“Are you sticking to your choice, even if it brings you discomfort?” Damien asked, his voice breaking the silence as he focused on the road.
“Huh?” I blinked, caught off guard by his question. I wasn’t expecting him to ask again. Earlier, I had made it clear I wasn’t backing down. So hearing him mention it again felt… strange.
I glanced at him briefly, then turned my eyes away, staring out the window. The city lights blurred as they passed by, and I didn’t feel like answering. We’d had our fun, twice now, but that didn’t mean he could keep prying into my personal life.
“Kimberly, listen,” he continued, a worried edge in his voice. “Now isn’t the time to pick a fight with your stepmother. You should focus on finding your father first.”
“I appreciate your concern, Damien,” I said, keeping my eyes fixed outside. “But I’ve made my decision. If I don’t handle this now, I may never get another chance. Luna Catherine and her child have to be stopped.”
Damien sighed. “But who will take over the company if something happens to your father? You need someone reliable to fill in the chairman’s role, don’t you think?”
“Sir Jethro, obviously!” I turned to face him, my voice firm. “He’s been loyal to my father for years. I trust him completely.”
“You trust Sir Jethro?” Damien asked, raising an eyebrow as he glanced my way.
I clenched my fists. “Yes, I do! He’s the only person left in this pack who actually cares about my father and me. He’ll protect the company until my father is found.”
“Alright, if that’s what you think,” Damien muttered, turning his eyes back to the road. “But do you really believe Sir Jethro can handle everything? The company’s a huge responsibility.”
I whipped around to face him, my eyes narrowing. “I don’t care what you think. Sir Jethro is the only one I trust. So, yes, I believe he can handle it.”
“Fine,” Damien said, exhaling heavily. “Do what makes you happy.”
I didn’t respond. There was no point in dragging this conversation on. Damien had no right to question my decisions, especially not after everything I’ve been through. He wasn’t involved in the company, nor did he know what it felt like to be in my shoes.
We reached the pack house around seven in the evening. Damien parked the car, and I quickly got out, eager to get away from the awkward tension lingering between us. But before I could head inside, Damien stepped out too and walked toward me.
He took my hands, looking deep into my eyes. I could feel my heart race, but I kept my expression calm. I didn’t want him to know how much his touch affected me.
“Kimberly,” he said softly, “promise me you’ll be careful at tomorrow’s meeting. If anything goes wrong, just call me, and I’ll be there to help.”
I stared at him, surprised. “Call you? When did I get your number?”
“I saved it in your phone while you were in the shower earlier,” he admitted with a shy smile. “Just in case you need me.”
I blinked in surprise but quickly recovered. “Oh… I see.”
“Please, just don’t hesitate to call if you need anything,” Damien pressed, squeezing my hands gently.
I pulled my hands away, taking a step back. “Thanks, but I’ve got this. I need to head inside now.”
Damien nodded, though he seemed disappointed. “Alright. Take care, Kimberly.”
I gave him a brief smile before turning and walking toward the front door. As I entered the house, a heavy feeling settled in my chest. I didn’t have time for these distractions. I needed to focus on the company and finding my father.
But just as I thought I had a moment of peace, I walked straight into Luna Catherine. She was sitting on the couch, her eyes sharp as they followed my every move.
I didn’t greet her. I didn’t see the point. I tried to slip by her unnoticed, but her voice stopped me cold.
“Where are you coming from?” Her tone was harsh, full of accusation.
I turned slowly, meeting her gaze head-on. “I don’t think I need to explain myself to you anymore.”
Her eyes widened in surprise, clearly not expecting my bold response. She had always thrived on my fear of her, but I wasn’t afraid anymore.
“What did you say?” Luna Catherine’s voice trembled with anger. “Do you know who you’re speaking to? I’m the Luna of this pack. I could have you punished for disrespecting me!”
I stood tall, refusing to back down. “Maybe you could. But I won’t let you intimidate me anymore. I’m not the same girl who used to fear you.”
Her face contorted with rage as she rose from the couch, stepping closer. “You ungrateful brat! I’ve given you everything, and this is how you repay me?”
“You didn’t give me anything,” I shot back, my voice steady. “Everything I have, I worked for, or it was given to me by my father. You’re just trying to take it all for yourself.”
“You little-” Luna Catherine raised her hand as if to strike me, but I stood my ground, daring her to do it.
At that moment, a door opened upstairs, and footsteps echoed through the hallway. Luna Catherine lowered her hand, glaring at me with seething hatred.
“This isn’t over, Kimberly,” she hissed. “You’ll regret crossing me.”
“If that’s the case, then go ahead and give the order for my execution!” I snapped at Luna Catherine, my voice trembling with anger. Her constant threats were pushing me beyond my limits, and I could no longer keep my temper in check.
