The moment Lucien stepped out of the packhouse, the world shifted.
The courtyard, peaceful just seconds ago, cracked like ice under pressure. His broad form cast a long shadow over the earth, every step deliberate, every breath a silent warning. His eyes locked on me like a predator who’d finally spotted the threat he’d been waiting to rip apart.
The tension hit like a tidal wave. Pack warriors froze. Children stopped playing, their laughter swallowed by the thick, pulsing silence.
Then his voice—smooth, calculated, and laced with venom.
“Get the hell out of my territory.”
I turned to face him fully, squaring my shoulders, holding back the storm that had been building inside me for days. My rage simmered beneath the surface, but I didn’t let it explode. Not yet.
“I’m not here to fight,” I said, low and steady. “I just want to see my kids. And Felicia.”
The moment her name left my mouth, I saw the flicker in his expression. His jaw tightened. His nostrils flared. And then—that smirk. Arrogant. Mocking. But his eyes told the truth. They were dark, cold, and utterly humorless.
“Your kids?” he sneered. “You mean the ones you abandoned for five years?”
The words cut sharper than claws. My fists curled, nails pressing hard into my palms, but I didn’t respond—not to him. I didn’t get the chance.
The door opened behind him.
And there she was.
Felicia.
She stepped out into the sunlight, her arms crossing the moment her eyes landed on me. Her expression was carved from stone—familiar, distant, beautiful in a way that ached.
“Damien,” she said, her voice flat, tired. “What are you doing here?”
I turned to her, letting some of the heat in my chest cool. “I came to see you. To see my sons. To protect you.”
Lucien’s laugh was sharp and humorless. “They don’t need your protection, Damien. They’re safe here.”
I snapped my head back toward him, my restraint slipping. “Are they?” I asked, voice rising. “Because Felicia’s brother is dead. And somehow, you’re the one who came out of it all with the family. Doesn’t that seem just a little too perfect?”
The smile vanished from his face.
For a second, I thought he might attack.
But Felicia moved—fast—putting herself between us.
“Enough,” she said sharply, her voice cutting through both our anger. She turned to Lucien, softer now. “Please, go inside. I’ll handle this.”
He hesitated. His jaw worked, fists clenched, muscles tight with the desire to stay and finish this. “Felicia—”
“Please,” she repeated, barely above a whisper, but it shook something loose.
Lucien finally exhaled, like it physically pained him to step back. He cast one last look at me before turning around and disappearing into the house, though every step was a fight against his pride.
Now it was just me and her.
And the silence.
“You shouldn’t trust him,” I said, quieter now but no less certain.
Felicia laughed—cold, bitter. It scraped against me more than any insult. “That’s rich, coming from the man who betrayed me.”
I flinched. Just barely. But she saw it.
I rubbed a hand over my face, suddenly exhausted. “I’m sorry, alright? I am.”
She crossed her arms tighter, locking me out with every inch of her posture. “Sorry doesn’t change the nights I cried myself to sleep. It doesn’t change the years I watched them grow up without a father.”
Her words hit like hammers. I felt each one in my bones.
“I know I failed you,” I said, voice hoarse. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t deserve a chance to be here. To know them.”
Her eyes hardened. “No, Damien. You don’t. Not anymore.”
The finality in her voice made my chest cave in.
And then—
“Mommy?”
We both turned at the sound.
Danny and Max stood a few feet away, blinking up at us with wide, confused eyes. Their small bodies were stiff with uncertainty, and I knew—knew—they’d heard more than they should have.
Felicia’s whole body tensed.
“Danny, Max, go inside,” she said quickly, her voice shaking.
Danny didn’t move. “Mommy… is he really our dad?”
The question punched the air out of me. Felicia didn’t answer right away. Her breath caught, her eyes flicking to me and then back to them.
Max clutched her dress. “Mommy?”
Her voice cracked as she straightened. “Inside. Now.”