CHAPTER 3
1831 Words
DAMIEN HALE
“Do you think they’ll accept this, Damien?” Thalos asks in a grave tone.
“The Shadow Pack will never allow you to keep her and the baby. They’ll strike back. It’s a matter of honor for them.”
I cross my arms, feeling my wolf restless beneath my skin.
“Let them come,” I say firmly. “I’m ready.”
“They won’t stop and you know it. You have to protect my daughter.”
“And I will. They’re coming with me. Now.”
Thalos watches me for a few more seconds, then nods slightly.
“Take care of her. And if they come for you… take some of them with you.”
I carry Elara to the car with the baby wrapped in her arms. She’s exhausted, barely able to keep her eyes open, but murmurs that she’s fine. I see how fragile she is, and yet… strong. Inside, my soul aches.
We drive through the forest toward the Scarlet Moon Pack territory. As we pass through the gates, my guards approach, already on alert.
“I want double watch on the perimeter,” I order.
“Reinforce the grounds. Patrol every hour. Cyrus and his pack will come. And when they do, we’ll kill them all.”
“Yes, Alpha,” they reply in unison.
We arrive at my house — our old home.
Elara looks around in silence. Her eyes fix on the pictures on the wall, the books she arranged, the furniture we chose together. There’s pain there. But also memory.
I haven’t changed a thing since she left.
“Go rest,” I say softly.
“You had a hard labor. You need time.”
She hesitates, looking at the baby in my arms.
“He’s safe with me.”
She nods, eyes heavy with sleep.
“Wake me if he needs anything…”
“Go sleep, Elara,” I insist. “I’ve got him.”
She climbs the stairs slowly.
When she’s gone, I look down at the baby in my arms.
He’s so small… but so full of life.
His tiny eyes closed, breathing softly. He’s not to blame for any of this. Not the war. Not the pain. Not the betrayal that tore me apart.
I carry him to the chair by the fireplace and sit down.
“You’re her son,” I murmur, gently stroking his soft head.
“And even if you’re not mine, I’ll protect you. Because if anyone touches you, they’ll have to go through hell first.”
The baby lets out a tiny yawn, as if replying.
“Your father… the biological one… doesn’t even deserve to be alive. But I’m not him. And I swear I’ll never let you feel anything less than loved.”
The wood crackles in the fireplace, and the cozy silence of the room almost makes me forget the world outside.
Almost.
I don’t know how much time passes, but I’m still holding the baby in my arms, wondering what name Elara will give him.
I hear footsteps on the stairs and turn my head.
Elara is there, standing, wearing one of my oversized shirts, watching the scene with teary eyes.
“You’re… holding him,” she says softly.
“He was crying,” I lie. But the truth is I couldn’t let him go.
Elara walks over, gently touches my hand, and sits beside me.
She lays her head on my shoulder and closes her eyes.
I feel our connection again — the one that never fully broke, even when I rejected her.
“You should sleep more…” I whisper, and she shakes her head.
“I’m fine…”
“What’s his name?” I ask, and she smiles, looking down at the baby in my arms.
“I like Luther, but we can choose a better one together.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re his father, Damien.”
“We’re not sure of that yet. He… touched you…” I murmur, clenching my fists.
Elara wipes her teary eyes before looking at me with resolve.
“I know. I know he’s your son…”
But we still don’t know for sure.
“I missed you so much, every night…” she whispers, squeezing my hand tighter, and I sigh.
“I never should’ve rejected you before knowing the truth…”
“Now you know. I love you.”
We kiss, and I feel my heart pounding harder whenever I’m near her.
Then the alarm sounds.
I rise quickly, still holding the baby against my chest.
“Stay behind me.”
“Damien… what’s happening?”
But I already know. They’ve come.
I look through the window and see fire in the trees.
Screams, howls, and the sharp sound of gunfire piercing the night air. Scarlet Moon warriors shout orders as flames approach the gates.
A shot suddenly blasts through the window, nearly hitting me. I hold the baby tighter against my chest.
“They’re here!” shouts one of the guards outside.
I duck immediately, shielding the baby. I turn to Elara.
“Run with him. Go! Now!”
“Damien, no! I’m not leaving you!”
“Go to the secret room behind the bookshelf. Lock it from the inside. Don’t come out unless I call you. If you don’t hear my voice, don’t open it for anything.”
She goes pale.
