Chapter 224 224
Aurélie POV
“I don’t even understand why he’s still here,” Damien mutters.
“He’s trying to help. Don’t be so ungrateful,” I scold softly, brushing my fingers through his hair and pushing it away from his face. It’s grown noticeably longer over the past few weeks.
“I’m not ungrateful, sweetheart,” he says, voice low. “He has his own pack to lead.”
“And I’m sure they’re managing just fine. Maurice wouldn’t stay away this long if he thought they were in danger. He’s being a good friend… he’s supporting us,” I reply gently, reminding him of the truth whether he wants to hear it or not.
“Hhmm.”
I narrow my eyes. “And what exactly does hhmm mean?”
“It means my sexy, naked, sex-addicted mate”
“Excuse me? I am not addicted.”
“Oh yeah?” His lips curve into a knowing smile. “Then why, ever since I marked you, have you been following me everywhere? Nesting, are we?”
“You make it sound like you don’t want me around,” I say, arching a brow.
“Let’s not forget whose pack we’re in,” he murmurs, leaning in to kiss my bare shoulder.
“Only because you insisted on leaving,” I counter, kissing a slow trail down his chest as I speak, my lips brushing skin all the way to his abs. “Claiming my IT wasn’t up to your… standards.”
He wasn’t wrong. I was nesting. My wolf had turned into a lovesick shadow, unwilling to let him out of my sight.
We’d returned to the Bloodnight pack two weeks after I was discharged from the hospital. I felt fine strong, even but Damien refused to leave me alone for more than a heartbeat, and Fabrice had been watching me just as closely.
Damien’s protectiveness came from having marked me, from the instincts of a newly bonded mate.
Fabrice’s concern ran deeper he was still convinced I’d struggle during my next heat after being bitten by an alpha. Not just any alpha.
An Alpha King.
The moment I was cleared to leave the hospital, Damien was eager to return and resume the search for the missing girl before his father found her first. Maurice had offered to help without hesitation, yet Damien had been nothing short of difficult about it. I still didn’t understand why he was being such a dick.
I’d asked Fabrice to stay behind and manage the pack as my Beta while I was away, but he and Florence had insisted on coming with us. That left Théo in charge while caring for a newborn. The guilt sat heavy in my chest, and I had no intention of being gone for long.
Dominique and Delphine had also refused to leave Damien’s side. Watching the bond between them grow warmed something deep inside me. Damien had already begun training Dominique just thirty minutes a day focused solely on teaching him control, especially in moments of extreme stress.
Damien had even given Fabrice and Florence one of the guest houses, insisting it was theirs now, a place they could call home whenever they wished.
He’s subtle, my mate. His generosity toward them was genuine, but the fact that I was currently naked in his bed, straddling him, made me suspect a hidden motive. The children were with Fabrice and Florence for the afternoon, which meant it was already past five and we’d been tangled together since midday.
It was perfect. Truly perfect.
Still… my stomach growled. I was starting to get hungry.
“I’ve been thinking,” Damien says suddenly, shifting the conversation entirely. “A winter ceremony.”
“Winter?” I blink, pulling back slightly. It was still late summer, and the thought of waiting that long to complete our bond made my chest ache.
“It gives us time to plan properly. To notify the packs. To strengthen security,” he explains. “Two alliances becoming one… we need to be ready for the political fallout.”
“Which is exactly why I think we should visit each pack ourselves,” I say firmly. “Let them see us together. Let them see our love for what?” I stop when I catch the smug curve of his mouth, my words faltering under his gaze.
“Nothing,” he says, shaking his head, though the satisfaction on his face is unmistakable.
“Like I was saying,” I rush on, trying to recover from my slip. “I just think it would mean more if mmm…”
The rest of my argument dissolves as he captures my mark with his mouth, pleasure exploding through me in sharp, electric waves. Every nerve lights up, my body responding instantly, completely, as my resolve melts away in his arms.