Chapter 5 - Damien

Gray Reed’s glare is practically a living thing, slithering across the room and coiling around my neck. The man has always had a chip on his shoulder, but today, it feels like that chip’s grown into a damn boulder.

Patrick Martin, on the other hand, is as calm and quiet as ever. His dark eyes move between us like he’s watching a tennis match he has no intention of joining until he has to.

This meeting has been going on for thirty minutes, and so far, I’ve heard every reason why this won’t work but not one real solution. Typical.

“You don’t get it, do you?” Gray growls, sitting back in his chair like he’s trying to take up as much space as possible. His blond hair is slicked back, and his jaw clenches hard enough that I’m half-worried his teeth might shatter. “You’re asking us to trust a witch. That’s not just a bad idea. It’s suicidal.”

I roll my eyes. Honestly, if I have to hear that line one more time, I might throw something. “We’ve been over this. Jade isn’t just some random witch. She grew up as part of my pack. Her parents were members before they were killed by those rogues five years ago. Alec Thornton, one of Starfire Hollow’s most upstanding shifters, is her brother. And whether you want to admit it or not, we need her.”

Gray scoffs. “Your pack? Your witch. You realize how that sounds, don’t you? How it looks to the rest of us? You’ve already got the tech advantage over both East Hills and Red Arrow. Now you’re bringing in magic? What are we supposed to do with that?”

“Tech advantage?” I snort, crossing my arms. “We provide security, Gray. Communication. You wouldn’t know what the hell’s going on in your own backyard without our systems in place, and you damn well know it.”

Patrick cuts in with, “Damien’s right, Gray. We’ve all benefited from Starfire Hollow’s tech services. Let’s not pretend otherwise. We agreed to that setup years ago. I know East Hill has felt safer for it.”

Gray’s eyes narrow, and I can see the wheels turning in his head. He doesn’t like this. Hell, he hasn’t liked anything since the moment he walked in. Gray’s been salty ever since I took over as alpha for my pack. I think he had some grand illusion that Red Arrow would merge with us and he’d head up both, but that’s not the problem here. No, the problem is that he doesn’t trust witches, and he’s still convinced that Jade’s going to be the death of us all.

“You keep throwing tech in my face like that justifies everything,” Gray grumbles. “But this isn’t about cameras and computers, Damien. This is about magic—about a witch. And now you want to tell us she’s the solution to everything?” He shakes his head, leaning back in his chair again, clearly done with me. “I don’t buy it.”

“I’m not asking you to buy it,” I snap. “I’m asking you to give us a damn chance. We’ve got shifters dying left and right, and we don’t even know what’s doing it. If Jade can help, I’m going to use her powers. That’s what leaders do—use the tools they’ve got. If you can’t understand that, then maybe you’re not fit to be sitting here as an alpha.”

Gray’s face darkens, and for a second, I think he might actually leap across the table and take a swing at me. I almost wish he would. At least that would be progress. But instead, he just stares at me, seething.

Patrick sighs again, pinching the bridge of his nose. “We’re not getting anywhere like this. Let’s focus on what matters—keeping our packs safe. If Jade’s vision can help us, then we need to at least consider it.”

Gray shakes his head. “You don’t get it, do you? If she’s the witch who triggered the mess last time, what’s stopping her from doing it again? How can we trust her?”

I grit my teeth, trying not to lose my temper. “She was not involved in any of that—not that I expect you to take my word for it. This isn’t about trust—it’s about survival. You think I want to be in this position? You think I want to rely on magic, of all things? But we don’t have a choice. We’re out of time.”

Gray glares at me some more, and for a moment, I think he’s going to blow. But then Patrick, bless his quiet heart, speaks up again. “What’s your plan, Damien? If we agree to this, what happens next?”

I take a deep breath, grateful for the opening. “If we can confirm that the deaths aren’t coming from within one of our packs, I’ll offer our resources to help figure out what’s killing our people. We’ll pool everything—tech, manpower, whatever it takes. But in exchange, you give Jade a chance to prove herself.”

Gray lets out a bitter laugh. “You want us to play nice with your witch. Great. And what happens when she screws up? When this all goes sideways? You think being mated to her means you can control her? Witches don’t work like that.”

“She won’t screw up,” I insist. “And being mated to her means I’ll be able to keep her in line. This isn’t a free pass for her to do whatever she wants. She’s bound to me now—bound to the pack.”

Gray’s expression twists with disgust. “Control her, huh? You think you can leash a witch? That’s arrogant, even for you.”

“Enough!” Patrick’s voice cuts through the tension, sharp and commanding in a way that surprises both of us. “This isn’t about leashing anyone. This is about finding answers. If Jade can give us a lead, then we take it. End of story.”

Gray doesn’t respond right away, just stares at the table like it’s offending him. Finally, he lets out a long breath and mutters, “Fine. But if she steps out of line—if any of this goes wrong—you’ll be the one to answer for it, Damien. Not her. Not the pack. You.”

I meet his gaze without flinching. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

The room falls silent, and the weight of the decision settles over all of us like a heavy blanket. Gray might have agreed, but the tension between us is far from gone. He doesn’t trust me, doesn’t trust Jade, and I know this is just the beginning of the storm we’re heading into.

