Heavenly Poison

Sebastian Gray

“Take her upstairs, Damy,” I told Damien.

Damien barely turned to face me. He was too focused on Emilia, who seemed to be holding back shifting into her Wolf. She was crying hysterically and we could all tell that her Wolf wanted out.

“We need to take control. Your Beta is outside right now but things aren’t going great,” Jared, Layton’s Beta, said aloud.

Damien nodded at him numbly, but he looked lost.

When Damien turned to me and I noticed his eyes had glassed over, I wanted to go outside and destroy every single Wolf in the area. It was the same way Damien had looked at me years ago after his parents had kicked us out.

It had been the first of many looks I’d learned to recognize from him.

The silence dragged on for a full minute after Damien had taken Emilia upstairs.

“Is he coming back?” Zev asked me.

He was a cool guy. While I thought Layton was a controlling freak, I had to admit Zev wasn’t so bad.

“I’m not sure. We have put a stop to this,” I said, before continuing on my way down the stairs. I didn’t wait around for them to follow me. They all still looked in shock over what happened.

Anthony was dead.

It wasn’t just something I could easily get over. I never got along too well with the Alpha. His rules didn’t suit me, and that man had too many rules for my taste.

But he was a good man.

Damien was happy being part of the pack. He didn’t mind having Anthony as an Alpha even though he was a Wolf.

Anthony did not deserve to die.

“They’re waiting for us to make an attack. We should take out anyone who doesn’t pledge loyalty,” Layton spoke up.

He was at my side when I pulled open the door.

“We should kill everyone,” I said, because it was what I planned on doing.

I was going to kill everyone, and take Damien and Emilia away.

“We’re not killing everyone,” Layton growled at me.

“It’s not your pack we’re talking about. I don’t know why you’re so worried,” I told him.

I would’ve usually sent my words out in a taunt. Layton was exactly the type of Wolf I liked to take on. He was easy to rile and was always on edge, thinking I wanted to challenge him.

Things were different in that moment. The Wolves had broken my main rule. They had hurt Damien and they were going to pay.

“We need to take control of the situation, find Brian, and kill any Wolf that doesn’t want to back down,” Layton proposed.

“Back down?” I asked him, mockingly.

“It isn’t pack law to attack all of them,” Layton growled.

“If we make them back down, what guarantees do we have that those dogs won’t rise again? You guys are the ones with all the rules. Just look at what they did to their own Alpha!” I snapped.

I wasn’t even sure why I did it, but I shoved Layton away. He only stumbled back a step, but I could tell it was enough to piss him off.

“Mountain Peak Wolves didn’t kill Anthony alone. They were backing up Brian, who is out there right now. It’s where we’re supposed to be,” Layton retorted.

I was more than surprised that Layton didn’t try to go after me.

“I’m killing every Wolf from Mountain Peak that gets in my way,” I said, before turning my back on them and continuing out.

“Not everyone was involved, Sebastian,” Zev spoke up.

I couldn’t bring myself to leave after that. While I found Layton to be on the annoying side, Zeverus was actually a cool guy.

“Going out there and asking who is on our side doesn’t exactly sound like a good idea,” I replied.

I was willing to not kill everyone from Mountain Peak if Zev had a good plan.

“No, but killing Brian and his lankies does,” Damien stated.

We all turned around to find him walking down the stairs. It surprised me to see how in control he looked. I didn’t know if I was the only one who noticed something in the way his hard eyes were concentrated on the door.

“You okay, Damy?” I asked him.

I walked back to the stairs to catch up to him, but Damien barely stopped for me. He continued on his way to the front door.

“I’m going to kill him for this,” he said.

It took me two seconds to detect which Wolves were with or against us. I’d originally thought they would all just join in a group and give us a hard time. It wasn’t like that at all.

The Wolves from Mountain Peak who didn’t want to fight were either following us as a group or had stepped aside. They bowed at Damien when he passed by, which was something I admired from them.

I liked that they were actually giving him respect and hadn’t turned against him now that the Alpha was dead— unlike their other pack members.

Damien didn’t pay attention to anyone. Once we stepped outside of the mansion, he’d made a run for it towards the clearing where Brian and his men were waiting for us.

Just like Anthony, Emilia, Layton, and Zeverus had predicted— Brian had Rogues.

I was used to dealing with Rogues. Those were the kind of Wolves Damien and I usually took care of.

Brian had been smart. Some of the Wolves that had turned against Mountain Peak were part of the group guarding the cells. Someone had let Luke and his buddies go.

