Chapter 4

Damon:

“I don’t care whether or not she’s dead. I want her body if you have to drag it here,” my father, the pack's previous Kael Lockwood, snapped, his glare burning into me. “And I will not take any excuses as a response.”

“My men are already searching for her. They have been since she disappeared. She hasn’t shown up at her university in months. If she were still in the city, we’d have found her by now,” I retorted, my voice sharper than I intended. His eyes glared sharply at me, as if I was no longer the Alpha and he still held that title. He was my father. I respected him for that, but that did not mean that he could cross his limits. It did not mean that I was going to allow anyone to disrespect me.

Dad’s eyes darkened, and a low growl rumbled from his chest. In an instant, his hand shot out, wrapping around my neck. I stood, making sure not to do something that I was going to regret, reminding myself that the man standing in front of me was no regular pack member.

“Kael!”

Mom’s voice broke the suffocating silence, but it wasn’t enough to stop him. He growled again, silencing her. She frowned but said nothing for a few moments, as if debating on how she was to react to the situation. She never did like when the two of us argued; she always did try to stop us from doing so, but sometimes she couldn't help it. Sometimes, she chose to let it be.

“You don’t talk back to me, Damon,” he said, his grip tightening. “That girl’s family sacrificed their lives for you and your mother. The least we can do is keep her safe until she finds her mate. Do you understand me?”

His words cut deeper and sharper than any blade. If he ever found out I was her mate, the mate who rejected her, there wouldn’t even be a grave for me. The response I wanted to give was that she should have been there with them. It would have been much easier if she had been there. At least I wouldn't have to deal with this.

He released me, and I stumbled back, rubbing my neck. His cold eyes didn’t waver as he stepped toward the door, Mom at his side. She knew not to anger him when he was in that state, but I also did not like the idea of her being alone with him. Though I knew that he would not harm her, I also knew to keep her safe at all costs.

“I want her found. Alive or dead, it doesn’t matter. I want answers, Damon. Why did she leave, and where is she now? If you can’t get those answers, you’ll pay for her disappearance,” he said before walking out. He slammed the door shut behind him, causing me to pinch my nose. I wanted nothing more than to tell him off, to tell him that he shouldn't actually care about who she was or what she did, but I knew better than to do so. I knew that he held more value to her than he wanted to let out.

I collapsed onto the couch, the weight of everything pressing down on me. Sienna’s absence gnawed at me, my wolf restless and furious. Sharing a house with Lysandra only made everything worse. It only infuriated him even more.

“Damon?” Lysandra’s voice broke through my thoughts as she walked in, carrying several grocery bags.

Once, her voice was soothing, even comforting. Now it felt like nails on a chalkboard. It was more annoying to me than anything that I could describe. No matter how much I wanted to explain it to her or to myself, I just couldn't do it.

She handed the bags to a maid and approached me, setting her car keys on the table.

“When are you going to tell me what I did wrong? Could you please let me know why you are not making eye contact with me? she demanded, her tone more accusatory than pleading. “Please, Damon, let us solve it. If I did anything wrong, let us solve it.”

We’d been distant for weeks, but her growing obsession with having a child had pushed me further away. She thought she was clever, but I wasn’t blind. I knew she’d stopped taking her birth control after Sienna vanished. That was something that annoyed me, and though I asked, she chose not to respond.

“You can start by going back on birth control,” I said bluntly, my voice cold.

“It’s my body, Damon. What I do with it is my choice…”

“Then you can dream about me touching you, Lysandra,” I interrupted, glaring at her.

She flinched but didn’t back down. Instead, she sat beside me, crossing her arms.

“What happened to the family we wanted to build? You’re refusing to mark me, you won’t try for a child, and you’ve been like this ever since that little…”

“Don’t,” I growled, cutting her off. “Don’t you dare finish that sentence.”

She looked down, her defiance faltering. Taking a deep breath, I knelt in front of her, resting my head on her lap.

“I’m sorry. Dad got under my skin, and I’m taking it out on you. I shouldn’t do that,” I said, forcing the apology out.

Her fingers threaded through my hair, soothing me in a way that felt foreign now. Her touch entirely felt foreign, wrong, and forced to me.

Dad’s words echoed in my mind. Maybe finding Sienna’s body would help; at least then I could stop this endless search. But the idea of her being gone for good made my wolf claw at my chest.

“Is this about her again?” Lysandra asked, her voice softening. “Does he keep pushing you because of her?”

“Yes,” I admitted, closing my eyes. “The whole thing is starting to drive me insane. Especially since both he and Mom blame me for her leaving.”

In truth, they were right. Sienna had left because of me. I’d seen the pain in her eyes, the way it crushed her to watch me with Lysandra. Three nights after we slept together, she locked herself in her house. I’d checked on her, listening to her heartbeat to reassure myself she was alive.

“They can’t keep blaming you, Damon. She made her choice. Why is that your fault?” Lysandra said, trying to sound reasonable. “You know that you had nothing to do with the Omega leaving. She chose her path on her own.”

“I’m the Alpha. It’s my job to protect everyone in the pack. Sienna was part of this pack. Whether we like it or not, her family gave everything for us.” I said, looking at her. A truth that I wanted to deny, a truth that I loathed more than anything, as I knew that I owed her more than I would be willing to give.

“That was years ago, Damon. You and your father have done enough…”

“No amount of money will ever repay what her parents did,” I said, cutting her off sharply. It was the one moment of sympathy and humanity that I was willing to show toward Sienna.

I stood, heading toward the door to grab my keys and jacket. There was one last place I hadn’t checked, a little café she loved.

“For crying out loud, just spend one night with me, Damon. That’s all I’m asking,” Lysandra said, her voice tinged with desperation.

“I have responsibilities, Lysandra. Playing house with you won’t fix anything. My apologies, but I need to go,” I said, pulling on my jacket.

My heart ached with every step toward the door. I prayed I’d find Sienna, dead or alive, just to have closure.

“Damon…”

I turned, meeting her gaze.

“Don’t wait up for me tonight. You have things to handle in the morning,” I said before stepping out, letting the door close behind me.