Chapter 173 173
“Tomorrow we’ll need to finalize the cut-out list,” Damien said, his voice deep and steady.
Dominique and Alexandre both nodded in agreement.
“So many beautiful faces tonight,” Dominique remarked with a crooked grin, his eyes lingering shamelessly on several she-wolves who were openly sending him sultry looks.
“Did you notice her tonight?” Alexandre asked casually while taking a slow sip of his drink.
“Who?” Dominique replied distractedly.
Alexandre subtly tilted his head in a certain direction. Dominique followed the gesture, and the moment his gaze landed there, a smirk spread across his face.
“Well, now that is a sight for sore eyes,” Dominique murmured to Alexandre, completely ignoring Damien’s rigid posture and the way his jaw had tightened as he fought to remain composed.
Damien had caught her scent the moment she stepped inside the manor.
His eyes had instinctively shifted toward the entrance and then he had gone completely still.
Jacqueline walked into the hall like a quiet storm.
Her long legs were on display. The dress wasn’t particularly short, yet to Damien it felt far too revealing. The fabric hugged her curves, molding itself around the fullness of her chest. He was irrationally grateful that the dress covered the cups of her breasts completely without revealing her cleavage but that small mercy didn’t make the rest of the outfit any easier to tolerate.
Her shoulders were bare.
Her collarbones on display.
And because she had pinned her hair up, her long, elegant neck smooth and pale was completely visible.
He hated it.
Not because she looked bad.
Because she looked too good.
He didn’t want other men looking at her the way he did.
Everything had been manageable until his sisters made the unforgivable mistake of leaving her alone.
That had been a terrible idea.
Damien’s eyes swept across the room, and he quickly noticed the attention she was drawing. At least four unmated wolves had already locked onto her like predators circling prey.
They were watching.
Waiting.
Preparing to make their move.
Fine.
Let them try.
He downed the rest of his drink in one harsh swallow, like it was a shot of something far stronger. His gaze dropped briefly to the table as his brows furrowed, his tongue pressing against the inside of his cheek.
Then he looked back at Jacqueline.
She walked toward a couch placed near the corner of the hall and sat down.
A quiet, secluded spot.
Perfect for opportunists.
The first man approached her a lean fellow with a goatee.
Damien was already seconds away from stalking across the room when Jacqueline said something calmly. The man’s expression soured instantly before he turned and walked away.
Good girl, his wolf murmured approvingly.
Damien shoved the beast back down.
Then another man approached.
God help him.
This second man sat beside her, and Damien immediately recognized him as one of the pack’s stronger warriors.
The man said something.
Damien expected Jacqueline to dismiss him just like she had the first.
Instead
She laughed.
For a split second, Damien found himself lost in the brightness of her smile.
Then his wolf erupted.
He made her smile.
The beast snarled viciously inside his mind, lunging forward.
Damien forced it back with effort.
Now they were laughing together.
What the hell was so funny?
Damien rolled his shoulders, trying to ease the tight tension racing through his body like electricity.
If he broke that man’s arms right now, what would the odds be?
The entire pack would probably think their Alpha had lost his mind.
And the younger wolves would definitely plaster it all over their social media by morning.
“I suggest you claim what’s yours,” Alexandre said evenly beside him. “Before someone else snatches her right out from under your nose.”
“She isn’t mine,” Damien replied through clenched teeth, finally tearing his gaze away from her.
His wolf recoiled angrily at the words.
“Then you wouldn’t mind if I pursued her?” Dominique asked with surprising seriousness.
Damien’s control slipped.
His wolf surged forward, and for a brief moment his eyes flashed gold.
The sudden, violent urge to punch Dominique in the face nearly overwhelmed him.
“She’s human,” Damien bit out.
A pathetic excuse.
And he knew it.
“Shit,” Alexandre suddenly hissed.
All three men looked in the direction of his stare.
And Damien felt like molten lava was about to erupt through his veins.
“I’m Rafael. Rafael Acevedo,” the man beside Jacqueline introduced himself.
He looked around Damien’s age.
For some reason, that irritated Damien even more.
“I’m Jacqueline,” she replied smoothly, taking a sip from her drink.
“Beautiful name,” Rafael said warmly. “For a beautiful woman.”
He leaned slightly closer so he was facing her fully.
Jacqueline crossed one leg over the other and leaned back casually, a playful smirk touching her lips.
“I know,” she replied.
Her sass made Rafael grin.
“You’re new here,” he observed.
Jacqueline sighed softly.
Was it really that obvious?
“Yeah,” she admitted. “Just visiting a friend.”
Rafael nodded thoughtfully.
“What about you?” she asked.
Anything was better than sitting there bored.
“I’m a warrior well…” he corrected himself quickly. “I work in security.”
“Which company?” she asked curiously.
For a brief moment, Rafael looked almost alarmed.
“That’s… classified,” he said simply.
Jacqueline frowned slightly but didn’t press the matter.
“If you’re here hoping you might take me home tonight,” she added politely with a small smile, “you should probably try someone else. You’d be wasting your time with me.”
Rafael chuckled, rubbing his chin.
“Relax,” he said casually. “You looked bored sitting here alone. I figured I’d keep you company. That’s all.”
Then he stood and offered her his hand.
“I’m heading outside for some fresh air. Want to join me?”
Jacqueline stared at his extended hand for a moment.
Eugénie and Charlotte were nowhere in sight.
A little fresh air wouldn’t hurt.
She stood on her own, ignoring his offered hand.
She didn’t like being touched.
Not by anyone.
Except one person.
“Sure,” she said lightly.
Rafael simply walked forward, unfazed by her refusal, and she followed beside him.
“What’s blue and not heavy?” he asked suddenly, keeping a completely serious expression.
Jacqueline blinked.
Her mind came up blank.
“I have no idea,” she admitted.
She could already tell it was going to be a terrible joke.
“Light… blue.”
The way he delivered it with an exaggerated waggle of his brows made Jacqueline burst into laughter.
By the time they stepped into the backyard, she was still laughing, especially when Rafael started snorting at his own joke.
The night air was cool, and a gentle breeze brushed against her skin.
Her laughter died abruptly when a hand suddenly clamped around her wrist.
Before she could react, the stranger yanked her sharply away from Rafael.