CHAPTER 25

~~~ DAMIAN ~~~

I woke up to a splitting pain in my head, wondering how the fuck I got that. My vision was blurry, no matter how hard I tried to focus. I tried to recall how I got that pain, but I couldn't come up with anything.

The more I tried to force myself to remember, the more my head hurt. My wolf should've been busy mending it, but he was silent. Awfully silent. It was unsettling to an extent.

"Damian," A voice spoke beside me, "Are you alright?" I didn't miss the cautiousness in the question. It took me a few seconds to realise it was Jules.

"My head is splitting," I growled, "What happened?" I asked. Although, talking seemed to make the pain worse, I'd rather have the answers than suffer silently.

"You were caught in an explosion while tracking a location," he explained. "I have some meds if your pain is worse," He offered, but something in his words didn't feel right.

"I don't ever resort to taking meds," I gritted, "Why isn't my wolf healing me?" I demanded, and he went reticent. By now, my vision had started to be extremely clear, and I could see that we were back in our pack, and I was currently in our pack hospital.

"Well... the injury was intense. You had lost a lot of blood, too," He explained, but I could tell he wasn't speaking the whole truth. Jules was one of my most trusted men, and he had worked with me for a long time, but ever since Isabelle, there had been a divide between us.

Isabelle….

I last remembered going to a location with Aiden and Rory. After that, everything in my memory was blank. The location was where Aiden had phoned to, and I remembered being overly optimistic about finding her there.

"Did we find Isabelle?" I asked as soon as I started remembering everything.

"Yes," He answered cautiously.

"Where's she?" I demanded, sitting up, and immediately, the pain intensified in my head, but that didn't matter now. "I need to see her.”

"Damian, calm down. It would be best if you rested," Jules said, trying to nitpick over me, but I set him straight with a glare.

"Where is Isabelle?" I growled. "What happened to her? Are you still trying to get back with her?" I demanded. So many questions floated in my head, and I felt dominated by all of them. I needed the answer to everything all at once; otherwise, it felt like I would lose my mind. I needed to see Isabelle, talk to her, and tell her how much she meant to me and how I'd forever cherish her no matter what. I'd beg her to be with me if that's what she'd ask of me.

I was ready to do anything for her.

Any fucking thing.

Jules looked more uncomfortable at my questions, making me want to rip his face off. The image of Isabelle laughing with him that night flashed before my eyes, making my heart burn with jealousy. I was willing to get rid of him if it meant I'd get to keep Isabelle to myself.

"Well... It's a long story, and no, I'm not dating her.

I never had anything going on with her. I had asked her to show me around since she seemed to be a local. That's all. Everything she told you other than that was a lie. I'd never dare to take your mate, Alpha. I know my place," Jules told me sincerely while I stared at him grimly.

Even though I was still pissed at him for finding Isabelle first, I forgave him. It wasn't his fault that he'd found her first. If anything, he had done me a favour by inviting Isabelle to the party that night.

Otherwise. I'd have never met her.

"My wolf is possessive," I told him, and he nodded in understanding.

"Serving you is the most honourable thing to me, Alpha. I'd never disrespect you or cheat you in any way. I respect Isabelle as our future Luna, and I'm looking forward to serving her," He stated firmly, his voice grim and professional. I nodded, feeling satisfied with that.

"But where's she?" I pressed, and immediately, the grim expression on his face faltered. He looked unsure, not looking me directly in the eye.

"She's sleeping," He answered curtly.

"She's here?" I asked, surprised and optimistic. He nodded reluctantly before standing up. "I'll go inform Aiden that you're awake. He can explain better," Jules muttered, leaving the room shortly before I could ask him more questions. This added to the existing uneasy feeling inside me.

After a couple of seconds, Aiden entered the room. The first thing I noticed was how tired he looked. He seemed to have aged twenty years since I was last awake. His eyes lit up gently when he saw me.

"Dam, you're awake," He spoke in relief.

"Of course I am. How long have I been out?" I asked while he sat beside me.

"Three days," He answered.

"What? I don't…”

"You hurt your head severely, brother. You were the second closest to the explosion," He told me, a dark look on his face.

"And who was the closest?" I had to ask, especially after seeing the look on his face. Before he could answer, I knew what it was going to be.

"Isabelle," He answered, defeat in his voice. My heart stopped, and I stared at him in distress. There was a strange look on his face as he stared back at me.

"I need to see her," I demanded, trying to get out of bed, but he pushed me back.

"She's unconscious," Aiden gritted. "And you need to rest too.”

"I cannot rest until I see her! I cannot even feel my wolf, Aiden!" I roared, simmering with frustration and angst. It felt like I wouldn't be at peace until I saw her myself.

"It's not only you, Aiden. My wolf has been quiet, too!" he growled back, his eyes red with angry tears. He looked like he was on the verge of breaking, making me stop for a second. He must've been taking care of everything ever since the explosion. I shouldn't have been so hard on him, but I couldn't help myself. The urge to see my mate eroded my rationality.

"What do you mean by that?" I demanded.

"We have the same mate, Dam," Aiden replied.

"Isabelle is my mate too.”