Chapter 143 143
Damien POV
“Easy,” he says, lifting a hand slightly. “I’d like some assurance first.”
“Such as?” Aurélie arches a brow at him. Her aura remains carefully restrained, deliberately muted and it’s throwing him off. Mine, on the other hand, is steadily climbing, pressing heavier into the air.
Especially when I catch the way his eyes crawl up her legs, slow and leering, like a filthy old bastard who’s forgotten where he is.
“I want out,” he says. “Which means money.”
His gaze never leaves Aurélie, and I don’t appreciate it.
“How much?” I snarl, forcing his attention onto me by sheer threat alone.
“And land,” he adds, finally glancing my way. “Enough to start a new life.”
“Don’t push it,” I hiss through clenched teeth, my hands curling into fists at my sides.
“I also want to remain anonymous,” he says smoothly.
“Then whatever you’re about to tell us had better be worth it,” Aurélie snaps, frustration blazing through her voice.
I could kiss her.
Her aura flares then controlled but unmistakable letting this piece of shit know she has no intention of being toyed with.
He reaches into his jeans pocket and pulls out a folded piece of paper, holding it out to me. On it is a figure written clearly, alongside bank account details anonymous. No name. Just numbers. An account and a sort code.
“I’ll pay it,” I say without hesitation. “You have my word.”
I don’t have my phone on me, but that doesn’t matter. My word is iron.
“The last time I heard from her,” he continues, “she was recruiting more rogues.”
“Rogues?” Aurélie asks.
“Yes rogues. Hired wolves. Muscle for sale. When you’re not pack-bound, you still have to make a living somehow.”
“And rogues actually do that?” she asks, genuinely perplexed. “Why not just work among humans?”
I know what she means. Many rogues take jobs in construction or manual labour, blending in. But some of them crave the violence. The freedom of using their wolf without restraint.
“We make money however we can, my darling.”
My lip curls. “Why are you telling us this?” I snap, anger flashing sharp and fast at the way he calls her that.
She is my Aurélie. No one else’s.
“I’m done,” he says, shrugging. “I want out. She’s gone completely fucking crazy. She was always… odd. But now? Something’s changed.”
“You’ve worked for her before?” Aurélie asks.
“Darling,” he says with a grin, “I was one of her main men.”
He winks at her.
I see Aurélie’s mind racing, her thoughts clicking into place before her lips even part. I’m too far away to stop her too far to cover her mouth, to spare her what’s coming. I already know what she’s about to ask.
“Then tell me,” she says, stepping closer to him, her breathing unsteady, her hands clenched tight at her sides. “The Darkvale pack… were you part of that?”
“Darkvale?” He tilts his head as if thinking. “Ah. Yes. The royal emblem sword that was a nice touch. I told her it was a step too far, though. Made it personal. Linked it back to her.”
He chuckles.
The sound is wrong. Casual. Amused.
I can see Aurélie tipping over the edge, the lack of remorse in his voice cutting deeper than any blade ever could.
“You helped her destroy the pack?” she breathes, venom threaded through every word.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see her body begin to tremble. I don’t want her to hear the answer. I want to lift her into my arms and get her out of here now. She’s already endured enough. Did she really need to stand face-to-face with the man who played a key role in her parents’ deaths? In the slaughter of her pack?
But he doesn’t stop. He doesn’t read the room. He doesn’t shut the fuck up.
Even Théo moves closer, tension coiling tight in his stance. How many lives did he try to save that day? How many did he lose?
“That Darkvale pack and her mate’s pack was my finest work,” the rogue says proudly.
That’s when I lose control.
Before the words have even settled, my hand is around his throat.