CHAPTER 17

Chapter 17

Damian's POV

Violet was getting better.

I could see it in the way she sat up without wincing now, the way color had returned to her face. The poison had nearly killed her, but she was fighting back. My mate was stronger than anyone gave her credit for.

"She ate a full breakfast this morning," the healer reported during my morning visit. "And she walked to the window by herself."

Relief flooded through me. "That's good. That's really good."

The pack had rallied around her in a way that made my chest swell with pride. They brought flowers, cooked meals, sat with her when I had to handle Alpha duties. They loved her. My Luna.

Julius had been especially attentive.

My Beta had barely left the healer's house in three days. He brought Violet books, helped her with physical therapy exercises, even made sure she had fresh water every hour. I was grateful for his loyalty—to me, and to her.

I spent most of my time preparing for war.

Kian had sent a spy into my territory. She'd poisoned my mate at our mating ceremony. That was an act of war, and I intended to respond accordingly. I'd been coordinating with allied packs, reinforcing our borders, running background checks on every pack member to make sure Dora wasn't the only infiltrator.

Because something about her work bothered me.

She'd been too perfect. Her cover story was flawless, her references legitimate, her behavior beyond reproach until the moment she struck. That level of planning suggested either exceptional skill or inside help.

I'd been losing sleep over the possibility of another spy.

I was reviewing personnel files in my office when Elena knocked.

"Come in."

She entered with tea and that warm smile she always wore. "Thought you could use this. You've been working non-stop."

"Thanks." I took the cup gratefully. "Any updates from the background checks?"

"Nothing suspicious so far." Elena sat across from me, her hands folded in her lap. "But Damian, there's something I wanted to talk to you about. Nothing urgent, just... an observation."

I looked up. "What is it?"

She hesitated, biting her lip. "It's about Julius."

My body tensed immediately. "Julius? What about him?"

"Please don't misunderstand me." Elena raised her hands quickly. "I'm not accusing anyone of anything. I just... I care about you. And I've noticed something that's been bothering me."

"Spit it out, Elena."

She sighed. "Julius has been spending a lot of time with Violet. Like, a lot of time."

"He's being supportive. The whole pack has been."

"I know, and it's beautiful." Elena's voice was gentle. "But Damian, he's your Beta. You need him now more than ever with war preparations. And in the last two days alone, he's missed the allied pack conference call and skipped the weapons inventory meeting."

I frowned. "He told me he'd handle those."

"I know he did." Elena leaned forward slightly. "And I'm sure he meant to. But he's been at the healer's house almost constantly. Morning, noon, and night."

"Violet needs support while she recovers."

"Of course she does. And it's wonderful that she's getting it." Elena's expression was nothing but concern. "But here's the thing—those tasks Julius has been skipping? I've been covering them. Me and some of the other senior pack members."

My jaw tightened. I hadn't known that.

"Yesterday, he was supposed to review the new patrol routes with the border guards," Elena continued softly. "I ended up doing it because he said he needed to help Violet with her afternoon walk. This morning, he missed the supply chain meeting for the war preparations because he was reading to her."

"Reading to her?"

"In the healer's garden. For over two hours." Elena's voice was careful, measured. "Damian, I love that Violet is getting care. She deserves it after everything she's been through. But you're preparing for war. You need your Beta focused on security, on strategy, on making sure we're ready if Kian attacks."

I set down my tea, my mind working. "You think he's neglecting his duties."

"I think he's very focused on Violet's recovery. Maybe too focused." Elena stood and walked to the window. "And please understand—I'm not saying there's anything wrong with caring about our Luna. I'm just saying... you need him right now. The pack needs him. And he's prioritizing Violet's comfort over war preparations."

"Elena…"

"I know how this sounds." She turned to face me. "I know I sound critical. But Damian, we might be going to war. We might have another spy in our territory. And your second-in-command is spending hours reading poetry to Violet instead of reviewing security protocols."

My wolf stirred uneasily in my chest.

"He's taking on my responsibilities too," Elena added quietly. "I'm supposed to be coordinating Violet's care—making sure she has what she needs, organizing the pack members who want to visit. But Julius has basically taken over all of that. He decides when she eats, who gets to see her, what activities she can do."

"He's probably just being thorough."

"Maybe." Elena's voice was so gentle, so understanding. "Or maybe he's being something else. I'm not sure. All I know is that your Beta is abandoning war preparations to spend every possible moment with your recovering mate. And you should probably be aware of that. Just... as information."

She moved toward the door, then paused. "I'm sorry to bring this up. I know you have enough to worry about with Kian's threats. I just thought you should know what's been happening while you've been focused on the background checks."

After she left, I sat there staring at the personnel files.

Julius had missed critical meetings. Elena had been covering his war preparation duties. He was spending hours alone with Violet.

I trusted my Beta. I'd known him for years. He'd never given me reason to doubt his loyalty.

But Elena's words kept circling in my mind. War was coming. My Beta was reading poetry instead of preparing for battle.

I shook my head, trying to clear it. This was ridiculous. Julius was helping Violet heal. That's what pack members did.

Still, something nagged at me.

"This is stupid," I muttered, standing up. "I'm not going to let paranoia poison my relationships."

I left my office and headed for the healer's house. I'd check on Violet, see how she was doing, maybe talk to Julius about delegating some of his Luna-care duties so he could focus on war preparations.

That's all this was. A simple conversation between Alpha and Beta.

Elena fell into step beside me halfway there. "Going to see Violet?"

"Yeah."

"Mind if I come? I wanted to drop off some books I found for her."

"Sure."

We walked in silence. The healer's house came into view, warm light spilling from the windows.

I reached the door and pushed it open without knocking.

The scene before us made me freeze.

Julius was standing over Violet on the bed. She was lying face down, her back exposed, and his hands were on her shoulders. Her face was turned away from the door, her hair spread across the pillow.

They both looked up when we entered.

For a moment, nobody moved.

Julius's hands were still on her back. Violet's eyes went wide. The position, the intimacy of it, the way they'd been so focused on each other they hadn't heard us come in.

My wolf growled low in my chest.

"Damian," Julius said.

But I couldn't find words. I just stood there, staring at my Beta's hands on my mate's bare back, at how comfortable they looked together, at how neither of them had pulled away yet.

Elena's hand touched my arm gently, her voice barely a whisper.

"I'm sorry."