Alpha Damon novel Chapter 99

Damon:

I sat behind my desk, finally back in my office at the edge of the territory, far enough from the estate to give me space. The blinds were pulled halfway open, letting in narrow strips of morning light that cut across the room like sharp blades.

It had been weeks since I last stepped into this building. Since my father was shot, I had put everything else on hold. And though I did not want to admit it vocally, I knew that part of what held the pack together, helped me hold the order, was Sienna being by my side.

But now, it was time to set things straight. It was time for me to go back to my routine, and it was time for me to get things settled up.

I took a deep breath, glancing at the thick folders stacked to my left. Reports. Supply chain disruptions. Border monitoring. Business agreements pending renewal. Giovanni’s games had set off more than one chain of problems, and while Ethan held things down while I dealt with everything else, the weight of it still fell on my shoulders. Father managed to recover quickly and was more than willing to stand on his feet to help take care of things. I knew that he wanted to do more than what I was allowing him to, but that wasn’t in question. Not anymore.

This was my pack. My responsibility. And it was not up to him to carry that burden on his shoulders. I didn’t want that for him. Not after everything that he’s chosen to do.

A knock echoed on the office door.

“Come in,” I said, not bothering to look up from the file in front of me.

The door creaked open. I heard the click of heels before I even caught the scent. My jaw tensed. I put the file down as I looked up at her. My eyes hardened as I waited for whatever venom she was here to spill on me.

“Lysandra.”

Her name slipped from my lips like a curse I didn’t want to say aloud.

She walked in with the same grace she always carried, her head high, her expression unreadable. But I didn’t miss the slight twitch in her jaw or the way her fingers curled tighter around the clutch in her hand.

“You’re finally back in your office,” she said, as if her presence here was casual, expected. “I wasn’t sure if you were even going to bother showing up again. With everything that you have piled up, I am surprised that you of all people chose to ignore whatever duties you had to play house.”

I leaned back in my chair, arms crossed over my chest. “I didn’t realize I owed you a schedule. Nor did I think that what I am doing with my life concerned you. Of all people, you should be the last person to be questioning what I am doing and why I choose to do it.”

She ignored the jab and took a seat across from me like she still belonged there. Like she hadn’t been the cause of half of the chaos swirling around the pack. And I had to fight back the low growl that almost escaped me, reminding myself that humans were around, that they could easily hear us, and I didn’t want to cause an unnecessary stir within.

“I heard your father is recovering,” she said, tone lighter than necessary. “I was happy to hear such news. He didn’t deserve what happened to him.”

“He is,” I replied shortly, eyes narrowing. “No thanks to your father, I presume.”

Her lips twitched, almost amused. “He did what he thought was necessary. Though wrong, but you know how my father is. He takes no consolation, nor does he bother asking opinions on things that he sees necessarily done.”

“He nearly killed my father.” I snapped at her, looking her dead in the eye.

“And you nearly ruined me for an Omega,” she snapped, sitting up straighter. “Funny how everyone seems to forget that part. Funny that you seem to forget that everything fell apart because of her.”

I didn’t flinch. Didn’t even look away. “You ruined yourself, Lysandra. You played a game and lost. Don’t come here pretending to be the victim.”

She scoffed, rising from the seat. “I came to offer peace, Damon. Not another war. I came to talk to you, try and find middle grounds.”

“No, Lysandra,” I said as I opened the door behind her. “I’ve already regretted more than enough. I don’t think that I am going to be regretting anything more than I already have.”

She hesitated, then walked out without another word, her heels echoing through the hallway like the last remnants of a storm.

I stood there for a moment after the door clicked shut, staring at the empty hallway.

Then I closed the door, turned back to my desk, and reached for my phone.

I didn’t dial the council. Didn’t call the Alpha from the north who’d been waiting to hear from me.

Instead, I pulled up one contact.

Sienna…

Because she was the only thing I hadn’t figured out yet.

And I was done pretending like she wasn’t on my mind.