“They want the baby. They want you. I can’t let that happen. I swore to protect you on our wedding day. And I won’t break that.”
Tears stream from her eyes.
“You can’t face them alone.”
“I’ll face an entire army if it means saving you.”
The front door explodes.
Armed men — Cyrus’s guards — storm the house.
The scent is unmistakable: poison, gunpowder, and wolf’s blood.
“Go!” I shout.
She holds the baby tightly and runs up the stairs as I leap over the table, knocking the first invader down with a kick to the chest.
I partially shift, claws emerging, strength increased.
One of the men shouts: “Get the girl! The baby is the priority!”
No.
Not while I’m breathing.
I s***h his throat in one move, the scent of blood filling the room.
Another comes from behind — I throw him into the fireplace. The flames consume him before he can scream.
But there are too many.
I’m behind the living room wall, hearing footsteps approach. My heart pounds with a single purpose: protect Elara and the baby.
An intruder steps on the creaky floorboards of the entrance. He doesn’t see me. But I see him. I see the gun.
In a swift move, I jump, grab his wrist, and twist until I hear the crack of bone. The gun falls, and I catch it before he can scream. With a punch to the chin, he hits the floor.
I shoot.
Two more men appear behind the kitchen, armed, eyes blazing. They shout, aim — but they don’t stand a chance.
I fire twice. Both fall.
My chest burns, my breath is heavy. But I don’t stop. I can’t stop. Elara is here. Our son is here.
Two more come through the window.
One of them jumps on me. We roll across the floor, furniture topples, the shelf cracks. He tries to strangle me, but I bite his arm until blood gushes and throw him against the wall. The other hits me in the ribs with the butt of his gun. I scream in pain but retaliate with a kick that sends him flying into the still-burning fireplace.
“DAMIEEEEEEEN!”
Elara.
My entire body reacts.
I run up the stairs. Two, three steps at a time, feeling blood stream down the side of my face.
I reach the hallway.
I see two men. One grabs Elara by the arm. The other tries to tear the baby from her arms.
She screams. The baby cries. And I… shift into the great alpha.
I leap.
The first man slams into the wall with a crack, his skull breaking against the wood. The other tries to pull Elara faster, but I grab his leg and drag him back down the hallway, ripping his back open with my claws. He screams and passes out.
Elara is in shock but still clutching the baby tightly. Tears stream down her face.
“Run!” I shout. My voice is guttural, between man and beast.
“Run, Elara! Get out!”
She hesitates.
I grab her arm gently but firmly.
“Now! Go out back! Through the barn entrance! My men are there!”
Two of my guards appear at the end of the hallway. They nod, take Elara, and escort her.
My whole body shivers when I hear many gunshots and turn my head to see my men lying dead.
And Elara… Elara is being shoved into a black car, still holding the baby.
She screams for me.
“Damien! NO!”
My world collapses.
The car speeds off.
I run after the car with everything I’ve got.
Bullets fire from the back window. I take two hits — one in the shoulder, one in the side of my abdomen. The pain is unbearable. But I don’t stop.
She’s in there. And so is he. The boy I swore to protect.
The car swerves through the trees, but I’m faster. I jump. A desperate leap.
I land in front of the vehicle.
The headlights blind me. The driver slams the brakes to avoid hitting me. The car skids and stops sideways.
Two men jump out and shoot at me nonstop.
One bullet tears through my chest. Another hits my thigh.
But I don’t fall.
I am Alpha Hale.
I charge.
I tear the first one’s neck with my teeth. The other tries to run — I bite off his arm and leave him screaming on the ground.
I jump onto the hood and smash the windshield with my paws. Elara screams inside, shielding the baby.
I see the terror in her eyes. And then she recognizes me.
I force the door. Rip the lock. And then pull her out with strength. The baby cries, scared, but alive.
I hold them in my arms, even as blood pours from my body.
“You’re bleeding,” she sobs, desperate.
“I don’t care,” I say through gritted teeth, shifting back partially to human form, my voice hoarse and weak.
“You’re alive. He’s alive.”
She presses her head to my chest. I hold them both, feeling their hearts beat against mine.
More howls echo through the forest.
My pack.
They’re coming.
Reinforcements.
But all I can do is look at her… at him… and say:
“It doesn’t matter how many come, Elara. It doesn’t matter how many bullets or monsters they send. I won’t let anyone touch you. Because you are mine. And this baby… now he’s mine too.”
- Writer