“I’m willing to bet that won’t be necessary,” she murmured with a sly smile, her voice low and unsettling. Her eyes locked onto mine, and I felt a chill run down my spine. What was she up to?
“What are you talking about?” I asked, trying to hide the unease in my voice. But Luna Catherine’s grin only widened.
“It seems you’ve got too much time on your hands, and it’s starting to mess with your mind,” she said, her tone mocking. “Now’s probably a good time for Alpha Derrick and Mona to start planning their future together.”
Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. My heart sank, and panic gripped me. She knew exactly what to say to push my buttons, and it worked. She was trying to hurt me.
But I wouldn’t let her see that. I couldn’t afford to show any weakness, not in front of her. So, I took a deep breath and forced myself to appear unfazed.
“So? It doesn’t matter to me if they get engaged,” I lied, rolling my eyes for effect. “Even if it happens, I’ll still be Alpha Derrick’s slave, so why should I care?”
Luna Catherine’s smug expression faltered for a moment. Her cheeks flushed with anger as she realized her attempt to rattle me had failed-or at least that’s what I wanted her to think. Inside, I was falling apart.
“Fine! Let’s see how strong you are once they announce their engagement,” she hissed, turning on her heel and storming away before I could respond.
I watched her leave, my heart pounding in my chest. She was clearly aware of tomorrow’s emergency board meeting, and I knew she was trying to mess with my head before it. But I refused to let her win. I’d stood my ground, but the truth was, her words had cut deep. The thought of Alpha Derrick and Mona together… it made me feel sick.
I clenched my fists, taking a deep breath to calm my nerves. I couldn’t let this distract me. I had to find my father before it was too late, before everything I knew fell apart.
Dragging my heavy legs toward the stairs, I slowly climbed up to my room. Once inside, I locked the door behind me. I needed some peace, some time to think without Luna Catherine breathing down my neck.
I quickly changed into my pyjamas and crawled into bed. But sleep wouldn’t come. I tossed and turned, my mind racing with everything that had happened.
Maybe it was because of the nap I took at Damien’s apartment earlier. After we… well, after we were together, I’d dozed off for a bit. That’s probably why I wasn’t tired now.
Thinking of Damien made me reach for my phone. I was curious about how he had saved his number in my contacts. With a few swipes, I found it.
“Damien Love!!” I read out loud, rolling my eyes and laughing softly. “What the heck? Love? Seriously?”
I couldn’t believe he’d done that. We weren’t even officially a couple yet! Shaking my head, I murmured to myself, “What was he thinking? Is he already that attached? Or just trying to embarrass me?”
With a sigh, I edited the contact name to just “Damien.” I couldn’t have something like that pop up if anyone saw my phone, especially with everything going on in the pack.
But then I stopped and laughed again. “Wait, Kimberly. Who’s even going to look at your phone? Besides, who cares? Hannah and Louis are the only ones who’d bother, and they’re not here.”
The realization hit me hard. Hannah and Louis, my closest friends, weren’t by my side right now. They were gone, and I was left alone to face all of this.
I set my phone down on the nightstand, lying back on the bed. My thoughts kept swirling, keeping me awake. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to force myself to sleep, but then a sudden flash of memory hit me.
The dream I had at Damien’s apartment.
Sitting up quickly, I whispered to myself, “Who was that man I kept seeing in my dreams? And what was he trying to tell me?”
I tried to recall the dream in detail. The man had been urging me to use my power, to help others. But what power? And who were the people he was talking about?
My mind raced, but no answers came. “What power could he mean? The only thing I know is my wolf strength, but even that… I barely know how to control it.”
It was true. I’d only shifted into my wolf form a few times in my life. The first time had been when I was eighteen. The second was last year when I needed to rescue Mona from a forest.
And the third… I couldn’t even remember exactly when it happened. I knew it had, but the details were fuzzy. It all made me feel weak and helpless.
As I sat there, staring down at my hands, something else came to mind. A memory from that time in the forest with Mona. She had mentioned something about turning into a werewolf too.
“What?” I muttered, my eyes widening in shock. “Mona? A werewolf?”
How had I forgotten that? At the time, none of us took her seriously. We were too anxious about finding Louis and Hannah. But now… the thought seemed strange. How could Mona, who wasn’t even eighteen yet, claim to have shifted into a werewolf?
“Could Mona be hiding something from us?” I whispered, my heart racing. “Could she have powers we don’t know about?”
It didn’t make sense. There was no way someone under eighteen could shift, right? But why would Mona say something like that if it wasn’t true?
“I have to find out,” I decided, determination surging through me. “There’s more to Mona than any of us realize.”
Whatever was happening, I needed answers. And I was going to get them, no matter what it took.