Alpha's Bond

Chapter 15

The packhouse was quieter than usual, but the silence wasn’t peace, it was tension, stretched tight and ready to snap. Word of the rogue attack had spread faster than wildfire, and though Damian had ordered calm, unease simmered through every wolf.

Evelyn could feel it in the way heads turned when she walked through the halls, whispers trailing after her like smoke. She kept her chin up, but inside, her stomach twisted. Secrets had a way of unraveling once they were exposed.

Lily, blessedly unaware of the storm swirling around them, clung to her hand. The child’s smile was her anchor, though every step reminded Evelyn of the confession she’d made, and the way Damian’s eyes had burned when she spoke the truth.

She hadn’t seen him since.

Until now.

Damian stood in the war room, tall and unyielding, surrounded by his Betas and advisors. Maps stretched across the table, inked with boundary lines and markers that painted a grim picture of the pack’s vulnerability. His voice was steady, commanding, every word dripping with authority.

When his gaze lifted and found hers, the room seemed to still.

“Evelyn,” he said, dismissing his men with a flick of his hand. The Betas filed out, their eyes darting curiously between them before the heavy doors shut behind them.

She swallowed, nerves tingling in her chest. “You’re planning for him.”

“Of course,” Damian said simply, leaning over the map. His fingers pressed against the border line, the one closest to where Ronan had disappeared. “He won’t stop now. Not after revealing himself to you. He’ll be back and next time, he won’t bring a handful of rogues. He’ll bring an army.”

Evelyn’s heart squeezed. “Then we need to leave. Take Lily, go somewhere safe—”

“No.” His growl cut through her words. His eyes flashed gold as he straightened. “You don’t run anymore. Not from him. Not from anyone. This is your home. He doesn’t get to drive you out of it.”

Her breath caught. The certainty in his voice wrapped around her like armor, even as fear gnawed at the edges of her resolve.

“Damian, if he comes for her—”

“Then he’ll face me,” Damian said, stepping closer, his presence a wall of heat and strength. “He doesn’t get to take anything from you again. Not your freedom. Not your life. And certainly not your daughter.”

The bond pulsed between them, hot and alive, as if the words had carved themselves into the very air. Evelyn’s wolf stirred, not in fear, but in recognition.

She wanted to believe him. She wanted to believe they could stand against Ronan and whatever shadows he commanded.

But Ronan’s voice haunted her still. I always finish what I start.

And deep down, Evelyn knew this was only the beginning.