Reclaimed By The Alpha King Chapter 36

"Are you sticking to your choice, even if it brings you discomfort?" Damien asked, his voice breaking the silence as he focused on the road.

"Huh?" I blinked, caught off guard by his question. I wasn’t expecting him to ask again. Earlier, I had made it clear I wasn’t backing down. So hearing him ntion it again felt... strange.

I glanced at him briefly, then turned my eyes away, staring out the window. The city lights blurred as they passed by, and I didn’t feel like answering. We’d had our fun, twice now, but that didn’t an he could keep prying into my personal life.

"Kimberly, listen," he continued, a worried edge in his voice. "Now isn’t the ti to pick a fight with your stepmother. You should focus on finding your father first."

"I appreciate your concern, Damien," I said, keeping my eyes fixed outside. "But I’ve made my decision. If I don’t handle this now, I may never get another chance. Luna Catherine and her child have to be stopped."

Damien sighed. "But who will take over the company if sothing happens to your father? You need soone reliable to fill in the chairman’s role, don’t you think?"

"Sir Jethro, obviously!" I turned to face him, my voice firm. "He’s been loyal to my father for years. I trust him completely."

"You trust Sir Jethro?" Damien asked, raising an eyebrow as he glanced my way.

I clenched my fists. "Yes, I do! He’s the only person left in this pack who actually cares about my father and . He’ll protect the company until my father is found."

"Alright, if that’s what you think," Damien muttered, turning his eyes back to the road. "But do you really believe Sir Jethro can handle everything? The company’s a huge responsibility."

I whipped around to face him, my eyes narrowing. "I don’t care what you think. Sir Jethro is the only one I trust. So, yes, I believe he can handle it."

"Fine," Damien said, exhaling heavily. "Do what makes you happy."

I didn’t respond. There was no point in dragging this conversation on. Damien had no right to question my decisions, especially not after everything I’ve been through. He wasn’t involved in the company, nor did he know what it felt like to be in my shoes.

We reached the pack house around seven in the evening. Damien parked the car, and I quickly got out, eager to get away from the awkward tension lingering between us. But before I could head inside, Damien stepped out too and walked toward .

He took my hands, looking deep into my eyes. I could feel my heart race, but I kept my expression calm. I didn’t want him to know how much his touch affected .

"Kimberly," he said softly, "promise you’ll be careful at tomorrow’s eting. If anything goes wrong, just call , and I’ll be there to help."

I stared at him, surprised. "Call you? When did I get your number?"

"I saved it in your phone while you were in the shower earlier," he admitted with a shy smile. "Just in case you need ."

I blinked in surprise but quickly recovered. "Oh... I see."

"Please, just don’t hesitate to call if you need anything," Damien pressed, squeezing my hands gently.

I pulled my hands away, taking a step back. "Thanks, but I’ve got this. I need to head inside now."

Damien nodded, though he seed disappointed. "Alright. Take care, Kimberly."

I gave him a brief smile before turning and walking toward the front door. As I entered the house, a heavy feeling settled in my chest. I didn’t have ti for these distractions. I needed to focus on the company and finding my father.

But just as I thought I had a mont of peace, I walked straight into Luna Catherine. She was sitting on the couch, her eyes sharp as they followed my every move.

I didn’t greet her. I didn’t see the point. I tried to slip by her unnoticed, but her voice stopped cold.

"Where are you coming from?" Her tone was harsh, full of accusation.

I turned slowly, eting her gaze head-on. "I don’t think I need to explain myself to you anymore."

Her eyes widened in surprise, clearly not expecting my bold response. She had always thrived on my fear of her, but I wasn’t afraid anymore.

"What did you say?" Luna Catherine’s voice trembled with anger. "Do you know who you’re speaking to? I’m the Luna of this pack. I could have you punished for disrespecting !"

I stood tall, refusing to back down. "Maybe you could. But I won’t let you intimidate anymore. I’m not the sa girl who used to fear you."

Her face contorted with rage as she rose from the couch, stepping closer. "You ungrateful brat! I’ve given you everything, and this is how you repay ?"

"You didn’t give anything," I shot back, my voice steady. "Everything I have, I worked for, or it was given to by my father. You’re just trying to take it all for yourself."

"You little—" Luna Catherine raised her hand as if to strike , but I stood my ground, daring her to do it.

At that mont, a door opened upstairs, and footsteps echoed through the hallway. Luna Catherine lowered her hand, glaring at with seething hatred.

"This isn’t over, Kimberly," she hissed. "You’ll regret crossing ."

"If that’s the case, then go ahead and give the order for my execution!" I snapped at Luna Catherine, my voice trembling with anger. Her constant threats were pushing beyond my limits, and I could no longer keep my temper in check.

