Damien’s POV
The quarterly reports blurred together on my computer screen. Numbers that should have ant sothing. Profit margins. Projected growth. Territory expansion.
None of it fucking mattered.
I rubbed my eyes, the ache behind them pulsing in ti with my heartbeat. Three months. Three months since Sera had walked out that door, and I still couldn’t concentrate for more than five minutes without my mind drifting to her.
*Where is she? Is she safe? Is she eating enough?*
I slamd the laptop shut harder than necessary. The sound echoed through my empty office like a gunshot.
"Alpha?"
I looked up to find Lucas standing in my doorway, concern etched across his face. When had he knocked? How long had he been standing there?
"What?" The word ca out sharper than I intended.
"Board eting in ten minutes." Lucas stepped inside, closing the door behind him. "You forgot, didn’t you?"
Had I? I glanced at my calendar. Tuesday, 2 PM. Quarterly review with the pack’s business council.
"I didn’t forget," I lied.
Lucas’s expression said he knew better, but he was kind enough not to call on it. Instead, he settled into the chair across from my desk with that easy confidence that used to irritate . Now it was just... familiar. Comforting, even.
"You look like shit," he said bluntly.
"Thanks for the pep talk."
"I’m serious, man." He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. "When’s the last ti you slept?"
My jaw clenched. "I’m okay."
"Adrian told Riley you always scream when you sleep." Lucas’s voice was gentle now.
The words hit like a physical blow. My son. My five-year-old son was listening to his father break down in the middle of the night.
"I’m handling it," I said, but even I didn’t believe that anymore.
"Are you?" Lucas stood up, moving to the window that overlooked the city. "Because from where I’m standing, you’re barely functioning. You’re running the pack on autopilot. You forget etings. You snap at everyone."
Silence stretched between us like a chasm.
"I’m not falling apart," I said finally.
"Then what do you call this?" Lucas gestured at , at my office, at everything. "You co in before dawn. You leave after midnight. You barely eat. You don’t shift anymore. When’s the last ti you let Alex out for a run?"
I couldn’t rember. Weeks? Maybe longer?
"The pack needs focused," I said.
"The pack needs their Alpha to not work himself to death!" Lucas’s voice cracked.
"I’m doing my best," I whispered.
Lucas held my gaze for a long mont. Then he shook his head slowly, disappointnt radiating from every line of his body.
"You know where to find when you’re ready to stop being an asshole," he said, and walked out.
The door closed with a soft click that felt louder than any slam.
I sat there in the silence, staring at the closed door, feeling sothing crack deeper inside my chest.
---
The board eting was a blur of voices and presentations I didn’t care about. I nodded at the right tis. Made appropriate comnts. Approved budgets and rejected proposals.
All while feeling like I was drowning.
By six PM, I couldn’t take it anymore. I left early, ignoring Emma’s surprised expression as I walked past her desk without explanation.
The drive ho felt eternal. Every red light another mont to think about Sera. Every familiar landmark another reminder that she should be here, beside , complaining about traffic or telling about her day.
But she wasn’t. She’d left. The unfairness of it made my chest burn with rage and helplessness in equal asure.
Ho looked the sa as always. Grand. Beautiful. Empty.
After dinner—reheated pasta that Adrian picked at and Lily sared across her high chair—I put both kids to bed. Stories for Adrian. A bottle for Lily. The usual routine that felt anything but usual without Sera.
Alone in our bedroom, I stood by the window, staring out at the moon rising over the trees. Full and bright and mocking.
I pressed my palm against the glass, closing my eyes. Sowhere out there, she was living her life without us. Probably convinced she’d made the right choice. Probably sleeping better than I had in months.
Except...
My chest tightened suddenly. Sharp. Unexpected.
Pain lanced through like soone had driven a knife between my ribs. Not physical pain. Sothing else. Sothing deeper.
*What the hell?*
I stumbled backward from the window, my hand flying to my chest. The bond mark on my wrist burned hot, pulsing with a urgency I hadn’t felt since—
Since never. We’d never completed the mate bond. I’d never marked her. So why did it feel like my soul was being ripped in half? It feels like my mate is being hurt right now.
Another wave of pain crashed through . Worse this ti. My knees buckled, and I grabbed the edge of the bed to keep from falling.
*Sera.*
Her na tore from my lips unbidden. The connection between us—that fragile, incomplete thing—was screaming at . Warning .
Sothing was wrong.
Sothing was very, very wrong.
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