I kicked open her door so hard the wood cracked against the wall. I didn’t wait for permission. Not after what I’d just learned.
“You’ve been lying to me, Danielle!” My voice thundered, wild and sharp, the sound of betrayal tearing through my chest. The air around me practically vibrated from the force of it.
Inside, she froze — mid-step — like I’d just caught her in a crime. Maybe I had.
Her hand clutched the boy’s, Sylvester’s, the same damn child she’d made me believe was mine for the last five years.
“Damien,” she said, forcing a calm tone as if that could smooth the storm rolling through me. “What are you talking about?”
Her eyes flicked down to the boy, who had immediately ducked behind her legs like I was the monster. And maybe, to him, I was.
“You’re scaring him.”
“I don’t give a damn,” I growled, pointing directly at him. My hand trembled with the fury I was barely keeping leashed. “I want the truth. Now. Who. Is. His. Father?”
Her face went slack. “You’re his father! You know that!” she cried, desperation blooming in her voice like poison. “What’s gotten into you?”
“Liar!” I roared. My voice echoed off the walls as I stalked toward her, barely restraining the urge to put a hole through the floor. “You’ve been lying to me for years. The Seer told me the truth — that child isn’t mine!”
Danielle paled. For a moment, she looked ready to collapse. “That’s not true,” she said too fast. “That witch doesn’t know what she’s talking about. Sylvester is yours!”
“Don’t insult my intelligence,” I snapped. “You think I’d stake my life, my future, my pack on the word of a liar?” I took another step forward, lowering my voice into a snarl. “You tied me to you with this boy. Used him like a leash to keep me near. Do you know what I gave up for you? For him?”
Tears welled in her eyes, but I’d seen those tears before. Weaponized. Timed.
“Damien, stop this!” she pleaded, pulling Sylvester closer to her chest like I was the villain in her twisted fairytale. “You’ve always been his father, whether you want to admit it or not!”
“No.” My voice dropped lower. Sharper. “I stayed because I thought I had a duty. I thought I owed him my protection. But now I see it. You used me. You lied to me. And I am done.”
I grabbed her arm — not to hurt her, but to end this charade — and she recoiled instantly.
“What are you doing?!” she shrieked, panic turning to rage.
“You’re leaving this pack,” I said coldly. “You and that boy. Now.”
Her mouth dropped open. “You can’t do this! This is my home! Where am I supposed to go?”
“Not. My. Problem.”
I dragged her out into the corridor, the sound of her screams echoing off the stone as pack members emerged, stunned into silence. I didn’t stop.
“Mommy, I’m scared!” Sylvester cried behind her, his small voice slicing deeper than anything else. But I didn’t stop.
At the packhouse entrance, I finally let her go. She stumbled forward, clutching the boy to her chest, sobbing now.
“You’re no longer part of this pack,” I said, each word slow, sharp, final. “You lied. You manipulated. You used an innocent child to trap me. And I will not tolerate that under my roof.”
Danielle turned slowly. Her eyes were no longer sad — they burned.
“You’re a disgusting man,” she spat. “Is this about her? About Felicia? You saw her at the festival, didn’t you? That’s why you’re doing this!”
I didn’t answer. I didn’t need to. My silence said enough.
“That witch!” she screamed, her voice unhinged. “She’s poisoned you!”
“Don’t you dare speak her name,” I snarled, my voice ripping through the air like thunder. “This isn’t about Felicia. This is about you. And the truth.”
Danielle’s tears fell freely now, but her lips curled into something cruel. “You think you can just throw me away like none of this mattered?” she hissed. “If I can’t have you, Damien, no one else can.”
Her threat clung to the air like smoke.
She turned and walked away, dragging Sylvester with her as the hall filled with silence. The pack parted like shadows around her, whispering, judging.
I stood there, unmoving, watching her vanish.
No more lies. No more chains.
I was free.
And now, I could finally go after what — who — truly mattered.