The two sides met at a clearing near the pack prison. Just from numbers, Brian had the upper hand. More than half of Mountain Peak’s fighters had gone over to his side.

The few that remained were standing behind our group. I could practically see the word ‘traitor’ written in their eyes as they glared at the Wolves that had gone over with Brian.

That wasn’t all. Brian had about thirty more Wolves, which I was assuming were the Rogues. I had no idea why they even chose to side with the scumbag, but I was betting he had promised them something.

We only had the Wolves that didn’t switch sides, some of the guys that came along with Layton and Zeverus, and both Damien and me.

Cassidy was there as well, but Layton had her standing behind him and Zev. There was no way he was going to let her fight.

“You gave yourself a death sentence with what you just did,” Damien told Brian through gritted teeth.

Brian had a smug look on his face. He still looked angry, like if we owed him something and he was trying to take it back. But he definitely looked pleased with what he had done.

“I killed your Alpha,” Brian stated.

I was about to attack him when he finished saying the words, but Zev put his hand on my chest and shook his head at me.

“Not yet,” Zev said in a low voice.

“He was your Alpha! All of you were under his lead and you betrayed him!” Damien yelled out, accusingly.

For a moment, if just that, we could all see the guilt in their eyes. It wasn’t enough though, not now and certainly not after what they had done.

“I killed him. I think I deserve the Alpha position,” Brian continued.

His voice sounded strained, but it wasn’t like we were going to believe the bastard was really hurting if he was the one who killed Anthony.

“It doesn’t work like that, Brian. You know that,” Layton spoke up.

“Alpha Layton, what a surprise. I expected you to be taking care of your pack’s problems. We all know once Alpha Dylan’s finished with you, Blue Bloods will be begging Midnight Moon not to end you all.”

Brian’s gibe did not sit well with Layton. Layton growled so loudly, even Brian cowered back. I shook my head when I saw that happening.

The man had just taken out an Alpha. I did not understand how he had done it, but it had happened. Yet he had backed down with a bit of growling from Layton.

Werewolves, I thought to myself, distastefully.

“End this, Damien,” Layton said in a low threatening voice.

Damien had been waiting for a reason to step forward and finish it all.

They were a big crowd. While I had to admit that Damien was strong, I wasn’t sure how comfortable I felt sending him to attack what seemed to be over one hundred Wolves.

Layton seemed to be expecting just that. It was like he wanted Damien to prove how many Wolves he could take on his own. Damien— he did not hesitate in making the first move.

I expected him to use his gifts. It would give him all the advantage he needed.

It wasn’t at all what he did. Damien charged in Brian’s direction. Luke, who had been quiet throughout the entire exchange, was the one who took on the attack.

Damien didn’t use everything he had. Luke shifted into his black Wolf, which was standing about the same height as Damien. He tried to get Damien on a grip, but Damien stepped away before he even got the chance.

Everyone on their side and even some of ours exhaled loudly when Damien’s white wings flourished from his back.

He didn’t fly in the air though, but he did extend them to their full length. He looked magnificent. There was a grin on my face even though I knew those were serious moments.

Luke, just as every other Wolf, was too busy staring at Damien’s wings. It was all Damien needed. He flew at Luke just then, making Luke’s Wolf stumble back a few steps from the force. When Luke tried to gain balance on his feet, Damien wrapped his wings around Luke’s Wolf.

“Let him go!” Brian growled, closing the distance between them and trying to pry Damien from Luke.

I wasn’t even sure how or when it happened, but when Damien’s wings untangled from Luke’s body, he was already shifted into his human form.

Damien had decapitated him.

Brian growled out continuously, and he kneeled in front of Luke’s body. It was almost too gruesome when Damien took a few steps back and dropped Luke’s head at his feet.

“You can have that back,” Damien said, emotionlessly.

Even Layton seemed in shock with what had happened. I wasn’t sure why though.

The ranks with Werewolves went Alpha, Beta, third in command, tracker, fighter, and then your average Wolf. Luke and Brian were probably the strongest Wolves in their crowd.

Our side had two Alphas, two Betas, a third in command, three Legens, and a small group of Wolves. It took that reasoning from my part to figure out we pretty much a win guaranteed.

“I will kill you for this!” Brian growled at Damien, just as he shifted into his Wolf.

The poor bastard hadn’t learned anything.

Brian was stronger than Luke. It was obvious in how he fought and the way his Wolf moved around more skillfully.

