My office was a wreck. Papers everywhere. Books on the floor. The chair I’d thrown lay in pieces against the far wall. The only thing still standing was me — barely.
I stood there, breathing hard, fists clenched so tightly I could feel the bones grind.
She moved in with him.
Felicia. My mate. The mother of my sons.
She moved into Lucien’s packhouse.
The words echoed again and again, each one sharper than the last. It felt like betrayal, even though I knew — deep down — I had no right to call it that. But the rage didn’t care about reason. It burned through me anyway.
Behind me, the door opened, and Xavier stepped in. Calm. Controlled. Always the voice of logic when I wanted blood.
“Damien, you need to calm down,” he said, arms crossed, eyes sweeping over the chaos like it didn’t faze him.
“Calm down?” I turned to him, my voice already a growl. “She fucking moved in with Lucien! How the hell am I supposed to calm down?”
Xavier didn’t flinch. He just sighed and rubbed his temples like he had a headache coming. “I get it, man. I do. But tearing apart your office won’t solve anything. You need a plan. Not a tantrum.”
That did it.
I slammed my fist down on the desk, the wood cracking under the blow. “I don’t need a plan,” I spat. “I need to get my sons back! And her—”
I stopped myself, but it was too late. The words hung in the air, raw and ragged.
Xavier’s eyes narrowed. “That woman…”
My jaw clenched. “I’ll make her regret this,” I muttered.
“You’re not thinking clearly,” he said, his voice low but firm. “You don’t even know why she went to Lucien’s pack.”
“I don’t care why!” I barked, pacing again. “He has no right to take what’s mine. My sons. My mate.”
I stopped mid-stride, my breath coming fast.
“She thinks she can run,” I hissed. “But I won’t let her.”
“She’s not yours anymore,” Xavier said softly. “She made her choice, Damien.”
“Talking won’t fix this!” I snapped. “You think she’ll listen? After everything? You saw the way she looked at me at the festival. Like I was a stranger. Like he was safer than I ever was.”
Xavier was quiet. Then, “You’re letting your jealousy blind you.”
I didn’t respond. My heart was pounding too loudly. My head throbbed with images of Lucien handing my sons flowers, standing beside her, getting that smile I’d been begging to see again for years.
“If you storm in there without thinking,” Xavier continued, “you’ll just drive her further away.”
I stared at him, chest heaving.
I hated that he was right.
And still, all I could think about was that she didn’t trust me — but she trusted him. That twisted the knife deeper than anything else.
I raked a hand through my hair and let out a harsh breath. “She’ll regret this,” I said under my breath. “I’ll make her see that I’m the only one who can protect her.”
Xavier didn’t say anything at first. Then he stepped forward, looked me in the eye.
“You need to decide what matters more,” he said. “Your pride… or Felicia and the boys.”
And that question hung there, like the last thing standing between me and the edge of something I couldn’t undo.
***
The scream ripped out of me before I even realized it was mine.
It echoed through the halls of the Crescent Moon Packhouse, sharp and primal. I heard footsteps skitter to a halt outside my office. Doors cracked open, only to slam shut again. They knew better than to enter.
I stood in the center of the room, fists clenched so tightly I could feel the bones grind. My vision blurred around the edges, all of it tinted red.
“They what?” I growled, staring down the trembling messenger in front of me.
He swallowed hard. “They’ve officially been claimed as members of the Silverstone Pack,” he said. “Lucien announced it last night. During a dinner party.”
I couldn’t even process the words before my fist connected with the wall. Wood splintered, the crack loud and ugly. “That bastard,” I hissed, dragging a hand down my face as I turned in a tight circle, pacing like a caged animal.
Lucien. Always calm. Always two steps ahead. And now he’d done it — he’d made it official. He staked his claim on mysons. On my mate. Announced it like it was a toast over wine.
I had done nothing to stop him.
Xavier leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. He didn’t speak. He never did when I was like this — not right away. He knew there was no room for reason when I was fire.
“I’m going to find her,” I snarled, raking my fingers through my hair. “I’m going to talk to her. And I’m going to deal with Lucien. He doesn’t get to take what’s mine.”
“Damien,” Xavier finally said, calm but firm, “you just kicked Danielle out. And now you’re going to storm into another Alpha’s territory uninvited? Do you even hear yourself?”
I spun toward him. “Reckless?” I snapped. “You think this is reckless? Reckless is letting Lucien wrap his claws around Felicia and my sons while I sit here doing nothing.”
He didn’t argue. He just sighed. “Try not to start a war.”
But I was already moving. Already grabbing my jacket, throwing open the door. I didn’t care about protocol. Or territory. Or alliances. She mattered. They mattered.
I had wasted too much time already.
The drive was a blur — nothing but the growl of the engine and the thunder in my skull. When I crossed the threshold into what used to be Orion’s territory, the change hit me instantly.
Wolves everywhere. Not in formation. Not patrolling.
Guarding.
Their eyes tracked me like weapons. Tense. Ready.
Something was wrong.
I slammed the car door shut and stalked toward them. “What’s going on?” I demanded.
A thickset wolf turned, his face grim. “Rogue attack,” he said. “We’re securing the grounds.”
My gut twisted. “I need to speak with Orion. Now.”
The guards exchanged looks. Then one stepped forward, blocking my path.
“Unless you know how to visit him in the afterlife, that won’t be possible.”
I froze.
“What the hell are you talking about?” My voice was lower now. Sharper.
The guard straightened. “Orion didn’t survive. He’s dead.”