Chapter 8 : Damien's

Alpha Damien’s Demands.

"He's a lunatic, Jeremy," Olivia spat, her words cutting through me like a knife. Time seemed to freeze as I struggled to process what she'd just said.

I'd fantasized about this moment, meeting my son for the first time. But I never expected Olivia to look at me like I was crazy, like I was clinging to a fantasy.

I took a step forward, my throat tightening. "Olivia..."

But she cut me off, her grip on Jeremy's hand tightening. "Stay away from us."

The words stung, but I knew I had to push through. "Simeon is not his father, I am," I declared, my voice firm.

Olivia's eyes flashed with hatred. "You don't have the right to stop me."

But before things escalated further, the air was filled with the scent of hostile wolves from the Black Thorn pack. Growls echoed through the clearing, and my pack sprang into action.

"Take your son to safety!" I barked at Olivia, my voice urgent.

For a moment, she hesitated, conflict written all over her face. Then, she clutched Jeremy to her chest and ran.

The battle was intense, but my pack fought hard. When the dust settled, I was left standing, my hands bloody. After the battle had died down bearably, my Beta, Austin, walked over to me, cleaning his blade on his sleeve as he advanced closer to me. We were standing in the clearing, surrounded by the carnage of the battle.

"This is madness, Damien," Austin said, his expression grim. "It's too much."

I knew what was coming. "Let her go," he said. "If you want to redeem yourself, you can't keep her captive."

But I wasn't holding her captive. At least, not yet. "I am not making her stay," I said stiffening up.

Austin raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you? You honestly think that if you don't let her leave, she will immediately forgive you? That she will forget everything and run back into your arms?"

I bit down hard on my lips, struggling to keep myself from choking on my raw emotion. "She hates me," I said softly.

Austin's expression softened. "But if I release her now, I will lose her forever," I lamented.

Austin sighed, dragging a hand down his face. "Maybe you already have, but you don't know yet."

His words were too pessimistic for me to take in. So, I took a deep breath and pushed my feelings away. "I need to go attend to my duties now. Bring Olivia to her mother," I commanded. "Make sure she and Jeremy are well fed and taken care of."

Austin paused, but nodded eventually. "Understood," He said, but I could still see the skepticism in his eyes. He didn't think it would end like the way I wanted it to.

I had just finished washing the blood from my hands when I was called to a meeting with the elders of the pack. When I entered the council chamber, white, wrinkled faces looked down at me from their seats. They always watched me this way, measuring and judging with their gazes. They'd been doing so ever since Brielle, my Luna, who was termed barren by all, 

had passed on without giving me a heir.

It didn't take long for the discussion to veer in a direction I had been anticipating. "The Alpha needs an heir," The chief of them all said.

I reclined in my chair and bit back a sigh. "We've had this discussion previously," I mouthed.

The elder nodded. "Those are still just words, and years have passed, and you still have no child to show forth," He added.

Another elder leaned forward. "It's time to look ahead, Alpha. You have waited too long."

"Move forward?" I repeated coldly.

The elder nodded. "Yes. We have prepared a feast where you must select a breeder."

The sound of that turned my stomach with its familiarity, like I was some sort of mindless animal. As if I was supposed to pick some woman up, shove a kid into her and that's going to make everything all right.

I stood up and pushed back from the table. "I am not choosing anyone," I hinted.

The elders exchanged uneasy glances. "We expected resistance," one of them said. "Which is why we've already dispatched invites."

My anger boiled over. "You did what?" I thundered.

The table splintered under my hands, a testament to my rage. I knew I had to get out of there, to clear my head. But one thing was certain: I wouldn’t be choosing a breeder. My heart belonged to Olivia, and I would stop at nothing to make her mine again.