Damien again fought him without any of his gifts. I expected the other to jump in and try to defend Brian. No one did. Since they didn’t intervene, neither did we.

Brian and Damien went at it for a while. When Brian attacked, Damien stepped away before Brian could get him. I noticed it had been the same thing he’d done with Luke. He was dancing around, tiring them out, and the going for the kill.

The kid was learning. I was proud of him.

I knew I had to keep my eyes open in case anyone else jumped in the fight. I gave Layton a quick glance, and noticed he was studying Damien more than he was actually paying attention to the fight.

When I turned back, it was just in time to see Damien fly over Brian. Brain kept snapping his canines up in the air, but he couldn’t reach Damien. When Damien lowered himself, Brian seemed excited to finally have a shot at him.

Damien however, had other plans. He grabbed the sides of his head, placed both of his feet on Brian’s back, and jumped up in the air, taking Brian’s head with him.

Another decapitation.

A second after that, Brian’s body shifted back into his human form.

The same thing happened with ten more Wolves, until it got to the point where everyone began attacking Damien.

“Don’t,” Layton said to me, yanking me back when I tried to step forward.

“They’re going to hurt him,” I snapped, and shoved Layton away with my mind.

“He can take them.”

“Is that what you want to prove? You want to see if we’re strong enough to fight by your side against that other Alpha?” I snapped at him.

“No, but I will admit that it is useful to know. Not just for my benefit, but for you three as well,” Layton said, looking at Cassidy, and then at Damien, before his eyes landed on me.

“That’s too many Wolves,” I stated.

The Wolves weren’t even going against us. Whenever any of them tried to get near, I’d just snapped their neck with my mind and it was an easy kill.

Damien was going at it the hard way. He was actually fighting them.

“He’s stronger than he thinks. All of you are. I just want to see how many Wolves he can take on his own,” Layton said.

The moment I saw one of the Wolves getting the upper hand, I dived in. My attacks were more calculated than Damien’s. It didn’t take me long to realize Damien was going for a sadistic kill, not a clean one.

When Layton, Zeverus, and the rest of our side noticed I flew in to fight— so did they.

Cassidy had stayed behind, but her eyes were concentrated on us. Whenever any of our Wolves were in trouble, she would use her mind to shove our opponents away.

She didn’t kill anyone.

My downfall was when I saw one of the younger Wolves. I didn’t want to kill him. He looked to be about thirteen or fourteen.

He distracted me. I was wide open for an attack and one of the dogs went for it and bit into my arm.

The pain shot through my system as soon as their canines bit down.

I shot myself in the air, and looked down at my arm, which was already bleeding dramatically. It took me a second to notice Cassidy was up there with me. From up there, I could see all the Wolves going at each other with all they had.

Layton and Zeverus, for all it was worth, really were true Alphas. Most Wolves were fighting one on one. Layton and Zev— they were taking about five Wolves at a time.

I was impressed.

“It’s bad for us,” Cassidy told me, taking my arm in her hands.

“It hurts like a bitch,” I complained, and then laughed when my eyes landed on the dogs fighting down below.

“You are so bad,” Cassidy told me, smiling along with me.

“Have you been bitten before?”

I hadn’t realized she was pulling me along in the air, until I noticed we were descending some distance away from the fight.

“I need to keep an eye on Damien,” I told her.

“They have this fight in the bag. It’s just sad that so many Wolves are going to die,” Cassidy said.

Her eyes glassed over instantly when they landed in the direction of the fight.

“The Wolves have something in them. I’m not really sure what it is, but it doesn’t heal instantly like everything else. Last time I was bitten, all of my gifts shut down. I could barely move,” Cassidy told me.

I focused on one of the Wolves in the fight and tried to shove him away. It didn’t work.

“My telekinesis….” I whispered.

“It’s the bite. It does something to us,” Cassidy told me, sadly.

“Shit,” I sighed.

The bite stung, and the amount of blood pouring out from it was outrageous, but it wasn’t as bad.

“Let me see,” Cassidy said, as she continued to inspect the wound.

I was grinning down at her and nodding my head. It was a good way to get her attention.

I was surprised when everything quieted down around us.

Growls, howls, and grunts of pain had dominated the area before, but suddenly the group began splitting into two.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“Who is that?” Cassidy asked at the same time, nodding in the direction of a guy heading our way.

The area was a bloody mess. Bodies were thrown everywhere in the ground, missing parts. Everyone was covered in blood, even though some guys hadn’t shifted back into their human form.

