Erase 66

Velaris Pack

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The entrance door creaked open and Seraphina stepped in, her clothes wrinkled, her hair messy, her face pale with worry,

“Seraphina,” Damien called immediately, striding toward her. He caught her by the arm before she could stumble and guided her to a chair.

“What’s wrong?” his voice was sharp with fear.

“It’s… it’s Cassia…” Seraphina’s voice cracked.

Damien’s chest tightened. “What about Cassia? What happened?”

Tears welled in Seraphina’s eyes, spilling before she could stop them. “I–I saw the news. Her house… it was set on fire. I’ve been trying to reach her, but her phone… she won’t answer.” Her words broke into sobs, shoulders trembling.

Damien’s heart slammed hard against his ribs. His hands shook as he pulled out his phone. He searched frantically online, and there it was. The headline. The fire. His throat went dry, his legs weak beneath him.

“No…” he whispered. Guilt ripped through him like claws. He had left them, left her and Arthur alone in Red Moon pack. His eyes stung, but he clenched his jaw, swallowing the pain.

Seraphina gasped for breath, clutching at her chest, her breaths ragged and shallow.

“Seraphina!” Damien knelt beside her, gripping her hands. “Look at me, breathe with me. In… out. Calm down, you’re having a panic attack. Cassia is fine. She has to be.” His voice was desperate, but Seraphina’s eyes fluttered wildly, panic consuming her.

Damien turned, searching his father’s face for help. Beta Kael sat stiffly at the table, watching with an unreadable expression.

“I think she needs her syringe,” Kael said at last, his tone flat.

“Syringe?” Damien snapped, disbelief flashing across his face. “Since when?”

Kael didn’t flinch. “It’s in her bag. Use it.”

Confusion and suspicion warred inside Damien, but Seraphina’s shallow gasps jolted him into action. He rummaged through her bag, fingers shaking until they closed around a syringe filled with a strange serum. His gut churned. What the hell was this?

Still, he pushed the needle in, steadying his hand as he injected her. Within moments, Seraphina’s breathing eased, her chest rising and falling more evenly. Her eyes fluttered shut, her body going limp in the chair.

Damien let out a shaky breath. Relief mixed with uncase twisted in his gut as he stared at her sleeping face. Slowly, he turned to Kael, his voice low and tight.

“Since when has she been like this? And why did no one tell me?”

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Kael’s tone was casual, too casual. “After Cassia left, she started breaking down. Panic attacks. She made this serum herself, it calms her when they come. She’ll be fine when she wakes.”

Damien’s eyes narrowed. He bit back his retort, but his jaw locked as he slid the syringe into his pocket. Whatever this drug was, he was going to test it himself. He wasn’t about to take his father’s word.

“I’ll take her upstairs.” His voice was clipped,

Carefully, Damien lifted Seraphina into his arms and carried her to her room. He laid her gently on the bed, brushing the hair from her face as he looked down at her. The lines of fear around her mouth, the faint frown even in sleep, it broke something in him.

She had lost a child before. The thought of losing Cassia too… it would destroy her.

Damien’s throat tightened, Deep down, he knew Cassia was alive. His wolf whispered it with certainty. But the distance, the silence, it gnawed at him.

He exhaled shakily, pressing one last look on Seraphina before leaving the room.

Downstairs, Kael was still at the dining table, eating like nothing had happened,

Damien’s fists curled as he stared at his father’s back, Cold, indifferent, as though none of this touched him. His father had never liked Cassia but now his detachment felt more like disdain than anything else.

“Are you just going to stand there and burn holes into my back?” Kael’s voice carried across the room. “Or are you going to ask what’s on your mind?”

Damien’s steps were heavy as he approached, “Dad,” he said, his tone edged with accusation.

Kael hummed, not looking up,

“Why do you hate Cassia so much?”

Kael’s fork paused midair. Then, slowly, he set it down and turned, his expression sharp. “You mean Amelia?”

Damien’s throat tightened, “Don’t start with that again.”

Kael leaned forward, eyes glinting, “The real Cassia died in that fire. Amelia will never be her. And I don’t trust ber. I don’t know what Seraphina sees in her, that she gave her the position of Alpha. Now that she’s sick… when she dies, Amelia will inherit. That should never have been. It should have been us…me or you…who took

that mantle

Damien’s eyes widened, disbelief flooding him. He had never heard his father speak so openly.

“You…” Damien’s voice shook with anger. “You want the Alpha’s seat.”

Kael didn’t deny it. His calm stare was answer enough.

Damien’s stomach twisted. His father’s hunger for power had been there all along. And his certainty about

17:40 Fn, Oct 17

Seraphina’s death, it chilled Damien to his core.

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“You’re unbelievable,” Damien said, shaking his head. “We’ve always been Betas, And I’m fine with that I don’t want to be Alpha. Neither should you”

Karl’s lips curved slightly. “That’s not entirely true…”

Damien shoved the words away, cutting him off. “Enough. I’m not having this conversation with you.”

He forced his voice steady, “I need the list of pack contacts. The ones who reached out when Red Moon called for Cassia, James contacted Seraphina…his details should be there

Kael’s eyes narrowed. “And why do you need it?”

Damien held his stare. “Because I need to call him. I need to know what’s happening with Cassia”

Kael’s silence stretched. Damien could see it in his eyes, hesitation, resistance. His father didn’t want him to have that list.

And that told Damien more than words ever could,

TBC