Chapter 15 - Damien

Dinner reservations. A sleek, black car with tinted windows. The finest restaurant in town. This is the kind of night I used to plan without a second thought. Back when I thought money and status were everything.

And now, here I am, doing it all over again, but for reasons that have nothing to do with impressing anyone. Tonight isn’t about flashing cash or showing off my position. It’s about Jade. And Penny.

But somehow, as I sit in the back of this stupidly expensive car with Jade and Penny beside me, I know this isn’t going to be as simple as I hoped.

“Isn’t this car awesome, Mama?” Penny’s eyes are wide as she stares out the window. She presses her face against the glass, marveling at the city lights as we cruise down the street like royalty. “It’s so shiny!”

Jade glances at me, one eyebrow raised. She’s not impressed. I knew she wouldn’t be, but I can’t help the urge to spoil them—especially Penny. The kid deserves a little fun.

“Yeah, it’s… shiny,” Jade agrees, though her voice is dripping with sarcasm. I can practically hear the eye roll that follows.

I stifle a chuckle. I expected this reaction. Jade’s never been one for fancy things. Hell, I knew it was a gamble even suggesting this kind of date, but I wanted to give them something special. Something outside the chaos of the pack and the constant tension.

When we finally pull up to the restaurant, a valet opens the door for us. I slide out, offering Jade my hand. She hesitates for half a second, then takes it before stepping out of the car with a sigh that tells me exactly how she feels about all this.

“Seriously, Damien?” she mutters as we make our way inside. “You think this is the way to… what, win me over? A fancy dinner?”

“It’s not about winning you over,” I reply. “It’s about spending time together. You and Penny deserve something nice.”

Jade’s eyes narrow, but before she can respond, Penny tugs at her hand. “Look, Mama! The lights are so sparkly!”

Both Jade and I glance up at the chandelier overhead, an elaborate, glittering monstrosity that hangs in the center of the dining room. Penny is mesmerized. Jade, on the other hand, looks like she’s seconds away from grabbing her coat and bolting.

“Sparkly,” she echoes in a flat tone.

I suppress a grin and lean down toward Penny. “You like it here, huh?”

Penny nods enthusiastically, and her little face is glowing with excitement. “It’s like a castle! And we’re like princesses!” She beams up at Jade. “Right, Mama?”

Jade’s expression softens slightly as she looks down at Penny. “Yeah, sweetheart. Just like princesses.”

We’re led to our table, and I make a point of pulling out Jade’s chair for her just to get under her skin a little more. She glares at me, but there’s a flicker of amusement in her eyes that I latch onto. At least she’s not completely miserable.

Dinner goes by smoothly, at least for Penny. She’s thrilled by everything—the menu, the fancy napkins, the tiny bread rolls. Her eyes light up every time a waiter brings something to the table, and she giggles at all the “grown-up” things she doesn’t quite understand. She tries her best to mimic the adults around her, holding her spoon like it’s a delicate treasure.

Jade, on the other hand, is more reserved. She picks at her food, barely touching her plate, and I can feel her eyes on me every so often as if she’s waiting for me to mess up. As if this whole night is a test, and I’m just one wrong move away from failing spectacularly.

“Penny, wanna know a secret about this restaurant?” I ask, because I can’t help myself.

Her eyes widen. “What?”

“They’ve got the best ice cream in town,” I whisper conspiratorially.

Her face lights up like it’s Christmas morning. “Really? Mama, can I have some?”

Jade raises an eyebrow at me before turning to Penny. “We’ll see, kiddo. Let’s finish dinner first.”

I can tell Jade’s not thrilled with me. Probably thinks I’m trying to win Penny over with sugar. And maybe I am, just a little. But watching Penny’s excitement is worth every sideways glance Jade throws my way.

By the time we’re done, Penny’s practically bouncing in her seat from the sugar rush. She’s got chocolate smeared across her face, and her little hands are sticky, but she couldn’t be happier.

“We should get going,” Jade suggests, standing up and wiping Penny’s face with a napkin. “I think someone’s had enough for one night.”

“Not yet,” I protest, holding up a hand. “There’s one more thing I want to show you both.”

Jade sighs, clearly exasperated. “Damien, I think—”

“Trust me,” I interrupt. “You’ll like this.”

