Chapter 215 Unlikely Allies
Chapter 215: Unlikely Allies
Damon's POV
I woke to the familiar sensation of healing energy washing over me, warm and tingling like sunlight through water. For a disoriented moment, I thought I was back in my chambers, that the past days had been nothing but a fever dream.
Then the pain hit…sharp, and intense, radiating through every nerve like lightning through copper wire… and at that moment, where I was registered in my brain.
"Finally." Daphne's voice came from above me, dry with the particular brand of exasperation only healers could muster. "I was beginning to think you would sleep through the apocalypse."
I forced my eyes open. The converted war room swam into focus, though someone had thoughtfully moved me to a quieter corner away from the other wounded.
Through the window, I could see the courtyard. The Queen's abandoned war trucks sat like monuments to Selene's betrayal. Silent Dancers patrolled the perimeter with military precision. Daphne sat beside my cot, She looked exhausted, dark circles under her eyes and her normally immaculate hair pulled back in a messy bun.
"How long?" My voice came out as a rasp, my throat felt dry as desert sand.
"Three hours. Your body is shutting down, Damon. The curse is progressing faster than any of us anticipated. Combined with the severed mate bond..." She trailed off, her expression troubled.
"How much time?" I tried to sit up, gasping as pain lanced through my chest. It felt like someone had replaced my lungs with broken glass.
"Do not move." Her hand on my shoulder was surprisingly firm for someone so slight. "And to answer your question… two weeks. Maybe three if you are spectacularly lucky and follow my instructions to the letter. Which, knowing you, seems unlikely."
I have just two weeks to save my mate.
Despite everything, I almost smiled. Daphne had emerged from her seclusion like a butterfly from a particularly traumatic cocoon… I was happy that she was finally standing on her feet. Still grieving Aldrich, yes, but she was no longer looking like a zombie again.
"I need to…"
"Lie still and let me finish healing you before you do something monumentally stupid like try to stand." She pressed her hands to my chest again, and warmth flooded through me. Not enough to eliminate the pain, but enough to make it bearable. "You know, when Aldrich died, I thought my world had ended. That I would spend the rest of my life mourning what we lost."
"And now?"
"Now I realize that everyone chooses his or her path. The Aldrich I saw that day was not my husband, dead or alive. He could never believe in the queen's cause. Not to talk of being her weapon.
“Daphne…”
To me, he is dead. The same man I had mourned for years, and forgotten" Her eyes found mine, "You are dying, Damon. But Milo and your child do not have to die with you. So yes, I am going to do anything it takes to bring them back. Because that is what mates do… we fight for each other, even when one of us is too stubborn to ask for help."
Before I could respond, the door banged open.
James strode in, looking harried and worried at the same time. He stopped short when he saw me sitting up. "Oh good, you are awake. I was starting to worry you would miss your own war council."
"My what?"
"War council. Called by Selene about thirty minutes ago." James's expression was carefully neutral, but I could see the doubt written all over his voice. "She has been... efficient. Organized the defenses, interrogated the alliance Alphas, and apparently worked out a plan to rescue Milo while simultaneously holding off the Queen's army. Which sounds great except for the part where I do not trust her as far as I could throw one of those war trucks."
I managed to swing my legs off the cot, though the room swam alarmingly. "You think she is playing us."
"I think she spent five years as the Queen's perfect weapon. I think people do not just switch sides because their brother mentions a baby. And I also think it is awfully convenient that she showed up right when we were at our most vulnerable." James crossed his arms. "But you are the Alpha. If you trust her, I will follow your lead.”
He comes closer, “I just need to know…do you?"
Did I? Selene had killed Kael without hesitation. She had turned her own army against itself. She had sworn to help rescue Milo. But James was right… five years of loyalty did not evaporate overnight, no matter how compelling the reason.
"I trust that she wants the Queen dead," I said finally. "Whether that makes her our ally or just our enemy's enemy remains to be seen." I stood, gritting my teeth against the pain. "Where is this war council?"
"Main conference room. And you might want to brace yourself… Rosalie is there too."
"She stayed?" I had told her to leave. Practically ordered her to take the pack members who would follow her and get as far from this mess as possible.
James's mouth twitched. "When has Rosalie ever followed orders? She said, and I quote, 'I am not leaving until that omega is safe and that bitch Queen is dead.
Despite everything, warmth bloomed in my chest. Rosalie had every reason to hate me after what I had done to the pack. But she was still here, still fighting. Still believing in me.
We made our way through the corridors, Daphne trailing behind us with a healer's bag slung over her shoulder. The packhouse bore the scars of battle… bloodstains on the floor, shattered windows hastily boarded up. Warriors moved with purpose, carrying supplies and coordinating repairs.
The conference room was packed when we entered.
Selene stood at the head of the table, a map of the Queen's fortress spread before her. The Alliance Alphas… Theron, Chen, and the others… sat along one side, looking varying degrees of uncomfortable. Rosalie occupied the other side, her arms crossed and her expression promising violence to anyone who tested her patience. Several of Selene's Silent Dancers lined the walls, their faces impassive but their hands never far from their weapons.
The tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife.
Selene looked up as we entered. "Damon. Good, you are awake. We have much to discuss and very little time."
Rosalie's eyes locked on me, then flicked to Selene, then back. "You know, when you said your sister was complicated, you really undersold it."
"Rosalie." Selene's voice was cool, controlled. "I told you to leave. To take the vulnerable pack members and get them to safety."
"And I told you where you could shove your orders." Rosalie stood, and I was reminded why she had been one of our most formidable warriors. She was not particularly tall, but she radiated danger like a furnace radiated heat. "I do not take orders from the Queen's former commander. I do not care if you are Damon's sister, his long-lost cousin, or the moon goddess herself."