Chapter 70 70
Aurélie POV
Deep breath in.
Deep breath out.
“Stare at me like that all you want, sweetheart,” Damien says coolly, “but leaving him alive puts Dominique in even greater danger.”
“Stop calling me sweetheart,” I snarl.
Maurice steps in smoothly, clearly trying to defuse the tension crackling between Damien and me. “Where are your men?”
Damien slips the phone into his pocket, the dead man’s body still sprawled across the forest floor like discarded evidence. I deliberately turn my back to Damien as he begins rifling through the man’s pockets without an ounce of respect.
“Théo is waiting for my orders,” I reply stiffly. “They’re positioned near the pub.”
“Alright,” Maurice exhales. “Let’s move. Damien what exactly are you doing?” He rolls his eyes, the sigh that follows heavy with impatience.
“Looking for answers,” Damien mutters. “I’ve got his phone. The caller hung up, but that’s fine my men will crack it. Whoever made that call is going to regret it.”
“The pub,” Maurice presses firmly. “That’s still our target, yes?”
Damien gives a sharp nod, decision made.
We move through the trees, sticking close to the shadows, careful not to draw attention especially from humans who would find our presence here… unsettling.
“Théo, where are you?” I reach for the mind-link.
“Behind the bus shelter,” he answers instantly. “In the graveyard.”
“They’re in the graveyard,” I whisper to Maurice at my side and Damien behind me.
We pause, reassessing. The graveyard offers excellent cover crumbling headstones, overgrown bushes, uneven ground. The pub ahead is silent. No movement. Windows covered. Nothing visible inside.
If Dominique were older, I could mind-link him. I could tell him I’m close. That I’m here. That I’m not leaving without him.
I’m coming, my darling, I pray silently. Moon Goddess, wrap him in your protection until I can hold him again. Please bring my son back to me.
We approach the graveyard cautiously, finding Théo and Lucas crouched behind a section of the church that gives them a clear view of the pub.
“How many inside?” Damien asks, lowering himself between them.
“We’re not completely sure,” Lucas answers, glancing at Théo. “But at least two.”
“What’s the best way in?” I ask.
All four men turn to look at me.
“What?” I whisper irritably.
“You can’t be serious,” Damien growls.
“I am deadly serious,” I snap, lifting my chin. “I’m going in.”
“No. You’re not.”
“He’s my son, Damien.”
“Don’t give me that shit, Aurélie.” His voice hardens. “Are you trained like me? No. Can you kill like me? No. You’re staying here.”
I try to rise, but his hands press down on my shoulders.
“Get your hands off me,” I hiss, barely containing a roar.
He drags in a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
“Your need to save him could get him killed,” he says tightly. “And you too. I swear to you I will get him out. Alive. Unharmed.”
His hands are still there, but no longer restraining. Just resting. Anchoring.
His eyes search mine, stripping me bare. He’s asking me to trust him. Not as an Alpha King. Not as my husband. But as Dominique’s father.
My wolf fights me, urging me to let him do this. To believe in him.
“Just…” I exhale, my voice cracking, “don’t kill anyone unnecessarily.”
Damien nods once.
“Lucas, take the back. I’ll go in through the front.”
“I can help,” Maurice offers.
Damien shakes his head. “I appreciate everything you’ve done but I need full mind-link communication with Lucas. Any noise could spook them. Fear makes people reckless.”
Damien POV
Aurélie takes a step forward, instinct dragging her after me, and I have to remind her again that she’s staying behind.
She wouldn’t be able to stop herself once she sees Dominique. Goddess knows what condition he’s in. Where they’re holding him. Whether he’s even conscious.
As much as it hurts her, she has to stay back if we’re going to get him out alive.
And beneath it all, that ache in my chest returns.
The same fear that never really left.
What if she gets hurt again?
I don’t think I’d survive it.
Not this time.