Chapter 6

DAMIEN’S POV

Ava pushed me away with all the strength she had left in her body. Her small hands hit my chest hard, shoving me back. "Get away from me!" she screamed, her eyes full of pure hatred. "Just leave! Get out!"

I didn't get angry at her. I stood my ground for a second, looking down at her pale, shaking body. She was completely exhausted from screaming at me, but the fire in her eyes was real. I knew I had pushed her too far with that kiss on her forehead, but I just could not stop myself from touching her.

Instead of arguing with her, I turned my attention to the little boy sitting on the bed. Lucas was watching us with big, nervous eyes. I walked over to the bed, bent down on one knee, and brought myself to eye level with him. I forced a soft, warm smile onto my face.

"Don't worry, little guy," I said gently to Lucas. "You and I are going to get along so well. Just give it some time."

Lucas did not answer, he just stared at me, clutching his soft blanket tightly against his chest. I reached out my hand, gently ruffling his soft, messy hair. He flinched a little, but didn't pull away either. A strange, heavy feeling hit my chest the moment my fingers touched his hair, but I pulled my hand back, stood up, and walked out of the room. I closed the heavy door softly behind me.

My Beta, Marcus was waiting for me in the hallway, standing a few feet away from the two guards. As soon as the door shut, I looked at him with a dead serious face.

"Run a full medical check-up on the boy," I ordered him in a quiet voice so Ava would not hear anything from inside. "I want a complete blood test done immediately."

Marcus nodded, but he looked at me with deep confusion written all over his face. "A blood test, Alpha? Are you checking to see if he is your son? Are you worried about that?"

Inside my mind, my wolf was pacing back and forth, scratching violently at my chest. He is ours, my wolf kept growling inside my head.

I took a deep breath to quiet my wolf and looked at Marcus.

"I already know what the answer might be," I told Marcus quietly, keeping my voice low. "I need to know for sure because I want to understand just how much Ava despises me."

Marcus frowned. "What do you mean, Alpha?"

"If Lucas ends up being my son," I explained, my voice tight with a dark pain I did not want to show, "that means Ava was pregnant with my child when I left her. It means she had to carry him, give birth to him, and raise him all alone for all these years without any help from me. That alone is more than enough reason for her to hate my guts forever. If he is my son, I broke her in a way I can never fix."

Marcus went completely quiet. He understood the weight of my words. He gave me a single, slow nod. "I will handle the medical check right away, Alpha."

"Good," I said. "I have a pack meeting to attend to right now. Keep a close eye on this room."

I turned around and began walking down the long corridor, but before I could take more than a few steps, I heard the fast sound of light footsteps echoing down the hallway behind me.

I stopped and turned around to see who was coming.

It was Selene.

The moment my eyes fell on her, I felt the entire mood in the hallway change. A heavy, uncomfortable feeling settled in my stomach. Selene was walking toward me with a bright, beautiful smile on her face. As soon as she reached me, she didn't wait for an invitation; she stepped right into my space and pulled me into a tight hug, wrapping her arms around my neck.

"Good morning, Damien," she said sweetly against my ear.

I stood there, almost frozen. I slowly raised my arms and returned the hug briefly, but my heart was not in it. I gently pulled back from her.

Selene looked up at me, her eyes bright and clear. "Are you on your way to a meeting right now?"

"Yeah," I replied, barely making a noise. I just gave her a short, dry nod.

I stood there staring at her, feeling completely lost in my own head. I couldn't even tell if I was irritated with her or not. My mind was so full of Ava’s tear-filled eyes, Ava’s bitter curses, and the feeling of Ava’s soft skin under my lips when I kissed her forehead. Having Selene stand here, acting like everything was completely normal, just felt wrong.

Selene didn't seem bothered by my cold attitude. She reached out and adjusted the tie around my neck, fixing the collar of my suit shirt with slow, careful fingers.

"Damien," she began softly, her voice smooth and gentle as her fingers adjusted my tie properly. "I heard a strange rumor this morning. Is it true that you brought your ex-girlfriend into our home yesterday without asking me first?"

I blinked, genuinely confused for a second. How did she find out so fast? News traveled way too quickly in this pack house.

I did not bother lying to her. I just gave her a simple, firm nod. "Yes. It's true."

The moment the words left my mouth, Selene didn't yell as I had expected. Instead, her hands stopped moving on my tie. Her fingers rested lightly against my chest.

She slowly looked up into my eyes. The bright smile had completely vanished from her face, replaced by a smooth, terrifying calm.

"Damien," she whispered, her calm tone sending a sudden chill down my spine. "Don't you know that is very disrespectful to me? Bringing another lady inside our home without my consent... that is not a very wise thing for you to do."