Damien’s POV

The quarterly reports blurred together on myputer screen. Numbers that should have meant something, Profit margins. Projected

growth. Territory expansion.

None of it fucking mattered.

I rubbed my eyes, the ache behind them pulsing in time 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 mmed theptop 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 came out sharper than I intended.

“Board meeting in ten minutes.” Lucas stepped inside, closing the door behind him. “You forgot, didn’t you?”

Had I? I nced 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 me on it. Instead, he settled into the chair across from my

desk with that easy confidence that used to irritate me. 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 thest time 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 me 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 meetings. You snap at everyone.”

Silence stretched between us like a chasm.

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172 Chapter 172

“I’m not falling apart,” I said finally.

“Then what do you call this?” Lucas gestured at me, at my office, at everything, “Youe in before dawn. You leave after midnight. You barely eat. You don’t shift anymore. When’s thest time you let Alex out for a run?”

I couldn’t remember. Weeks? Maybe longer?

“The pack needs me 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 moment. Then he shook his head slowly, disappointment radiating from every line of his body.

“You know where to find me 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

m.

I sat there in the silence, staring at the closed door, feeling something crack deeper inside my chest.

The board meeting was a blur of voices and presentations I didn’t care about. I nodded at the right times. Made appropriatements.

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 exnation.

The drive home felt eternal. Every red light another moment to think about Sera. Every familiarndmark another reminder that she

should be here, beside me,ining about traffic or telling me about her day.

But she wasn’t. She’d left. The unfairness of it made my chest burn with rage and helplessness in equal measure.

Home looked the same as always. Grand. Beautiful. Empty.

After dinner–reheated pasta that Adrian picked at and Lily smeared 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. 1

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 ss, closing my eyes. Somewhere 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.

Painnced through me like someone had driven a knife between my ribs. Not physical pain. Something else. Something deeper.

*What the hell?b* /b

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172 Chapter 172

I stumbled backward from the window, my hand flying to my chest. The bond mark on my wrist burned hot, pulsing with a urgency!

hadn’t felt since-

Since never. We’d neverpleted 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 me. Worse this time. My knees buckled, and I grabbed the edge of the bed to keep from falling.

*Sera.*

Her name tore from my lips unbidden. The connection between us–that fragile, iplete thing–was screaming at me. Warning me.

Something was wrong.

Something was very, very wrong.

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