Damon
I sat in the dim grand hall, my head hanging over my hunched shoulders as my thoughts spiralled in endless, dizzying circles.
My hand drifted to my cheek almost unconsciously, and my fingers brushed over skin that had mostly healed. The bruise had faded, the swelling had gone down, but every so often, my cheek would pulse with an unrelenting throbbing sensation.
It served as a constant reminder of the mont her hand had connected with my face.
The mont she had sent flying.
I could still rember the sharp and overwhelming pain. It had been the first thing I felt when I woke up on that cold stone floor, my head pounding and my jaw screaming.
I had never been hit like that before.
Not by anyone.
And certainly not by an oga.
Except she wasn’t an oga anymore.
She was a Lycan.
The word still felt surreal in my mind, like sothing out of a children’s story rather than reality.
My father had ntioned Lycans exactly twice in my entire life. Both tis in passing, as if they were nothing more than old legends that didn’t matter anymore. The whole bloodline that had been wiped out generations ago had apparently not been a myth.
I still couldn’t believe she was one.
And she had slipped right through my fingers just like that?
I clenched my jaw, anger bubbling up beneath the shock and disbelief that had taken over since the trial.
That fool had belonged to .
She had always belonged to .
If she hadn’t acted so weak and pitiful all the ti, I wouldn’t have cast her aside. If she had shown even a fraction of that strength before. If she had been anything other than the pathetic, trembling idiot she always was, she would have earned her place at my side.
And now she was doing it after leaving ?!
This was her fault.
She had left the pack. She had run away like a coward instead of staying and accepting what I had decided for her.
And now...
I leaned back in my chair, my mind churning with possibilities.
Could I bring her back?
The thought was tempting. More than tempting. If I could just get her back to Shadowpine, back under my control, I could...
But how?
She was strong. Far stronger than I had ever imagined.
I shook my head sharply, forcing the doubt away.
No.
She wasn’t that strong.
She had just caught off guard. That was all.
I hadn’t been expecting it, and she had taken advantage of my surprise. If we faced each other again, and I was prepared this ti, I could handle her.
Soone who has never trained in her whole life and had just gotten stronger the past few months could not do anything to .
Movent at the edge of the hall caught my attention, and I glanced up.
A young woman passed through the corridor just outside the open doors, her posture straight and her expression cold. She didn’t even look in my direction as she walked, her pink hair catching the light.
Supre Alpha Palisa’s daughter.
I stiffened.
She looked exactly like her mother. The resemblance was so similar to the point that it was very disturbing. The sa sharp features and that cold air of superiority that made everyone feel small.
The only difference between her and her mother was her youth and the blank, emotionless mask she wore almost constantly.
We had arrived back at Lady Palisa’s estate a few days ago, along with three other Supre Alphas. One of them had been the scary one that had given that death stare. But he had left almost imdiately after ensuring the paraters had been set.
Lady Palisa had been placed under house arrest.
It was a lighter punishnt than I had expected, and for so reason, maybe because of my injury, I had been exempted from any punishnt.
She was confined to her estate, surrounded by enchanted stones embedded at key points around the property that would alert the others if she tried to leave.
She didn’t seem bothered by it.
Neither did her daughter, who had taken charge of the household with the sa haughty confidence.
The sound of footsteps echoed through the hall, and I straightened in my seat as more wolves began to filter into the room.
I recognised several of them. They were high-ranking wolves from the Supre Alpha’s inner circle. There was also another Alpha I knew.
Then Lady Palisa entered.
Supre Alpha Palisa herself.
Her eyes swept over the gathered wolves with sharp precision before settling on .
I stiffened. Her haughty smile was gone. And with the harsh gleam of her usually dark eyes seed to flash a dangerously red colour.
’Am I seeing things?’
"Alpha Damon."
I stood quickly, inclining my head in a show of respect. "Supre Alpha."
Her gaze shifted to the others in the hall.
At the far end of the room was a large window that took over almost that whole wall, and the moonlight filtered through it to cast a haze over Lady Palisa that made her appear even more sinister than she was.
"You will search for the Lycan. You will find her, and you will drag her back here."
My pulse quickened.
This was it.
This was my chance to get her back.
Her eyes flicked to . "You will lead them."
Relief flooded through , followed imdiately by a surge of satisfaction.
I would find her.
I would bring her back.
And this ti, I wouldn’t let her go.
But as I looked at Lady Palisa’s face, sothing in her expression made my stomach twist uncomfortably.
There was a wild unhinged glare in her eyes.
"We—You can use her power," I started, not even knowing when my mouth started moving. "Her abilities could enrich the nation of Nal and—"
I had been about to ntion the mate bond and remind her that Violet had been mine when the look she gave stopped the words in my throat.
It was scalding and sharp, like she was giving a severe warning.
I swallowed hard and fell silent.
"Yes," Supre Alpha Palisa said, her voice quiet but laced with sothing that made my skin crawl. Then she suddenly added, "Take to Shadowpine."
I blinked, startled.
"I want to see where she used to live," she continued.
I stared at her, stunned.
Why would she want that?
"But... you’re under suspension," I said carefully watching my words. "The—"
"A trivial issue." She waved a dismissive hand.
Her smile was sharp.
Too sharp.
And the wild look in her eyes had grown stronger.
I felt a chill run down my spine, but I forced myself to nod.
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