Over one hundred Wolves had come along with Brian and about twenty of them remained. On our side, the casualties hadn’t been too bad. There had only been about forty of us and almost everyone seemed to be okay.

“Roderick,” Layton growled out his name.

“Layton.”

It took me no time to realize that the Wolf approaching us must’ve been someone important.

“Who are you?” Damien asked, looking at the guy suspiciously.

Roderick was basically what I had been seeing in Wolves with higher rank. He was tall, with a strong build, a dangerous look in his eyes, and he exuded power.

It was something that annoyed me. Even though I was a Legen, I felt their Wolves trying to make me submit to them.

“My name is Roderick,” the guy replied.

He was dressed a lot better than most. His hair was intact and I could tell he hadn’t been fighting.

“He used to be the Alpha of Highland Pack,” Zev added, while he was staring at Roderick.

Everyone on our side and even the Wolves that had been with Brian were looking at Roderick distrustfully.

“What are you doing here?” Layton asked him.

“I came to join the cause,” Roderick replied.

He turned to look at Damien and nodded at him once.

“You, my friend, are impressive,” he commented.

“There is no cause to join,” Layton told Roderick, rather harshly.

“This fight is practically finished. You’re a little late to the party,” I said, grinning at him as my eyes swept through the area.

“What about them?” Roderick asked, nodding towards the twenty Wolves from Brian’s group that survived.

“They will be prisoners. The fight is over,” Damien replied, his hard eyes focusing for a second on the rest of the Wolves.

I didn’t like that he was leaving them alive and it seemed like Roderick agreed with me.

“How can they be taught a lesson, if you are too forgiving?” Roderick asked, his silvery eyes focusing on the Wolves.

Most of them were Rogues, but a few had been part of Mountain Peak. Roderick had a point. I was about to tell Damien about it, when Layton spoke up.

“This isn’t your fight, Roderick. We’re done here. I think you should be on your way. I hear some Alphas are looking for you,” Layton commented, threateningly.

“How are Dylan and Caine? I heard about the feud,” Roderick said.

He sounded like he was bored with the conversation, but there was something in his tone. He looked dangerous. It was different from the way Layton and Zeverus carried themselves, I just couldn’t pinpoint it.

“That fight doesn’t concern you either,” Zeverus added.

“I’m not hiding anymore,” Roderick stated.

“Who is he?” Damien asked again, frowning when Layton didn’t reply anything.

“Kill them,” Roderick told Damien. “Always kill any Wolf who doesn’t know his place,” he finished, his silvery eyes looking ready to attack.

“I agree with him, Damy. Don’t give them a chance to try it again,” I said, squeezing Damien’s shoulder to give him the push he needed.

Damien and Anthony had already tried the same thing. They had asked Mountain Peak if they wanted to stay or go. That plan had ended up getting Anthony killed.

“Better yet, I can take care of them,” Roderick offered.

“I’m not working side by side with Roderick,” Layton growled.

Everyone turned to look at Damien, waiting for his call. When his eyes landed on me, I nodded my head.

“Do it,” Damien told Roderick.

It was all Roderick needed to hear. He shifted into a silver Wolf, the same color as his eyes, and began attacking the rest of the men that had accompanied Brian.

One Wolf.

Roderick was one single Wolf. He was an Alpha, but he was still just one. It took him less than ten minutes to finish off the twenty Wolves that remained.

Roderick was outside of the mansion, surrounded by the few Wolves that remained from Mountain Peak and some of Layton and Zev’s guys.

Layton, Zeverus, Micah, Jared, Damien, Wayne, and I were locked in Anthony’s study. Cassidy had gone upstairs with Emilia, who was still inconsolable.

I could tell Damien was distracted. He probably wanted to go with her. I also wanted to wrap things up soon.

The stupid bite in my arm was aching and I felt feverish. I just wanted to go to bed, or maybe go get Tania to take care of me.

“Dylan and Caine took down Roderick’s pack,” was the first thing Layton said.

“Wait, he’s not an Alpha anymore?” I asked.

I was amazed at what Roderick had done outside even though he didn’t have a pack anymore.

“He’s an Alpha. The title doesn’t go away just because the pack does. His Wolf is strong, deadly from what I’ve heard,” Zeverus replied.

“But he doesn’t have a pack anymore?”

“No, Highland Pack was brought down a little over four years ago by Midnight Moon and Locus Pack,” Layton answered.

“Aren’t those two dudes your enemies?”

“It isn’t as simple, Sebastian,” Zeverus replied, because Layton was too busy glaring at me.