Patrick clears his throat and stands up from the table before he offers me a short nod. “We’ll be in touch, Damien. Keep us updated.”

Gray gets to his feet, too, his eyes hard as he looks at me. “Don’t make me regret this, Lucas.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” I say.

With that, they turn and leave, the door closing behind them with a solid, final thud. As soon as they’re gone, I let out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding. This could’ve gone worse. A lot worse. But at least for now, they’ve agreed to give us a shot. Whether it works out is a whole other story.

I shake off the lingering tension as I walk to my truck and climb into the driver’s seat, I take a deep breath, letting the familiar rumble of the engine ground me. I need to clear my head before I get home, need to figure out how the hell I’m going to manage everything—the pack, Jade, the looming threat of whatever is killing our people.

As I drive, the trees whip by, a blur of green and shadows. The road is familiar—I’ve driven it hundreds of times since I was a kid accompanying my father on these meetings—but my mind’s racing faster than the truck. I should be thinking about the pack, about the deals I made today, about all the bullshit that’s piling up. But instead, I’m thinking about her. About Jade. About that kiss in the chapel that still lingers on my lips, even though it was meant to be nothing.

I let out a low growl of frustration and roll my shoulders, trying to shake it off. This was supposed to be simple. Do the mating ritual, get her back into the pack, and make sure her powers stay under control. But nothing’s ever simple with Jade, is it?

As I round the last bend, something catches my eye. I slam on the brakes, and the truck skids to a stop just off the dirt road.

Over in the field, Penny is crouched, picking wildflowers. Her tiny hands are full of dandelions and purple clover. From the moment I laid eyes on that kid, I felt some sort of connection to her. But even if I banished Jade, I can’t fathom the idea that she would keep something like my being a father a secret.

No, if anything, she would’ve used that. It would’ve virtually guaranteed her a place back in the pack long ago, and she wouldn’t have spent so much time out there in the world, alone.

I shut off the engine and step out, taking a moment to just watch her. She’s so focused on the flowers, like they’re the most precious thing in the world. Jade’s nearby, sitting on a blanket with her nose in a book. Of course. She’s always been good at pretending things are fine, even when they’re falling apart.

When we were young and kids teased her about her weight, she brushed it off. She always tried to play it cool. But I could tell when she was upset. I always knew.

And then she got older, and those curves filled out, and I had a hell of a time keeping my eyes off her.

“Mama, look!” Penny’s voice is all bright and bubbly as she waves the flowers around. Jade’s eyes light up, and the smile that spreads across her face makes her look like a kid again. It’s plain as day that she loves that little girl.

I step closer, and Penny finally notices me. Her little face scrunches up in a goofy grin, and she scrambles to her feet, clutching the flowers like a prize. “Look what I found!” she says, running over to me.

I crouch down, meeting her at eye level. “You’ve been busy,” I say, taking the flowers from her tiny hands. “What are these for?”

“They’re for Mama,” she declares proudly, looking back at Jade with a big smile. “She likes pretty things.”

I glance over at Jade, who’s still pretending to read, but I can see the corner of her mouth twitching like she’s trying not to smile.

For a second, it’s like we’re back in time, just the three of us: me, Jade, and Alec, hiding out in this very spot, back when the world was a little simpler. Back when everything didn’t feel like it was falling apart.

“This is a good spot,” I tell Penny, looking around. “You know, your mom and I used to come here all the time when we were kids.”

Penny’s eyes go wide, like I just told her the most incredible secret. “Really?”

“Really,” I confirm, standing up. “Your Uncle Alec would always bring us here when we wanted to hide out. We’d sneak away from the pack and stay here for hours. It was our secret spot.”

Penny giggles, glancing over at Jade like she’s expecting her to jump in and share some grand story, but Jade just flips a page in her book, keeping her distance. I don’t push it. I know better than to expect any reminiscing from her right now.

Instead, I focus on Penny. She’s got that look, the one kids get when they’re soaking up every word like it’s gospel. And for a moment, I let myself enjoy it. The simplicity of it. The way she looks at me with those big brown eyes, full of trust and innocence.

But then the sun pokes out from behind a cloud, catching her just right, and those brown eyes flash silver.

My breath catches in my throat.

No . I blink, trying to convince myself I imagined it. But when I look again, it’s still there. A glint of silver, just like mine.

Shit .

This isn’t just a coincidence.

I feel it now, the pull I’ve been ignoring since the first moment I saw her. That connection, that instinctual tie I brushed off as something else. But now? Now it’s slapping me in the face, hard and fast.

Penny’s mine.

I glance over at Jade, who is still sitting there, pretending not to notice, but I can feel her tension from here. She knew. She knew all along.

My blood boils, but I swallow it down, forcing myself to stay calm. Now’s not the time to lose it. Not here. Not with Penny so close. But I’m not letting this go. Not by a long shot.

Penny’s tugging on my sleeve, asking me something about the flowers, but I barely hear her. All I can think about is how everything’s about to change.

And Jade? She’s got a lot of explaining to do.