Elena’s POV
The warm coffee mug felt comforting in my hands as I stepped back onto the veranda, but I froze when I saw Damien pacing near the railing, his phone pressed to his ear. His jaw was tight, and worry lines creased his forehead in a way that made my stomach drop.
"Who’s calling?" I whispered, approaching cautiously.
Damien’s head snapped toward , and he held up his hand sharply, his dark eyes flashing with urgency. He mouthed ’quiet’ and turned his attention back to the conversation, his entire body tense.
"My girlfriend? Look Marcus, I honestly have no clue where Elena might be, but I can reach out to so neighboring Alphas. Maybe soone’s heard sothing or seen her around." Damien’s voice was steady, but I caught the slight tremor underneath.
The blood in my veins turned to ice. My breath caught in my throat, and I had to grip the veranda railing to keep myself upright. Marcus was calling Damien. Marcus was looking for .
Damien kept the conversation brief, his responses clipped and natural, before finally ending the call. I released the breath I had been holding, my lungs burning from the effort.
"Did he buy it?" My voice ca out smaller than I intended.
"I think so, but Elena, you need to be extrely careful from this point forward. No mistakes." His expression was grave, and sothing in his tone made my skin crawl with unease.
"I’m so sorry, Damien. I never thought he would contact you directly." The guilt was eating at from the inside out.
"He’s systematically calling every Alpha in the region. Marcus’s convinced you’ve been kidnapped, and he believes another Alpha is behind it as so kind of retaliation against him." Damien ran his hand through his hair, clearly frustrated.
"Honestly, that scenario wouldn’t shock in the least." The bitter laugh that escaped held no humor whatsoever.
"Yeah, well, welco to Marcus’s world of making enemies." Damien’s sarcasm was sharp.
Movent below caught my attention, and I glanced down at the training grounds where several of Damien’s warriors had stopped their exercises to stare up at us, their expressions curious and speculative.
"I think your pack mbers are getting quite the show." I nodded toward the group below.
"Get your asses back to training and stop being nosy bastards!" Damien’s voice bood across the courtyard, making several of them jump before they scrambled back to their workout routines.
I couldn’t help but laugh at their startled expressions. "Do they seriously think sothing dramatic is going to happen just because they keep gawking at us?"
"They probably assu there’s so romantic tension brewing between us." Damien shrugged, but there was amusent dancing in his eyes.
"No offense intended, but I’m barely recovering from my last romantic disaster." I set my coffee down and crossed my arms, suddenly feeling exposed.
"None taken. Trust , I wouldn’t go there with you anyway. Not right now, at least." He winked playfully before heading down the veranda steps, leaving shaking my head at his audacity.
I settled back into my chair with my textbooks spread around like a protective barrier. The strangest thing was happening here, sothing I hadn’t anticipated when I first arrived at Damien’s territory seeking refuge.
These guys were treating like family. Like the annoying little sister they felt obligated to protect and tease in equal asure. It was completely unexpected, but also incredibly comforting.
I had never imagined I would connect with Damien and Gage the way I have. For the first ti in years, I felt like I had genuine friends who actually cared about my wellbeing. People who wanted around not because of my father’s position or out of fear, but simply because they enjoyed my company.
The revelation had questioning everything about my past relationships. Had those people back at Marcus’s pack ever really been my friends? Or were they just afraid to cross the head warrior’s daughter? The uncertainty gnawed at , but I was beginning to realize it didn’t matter anymore.
Here, in this place, I felt like I genuinely belonged. No one was walking on eggshells around or treating like I was fragile. They challenged , protected , and made feel valued for who I actually was.
Hours later, as the sun began to set, Damien appeared on the veranda looking determined.
"Ti for dinner, Elena. No argunts." He scooped up my textbooks before I could protest, marching them inside to the living room where he deposited them on the coffee table, well out of my reach.
"I need to study, Damien. I’m running out of ti to catch up on everything." I followed him inside, reaching for my books.
"You need food first. Gage’s orders, and mine. We’re not taking no for an answer this ti." His tone brooked no argunt.
Defeated, I slumped into a chair at the dining table and ate as quickly as possible, my mind still racing with everything I needed to accomplish. The coursework wasn’t easy, and I was already behind schedule with most of my classes.
The preliminary dical training course was going to be the biggest challenge. It was mandatory for all werewolf college students since our kind had a tendency to get into violent altercations and sustain serious injuries. The theory was that if more pack mbers knew basic dical care, fewer wolves would die waiting for professional help.
It made think about Marcus’s pack hospital and how understaffed it always seed to be. Just that one dismissive doctor who had completely ignored my injuries during my first visit there. Maybe if more people had been trained to help, things would have been different for a lot of wolves in that pack.
But that was Marcus’s problem now, not mine.
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