds that were meant to be sacred.
I was barely holding together in her absence. My wolf was furious, restless, raging at me for my restraint blaming me for not marking her, for being too gentle, too cautious.
Maybe he was right. Maybe I should have done things differently.
I headed straight for Bloodnight, only to be told Damien was on border patrol.
That didn’t sit right.
This was the safest the Roux-Garnier family had been in a long time. His guards were more than capable of handling patrols. Why was he out there himself?
I found him at the southern border, standing alone, staring into the distance.
His posture was still unmistakably Alpha spine straight, chin lifted, presence commanding. But his shoulders told a different story. There was tension there, something unsettled, something wrong.
He didn’t react to my approach.
That alone was alarming.
I clapped a hand on his upper back and he swung for me.
I ducked just in time, his fist slicing through empty air. He hadn’t even sensed me coming. For an Alpha, that was deeply concerning.
“You alright, my brother?” I asked carefully.
“What the fuck are you playing at?” he snapped. “I could’ve shattered those pretty teeth of yours.”
“I heard about Gaston,” I said evenly. “I came to check on you. And the kids.”
“They’re back at Darkvale. I came alone.” His gaze returned to the forest, distant and hard.
“And?” I pressed.
“And what?”
“Are they okay?” I growled. “Really okay?”
“Yes. They’re fine.”
The clipped responses confirmed it he was wound tight.
“What’s with the short answers?”
“I’m not being short”
“Damien.” I sighed. “I just wanted to make sure you were holding up. I know you and Gaston didn’t get along, but he was still”
“He stopped being my father the moment I grew taller than him,” Damien cut in coldly. “He wasn’t like your dad, Maurice. I feel nothing. Relief, if anything.”
Then his eyes glazed over as he slipped into a mind-link, cutting me off entirely.
“I need to head back to the Alpha home,” he said moments later. “I’ve got a meeting.”
“I’ll walk with you.” Something was wrong badly wrong. Even my wolf sensed the shift in him, the instability under the surface.
As we approached the Alpha residence, my attention snagged on a figure leaning casually against Damien’s red sports car.
Did the kid have a death wish?
He was dressed head-to-toe in black—black jeans, black V-neck, black trainers, black sunglasses shielding his eyes. Waiting.
Damien didn’t introduce him.
That alone set my teeth on edge.
“Alpha Maurice,” I said instead, extending my hand.
The young man took it, his grip unexpectedly firm.
“A pleasure, Alpha,” he replied smoothly.
He was guarded. Calculated. And notably reluctant to give me his name.
Just like Damien.
And that unsettled me more than any death ever could.