Damien
The moon hung high above the estate, its light casting a faint silver sheen over the surface of the pack’s sprawling pool. I sat at the edge, elbows on my knees, my head cradled in my hands. The stillness of the night pressed down on me, interrupted only by the faint chirping of crickets and the occasional rustle of wind in the trees.
What the hell was I doing?
I raked my fingers through my hair, tugging hard enough to sting. My chest felt tight, the weight of everything crushing me in a way I couldn’t escape. Things had been… good lately. Better than I’d dared to hope. Scarlet and I were talking. Laughing. Even—dare I think it—connecting.
But every step forward felt like dragging a hundred-pound chain behind me.
The rumors had started, of course. In a pack as tightly knit as o
