Chapter 51 51
Damien POV
Sleep refused to come.
Knowing Aurélie and my daughter were in the rooms next to mine set my nerves permanently on edge, my thoughts looping without mercy. It didn’t help that technically speaking I’d allowed enemy warriors to sleep under my roof. My Alpha King instincts were stretched tight, senses flared and ready for violence at the slightest provocation. Every creak, every shift of air had me primed to defend.
Aurélie, it seemed, was just as restless.
I caught the sound of soft footsteps on the stairs hers. No doubt she was checking on pretty boy. When I returned from my final boundary sweep, I found him sprawled at the kitchen table, fast asleep. I wasn’t about to wake him and encourage him upstairs to share a bed with Aurélie. This was my pack. My house.
And she was still my wife.
The mere thought of them together laughing, touching, fucking made my stomach twist violently.
Several minutes passed before I heard movement again. Aurélie crept back upstairs, then returned carrying Delphine. The child was still deep in sleep, her small heartbeat slow and steady. Why was she bringing her downstairs? Anxiety coiled tight in my chest. Nothing would touch them here. This should have been the safest night they’d had in years.
Eventually, exhaustion began to drag me under
and then my mind-link snapped open.
“Alpha?”
I surged upright instantly.
“What is it?” I’d instructed them to contact me about anything unusual, no matter how small. With warriors from another pack in residence, normal rules didn’t apply tonight.
“Alpha Aurélie just left. She drove out alone.”
“What?” I sat bolt upright, heart slamming into my ribs. Why would she leave now?
“Do you want us to follow her, Alpha?”
“No. Leave it to me.” I severed the link and was out of bed in a blink.
Downstairs, I found Fabrice back at the kitchen table, Delphine’s small feet resting in his lap as he slept upright. As I stepped further into the room, I noticed Delphine stretched across two chairs, arranged carefully so whoever woke first would rouse the other.
For the first time, I truly saw her.
No oversized bunny covering her face. No arms hiding her away. No one shielding her from my gaze.
She was… devastating.
White-blonde hair fell across her cheek, sticking to her skin as she snored softly. Her eyes were closed, but I already knew they were Aurélie’s eyes. She wouldn’t even realize this, but the child had my mother’s nose and mouth. A tiny, perfect button nose.
And just like Aurélie, I had no doubt Delphine would one day test my limits.
My wolf bristled viciously at the thought that she called Fabrice Daddy. Jealousy burned through me, sour and relentless. A bond formed in my absence one Aurélie had chosen to deny me.
The front door opened quietly.
Florence stepped into the dim kitchen and froze when she saw me standing there.
“Alphaa” she gasped.
“Where did she go?” I growled, irritation sharp in my voice. Florence had helped her I could feel it.
“She found an email. It told her to come alone.”
“Where is it?”
“On the laptop.”
She gestured to a closed laptop on the island. I flipped it open it wasn’t shut down, just sleeping.
Password protected.
“Damn it.” I turned sharply. “Fabrice.”
I shoved his shoulder.
“Hhhmn” he groaned, the bastard.
“Wake up.” I slapped the top of his head. That did it.
He jerked awake instantly, fumbling for his glasses.
“What’s the password?” I demanded, grabbing the laptop and pulling a chair out.
“Like I’d tell you,” he scoffed then noticed Delphine draped over him. His expression changed immediately. He looked between Florence and me, concern darkening his eyes.
“She left,” Florence explained quietly. “There was an email. Told her to come alone.”
He stared down at Delphine, his face unreadable.
“Gone where?” he snarled.
“Enough,” I snapped. “What’s the password?”
He yanked the laptop from my hands and typed it in. Moments later, his face drained of color.
I leaned over his shoulder and read the message myself.
“That’s an hour away,” I muttered. “I’ll go. See what I can find.”
I grabbed my car keys from the bowl by the island.
“Wait. I’m coming with you,” Fabrice said though he didn’t move, Delphine still sprawled across his lap.
“I’ll be faster. I’ll tell you once I catch up.”
“Wait”
“No.” I cut him off sharply. “I’m going alone.” My bitterness slipped through before I could stop it. “Your daughter’s going to want you when she wakes up.”
Four years.
Four years I’d lost. They didn’t know me. And I didn’t know them.
I slid into my sports car the fastest thing I owned and pulled out immediately. The GPS lit up as I punched in the location.
My blood went cold.
Alpha Maurice’s land.
The bastard had always been a thorn in my side but kidnapping a child? That didn’t fit. He was many things, but dishonourable wasn’t one of them. And he had no reason to target Aurélie.
If anything, he would’ve been more likely to stand with her.
Which meant something far worse was waiting at the end of that road.
And Aurélie was facing it alone.