Erase 65

Velaris Pack

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32

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Damien sat at the dining table, his phone pressed tight in his hand, jaw clenched as he tried Cassia’s number again. Straight to voicemail. Again.

He dragged a restless hand through his hair and began pacing. Last night she’d picked up once, and then the line had cut.

Since then, nothing. His wolf snarled inside him, restless, craving her presence, her voice, anything. It had only been a day since he left, but it felt like years.

“Pick up, Cassia,” he muttered under his breath, hitting redial. The dead tone made his chest ache.

A sound behind him made him turn. His father, Beta Kael, was being wheeled into the dining room by a

nurse.

“Father,” Damien said quickly, tossing his phone onto the table. He strode over. “I’ll take it from here.”

The nurse nodded and stepped back. Damien wheeled his father to the table, then helped him into a chair.

“How are you feeling?” Damien asked, lowering himself into the chair opposite.

Kael gave a small smile. “Better now that you’re back in Velaris.”

Damien exhaled, studying him. “You still haven’t told me what happened.”

Kael shook his head. “I don’t know. My bones felt as though they were stiffening, my blood draining. For a moment…” his eyes clouded, “I thought I saw your mother.”

Damien stilled. His mother had been gone for years. “You saw Mom?”

“Yes. But it’s complicated.” Kael waved it away. “I’m just glad you came. I’m improving already.”

Damien didn’t reply at once. His gaze lingered on his father, reading the lines in his face.

“Dad… it’s been years. Don’t you think it’s time you moved on? You can’t live in the shadow of Mom forever.”

Kael’s expression hardened. “You don’t move on from a fated mate. No one does.”

“But I did.” Damien’s voice was quiet, his knuckles white against the table.

“That’s because you were given a second chance mate,” Kael shot back. His voice turned cold. “And yet…she may still return to her ex–husband.”

A muscle ticked in Damien’s jaw. “She won’t. Cassia hates Aiden.”

Kael’s gaze sharpened. “Don’t fool yourself. You’ve been with her for six and a half years, and she never truly let you in. Not a kiss, not even a word of acknowledgment. She’s still trapped in the past.”

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Damien’s chest tightened, his hands curling into fists. His father’s words sliced too close to his own doubts. But then he remembered, the kiss. The one she’d given him before he left. The look in her eyes. That had

been real.

“You’re wrong.” Damien said, voice steady now. “She kissed me. Before I left. She told me she’d be waiting.”

Kael’s eyes widened slightly at that. For once, he had no immediate reply.

Damien leaned back, his tone firm. “So stop doubting her, Father. Worry about your own health instead of my

mate.”

Kael chuckled dryly. “Funny, coming from you. You’ve been pacing this house since you arrived, worried about her, calling her nonstop.”

Damien’s lips pressed into a line. He didn’t deny it.

A maid entered, laying food in front of them before retreating. They began to eat in silence.

“Where’s Seraphina?” Kael asked between bites.

“She went to the hospital. She’ll be back soon.” Damien poured himself water, trying to focus on the food…

Kael reached for the jug, but it was empty. Damien rose. “I’ll refill it.” He carried it into the kitchen.

As he stood at the counter, filling the jug, his mind drifted back to Cassia. A gnawing weight pressed on his chest. Something felt wrong. His wolf sensed it…danger, distance, something he couldn’t place. He wanted to run back to Red Moon Pack, to her, but his father needed him here.

He took a steadying breath and returned to the dining room. But when he stepped in, the jug nearly slipped from his hands.

Kael was standing. Standing. Taking a few careful steps on his own.

Damien froze. His father, who claimed to be paralyzed, was walking.

Kael looked up and saw him, and in an instant collapsed back to the floor, groaning in pain.

“Dad!” Damien rushed forward, hauling him into the chair.

“What are you doing?” Damien snapped, his heart racing. “You’ll hurt yourself!”

Kael’s eyes filled with tears. “I didn’t want to be a burden. I know you want to be with Cassia. I was just trying to push myself, so I’d recover sooner.”

Guilt twisted Damien’s gut. “No, Father. You’re not a burden. I want to be here with you. I’m sorry if I made you feel otherwise.”

Kael nodded, wiping at his face. Damien poured him water, watching him closely as he lifted the glass.

But suspicion gnawed at him. His father was cunning, always had been. That stumble, was it real, or staged? Is he even paralyzed or pretending?

Damien narrowed his eyes. “What are you planning, Dad?” he muttered inwardly.

Kael met his gaze and smiled faintly. “Eat, Damien. Your food is getting cold.”

Damien forced a tight smile and picked up his fork again, but unease coiled in his stomach.

The front door opened suddenly. Seraphina stepped in, her face shadowed with worry.

One look at her expression, and Damien knew, something was wrong.

TBC

1、 (32).

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