Chapter 133 133
Damien POV
He was a complete jackass and that alone should have made it easy to despise him. Instead, he reminded me far too much of Lucas, and that only made everything worse. I couldn’t bring myself to hate someone who carried pieces of Lucas in him.
Lucas had been at my side since we were boys. He knew the truth about my father knew things no one else ever would. In my reckless years, he had taken the blame for my mistakes more times than I could count, shielding me from the fury my father would have unleashed without hesitation.
So yes, I wanted to loathe Fabrice. I wanted to hate him with every fiber of my being.
In my mind, he was the villain the man who had stolen my wife and my children from me. But the reality was more complicated than that. He was the beta. She was the alpha. He obeyed her commands, which meant she was still the same clever, manipulative vixen she had always been and damn it, that was one of the things I loved most about her.
After training, he headed straight for the hospital, claiming he’d freshen up there before starting his morning rounds. The moment he spotted Florence walking along the path from the alpha house toward the hospital, he abruptly wrapped up our conversation, clearly eager to be elsewhere.
I returned to the alpha house only to discover I’d missed breakfast. Still, croissants and pastries had been left out for me, and someone had thoughtfully kept the coffee machine on. I carried my mug outside and found Lucas seated in the garden, laptop open. It was a perfect morning bright and warm and I couldn’t fault him for choosing to work outdoors.
I sat beside him, coffee in hand, and we turned our attention to planning.
“So,” I said, “Aurélie is keeping Theo’s whereabouts secret even from Fabrice.”
“That surprises me,” Lucas replied without looking up.
“What, that she’s hiding something this big from her beta?” I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.
“That too,” he admitted, “but mostly that she’s being so… secretive.”
Ah. He still thought she was the same woman I’d married.
“Oh no, Lucas,” I said quietly. “She’s got some kind of agenda where Theo is concerned and I plan on finding out exactly what it is.”
As I took another sip of coffee, the stillness of the house struck me.
“Where is everyone?” I asked, glancing around.
“Fabrice and Florence are at the hospital, preparing for some expected births. Miss Lambert took the kids out this morning something to do with nature learning.”
So little Alpha Dominique had forgotten our meeting. I’d be sure to tease him about that later when he was back with Aurélie and Delphine.
“And Aurélie?” I asked.
“I believe she’s upstairs,” Lucas said, clearly saving that bit for last. “Something about packing things away.”
“She’s upstairs?” I repeated.
He shrugged, already refocused on his laptop.
I counted silently to sixty before standing and heading back inside. Lucas’s chuckle followed me through the back door.
“What?” I asked through the mind-link.
“And here I thought you’d last thirty seconds.”
“Dickhead,” I growled back before cutting the link.
I took the stairs two at a time. I needed a shower but first, I needed to see her. We hadn’t really spoken since the balcony, and she had no excuse to avoid me now.
The only people in the house were me, her, and Lucas and Lucas wouldn’t be interrupting us anytime soon.
Her scent led me unerringly to what I assumed was her room. I pushed the door open just enough to see her bent over, placing clothes into the bottom drawer of her built-in wardrobe. The house was smaller than mine, but warmer more lived-in. Designed for children. For a family.
She didn’t notice me enter. I closed the door softly behind me.
Still bent over, her body was a blatant invitation. Her ass swayed gently from side to side as she moved to the music playing through her EarPods. She was only twenty-four, and you’d never guess she’d had children. Her body was flawless especially in the tight yoga leggings clinging to her curves, riding high enough to reveal the edge of her thong.
I didn’t even think.
My hand found her hips, and I pulled her back into me. She gasped, spinning around too quickly, and I barely had time to catch her as she collapsed into my arms.
Aurélie POV
I’d thought I imagined his scent but the moment strong hands gripped my hips and pulled me back, I knew I hadn’t. I turned too fast, losing my balance and falling straight into his arms.
“Where did you come from?” I gasped, his hold firm and unyielding, making it very clear I wasn’t going anywhere.
“Look around,” he murmured, his voice low and intoxicating as his breath brushed my ear. “We’re all alone, sweetheart.”
“What are you doing in here?” I whispered back. We might have been alone, but the closeness stole the air from my lungs.
Slowly never breaking eye contact he reached up and removed my EarPods, setting them on the dresser behind me. As he did, he leaned closer, his hand sliding further around my lower back, pulling me unmistakably against him.