I lead them back to the car, and despite Jade’s complaints, we drive up to a cliffside overlooking the town. The ride is quiet, except for Penny’s excited chatter about the ice cream. Jade’s arms are crossed, but she doesn’t say anything. I can tell she’s curious, even if she’s trying to hide it.

When we arrive, I help Penny out of the car. She immediately runs to the edge of the cliff, Jade scrambling to keep up. “Mama, look! It’s so big from up here!”

Jade stands next to her, heaving in a breath and latching onto the little girl’s arm. “It’s beautiful,” she admits.

I step up beside them, feeling a strange sense of peace wash over me. This moment is perfect. For the first time all night, Jade isn’t giving me that skeptical look. For the first time, we’re just… existing together. And Penny’s joy is contagious.

“See those lights down there?” I point to the town below, where the streetlights create a web of golden lines. “That’s where we live. Pretty cool, huh?”

Penny nods eagerly. “It’s so far away! Like we’re giants!”

I chuckle. “Yeah, kinda like that.”

Jade glances at me, and for the first time tonight, there’s no frustration in her eyes. Just… something softer. Something that makes my heart do a weird little flip.

“I used to come up here a lot,” I tell her, my voice quiet. “Whenever things got… complicated. When my dad died last year and I needed to think, this was where I would hide out. Just for a while.”

She doesn’t say anything, just watches me with that guarded expression she’s so good at. But I can see it—the walls are cracking. Just a little.

Penny tugs on my hand, pulling me down to her level. “Look, Damien! I can see our house from here!”

I smile at her excitement, and without thinking, I ruffle her hair. “Yeah, you’ve got a good eye, kiddo.”

And then it happens. Penny looks up at me with her big, innocent eyes and says, “Dad, can we come here again?”

The word hits me like a punch to the gut. Dad .

Jade freezes beside me, her entire body going stiff. I can feel her tense up, but I’m too busy processing what just happened to react.

Penny called me Dad.

For a second, I don’t know what to say. I just stare at her with my heart pounding in my chest.

“Sure,” I finally manage. “We can come back anytime you want.”

Penny grins up at me, completely unaware of the emotional bomb she just dropped.

I glance at Jade, but she’s already turning away and staring out over the cliffside. I can tell she’s trying to process it, too. Trying to figure out what this means.

But before I can say anything else, Jade speaks up. “We should probably get Penny home. It’s getting late.”

Her voice is calm, but I can hear the tension underneath. She’s trying to keep it together, but I know this moment hit her just as hard as it hit me.

I nod, swallowing the lump in my throat. “Yeah. Let’s head home.”

As soon as we pull into the driveway, Penny is already half-asleep in the backseat. Jade unbuckles her gently, lifting her out of the car, and I can’t help but watch as she holds our daughter like she’s the most precious thing in the world.

It’s moments like this that hit me the hardest—seeing Jade as a mother, seeing how fiercely she loves Penny. And now, after tonight, hearing Penny call me “Dad”… it’s like something inside me has shifted. Permanently.

Jade hasn’t said a word since we left the cliff. She’s been quiet. Her thoughts are clearly spinning, and I can’t blame her. I haven’t been able to shake what Penny called me, either.

Once we get inside, Jade heads straight to Penny’s room, laying her down on the bed and pulling the blanket up around her. Penny stirs a little, mumbling something in her sleep, but she settles quickly with her tiny hand still wrapped around her wolf toy.

“She’s out cold,” Jade whispers, turning back to me with a tired smile.

“Yeah, she had a big night.”

There’s a heaviness in the air between us. I can feel it, so thick you couldn’t cut it with a knife. Jade brushes past me, heading toward the kitchen. The way her shoulders tense tells me everything I need to know—she’s still processing what happened tonight.

And then there’s me, standing here like an idiot, unsure of what to do next. Everything with Penny, everything that happened on the cliff… it’s all swirling around in my head, and I can’t get a grip on any of it.

I follow Jade into the kitchen, my mind racing. When I reach out to grab her hand, I swear it’s just a simple gesture. Something to anchor me in the moment, remind her that we’re in this together.

But the second our skin touches, it happens.

