Chapter 59 59
Damien POV
“What happened?” Lucas asks quietly, turning toward me after watching Geneviève storm out of my office.
“A fucking disaster,” I snarl. “I reached the meeting point to find her half-conscious blood pouring from her head. There were handprints on her throat where the bastard had pinned her to the ground.”
The memory drags a vicious growl from my chest.
“She’s furious with me for scaring him off. Thinks I cost her information.” I rake a hand through my hair, tugging hard at the ends. “But he wasn’t there to talk. He was sent to rattle her to push her into breaking her alliance.”
“You made sure she received medical attention?” Lucas frowns, arms crossing.
“She drove straight onto Alpha Maurice’s land,” I say tightly. “And he made damn sure to enjoy pointing out her lapse in judgment.”
I exhale, still seething over the way she’d flirted with Maurice.
“When I reached the cars with an unconscious Aurélie, Maurice and several of his men were waiting. He took us directly to the hospital his doctors treated her.” I crush my cigarette into the ashtray and immediately light another. “And now I owe him.”
“Then Alpha Aurélie’s warriors should investigate the quarry,” Lucas says.
“No.” I cut him off. “My men will handle it.”
He hesitates. “Alpha… I don’t mean to overstep. I like Alpha Aurélie and Beta Fabrice but they are still our enemies. They’ve spent years building an alliance against your kingdom. Threatened war. Why help them? Especially when you haven’t even mated with your own heirs yet.”
He’s not wrong.
“If I tell you,” I say through the mind-link, “you are sworn to secrecy.”
“I understand, Alpha.”
“Aurélie was pregnant when she left this pack,” I continue. “The twins are mine.”
“What?” His eyes flash, his wolf surging forward.
“The boy Dominique. He is my son. My future Alpha King.”
“But the girl calls Fabrice Daddy.” Lucas shakes his head, disbelief etched into every line of his face.
“Don’t I fucking know it?” I roar, slamming my fist into the desk hard enough to dent the wood.
I watch his mind race, calculations firing in rapid succession.
“I’ll go to the quarry,” he says finally. “If I’m discovered, I’ll claim you sent me to verify the reported activity. If it’s nothing, you’ll be close enough to form a new plan with our warriors.”
“Very well,” I agree
Then movement outside the window catches my attention. Lucas steps closer to look down into the courtyard.
“Her warriors are assembling,” he says sharply. “Are they leaving?”
I’m already on my feet.
I stride out of the office, catching Aurélie just as she reaches the front door.
“Going somewhere?” I ask, one brow lifting.
“Yes,” she replies coolly. “We’re leaving.”
Don’t let her leave, my wolf snarls.
“A word first,” I say, gesturing toward my office.
She rolls her eyes an action that amuses me far more than it should and turns back inside. Fabrice and Théo follow closely behind her.
“I’ve instructed Lucas to check the quarry,” I begin. “If you send your men now, it will draw attention and”
“Don’t tell me how to command my warriors,” she snaps, teeth clenched.
I almost smile. I like this side of her. I like how easily I can provoke it. I could push her all day but a child’s life hangs in the balance.
“Lucas is going as a trusted tracker,” I continue evenly. “He’ll report directly to me. If he confirms Dominique is there, I’ll deploy my warriors immediately. But if you charge in now, you’ll destroy any chance of finding him.”
She stares at me, her eyes clouding as she consults her wolf.
I step closer, palms open, deliberately non-threatening. She hasn’t even changed blood still stains her shirt. I have to bite back another growl as the image of her bleeding on that warehouse floor flashes through my mind.
“I’ll go with Beta Lucas,” Théo offers. “With your permission, Alpha.”
Aurélie hesitates. Her gaze locks with his, and they slip into a private mind-link whatever they’re discussing, they clearly don’t want spoken aloud.
“I don’t have all day,” I mutter. Lucas is ready to move, and they’re wasting precious time.