Chapter 286 286
Damien POV
It doesn’t take long to assemble a team capable of descending on the Black Mist pack’s so-called secret meeting. Alpha Jérôme will regret the day he decided to cross me and my mate.
The plan is simple: establish ourselves near the pack borders, conduct full surveillance, then move in. I want photographs. Documentation. Every single individual who attends that meeting recorded and accounted for. Because the moment we arrive, they’ll scatter tails tucked, scrambling to escape.
“Have you contacted the rogue we let go?” I mind-link Lucas carefully. He’s seated behind me in the car one that also happens to contain my wife and her beta.
“Yes, Alpha. I told him to head that way. I offered to get him fake ID, but he texted back saying he didn’t need it. Said it wouldn’t be a problem.”
“He’s a cocky little shit, isn’t he?” I send back.
Cocky, yes. Little? No.
There’s something about him that unsettles my wolf. I can’t quite name it, but the feeling crawls under my skin something off, almost… unworldly.
“You could say that,” Lucas replies. “Is it wrong that I find myself secretly rooting for him?” He laughs, then abruptly stops when Aurélie turns and fixes him with a sharp glare.
“I thought we agreed no mind-linking?” she snaps, her scowl shifting from Lucas to me in the driver’s seat.
“No,” I answer calmly. “You agreed that you and Fabrice wouldn’t mind-link. I made no such promise.”
“Damien…” She sighs, frustration heavy in her voice.
I don’t care. I enjoy teasing her.
“I can drop you off here if you like,” I add casually, arching an eyebrow. “Your warriors can take you back to Darkvale.”
Truthfully, it’s not the worst idea. Maybe bringing her was a mistake.
“Dick,” she mutters, folding her arms and turning to stare out the window.
Her hormones are all over the place lately but apparently I’m not allowed to say that. Or suggest that the second box of chocolates she devoured last night might be because the baby wanted them. Apparently babies don’t crave chocolate, and I’m a complete asshole for even suggesting it.
“As if I would,” I murmur softly, reaching for her hand. I lift it to my lips, kissing the back of it, then keep it clasped in mine as I drive.
No. Of course I wouldn’t leave her behind.
I don’t like Aurélie being here present for this raid, this confrontation. My wolf is relentless, urging me to change my mind, to shield her, to protect her and our unborn child at all costs. But what choice do I have?
She’s an Alpha. She commands warriors. She has every right to stand here beside me.
So I’ll keep her close. She’s my everything, and I know deep down that she’s safest with me. Even if we’re about to walk straight toward the gates of hell.
We stop roughly two miles from the Black Mist pack grounds and establish our surveillance zone. Drones are launched, silent shadows in the sky, while our team uses high-powered optics to observe and photograph every Alpha arriving.
I want proof. Because later, they’ll deny it. They always do.
Once the meeting is underway, I’ll give the order. We’ll storm in and catch them red-handed.
Some will try to flee which is exactly why I want their faces captured. I need evidence solid enough to bury these bastards when the time comes.
Jérôme was one of my father’s strongest supporters. If anyone knows his whereabouts, it’s him. The fact that this meeting is being hosted on his pack lands tells me everything I need to know.
He doesn’t just know where my father is.
He’s willing to follow his orders.
Orders that challenge my rule, endanger my family, and threaten to plunge a previously stable shifter community into chaos.
And that… I will not allow.