“It seems simple. No offense, but you could use a Wolf like Roderick. He’s fucking strong,” I said.

“Roderick had been in hiding for so long. Don’t you think it’s suspicious that he’s coming out just now?”

“Really? That’s the excuse?” I asked Zev.

“He could betray us. Besides, there are pack laws we follow when attacking. Getting Roderick on our side will make Dylan and Caine think we’re not fighting a clean war. It wouldn’t be fair,” Layton explained.

“Who gives a shit what they think? I say let the guy fight with us.”

“Are we done here?” Damien asked.

He hadn’t been saying anything, but it was good to see he’d finally snapped out of his daydreaming.

“I don’t trust Roderick,” Layton stated with a frown.

“I don’t trust him either, but I’m keeping an open mind,” Zeverus shrugged.

“I vote we give it a try,” I said.

When we all turned to look at Damien, he seemed to be out of it again.

“It’s going to be a clean fight. If we know that, it’s all that counts. If I was Roderick, I’d want to kill Dylan and Caine to get back at them,” Damien distractedly added.

“He’s been gone for too long. No one knows where he’s been hiding,” Layton insisted.

“Well he’s been doing something right, because he took on twenty strong male Wolves on his own,” Zeverus said, sounding impressed as well.

Layton seemed surprised that Zeverus had said that, but he just shook his head.

“I’ll take care of him if he tries anything,” I offered.

“Roderick is dangerous,” Layton repeated, but it seemed like he knew we weren’t going to give up.

“It’s what we need. Didn’t you say so yourself?” Damien asked him.

“Having you and Sebastian on our side is different than having an Alpha looking for revenge,” Layton replied.

Roderick stepped into the room just then. All of the guys that had been watching over him were following along, but looking too scared to stop him.

“I have never gone back on my word. You two should know that for a fact,” Roderick said, looking between Layton and Zeverus.

“An Alpha’s word, it should be all you need from me. You have my word— I will not betray you and I will follow the plan you have. I just want a shot at bringing Caine and Dylan down,” Roderick said.

“You’re in,” Damien told him.

Layton nodded reluctantly, but he was still looking at Roderick suspiciously. From there, it just took a nod from each of us to seal the deal.

“That ends this meeting,” Damien said in a dismissive tone.

He’d been distracted throughout the meeting.

On his way out of the study, Roderick caught Damien’s arm and brought him to a halt.

I was about to throw myself at him to attack, when I noticed the short nod he gave to Damien.

“My condolences,” Roderick said in a smooth apologetic voice.

Damien nodded back at him, but he didn’t say anything else.

“What Brian did today was what Caine and Dylan did to me years ago. I will be in your debt for this.” Roderick’s eyes trailed from Damien to me, to Zev, before settling on Layton.

They nodded at each other once, and then Roderick was out the door. Damien left as well, but he took off upstairs, where Emilia and Cassidy were at.

“He won’t go against us,” Zeverus commented.

Layton was quiet. He took a seat on Anthony’s chair, and ran his hand through his hair.

“I thought he was dead,” Layton admitted, shaking his head.

“I feel for the guy,” I added.

I hardly knew anything about him or what happened in his pack, but just from what Layton and Zev had shared about him, I knew it must’ve been hell for him.

“I guess this is it,” Layton said, letting out a sigh.

I knew this was it.

The small fight was over. Mountain Peak had been torn apart, but Luke and Brian had been destroyed. I had no idea what Damien was going to decide, but it was going to define so much for both of us.

Now the real war began.

Damien Gray

“He’s gone,” Emilia whimpered.

I was running my hands through her hair, as I held her tightly in my lap. She had cuddled against me as soon as I entered the room.

I was covered in blood and dirt, but Emilia didn’t seem to mind. Her head was nestled in my neck.

I wasn’t wearing a shirt, and she was only wearing a thin gown Cassidy had helped her slip into.

“We’ll be okay,” I whispered, pressing a kiss against her hair.

“Why did they do this, Damien?” Emilia asked.

I just tightened my hold on her. I didn’t know what to tell her. I wanted to make her feel better but I didn’t know what to do.

“Do you want to go somewhere?”

“What?” Emilia asked.

She looked up at me. Her usual icy blue eyes looked too sad, and it was painful to see her that way. Her long black hair had been braided, no doubt Cassidy’s doing. Emilia never braided her hair but Cassidy loved braids.

The translucent white gown Emilia was wearing only made her look paler and her skin was tinged in pink on certain areas of her face.

