Chapter 102 102
Damien POV
Before we stepped out of the office, Aurélie smoothed down her dusky pink silk blouse and adjusted her light grey pencil skirt, the movement unconscious, practiced.
Fuck.
The thought hit me hard and uninvited how badly I wanted to lift that skirt, to pull her closer and taste her, just to know if she was as sweet as she smelled. Her scent cherry blossom threaded with salt wrapped around me, intoxicating, sending sharp tingles up my arms as I held her hands in mine.
She was a temptress.
And the cruelest part?
She had no idea.
When we joined the others, I didn’t miss the knowing smirks Lucas and Maurice threw my way.
All okay, Alpha? Lucas’s voice murmured through the mind-link, amused.
Yes. Let’s get to work, I replied calmly, locking everything else away.
“Can I show you my bedroom now?”
Dominique’s small hand slipped into mine, already tugging, determined to drag me off in the opposite direction.
“Dominique, not now,” Aurélie said firmly, shooting him a pointed look. “We’re giving our guests a tour of the pack.”
“Can I come?” He turned those hopeful eyes up at her, the kind no one ever truly resisted.
“Oooh, me too!” Delphine chimed in, bouncing on her heels.
“Delphine,” Dominique snapped, affronted. “When have you ever been interested in pack things?”
“I always have!” she insisted, stamping her foot and sticking her tongue out at him before turning to Aurélie. “Mummy, tell Dominique I’ve always been interested in pack things.”
Bloody hell.
Was this what being a parent looked like?
“Delphine, you won’t even be Alpha, so why do you care?” Dominique declared. “I’ll be Alpha.”
I’d grown up without siblings, but even I could tell this sort of bickering was standard fare.
“Hold on there, little buddy,” Maurice cut in, clearly enjoying himself. “Your mama is Alpha. Who’s to say she won’t give the title to your sister?”
Ah. Maurice definitely had siblings.
And I’d wager he was the one who caused most of the trouble just like he enjoyed doing now.
“Because I’m the Alpha,” Dominique said stubbornly. “Not her.”
And I believed him. Completely.
“Daddy, Dominique is being mean!” Delphine wailed suddenly, clutching her oversized bunny teddy as tears spilled over. She bolted straight for Fabrice.
Aurélie’s gaze flicked to me I felt it watching my reaction as Fabrice scooped Delphine up effortlessly, pressed a kiss to her cheek, and gently wiped away her tears.
She melted instantly.
A daddy’s girl.
The sight twisted something deep in my chest. I would never measure up to him in her eyes. She would never run to me like that.
And that was on me.
My role now was simple: keep them safe. Make things right where I could.
Fabrice glanced briefly at Florence, who wore a faint frown, then his eyes shifted to me, glassing over as he slipped into a mind-link.
Before I could react, Aurélie gestured forward, her eyes refocusing. “Shall we?”
Jealousy stirred, unwelcome and sharp. I couldn’t mind-link her the way he could and the realization sat badly with me.
“I have duties at the hospital,” Fabrice said aloud moments later. “Perhaps I’ll see you there.”
He nodded to me, then crossed to Aurélie, resting a hand on her shoulder. I only saw his back, but her expression told me everything their eyes slipping into another private exchange. Whatever he said, she didn’t appreciate it.
As the tour continued, I couldn’t deny my admiration. In four years, Aurélie had transformed this place. The pack was advanced, well-organized, and heavily protected.
Still, improvements were possible.
Cameras along the outer borders would cover blind spots patrols couldn’t reach. The bramble thickets worked as natural barriers, but reinforced fencing would be a stronger deterrent.
The real challenge wasn’t identifying the weaknesses.
It was figuring out how to tell her without her hearing criticism where I meant concern.