"I’m willing to bet that won’t be necessary," she murmured with a sly smile, her voice low and unsettling. Her eyes locked onto mine, and I felt a chill run down my spine. What was she up to?

"What are you talking about?" I asked, trying to hide the unease in my voice. But Luna Catherine’s grin only widened.

"It seems you’ve got too much ti on your hands, and it’s starting to ss with your mind," she said, her tone mocking. "Now’s probably a good ti for Alpha Derrick and Mona to start planning their future together."

Her words hit like a punch to the gut. My heart sank, and panic gripped . She knew exactly what to say to push my buttons, and it worked. She was trying to hurt .

But I wouldn’t let her see that. I couldn’t afford to show any weakness, not in front of her. So, I took a deep breath and forced myself to appear unfazed.

"So? It doesn’t matter to if they get engaged," I lied, rolling my eyes for effect. "Even if it happens, I’ll still be Alpha Derrick’s slave, so why should I care?"

Luna Catherine’s smug expression faltered for a mont. Her cheeks flushed with anger as she realized her attempt to rattle had failed—or at least that’s what I wanted her to think. Inside, I was falling apart.

"Fine! Let’s see how strong you are once they announce their engagent," she hissed, turning on her heel and storming away before I could respond.

I watched her leave, my heart pounding in my chest. She was clearly aware of tomorrow’s ergency board eting, and I knew she was trying to ss with my head before it. But I refused to let her win. I’d stood my ground, but the truth was, her words had cut deep. The thought of Alpha Derrick and Mona together... it made feel sick.

I clenched my fists, taking a deep breath to calm my nerves. I couldn’t let this distract . I had to find my father before it was too late, before everything I knew fell apart.

Dragging my heavy legs toward the stairs, I slowly climbed up to my room. Once inside, I locked the door behind . I needed so peace, so ti to think without Luna Catherine breathing down my neck.

I quickly changed into my pyjamas and crawled into bed. But sleep wouldn’t co. I tossed and turned, my mind racing with everything that had happened.

Maybe it was because of the nap I took at Damien’s apartnt earlier. After we... well, after we were together, I’d dozed off for a bit. That’s probably why I wasn’t tired now.

Thinking of Damien made reach for my phone. I was curious about how he had saved his number in my contacts. With a few swipes, I found it.

"Damien Love!!" I read out loud, rolling my eyes and laughing softly. "What the heck? Love? Seriously?"

I couldn’t believe he’d done that. We weren’t even officially a couple yet! Shaking my head, I murmured to myself, "What was he thinking? Is he already that attached? Or just trying to embarrass ?"

With a sigh, I edited the contact na to just "Damien." I couldn’t have sothing like that pop up if anyone saw my phone, especially with everything going on in the pack.

But then I stopped and laughed again. "Wait, Kimberly. Who’s even going to look at your phone? Besides, who cares? Hannah and Louis are the only ones who’d bother, and they’re not here."

The realization hit hard. Hannah and Louis, my closest friends, weren’t by my side right now. They were gone, and I was left alone to face all of this.

I set my phone down on the nightstand, lying back on the bed. My thoughts kept swirling, keeping awake. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to force myself to sleep, but then a sudden flash of mory hit .

The dream I had at Damien’s apartnt.

Sitting up quickly, I whispered to myself, "Who was that man I kept seeing in my dreams? And what was he trying to tell ?"

I tried to recall the dream in detail. The man had been urging to use my power, to help others. But what power? And who were the people he was talking about?

My mind raced, but no answers ca. "What power could he an? The only thing I know is my wolf strength, but even that... I barely know how to control it."

It was true. I’d only shifted into my wolf form a few tis in my life. The first ti had been when I was eighteen. The second was last year when I needed to rescue Mona from a forest.

And the third... I couldn’t even rember exactly when it happened. I knew it had, but the details were fuzzy. It all made feel weak and helpless.

As I sat there, staring down at my hands, sothing else ca to mind. A mory from that ti in the forest with Mona. She had ntioned sothing about turning into a werewolf too.

"What?" I muttered, my eyes widening in shock. "Mona? A werewolf?"

How had I forgotten that? At the ti, none of us took her seriously. We were too anxious about finding Louis and Hannah. But now... the thought seed strange. How could Mona, who wasn’t even eighteen yet, claim to have shifted into a werewolf?

"Could Mona be hiding sothing from us?" I whispered, my heart racing. "Could she have powers we don’t know about?"

It didn’t make sense. There was no way soone under eighteen could shift, right? But why would Mona say sothing like that if it wasn’t true?

"I have to find out," I decided, determination surging through . "There’s more to Mona than any of us realize."

Whatever was happening, I needed answers. And I was going to get them, no matter what it took.