Chapter 16 Apologize In Person
Damian's POV
I stood in the driveway long after the taillights disappeared. The moment the car turned the corner, I felt the careful mask I'd been holding slip away, and the cold fury I'd been suppressing since the confrontation in the hallway settled over me like armor.
I turned and walked back toward the entrance, each step deliberate and controlled.
The heavy oak doors swung open under my hands, and I stepped into exactly the scene I'd expected. Alpha Sebastian sat in the high-backed chair at the center of the room, his posture rigid and his expression carved from stone.
Benedict stood to his right, while Moira and James positioned themselves near the fireplace with Aurora beside them. Nolan leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, and Ryan stood near the windows wearing that carefully blank expression he used when he wanted to avoid taking sides.
They all turned when I entered.
Sebastian's voice cut through the silence. "She's gone?"
I nodded once, reaching into my pocket to pull out the moonstone pendant Elara had pressed into my hands before she left. The carefully carved runes catching the light as I held it out. "She asked me to give you this. She made it herself. A protection talisman, carved with your name."
Sebastian took it slowly, his fingers trembling slightly as they traced the intricate symbols etched into the stone's surface. Something flickered across his face, something that looked like regret or pain, but it was gone almost immediately.
I took a deep breath and looked around the room at each of them in turn. "Father， before any of you say another word, I need to tell you exactly what happened tonight. All of it."
James opened his mouth, probably to object, but Sebastian held up one hand without looking away from the pendant. "Let him speak."
So I did. I told him everything. I recounted the accusations that followed, James calling her unreasonable, Nolan accusing her of being dramatic, Aurora implying she was making things difficult. I told them about Sophie's final words, telling Elara to get out of "her" house, and how not a single person had corrected the child or defended Elara's right to be there.
Moira's face had gone pale, her hands twisting together in front of her.
Sebastian's grip on the pendant tightened, his knuckles going white, and I could feel the edges of his wolf's presence stirring beneath his control, agitated and restless.
The silence that followed was suffocating. I watched Sebastian's face as he processed everything, watched the color drain from his cheeks and the realization dawn in his eyes.
Finally, he spoke, his voice rough and edged with a growl. "I didn't know. I didn't understand the full situation."
Moira stepped forward, her voice shaking, her own wolf whimpering with distress. "I'll go get her. I'll bring her back and apologize."
But James cut her off, his voice sharp with irritation. "This is ridiculous. It's just a room. She's making a mountain out of a molehill by moving out over something so trivial. And let's not forget that she went to Emerald Pack and told them Sunny was in danger. She's the one who made Alpha Colin angry, and now she's running away instead of facing the consequences."
Nolan pushed off from the wall, nodding. "Alpha just promised Colin he would handle the situation, and what does she do? She leaves the same night, making us all look weak."
Sebastian's Alpha presence exploded through the room like a physical force, his wolf surging forward with enough dominance to make every wolf in the room submit instinctively. James's face went whit. Even Nolan dropped his gaze immediately.
"You think this is about a room?" Sebastian's voice was low and deadly, resonating with the Alpha command that made it impossible for anyone to speak. "I could give Sophie any room in this house. But you insisted it had to be Elara's room. Why? Because from the moment she walked through that door, you've all been treating her like an outsider who needs to earn her place in this pack."
His voice rose slightly, anger bleeding through, his wolf's fury making the air itself feel heavy. "That room was prepared for her eighteen years ago. It was supposed to be her sanctuary, her proof that she belongs to this pack. And you wanted to take it away because you thought she should be grateful for whatever place we gave her."
Moira opened her mouth, but Sebastian cut her off with a sharp gesture, his Alpha will crashing down like a physical barrier.
"She spent eighteen years in Shadowveil suffering. I brought her here thinking she would finally be safe, finally be loved by her pack. Instead, you've made her feel like she has to fight for every scrap of respect, like she's still an omega begging for acceptance."
Aurora stepped forward, her voice soft. "Uncle, I understand you're upset. But the children didn't mean any harm."
Sebastian's laugh was bitter, his wolf snarling beneath the sound. "No harm? You know exactly what you've been doing. Every one of you knows whether your intentions were innocent or malicious."
He turned his attention back to the room, his Alpha presence intensifying. "If you can't treat Elara like she's part of this pack, then you don't deserve to be under this roof. I won't watch my daughter's wolf be destroyed by people who are supposed to be her family."
His gaze landed on Moira. "Control your children. Teach them what it means to be pack, what it means to respect packmates. If you can't do that, I will handle it myself, and my wolf won't be as gentle as I am."
Sophie let out a small sob from behind her mother, terrified by the Alpha's rage.
James muttered something under his breath about Elara overreacting.
Before I could respond, Benedict stepped forward. "Alpha, the guards have reported visitors at the gate. Allen Hawthorne and Vera Hawthorne are requesting immediate entry. They say it's urgent."
The room went completely still. Sebastian's expression shifted from anger to confusion to dread. "They're here? Now?"
Benedict nodded. "They specifically asked to see you. They seem extremely agitated."
I felt my stomach drop. I could already see the vindication on James's face, the way Nolan straightened with barely concealed satisfaction.
Sebastian's jaw tightened. "Show them in."
When Allen and Vera entered the main hall minutes later, they looked nothing like I'd expected. Allen's face was drawn and pale, his usual commanding presence replaced by something that looked like panic. Vera's eyes were red-rimmed, and her hands were clasped so tightly her knuckles had gone white.
Sebastian stepped forward, his expression carefully neutral. "Allen, I want to apologize for what happened today. I've already spoken to Elara about her behavior. She's still adjusting to pack protocols and doesn't fully understand the implications of her actions."
But Allen cut him off, his voice urgent and desperate. "No, Sebastian, please. You don't understand. We're the ones who need to apologize. We were wrong. We were so incredibly wrong."
The room went silent. I felt my eyebrows rise despite my attempts to maintain neutrality. Beside me, I heard Aurora's sharp intake of breath.
Vera stepped forward, tears gathering in her eyes. "We treated her terribly. I intimidated her, to force her out of our home when she was only trying to help. I was cruel and dismissive."
"We need to see her," Allen said, his voice cracking. "We need to apologize to her in person. Please, Sebastian, can you arrange a meeting?"
Sebastian looked like he'd been struck. His mouth opened, closed, then opened again. Finally, he managed to speak, though his voice was rough. "Allen, Vera, I appreciate you coming here, but Elara moved out tonight."
Vera's hand flew to her mouth, her eyes going wide. "She moved out? Why?"
The accusation in her voice hit like a physical blow. I saw Sebastian flinch.
"There was a family disagreement," he said quietly, and I could hear the shame. "She felt it would be better if she had her own space."
Allen shook his head, desperate. "You have to help us contact her. This is about Sunny. We need her to know how grateful we are."
I pulled out my phone before anyone else could move. "I'll call her."
Elara answered on the second ring. "Damian?"
"Allen and Vera Hawthorne are here," I said gently. "They want to apologize to you in person. They say you saved Sunny's life."
There was a long pause. When she finally spoke, her voice was steady but tired. "I'll go to them. Tell them I'll meet them at the Emerald Pack estate."
"I'm coming with you," I said.
Another pause, then soft, "Okay."
I lowered the phone and looked at Allen and Vera. "She'll meet you at your estate. I'll drive you back and accompany her."
The relief on their faces was almost painful to witness. Allen nodded quickly, already moving toward the door. "Thank you."