50 Chapter 50
50 Chapter 50
Seraphina’s POV 1
“Damien,” I said quietly, my voice still rough from exhaustion. “About the Northern Ridge Pack… when you merged those territories after your parents died, did you absorb any survivors from my family’s pack?”
His blue eyes sharpened with interest. “Some, yes. After what happened to your parents, the remaining wolves were scattered and vulnerable. Most were grateful for the protection and stability our pack could offer.”
My heart began to race with sudden hope. “Are any of them still with you? People who might remember my parents, who could tell me about my childhood before…” I swallowed hard. “Before Elizabeth and Victor took me in?” 1
“Several, actually, maybe. But I’m not sure whether they are alive now.” Damien’s expression grew thoughtful.
“I want to find them and meet them,” I said, trying to keep the desperate edge out of my voice. “I need to know who I really am, who my
parents were before they died.”
Damien was quiet for a moment, his thumb tracing gentle patterns on the back of my hand. “The Northern Ridge territory is about a
four-hour drive from here. The old lodge is still standing.”
“I need to go there,” I said, the wordsing out with more urgency than I’d intended. “Damien, I need to see where I came from, to
understand my heritage. These abilities I have, the healing power-I think it’s connected to that ce, to my bloodline.”
His jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. “Sera, the northern territories aren’t entirely safe right now. With the increased rogue activity,
the border incidents-”
“Thene with me,” I interrupted, then immediately shook my head. “No, actually, don’t. Adrian needs stability right now, and you have
pack business to handle. I can go alone.”
“Like hell you can,” Damien said, his voice carrying enough alpha authority to make the medical equipment hum in response. “You’re not
going anywhere dangerous without protection, especially not when you’re still recovering from whatever happened today.”
I opened my mouth to argue, then closed it as I saw the imcable determination in his expression. We stared at each other for a long
moment, neither willing to back down.
“How about apromise?” I suggested finally, though I could see from his expression that he wasn’t going to like what I was about to
propose.
“I’m listening”
“I go to the Northern Ridge territory to meet these survivors, to learn about my parents and my heritage. You stay here with Adrian and handle whatever urgent pack business is keeping you up all night.”
“Absolutely not.”
“Damien, be reasonable-”
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“No.” He stood abruptly, his movement sharp and predatory as he began pacing the small space. “You’re talking about traveling alone to a remote area where we’ve had multiple security incidents. You’re still weak from using powers you don’t fully understand.”
“I can take care of myself,” I said, though even I could hear how weak that sounded after everything that had happened.
“Can you?” Damien turned to face me, his blue eyes zing with intensity.
The frustration in his voice made my own temper re. “So what are you suggesting? That I hide here in Silver Moon Harbor like some delicate flower while other people make all the important decisions about my life?” I crossed my arms and lifted my chin defiantly. “I’ve spent five years proving I can take care of myself and my son. I’m not about to start ying the helpless omega now just because you’ve
decided to go all caveman on me.”
“Caveman?” Damien’s eyebrows shot up, and despite his obvious frustration, I caught the hint of amusement tugging at the corner of his
mouth. “I prefer ‘protective mate, thank you very much.”
“Same thing,” I shot back, though I could feel my own lips twitching with suppressedughter. “Next you’ll be telling me I need a
bodyguard to go grocery shopping.”
“Don’t tempt me,” he muttered, running his hands through his hair.
We stared at each other across the small room like children having a standoff over thest piece of cake. Despite the serious nature of our discussion, there was something almost ridiculous about two grown werewolves ring at each other with matching stubborn
expressions.
Finally, I sighed dramatically and flopped back against my pillows. “Look, you big overprotective Alpha,” I said, unable to keep the affection out of my voice despite my exasperation. “You have a pack to run, a business empire to manage, and warriors who actually listen to your orders without arguing back every five minutes.”
“Hey-” he started to protest.
“And, I continued, holding up a finger to silence him, “Adrian needs stability. He’s just started getting attached to you, and Ophelia has already done more than anyone should ever have to do for us. I can’t ask her to basically be a single parent while we both go
gallivanting off on some personal heritage quest.”
Damien opened his mouth, probably to deliver some perfectly logical counterargument, but I pressed on before he could derail my
momentum.
“Besides,” I said, warming to my theme and gesticting with the kind of animated passion that would have embarrassed me under
normal circumstances, “this is something I need to do for myself.”
Damien stared at me for a long moment, his expression cycling through frustration, exasperation, and something that looked suspiciously like fondness. Then he threw back his head andughed-a rich, genuine sound that filled the sterile medical room with
warmth.
“You know what?” he said, his voice still bubbling with mirth. “You’re absolutely right. Here I am, trying to protect a woman who just
saved my entire warrior unit from certain death, as if you’re some fragile thing that can’t handle a road trip.” 1
“Exactly!” I said triumphantly, then narrowed my eyes suspiciously. “Wait. You’re giving in way too easily. What’s the catch?”
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50 Chapter 50
His grin widened, taking on that wicked quality that always made my stomach do gymnastics. “Oh, there’s definitely a catch. You’re marching into that training facility and epting the hero’s wee you’ve earned. They are waiting for you.”
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