Chapter 35 35
Aurélie POV
Hours earlier…
I still hadn’t replied to the Bloodnight Pack’s ridiculous demand that the Darkvale Alpha should “return” me as if I were some stolen possession. Damien could rot in hell before I ever acknowledged a contract he’d already destroyed the night he murdered my parents. The audacity was almost laughable.
Fabrice moved around the house with a careful quietness he rarely showed. He was worried about the weight I’d carried for years, about how every heartbeat of mine had pulsed with vengeance. And then, when Damien finally stood in front of me, all the fury I’d hoarded turned to ash. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t become him. I wasn’t a butcher. I wasn’t the monster he carved himself into.
One day, when my children ask about their grandparents, I want to tell them the truth without guilt staining my soul. I want to speak from a place untouched by darkness unlike Damien, whose every breath tasted of corruption.
By now I thought he would have sent men to challenge our Alpha. As a precaution, I’d kept the warriors on high alert for days border patrol doubled, shifts stretched thin. They were exhausted. We all were.
Today was the first day I dared loosen the tension choking the pack. Borders reopened. Members were free to come and go again, though still warned to stay sharp.
Dominique had been pestering me nonstop to take him to a movie at the nearest human cinema. His exact complaint echoed in my mind: “All I ever watch is princess stuff. Sometimes a boy needs action and violence.”
The movie he wanted was about superhero pets not exactly the violence he dreamed of but he was excited, and Delphine did get her way far too often. Dominique only encouraged it.
So today I’d decided to take him, to give him some much-needed one-on-one time. Warriors would accompany us, of course.
“Mum, when do we need to leave?” he asked while scribbling on a sheet of paper at the kitchen table.
“In about thirty minutes. Enough time to grab popcorn too.” I winked at him.
I hadn’t had cinema popcorn in years. Honestly, I might’ve been more excited than he was. Ninety minutes of forgetting Damien, forgetting threats, forgetting leadership. Just me and Dominique, lost in a world of animated chaos.
“Aurélie, the equipment for the antenatal unit just arrived!” Fabrice announced as he entered the kitchen. He tapped Dominique’s head affectionately on his way past.
“The delivery company needs your signature before they can leave,” he added.
We had been extremely careful with our suppliers always balancing our need for advanced medical equipment with the necessity of staying hidden from the human world.
“I’m heading out with Dominique. You can sign it, can’t you? You’ll understand the terminology better than I will.”
“Aurélie, it’s a machine. Wires and circuits. I’m a doctor, not an engineer. And I can’t approve the payment money authority is all you.” He teased, drifting behind the counter and nudging me aside to reach a drawer. His hand brushed my waist, and from Dominique came the faintest growl.
Barely audible but I heard it.
“Fine. I’ll sign. Dominique, then we’ll leave.”
“We’re going to be late…” he groaned, sounding far older than his four years. Was I sure he wasn’t already a teenager?
“We won’t be. Look, you go with a few warriors and choose the snacks. I’ll be fifteen minutes behind you.” I pulled a twenty from my pocket and waved it at him.
“Tell the men I’ll be waiting by the car. Thanks, Mum.” He snatched the note and hurried out toward the black Alpha SUV parked out front.
I mind-linked three warriors, instructing them to go ahead while I handled the delivery check.
Fabrice and I went through everything quality, seal integrity, serial numbers. Once satisfied, I approved the transfer. I’d spent years negotiating with this human company, ensuring Darkvale always got the most advanced equipment and early access to new tech. It was part of what made our pack so appealing to would-be allies, and what kept diplomatic lines open.
The only complication was always delivery. To reduce risk, I paid a retainer for the same vetted drivers screened by their company and by me. I doubted they understood who or what we really were, but as far as they knew, Darkvale existed as just another gated community.