A rush of images floods my mind—memories that aren’t mine but feel like they are. I see Jade, younger, laughing. I see the way her eyes lit up when she looked at me back then, the way her smile softened whenever I was around. And then I feel it—her love. It’s so strong, so overwhelming, that it nearly knocks the breath out of me.

She loved me. So much.

And I treated her like a commodity.

I pull back, stunned. “Jade…”

She stiffens immediately, and her eyes flash with that familiar defensiveness. “What did you see?”

I hesitate, not sure how to explain what I just experienced without making it sound like I invaded her mind. “I… I didn’t mean to, but I saw something. When I touched your hand.”

Her gaze hardens, and I can see the walls going up, brick by brick. “It’s not what you think.”

I take a step closer and keep my voice soft. “You loved me, Jade. Back then.”

She glares at me. “Yeah, well, that was a long time ago. Things change.”

I can hear the lie in her voice, clear as day. She’s trying to protect herself, trying to keep me at arm’s length, but I know better. I know her better. She can deny it all she wants, but I felt it. Deep down, where she can’t hide it.

“I don’t believe you,” I say. “You’re still holding on to that. I can feel it.”

She scoffs and crosses her arms over her chest. Over her heart. “You don’t know anything, Damien. You don’t know what I’ve been through.”

“Then tell me,” I challenge, stepping even closer. “Tell me, Jade. Don’t shut me out.”

Her eyes flicker with something—pain, maybe anger. But there’s something else there, too. Something raw that she doesn’t want me to see.

“Why are you doing this?” she whispers, her voice breaking. “Why can’t you just let it go? I told you, I don’t feel that way anymore.”

The lie hangs between us, heavy and suffocating. And before I can stop myself, I reach for her, cupping her face in my hands. Her breath catches, and for a second, she doesn’t move. We just stand there, inches apart, the tension between us crackling like electricity.

“I don’t believe you,” I murmur, brushing my thumb against her cheek.

Her lips part, but no words come out. She’s trapped in the moment, just like I am, and I can feel the pull between us. The magnetic force that’s been building for weeks, months, maybe even years.

And then, in one fluid motion, she closes the distance between us.

The kiss is fierce, all fire and desperation, like we’re both afraid of what would happen if we stop. Her hands tangle in my shirt, pulling me closer, and I groan against her lips as the heat between us intensifies. Everything else fades away—the years of hurt, the distance, the walls she’s built around her heart. Right now, it’s just us, tangled together in this moment that feels both inevitable and terrifying.

I back her up against the counter and slide my hands down to her waist, gripping her ass. She gasps, arching against me, and it takes every ounce of willpower I have not to lose control right here, right now.

But then, just as quickly as it started, something stops me in my tracks. A small voice in the back of my mind—the one that’s been telling me to slow down, to do this right—finally breaks through the haze.

I pull back, breathless, resting my forehead against hers. “Jade…”

She blinks up at me, and her chest is heaving. “What?”

“We can’t,” I whisper. “Not like this.”

Confusion flickers in her eyes. “Why not?”

“Because I want to do this right,” I murmur, brushing a stray strand of hair away from her face. “I want to earn your trust again. For real. Not just because of some heat-of-the-moment thing.”

She stares at me for a long moment. And then, slowly, she nods, like she understands what I’m saying, even if she doesn’t want to admit it.

I step back, giving her space to breathe. “Come on.” I offer her a small smile. “Let’s focus on something else.”

“Like what?” she asks, her voice still a little shaky.

“Your magic,” I suggest. “You’ve been avoiding it, but I think you should practice. And I’ll be there with you. Every step of the way.”

She hesitates, and her eyes search mine for any sign of doubt. But I’m serious. If we’re going to move forward, if we’re going to fix what’s broken between us, it starts with trust. It starts with me being there for her, not just when it’s convenient or easy, but when it’s hard. When it’s real.

“Shifters despise magic,” she points out.

“Maybe,” I reply, “but it’s part of who you are, which means I need to embrace it. I meant it when I said the packs need you. I need you.”

Jade swallows, then nods again. “Okay. But you better not laugh when I mess up.”

I chuckle as the tension between us eases slightly. “I won’t. Promise.”

As we stand there, I know one thing for sure—this is just the beginning. We’ve got a long way to go, but I’m not going anywhere. I’m here. And I’m going to prove it.