“Do you want to go somewhere with me, right now?” I asked, sounding unsure of myself.

I didn’t know if taking her anywhere was a good idea.

I knew she needed to cry. It was good for her to let all of her emotions out. Emilia wasn’t just grieving her father, she was also grieving her Alpha.

I’d noticed that the Wolves from Mountain Peak that remained on our side were feeling the loss of Anthony as well. It was an important bond that had been broken.

“Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise,” I told her, running my hand over the side of her face.

I ran my thumb over her lips, and couldn’t help but stare down at them.

I lightly pressed my lips against hers, and then pulled away. I knew it wasn’t the time for that, even though I really wanted her.

“Do you want to go?” I asked.

Emilia wrapped her arms around me tightly and buried her head in the crook of my neck.

When I stood up from the bed and carried her towards the balcony doors, Emilia seemed confused. It was already dark outside, so I knew it was safer for what I had planned.

“Where are we going?” She asked once again.

“To a clearing,” I replied. When Emilia scrunched up her nose, I smiled. “The land is away from Mountain Peak. It belongs to Sebastian and me.”

“Are we going to…?” Emilia asked, letting her question trail off.

I smiled and nodded down at her.

Emilia widened her eyes when I extracted my white wings from my back. Her hand reached out to touch them. When she did, the area she touched ignited into white little sparks of light.

I chuckled when Emilia quickly pulled her hand away.

“They do that,” I shrugged.

“They’re bigger than I thought they’d be,” Emilia commented, still looking at my wings in amazement. “They’re beautiful,” she whispered.

“Thanks,” I told her, but I could feel my face warming up.

Emilia yelped when I suddenly flew us up in the air. I only flew high enough to miss the trees, but I didn’t go all the way. I knew that at a certain distance, we’d both disappear and blend into the air. I wasn’t sure if Emilia was ready to see that just yet.

“You can see this every day?” Emilia asked, her eyes taking in the view of all the trees ahead of us.

Trees were what mainly dominated that entire area, but even I had to admit it was an enchanting view. A lake up ahead was visible to us, clearing the trees away.

Emilia smiled when we passed over it and our shadows glittered on the small waves of the water.

“I can see it whenever I fly. It doesn’t happen every day,” I replied.

“That was…” Emilia said, giving me a bright smile that lit up her face.

“It was the reason my parents kicked me out,” I told her.

Emilia frowned at my words, and she placed her hands softly over my chest.

“You’re parents are horrible.”

I pressed my head against her and took a deep breath.

“I guess we’re both orphans now,” Emilia told me.

She was smiling sadly, and her eyes were starting to glass over once again.

“Anthony was a good Alpha,” I told her.

I was well aware that nothing I said would make up for what had happened.

“What are we going to do now?” Emilia asked.

Her voice trembled, and I could tell that she was worried. It wasn’t just our future on the line. The people from Mountain Peak who survived and hadn’t betrayed the pack were also counting on us.

“Do trust me?”

“You’re my mate, Damien. I’ve been chasing you ever since I met you. I think by now you should know I trust you with my life,” Emilia told me.

She reached up and brushed her lips against mine, biting my lower lip teasingly.

I had my hands on her waist and my fingers digging into her skin. The white gown was practically like touching Emilia, because it molded perfectly to her skin.

I shook my head to push away those thoughts for now.

“What’s wrong?” Emilia asked me.

When I focused on her, I realized she was looking at me worriedly.

I ran my hand over her cheek, which still had a rosy color to it. With my arm still wrapped around her waist, I pressed her closer to my chest.

“I made a decision, but I need you to trust me before I talk to Layton about it,” I replied.

“What decision?” Emilia asked.

I hesitated before answering her. I didn’t know how she was going to take it, and I didn’t want Emilia to feel betrayed by me.

“You’re scaring me, Damien,” she said, reaching up and cupping the side of my face in her hand. “Are you leaving?” Emilia weakly asked.

Her hand was shaking against me and tears were already rolling down her cheeks.

“Emilia, I love you,” I told her, clearing up the tears that kept continuously falling from her eyes.

“I love you too,” she whispered.

I chuckled, because I hadn’t thought she’d assume I was leaving.

“I’m not leaving. My decision is about the pack, or what little is left of it,” I told her.

“What about the pack?” She still sounded worried, but it was nothing compared to how she sounded just seconds ago.

“I am going to ask Layton to combine Mountain Peak with Blue Bloods. I want to us to go back with him and Cassidy.”