Chapter 148 148
Aurélie POV
“Mother?”
The word lands heavier than it should.
“Oh I thought…” My gaze drifts away from him, my brow creasing as uncertainty coils tight in my chest. I could have sworn I saw another name back then. I know I did.
“You thought what?”
His voice doesn’t harden. There’s no accusation in it only patience, quiet concern, a genuine desire to understand where my mind has gone.
He steps closer. Too close for distance to survive. His fingers lift my chin gently, thumb and forefinger guiding my face back to his. He kisses me softly, deliberately, never breaking eye contact, as though he needs me to see the truth he’s offering.
“I’m sorry if you ever thought that,” he murmurs, his head bowing slightly, frustration aimed inward at mistakes made long before now. “I haven’t done right by you, Aurélie. And I need you to believe me when I say that from this moment on, everything I do will be in the best interest of you and the children.”
I can’t answer. My voice lodges itself somewhere behind my ribs, trapped. My eyes flicker helplessly between his so earnest it hurts and his mouth. Those lips. I want them everywhere. I want him to never stop touching me.
“Come on,” he says gently. “Let’s head back to the pack. I can’t wear these much longer…”
He holds my hand the entire drive, only letting go when he has no choice to change gears and even then, he manages with one hand more often than not. His body leans subtly toward mine, every instinct in him pointing in my direction. The hairs along his skin bristle toward me, but he reins himself in, fighting the pull.
He doesn’t want to scare me away.
Not now. Not when we’ve only just begun to find our way back to each other.
He wants to mark me. I feel it deep and insistent his wolf pressing against the surface of him. My earlier actions in the woods only intensified that need, sharpened it into something raw and undeniable.
To claim what the Moon Goddess shaped for him alone.
To bind what was always meant to fit seamlessly together.
I place my free hand over his, my thumb stroking slow, soothing circles against the back of his hand. A quiet promise.
I’m not leaving.
I’m here.
And this time, I will fight for him.
She wronged us both but the moon watches patiently. Silent at night, omnipresent by day. Justice does not always rush, but it never forgets.
We arrive back at the Darkvale pack and are met by Fabrice in the courtyard. His gaze never leaves me, sharp and assessing.
Does he know?
Can he sense what I did?
More than that he looks angry. His arms cross tightly over his chest, silent disapproval radiating from him over the reckless disappearance I pulled earlier.
“Don’t be hard on her, Fabrice,” Damien says as he joins my side. “Our eyes have just been opened wider.”
His fingers lace through mine as he leads me toward the Alpha house, Fabrice following close behind.
“I’ve asked Lucas to join us,” Damien adds, his eyes returning to normal after a brief mind-link.
“What’s going on?” Fabrice asks, clearly thrown. “You didn’t find Theo?”
“We found him,” Damien answers, a low rumble vibrating in his chest. “And he wasn’t alone.”
“Alphas?” Lucas bursts into my office moments later, shutting the door behind him as we gather around the table. Fabrice and I take our usual seats, and for a heartbeat, Damien hesitates uncertain.
Where do I want him?
Opposite me? No. That feels wrong. Too distant. We need unity.
I pull out the chair beside mine and pat the seat.
His smile is slow, genuine, reaching his ocean-blue eyes as he joins me, his hand settling on my thigh with easy familiarity.
Both Fabrice and Lucas stare.
Noticing, Damien releases a warning growl low and unmistakable reminding them that they are our support, not our judges.
We tell them almost everything.
Not everything.
We explain how we found Theo with the rogue. How the rogue revealed everything without initially realizing who we were. What Geneviève planned. What she did.
And how he carried out her monstrous design.
Fabrice struggles more than Lucas. His breathing slows, controlled deep breaths through his nose, measured releases through his mouth. The anger in him is palpable.
He’s furious.
And he’s betrayed.
The future he was securing his mate bond, his family has been irreversibly altered. Helping raise children he believed were his… only to learn the truth. Her choices ripple outward like stones cast into still water, consequences stretching far beyond the moment. Perhaps for a lifetime.
My heart breaks for him.
Just as it does for Damien.
Two males ensnared in the same web of lies each paying a price neither of them deserved.