Chapter 61 61
Aurélie POV
Stay calm. He isn’t hurting her… he’s entitled to get to know his own daughter.
My wolf’s voice is steady, grounding, trying to stop me from starting yet another argument.
“What’s all this, young lady?” I ask as I step into the kitchen, an amused smile already on my face.
“Sorry, Mummy, I was hungry.” She giggles, clapping a hand over her mouth as if she’s been caught doing something terribly naughty.
I move farther inside, pulling a glass from the cabinet before opening the fridge. I pour her a small glass of milk, deliberately pretending not to hear the hushed whispers floating between them.
Taking my seat at the table opposite them, I slide the glass toward her.
Damien is different with Delphine. Softer. Gentler. It’s a side of him I’ve never witnessed before, and the sight of it both unsettles and warms me.
“What are you two whispering about?” I ask, genuinely curious.
“I was telling Alpha Damien about the time Dominique threw a stone at your office window.”
I smile at the memory. He denied it outright flat-out refused to admit it had been him. He still does.
“So it was him?” I smirk, finally receiving the confirmation I’d always known was true.
“It was an accident, Mummy!” she blurts, slapping her hand over her mouth, eyes wide with horror at having betrayed his secret.
“Can I tell you a secret?” I lean forward, lowering my voice conspiratorially.
“What, Mummy?” She drops her hand, hanging on to every word.
“A mother always knows.” I smile but the moment is bittersweet. My heart aches with the absence of him. That constant pull on my soul never truly fades; it only quiets when I keep myself busy.
Our gazes meet, and I frown as her bottom lip trembles.
“I’ll get him back. I promise.” I reach for her hand, squeezing it tightly. Their twin bond is rare powerful and fear coils in my chest at the thought that she’s beginning to worry.
“Is he okay?” I ask, catching the brief, strange look Damien gives me.
“He’s tired… and alone, Mummy.” She breaks then, sobbing into her oversized bunny teddy as she leans against Damien’s arm.
For a moment, I think he might pull awayun comfortable with her closeness but instead, he surprises me. He lifts his arm and wraps it around her, holding her gently, offering comfort without hesitation.
“We will get him back,” he says quietly.
“Don’t worry. Any day now.”
Dominique POV
Something has changed.
The men guarding me are restless tonightmoving more than they usually do.
I miss Mummy and Delphine. I even miss Uncle Fabrice. It’s cold inside this old metal unit. There’s a small bed shoved into one corner and a few plain wooden toys, but that’s all I have.
If I need the toilet, I have to ask for an escort. I hate going at night. They’re tired then, irritable. They growl if I take too long or stumble on the way back.
It’s dark maybe not for them, with their wolves’ night vision but I don’t have that yet.
Still, a faint voice slips into my mind sometimes, especially at night. I know it’s my wolf, reminding me I’m not alone. Telling me that Mum will come for me. That she’ll rescue me.
I try to be brave for her. But the sounds at night can be frightening, and sleep doesn’t come easily until dawn breaks. The birds help better than the owls hooting in the darkness.
I remind myself that I’m the son of an Alpha. One day, I’ll be the most feared creature alive. Then the night animals will be scared of me.
I have to remember that.
Guilt gnaws at me for wanting to go to the cinema, for being bossy with Mum. I should have waited. If I had, she might be here with me now… or worse, dead, like the warriors in the car.
Voices sound outside. The door unlocks and swings open.
A tall, skinny man steps in, followed by a short, fat one. They aren’t part of a pack. They can’t mind-link like Mum and Uncle Fabrice do.
That means I hear almost everything they say and I pretend not to listen.
“Come on, young master. We’re moving locations.” The skinny man gathers my wooden toys while the fat one grumbles, clearly irritated by the change in plans. He lifts my bed, hauling it out of the unit, then turns back to sneer at me.
“Where are we going?” I ask the kinder of the two.
“We’re going on a little adventure…” he says, trying to make it sound like a fairy tale.
His audience might be Delphine.
Not me.
“I’m four not a silly little girl,” I scoff. Are they scared of being found? Is Mum close?
“Ha. He’s an Alpha’s son, alright,” the fat man snorts from outside, struggling to shove the bed into the back of a van.
I certainly am.
What they’ve failed to realise is that none of them have worn masks. None have tried to hide their voices. I’ve never been blindfolded not once.
I’ll remember their faces. Their voices.
And one day, when I am the Alpha of the Darkvale pack, I will come for them.
And I will have my revenge.