Chapter Eighteen - Breached - Damian's POV

I feel the walls closing in, the suffocating weight of the truth pressing down on me. I'm not supposed to tell her this much. Not yet. But I can't keep pushing her away. Not now. My patience wears thin, and the frustration I've been bottling up finally spills over. She's right, in a way. I have been keeping her in the dark. But some things aren't meant for her to know yet. And every second I stand here, on the verge of telling her more than she can handle, the weight of the prophecy presses down harder. I clench my fists at my sides, the words just on the tip of my tongue. "You're part of something bigger than you realize," I start again, my voice rough. "Something you're not ready to understand. That is why you can't push and why things are the way they are. That is all I can say about it, Maya." I just repeated the same sentence as before, so that really doesn't fix the issue. She doesn't flinch, doesn't soften, just stares at me with those eyes of hers. They're full of anger, frustration, and uncertainty. 'So that is all you can say?" I exhale sharply, irritation rising in my chest. "Yes, that is all I can truly say." 'Isn't it? Why can't you tell me anything?" I take a tentative step toward her as my voice drops to a harsh whisper. 'You don't understand. I just can't. There are things that are so hard to explain. Please, just believe me." A sharp, crashing sound shatters the tension between us, cutting me off mid-sentence. It comes from the direction of the study, a sound so loud and sudden it feels like the house itself is groaning under the pressure. My heart skips, my body tensing instantly as my instincts scream at me to go. No time. I turn away from her without a second thought, my focus shifting to the sound. My mind races, calculating what could have caused it, but I don't have the luxury of time to figure it out. Whatever it is, it can't wait. 'Maya, stay here," I order, my voice rough with urgency. 'Don't go snooping anywhere else. I will return for you shortly." I don't give her a chance to respond before I'm already striding toward the hallway, my footsteps rapid as I move toward the study. Behind me, Maya calls my name, but I don't stop or turn around to see what she wants. My study door is ajar when I reach it, and I push it open with force. My eyes immediately scan the room, my body coiling in on itself as I process the mess before me. Someone has come into my office when they knew I would be elsewhere. Bookshelves have been knocked over, a large one tipping to the side with a loud crack. Papers are scattered across the floor, and in the midst of the chaos lies the lockbox I had kept hidden. It's open. A curse slips from my lips. I'm too late. I bend to pick up the lockbox, my mind already racing through the consequences of it being disturbed. There are things inside Maya can't ever know about. Not yet. Not unless it's too late. I hear the shuffle of footsteps approaching the door. I move quickly, shoving the box into one of the drawers and slamming it shut just as Simon steps into the room. 'What happened?" he demands, his gaze flicking between me and the wreckage. 'I don't know," I mutter, still catching my breath. My heart pounds in my chest, and I can feel the weight of Maya's questions still burning in my mind, but I have no time to answer them right now. 'Make sure the perimeter is secure. We've got a breach somewhere. They came when I'm normally not in the office, so I don't know who this might have been." Simon's eyes narrow. 'A breach? But to know when you aren't in office, that would have to be—" 'Not just rogues this time," I say, locking eyes with him. 'Someone's been inside. This was an inside job." As Simon moves toward the doorway to check the rest of the house, I stand frozen for a moment, my thoughts still with Maya. Her questions still hang in the air, unanswered. I can't deal with her right now, and I can't give her the answers she's demanding. I have too many secrets to keep hidden. And too many enemies to face. I take a deep breath, steadying myself and pushing everything aside for a moment. Right now, I have to focus on the immediate threat. There are bigger things at stake now. Someone has broken into the house and breached my office. It's that or something is doing an inside job for someone else. I turn toward the door, moving to follow Simon, when a soft knock sounds at the door frame. I look up to see Evelyn standing there, her eyes assessing my ruined office. "Damian," she says quietly, her voice carrying a quiet authority. "You can't keep running from this. It's now coming home to roost." I clench my jaw, the words I've been holding back threatening to spill out. 'I don't have time for this, Evelyn," I bite out, my tone sharper than I intend. 'Yes, I get it's at my door, but now is not the time for things to fall in on itself." She doesn't flinch, doesn't even blink. 'You're distracted, and I'm not blind. Something's happening, and you're trying to shield everyone from it. You're already stretched thin. It's only going to get worse from here on out. Finding her was the first step, and you know more will come." Her words cut deep, and for a moment, the walls I've carefully built between myself and everyone else crack. I am stretched thin. The thought gnaws at me. Between the rogues, the hunters, Maya's questions, and the breach, I have no room left to breathe, let alone deal with the one thing I don't want to face: my own failure. 'I have to figure out who did this," I say, taking a step toward the door, my eyes already scanning the hallway beyond. 'I need to secure the house, make sure whoever is still here is dealt with."