Chapter Seventy Nine - Family Reunion - Maya's POV
Damian bends to scoop up the papers, his fingers shakily shuffling them back into a pile. Whatever Simon found in those pages, I think he wants Damian to know about them. Or maybe he's just frustrated and exhausted from all the attacks at the border.
It's like leaving breadcrumbs to follow, but I'm not sure what to think of it. Is it a trap? Is it just keeping Damian informed about everything going wrong?
Damian finally stands, his boots scuffing against the wooden floor. 'Well, then."
I exhale, staring at the door Simon walked through. 'What are you going to do?"
'Find out what he meant," Damian says, keeping his voice low. If my father and Lorcan are making a move, then I need to be ahead of them. Not reacting when it's too late. I'll just have the patrol listen closer if they cross them. Simon may be involved, but I can't be too sure."
Damian grips the papers tightly before setting them on his desk with more force than necessary. His jaw clenches, the tension radiating from him in waves. 'If Simon knows something, he's probably heard about it, which means he may be the one doing all of this. I don't want to accept it though because he's been my loyal beta for all these years. Why would he betray me?"
I cross my arms, now wondering if that is why I feel so odd around Simon. 'To me, he looks guilty. He gives you a vague warning, telling you that you'll see soon. What does he know that he isn't telling you? Why would he say that if he wasn't silently working with them?"
Damian exhales through his nose, his gaze flicking toward the door. 'That is exactly the same conclusion I've come to. He should be loyal to me and tell me everything, which means he is probably the one causing all the problems from within. I hate this, but I'll have to deal with him accordingly."
Before I can respond, the distant sound of hurried footsteps reaches my arms. Someone bursts through the door and I recognize him instantly. Ethan.
Damian had placed him as a guard at my door, but I haven't seen him lately.
His eyes are wide, and he looks terrified.
'Alpha," he addresses Damian first, then his gaze shifts to me, but only for a second. 'We have movement at the western border. Multiple figures, but they are standing off in the distance, so we can't identify them. They aren't trying to be discreet about it, though."
Damian moves toward the door to him, his gaze darkening. 'How long ago?"
'Minutes," Ethan answers. 'They're just standing there, as if they are waiting for something."
My stomach tightens as I hear his words. Whatever Simon meant, whatever warning he left us with, must be happening now.
Damian curses under his breath and strides toward the door, his entire body coiled with tension. I follow closely behind, planning to go with him.
He turns at the door, shooting me a stern look. 'Stay here."
'No, I'm going with you. This involves me too, doesn't it?"
He looks at me as if he can't believe I'm fighting him about this, but I'm serious. I'm going with him whether he wants me to go or not. If this is going to be my life, then I'm going to embrace all parts of it, including the dangerous ones.
Damian breathes out a harsh breath before turning back to Simon, not arguing with me about my choice. 'Are they on our land?"
Ethan shakes his head. 'Not yet. They're lingering beyond the border, watching. No movement at all."
That's almost worse. It means they want to be seen, to know that they're there. It's a message.
Damian exhales sharply, his eyes flashing with something I don't understand. 'Simon knew."
Ethan's gaze narrows. 'What did he tell you?"
'It's nothing. We have to move now."
I swallow hard. You're about to find out very soon. Simon's parting words churn uneasily in my mind.
Before I can fully process what I've agreed to, Damian is following Ethan out the door and I'm left following behind.
'Double the patrol. No one engages. I'm on my way," Damian calls out as we walk down the hallway.
Once we get outside, the air is thick with tension. The scent of damp earth mingles with something else, something unnatural. I don't know how I can even smell it, but something doesn't smell right.
As we near the western border, the silhouettes of the figures become clearer through the trees, even with the shade over the land. They stand eerily still, their gazes fixed in our direction. And at the center of them stands a man, who I don't know, but Damian does.
His entire body goes rigid.
'Maya, stay close," Damian says, his voice low. 'That's my father."
His father's lips curl into a slow, knowing smile as his eyes settle on Damian.
'I was beginning to think you wouldn't show," he calls out, his voice dripping with mockery.
Beside me, Damian's fists clench.
His father tilts his head slightly, studying him like a predator would prey. The resemblance is there, even at this distance. They have the same sharp jaw, the same piercing gaze, but where Damian's eyes hold fire, his father's are cold.
'I see you brought company," his father muses, his gaze flicking briefly to me before returning to Damian. 'I guess that she is the one you think will fix everything."
Damian doesn't take the bait. 'What do you want?"
His father sighs. 'Is that any way to greet your own blood? After all these years apart?"
Damian shifts slightly, positioning himself just in front of me as a shield. 'You lost the right to call yourself my blood the moment you turned against me and let Lorcan try to kill me."
A flicker of amusement crosses his father's face. 'Ah, you're still dramatic, I see. You always were. But I didn't come here for sentiments and sweet things. I came to offer you a choice."
Damian's jaw tightens. 'The answer is no."
His father chuckles. 'Oh, but you need to hear it. Because if you refuse, well, I guess it isn't going to really matter. You're going to die either way so we can save ourselves from this prophecy. But if you accept, then it is only you who has to die."