Chapter 153 153
The first day was brutal chaotic, exhausting, relentless.
They divided the recruits into pairs and ordered them to spar, not to break bones, but to observe. Damien watched closely, assessing what each of them brought to the table.
It didn’t take him long to see the difference. A handful already carried themselves like fighters lean, disciplined, movements sharp with prior training. Others, however, looked completely lost, throwing clumsy punches, unsure how to defend or counter.
After sparring, Dominique pushed them into circuit training. At least there, most of them knew the basics. Muscles strained, lungs burned, but they kept going.
Then Damien took over.
Plyometrics.
By the time he was done, several recruits were already collapsing onto the ground, gasping for breath.
Good.
If they were going to survive war, stamina wasn’t optional it was everything.
Finally, Dominique called it a day. A collective sigh of relief swept through the group as the recruits retrieved their bags and trudged toward the barracks.
Damien and Dominique remained behind.
They began compiling a list separating the naturally skilled from the inexperienced, noting speed, endurance, reflexes. It was only the first day, but early impressions mattered.
“Let’s head home,” Dominique said, clapping a hand against Damien’s shoulder. “Mom made your favorite.”
Dinner time.
For some reason, the thought struck him had Jacqueline cooked tonight?
He shook his head sharply, annoyed with himself. Everything had been running smoothly since morning. Why the hell did his mind have to wander back to her?
“Fuck,” Dominique muttered, eyeing him. “What’s with the bipolar face?”
“Nothing,” Damien replied shortly. “Let’s go.”
He drove them back to the packhouse.
—
Sofía was glowing as she arranged the table, and Fernando watched his mate with unconcealed affection.
The entire meal revolved around Damien’s favorites. Meat dominated the spread he preferred almost everything centered around it. And, of course, an assortment of salads.
“Here, have more. You’ve gotten so thin,” Sofía murmured, adding another generous scoop of Russian salad to his plate.
“Thin? Damien?” Eugénie gasped, staring between her mother and brother. “Mom, are you serious? He looks like a giant.”
Charlotte smiled softly. Dominique snorted.
Sofía shot Eugénie a warning glare, but before she could scold her daughter, Fernando wrapped an arm around her waist and tugged her down onto his lap. She let out a startled gasp.
“That’s enough, doll,” he said, voice low and commanding. “Your babies are old enough to feed themselves. You’ve been in the kitchen all evening. Now sit and eat with me.”
Sofía’s eyes widened at his tone before she lightly smacked his chest in warning.
Ignoring her protest, Fernando filled a plate for her and nudged it toward her hands.
“So? How did it go?” he asked his sons.
Dominique explained the day in detail the turnout, the drills, the potential he’d seen.
They were mid-conversation when Charlotte spoke up.
“I miss Jacqueline,” she said, pouting slightly as she toyed with her food.
Damien had already warned them not to visit his place. He couldn’t risk Jacqueline discovering what they truly were.
“Jacqueline? The girl you brought home?” Sofía asked immediately, interest piqued.
“Yes, Mom,” Eugénie chimed in eagerly. “You should meet her. She’s beautiful and so talkative. She has such positive energy. You’d love her.”
Sofía smiled, but Damien felt his grip tighten around his fork. His face remained carefully neutral.
“Sounds intriguing,” Sofía mused.
“It’s not safe, Mom,” Damien said evenly, meeting her blue eyes. “I can’t have you all getting close to her. She’ll be leaving soon.”
“Don’t worry,” Sofía teased. “She won’t discover my little wolf of a son.”
Laughter rippled around the table.
Damien looked down, brooding. “I’m not a little kid, Mom.”
Sofía’s eyes widened before narrowing dangerously.
“Did you hear him, Fernando?”
“Doll” Fernando began cautiously.
Too late.
Sofía was already on her feet, hands planted on her hips.
Uh oh.
“You were this small when I gave birth to you,” she declared, holding her hands apart to demonstrate his tiny size.
“Mom, I”
“Don’t ‘Mom’ me. I don’t care how big or powerful an Alpha you become. To me, you’ll always be my little boy. Do you understand?”
Dominique, Charlotte, and Eugénie were barely containing their grins.
“Yes, Mom,” Damien muttered. “I’m your little kid. Please calm down.”
The three siblings burst into laughter.
“Of course, son. I wasn’t angry,” Sofía said smoothly, arching a brow as she reclaimed her seat beside Fernando.
Fernando, however, was sulking now that she wasn’t on his lap.
He reached to pull her back, only for her to slap his hand away.
“Fernando,” she warned.
He leaned back with a huff.
Damien couldn’t stop the small smile tugging at his lips. His parents’ love was rare deep, unwavering.
If Gabrielle were still alive, he would have loved her that way too.
If his mate had never left him.
—
Dinner ended, and everyone retired for the night.
Damien returned to his house earlier than usual. It wasn’t late. Part of him expected hoped to see Jacqueline and Mathieu waiting.
Instead, he found only Mathieu sprawled across the couch.
No sign of her.
An inexplicable heaviness settled in his chest.
Ridiculous.
Her scent lingered faintly in the air. He didn’t even need to check the kitchen to know she was upstairs in her room.
“You’re not sleeping yet?” Damien asked, shrugging off his jacket and dropping onto the couch beside the boy.
“No. Too early,” Mathieu replied casually, eyes glued to the animated movie playing on the television.
Then why is your sister already upstairs?
The question hovered on Damien’s tongue.
He didn’t ask.