Chapter 7

DAMIEN’S POV

I stood there looking down at Selene. I could feel the coldness in her tone. It was hidden right behind her empty stare. She was trying to look calm and gentle, but her eyes were cold, blank.

"I am just helping someone I once knew," I told her plainly, keeping my voice flat and even. "She is in need. That is all there is to it. It is nothing else."

Selene did not blink. She kept her fingers resting lightly against my chest, her face completely smooth.

"If that is all it is," she said, her voice still soft, slow, and dangerous, "then introduce her to me. Take me to her room right now, Damien. Let me meet this woman you are helping so kindly.”

"No," I declined immediately. I did not want her anywhere near Ava or Lucas. I took a small step back, pulling my body away from her touch. "I cannot do that right now. I have an important meeting to attend with my father, and I am already running late."

Selene did not push me. She did not raise her voice nor throw a tantrum. She just stood there in the quiet hallway and looked at me for a long  moment. Then, a slow, gentle smile appeared on her lips again, but the smile did not reach her dark eyes at all.

She stepped closer to me, standing up on tiptoes. She leaned in close and pressed a slow, soft kiss onto my cheek. Her lips felt ice cold against my warm skin.

"I trust you, Damien," she whispered softly into my ear, her warm breath brushing against my neck. "I know you do everything for a good reason. I will always support you... even if it humiliates me in front of the whole pack."

She pulled back slowly, her soft hand sliding off my shoulder with deliberate slowness.

I did not know what to say to that. I just gave her a short, dry nod, turned around, and began walking down the hall toward the Grand Hall. As I walked away, I was fully aware that she was still standing in that exact same spot. I knew her sharp, cold eyes were staring straight at my back until I turned the corner. A heavy, uncomfortable feeling stayed deep in my chest. Selene was not a woman to be played with, and I knew in my heart that she would not just let this matter go so easily.

I opened the huge, heavy wooden doors and stepped inside the Grand Hall.

My father, Alpha Victor, was already sitting at the very head of the long table. He was reading through some pack papers, his strong face looking strict. The moment he heard the loud sound of my footsteps echoing he looked up. His eyes narrowed at me with pure annoyance.

"You are late, Damien." He said, his voice loud, rough, and full of command. He did not waste a single second before criticizing me. "An Alpha must always be disciplined. Someday very soon, you will take my place and lead this entire pack. This sort of lateness is not welcomed. It shows pure weakness, and it shows a complete lack of respect for your position and your duties."

"I am sorry, Father," I said, taking my seat across from him at the table. "I had a few urgent matters to handle outside."

My father grunted loudly, waving his big hand in the air to brush my excuse away like a fly. He did not care about my excuses. Before we could even begin discussing the main pack business for the day, he leaned forward over the table. He rested his arms on the table and looked directly into my eyes.

"How fast are we pushing through the legal documents?" he asked, his tone demanding and sharp. "The legal papers to officially make Selene the Luna of this pack... are they ready yet? Are they signed?"

I froze for a split second, but I kept my face completely blank so he would not see my hesitation.

My father did not wait for me to give him an answer. He slammed his hand lightly on the table to make his point clear.

"You need to hurry up, Damien!" he barked. "Do not forget what is truly at stake here. Look at the massive power and the huge political opportunity we have right in front of our faces. If she starts to feel like you are not as ready for this marriage as she is, we will lose everything we worked for!”

I swallowed the bitter taste that suddenly filled my mouth.

I looked my father straight in his harsh eyes, and lied . "Everything is going smoothly, Father. The paperwork is being handled by the pack lawyers right now. You don't have to worry about anything."

"Good, he nodded in satisfaction. "It better be going smoothly. We cannot afford any mistakes."

He looked back down at the papers on the table and began talking about pack territory lines, border patrols, and defense plans, but I completely stopped listening to him. His voice just became background noise. My mind was somewhere else entirely.

Deep down in my heart, I hated every single bit of this. I loathed the fact that I was completely trapped. I was trapped in a political marriage with Selene, a woman I did not love. I knew I would never, ever come to love her, no matter how many years passed.