Chapter Forty Five.

Chapter Forty Five.
Damon's POV:

He looked furious—Furious was an understatement.

He had that look on his face that clearly stated that he heard everything I said. He barged in, making slow strides toward me, his expression unreadable.

“Are you planning on doing what I heard you saying?” He asked, his fist curled up. Elder Marcus was here and I didn't want him to hear anything. That would only ruin everything I planned.

I grabbed him by the arm, out of my study. He kept trying to get out of my grasp, but I was strong and held on tightly. We got to a secluded area in the mansion, he harshly flung my arm out of his.

“What do you think you're doing?” He asked, his voice low but edged with anger. “Jhelani trusts you and you plan on ratting her out like that? How could you Damon? If that's how it is then maybe ratting you too would be fair.”

He wanted to walk away, but I grabbed his arm and pulled him back. “I don't think you'd want to do that. Just listen to me first, okay?”

He glared at me, and I could tell that he was hesitant. “You have two minutes and you had better have a good explanation prepared otherwise I would go there and tell everything to Elder Marcus.”

My jaw clenched, I tried controlling myself with everything that was in me. The last thing I needed was an outburst.

“I'm not going to rat out Jhelani. It's just a plan to mislead the Elders, to make them believe that she's not amongst us until we come up with a better plan.”

His face softened. “I guess I kind of ruined that now, huh?”

I nodded slowly, my jaw clenched. “I just wanted to convince them that I was on their side. It’s really not what you think, but after your outburst I'm sure he'd be debating on whether or not to buy my act.”

He let out a groan and ran his hands through his hair. “Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” He started cursing himself out. “I fucked everything up because of my stupid ass anger. I should've learnt to control myself better.”

I patted his shoulder gently. “Don’t blame yourself. It only showed that you care about her, but you kind of fucked it up. We just have to find another excuse and hope they buy it. Then we'd come up with a much better back up plan.”

“I guess that could work,” he agreed.

I took a deep breath before stepping back into the study. Elder Marcus was still there, seated in the same chair with that stiff, unreadable posture that always made me uneasy. His gaze lifted as soon as I entered, sharp as a blade.

“Everything all right, Alpha Damon?” he asked, his tone polite but laced with suspicion.

I forced a small laugh, rubbing the back of my neck. “Ah, my brother’s temper got the better of him again. You know how Jace can be—he heard a bit of the conversation and misunderstood everything. I had to calm him down before he said something he’d regret.”

Marcus leaned back in his chair, fingers tapping lightly on the armrest. “Misunderstood?” he repeated, like he was tasting the word.

“Yes,” I continued, steadying my voice. “He thinks I’ve aligned myself with the council’s… more aggressive side. But you and I both know that sometimes you have to play a part to gain trust.” I gave a half-shrug, hoping to sound casual. “He’ll come around once he understands the strategy.”

For a few long seconds, Marcus said nothing. His gaze stayed fixed on me, almost like he could see right through the act. Then he smiled. “Ah, of course. Young men tend to act on emotion. It’s a weakness of the heart.”

I nodded, even though my gut told me he didn’t buy a single word I’d said.

“Still,” Marcus went on slowly, “I hope this misunderstanding doesn’t cause… complications. The council values unity, Damon. Division within your pack could raise questions about your leadership.”

“Understood,” I replied, forcing my voice to stay calm. “There won’t be any more outbursts. You have my word.”

He hummed quietly, almost as if he was filing that promise away for later. Then, standing up, he adjusted the cuffs of his robe. “Good. I’ll take my leave for tonight. We’ll be expecting progress soon.”

“I’ll see to it personally,” I said, walking him to the door.

When the door finally shut behind him, I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. My hands trembled slightly, the tension finally breaking through the mask I’d kept on. Marcus might have smiled, but I saw the doubt in his eyes. He wasn’t convinced.

I turned to find Jace already waiting by the hallway, pacing like a restless wolf. The moment he saw me, he stopped and looked at me with anxious eyes. “How did it go?”

I shook my head, running a hand through my hair. “Not good,” I admitted. “He’s suspicious. I could see it in the way he watched me. He didn’t call me out on anything, but that’s what worries me—he’s too quiet, too calculating.”

Jace cursed under his breath. “So what now? You think he’ll report back to the council?”

“Definitely,” I said, my tone grim. “He’ll play along for now, pretend everything’s fine, but he’ll start digging. That’s what men like him do. They wait for you to hang yourself before tightening the rope.”

He frowned, pacing again. “We need a new plan then. Something that keeps them off our trail and keeps Jhelani safe.”

“Exactly,” I agreed, lowering my voice. “The only thing we can do now is feed them a different story, something believable enough to distract them for a while.”

Jace looked up at me, his expression tightening. “You’re thinking of using her location as bait, aren’t you?”

I hesitated, then nodded slowly. “A decoy, not her actual location. If they start hunting in the wrong direction, we’ll have time to figure out our next move.”

He sighed, dragging a hand down his face. “You really think that’ll work?”

“It has to,” I replied quietly. “Because if it doesn’t, Marcus will be back—with the entire council behind him.”

We stood there for a long moment. The silence stretched between us until Jace finally muttered, “Then we’d better start working on that backup plan. Now.”

I nodded, looking toward the dark corridor that led to my study. “Yeah. Before the night ends, we need to make sure our story is airtight. No mistakes this time.”

And as I turned away, my thoughts drifted to Jhelani. For her sake, this plan had to work. It wasn’t just about deceiving the council anymore. It was about making sure she's safe. Protected by all means.