Chapter 182 182
Cécile stood hidden among the trees, watching quietly, a faint smile touching her lips.
Gabrielle had never truly appeared in her dreams but Cécile knew, deep in her bones, that the girl would have wanted this foolish man to move on. Damien had endured more pain than most could bear. He deserved a chance at happiness.
A cold shiver slid down her spine as another memory resurfaced the vision she had seen.
In it, Jacqueline had left him. Her stepfather had destroyed her life, and Damien had drowned himself in endless misery afterward.
Cécile refused to let that future become reality.
But there had been another vision too.
One far gentler.
Jacqueline had been smiling softly as she watched Damien in a sunlit garden. He had been playing with a little girl no older than two who ran clumsily across the grass. The child had possessed the same olive-green eyes as his.
Cécile understood both of them more than they realized. She could sense how much pain each had endured in their lives. Their paths ahead would not be easy there would still be trials waiting for them.
But they would fight.
For each other.
Damien needed closure. No one could easily recover from watching their mate die in their arms. He loved too deeply that was his curse and that was why he had remained trapped in grief for so long.
But now things had begun to change.
Jacqueline had already built herself a quiet place inside his heart without him even realizing it.
Little by little, they would heal one another.
Damien sat alone on a barstool, lost in thought.
His mind kept drifting back to Jacqueline.
It was obvious that the two of them wanted each other. The tension between them had been impossible to ignore. Yet she knew nothing about the truth of his life. His reality remained hidden from her. She had no idea what kind of world he belonged to.
Suddenly, his ears twitched.
A faint sound had reached him.
Someone was crying.
He was on his feet instantly.
Then a sharp scream tore through the air a cry filled with agony.
Damien’s heart dropped.
His wolf erupted in restless fury inside him as he bolted toward Jacqueline’s room. With every step he took, her screams grew louder, more desperate. His senses sharpened instantly, his mind snapping into full alert as his heartbeat thundered in his ears.
Halfway down the corridor, he caught sight of Dominique rushing in the same direction.
But Damien reached the door first.
He burst into the room.
It was empty.
His stomach twisted violently as the metallic scent of blood hit his nose.
Without hesitation he ran straight into the bathroom and what he saw there froze the blood in his veins.
Jacqueline stood before the sink.
Her arm was streaked with blood.
She held a blade in her trembling hand, dragging it across her skin again and again, opening fresh cuts as crimson ran down her arm.
“D… don’t touch m-me… s-stop…” she muttered weakly, her voice shaking. Tears streamed down her face while her eyes looked distant and unfocused.
Damien lunged forward immediately.
He ripped the blade from her hand and flung it across the room.
Jacqueline let out a piercing scream.
But even without the blade she didn’t stop. Her nails clawed desperately at the open wounds on her arms.
“What the fck!” Dominique hissed from the doorway.
Damien seized both of her wrists before she could tear herself further.
“S… stop! Stop!” she cried frantically, as if fighting something no one else could see.
“Jacq… Jacq,” Damien called softly.
He held her bleeding wrists against his bare chest with one hand while his other hand rose to cradle her jaw, gently forcing her to look at him.
He barely noticed the sound of footsteps as others rushed into the room.
His entire focus was on her.
Jacqueline’s eyes were open.
But they were empty.
“She’s having a panic attack,” Sofía said as she stepped closer.
Jacqueline was wheezing badly, struggling against him as Damien slowly lowered himself to the floor with her.
“Hey… look at me,” he murmured.
But she was still trapped in whatever darkness haunted her mind. She was biting her lower lip so hard that blood began to bead there.
“JACQ!” Damien growled sharply.
She flinched violently.
Her eyes squeezed shut before opening again. She blinked at him slowly, confusion clouding her expression.
Her breathing came in ragged gasps as her chest heaved rapidly.
“H-he… he…” Her lips trembled as she looked wildly around the room.
Tears poured down her cheeks while terror filled her wide brown eyes.
“He’s not here,” Damien whispered gently, cupping her cheek.
She barely looked at him before her gaze darted around the room again.
“Baby?” he coaxed softly.
Her eyes snapped back to his.
She froze when she saw the deep sympathy in his expression.
“Charlotte, get me the first aid box,” Sofía ordered.
Only then did Jacqueline seem to realize how many people had gathered around her.
Their presence registered in her mind, but she was too shaken to search for the one face she feared most Julien’s. Instead, she ignored them all.
She had suffered a panic attack.
Because when she woke up earlier… Damien had not been beside her.
Her gaze moved slowly across the faces surrounding her.
Mr. Ruiz.
Dominique.
Alexandre.
Charlotte.
Eugénie.
Cécile.
Everyone was there.
Finally, her eyes drifted back to Damien’s olive-green ones. Sofía was kneeling right beside her, but Jacqueline barely noticed.
All she could see was the pain in Damien’s eyes.
Those eyes said everything.
Her own eyes burned as fresh tears threatened to spill, but she forced them back stubbornly.
With a sudden motion, she yanked her wrists free from his grip and struggled to stand. Damien and Sofía rose quickly as well.
He took a step toward her.
She immediately staggered backward.
Her gaze dropped to her arms covered in blood.
Now she understood why everyone was staring at her like that.
Roughly, she wiped her tears away. Blood smeared across her cheeks as she forced a brittle smile onto her face.
“I’m fine. Stop looking at me like that. I’m not a clown, duh…” she said, ending with a small laugh.
The fragile act shattered everyone’s hearts.
“Eugénie, go check on Mathieu,” Jacqueline said quietly.
The girl gave a barely noticeable nod before slipping out of the room.
Jacqueline swayed slightly.
Damien instinctively reached out and gently caught her arm but she quickly stepped away from him.
“Stop looking at me like that!” she snapped, staring down at the floor. “I’m strong. I don’t need anyone’s sympathy. Just forget whatever you saw tonight.”
The last thing she had ever wanted was for anyone to witness her broken like this.
“Jacq,” Damien said softly.
Her eyes fell to the streaks of blood staining his bare chest.
“I’m fine,” she insisted. “You all look like you’ve seen a ghost. Calm down. It was just a panic attack. Don’t make it into something big…”
Her voice cracked at the end as dizziness suddenly overwhelmed her.
She tried to remain steady.
Tried to stay strong.
Tried not to collapse.
But the darkness rushed in too quickly.
Her body tipped backward.
Before she could hit the floor, strong arms wrapped around her fragile frame.
And then the world vanished.
For the first time, everyone in that room had seen the raw pain hidden behind the girl who always smiled.