Chapter 67 67
Aurélie POV
When Maurice and I return to the car a few moments later, I deliberately claim the front passenger seat. I’ll still have to endure Damien’s scent filling the vehicle, but at least I won’t be forced to look at him while doing it.
“Alright,” Maurice says as he pulls back onto the road. “We’re about three miles from the village now. It’s human territory, so there shouldn’t be any guards. Still, it might be smarter to hide the car and finish the rest on foot or in wolf form just to err on the side of caution.”
Damien and I both murmur our agreement.
Maurice has no idea who Dominique’s real father is, or that the man has been sitting in the same car as him for the past four hours. Still, I’m grateful for his presence. His easy warmth and constant humour soften the heavy silences between Damien and me, filling the space with something lighter, more human. I just don’t have it in me to meet his energy not right now.
He’s bold, though. I’ll give him that.
Where I would have hidden the car in a field or tucked it away in a wooded area, Maurice does the unthinkable.
He parks in a driveway.
I glance at Damien, half expecting outrage, but even he seems impressed, nodding once in approval.
“Won’t they come back?” I whisper as we step out of the car. Maurice opens the boot and pulls out a bag.
“They must be on holiday,” he replies quietly. “Look every other house still has their bins out waiting for collection. Except this one.” He pauses, then adds with a grin, “And if they do come back, the car can’t be traced to me. No Kingdom emblems.”
He smirks deliberately at Damien before grabbing my hand and tugging me toward the back garden.
“We’ll shift in the fields behind the houses,” he continues. “It’s dark. No streetlights. No one will see us.”
As we vault over a garden fence, Maurice immediately starts stripping. I turn away as he stuffs his clothes into the bag.
“Not big on nudity, huh?” he chuckles then stops short when Damien lets out a low growl.
“As her husband,” Damien snaps, “I don’t appreciate other men stripping in front of her.”
For once, I don’t bristle at his tone. If anything, I appreciate it. The possessiveness sends an unexpected flutter through my chest.
“Aurélie…” Damien says softly, resting a hand on my shoulder.
I turn just in time to see Maurice complete his shift.
A massive, deep-black alpha wolf stands where he’d been moments before fangs gleaming white, powerful and commanding. I’d expect nothing less from him.
“…Maurice and I will run ahead,” Damien continues, his voice steady and calm. “When you’re ready, shift. Put your clothes in the bag and bring it with you. We’ll wait.”
I nod, understanding, and turn away just as Damien begins to remove his own clothes.
Nudity itself doesn’t bother me.
Being naked in front of Damien does.
Memories surge unbidden him fleeing after that night, the ache he left behind. I turn my back quickly, though not before catching a glimpse of the large, winged tattoo spanning his back. His body is just as impressive as it was four years ago if anything, broader, more powerful.
Something brushes against the backs of my legs.
I look down to find Damien’s chocolate-brown wolf gazing up at me.
Compared to Maurice’s, Damien’s wolf is larger wider, heavier with authority. A creature born to rule. I know instantly that Dominique will one day be the same.
Dominique POV
I think I was in the back of the van for a few hours before it finally stopped.
They let me out, and I realize we’re inside some kind of abandoned human pub. I know it’s a pub because of the barrels stacked against the walls and the long bar stretching across the room. Théo once took Roland and me into one on the way home from a football match. I’d had an orange juice and a packet of crisps.
This place smells awful damp, stale, and soaked into beer-stained carpets.
They’ve put my bed in a small room upstairs.
Delphine would hate it here. She’d say it was haunted and insist on sleeping in my bed with me. The thought makes my chest ache. I miss Mum. I miss Delphine.
I can feel her worry through our twin bond, thick and heavy, so I push calm back toward her, again and again, trying to let her know I’m alright.
They didn’t blindfold me this time. While we were driving, they spoke to someone on speakerphone. The voice on the other end sounded angry kept swearing at them, complaining that they weren’t moving fast enough.
I hope Mum and Uncle Fabrice are close.
I hope they found the clothes I left behind at the quarry.