DAMIEN
I feel a tug at my heart when Yvonne mentions Lyssa's name, a sharp pain that I try to push aside. Her name keeps coming up in everything, and it's frustrating. "Is everything running smoothly in the borders?" I ask in an attempt to change the topic.
Yvonne furrows her brow, clearly puzzled by my sudden shift in topic. "Why are you avoiding my question?" she probes, her curiosity evident in her voice.
My jaw clenches, anger simmering beneath the surface. "That's none of your concern. I didn't call you here to be interrogated," I retort sharply.
But Yvonne doesn't back down, her smirk only growing wider as she leans in, her eyes fixed on me. "This just got interesting," she remarks, her curiosity clearly piqued. "There's something off about you today," she observes, her gaze scanning me from head to toe. "You look like a mess. Your hair's unkempt, your suit is not ironed, and the files are disorganized. Yet here you are, sitting amidst it all."
I sigh in annoyance. Yvonne knows me well, having grown up watching me. Apart from that, she has great observation skills that easily earned her the position as Commander of the border military squad.
"I've warned the maids to do better," I mutter, knowing it's a feeble excuse.
As expected, Yvonne isn't satisfied with my answer. "Why bother with maids when Lyssa handles most of these things?" she questions.
Fuck!
I shift uncomfortably, avoiding her sharp gaze. "She's not here," I admit quietly, a foreign sense of sorrow seeping into my words.
"Did she go on vacation?" she asks, her eyes searching mine for answers. "Please don't give me that excuse. Lyssa will never go on a vacation without you," she adds.
My brows knit. "Why do you say that?"
"You don't know? That girl used to hate it when you went out of town for work. She would ring me up, and we both had a chat for the entire night. She would unknowingly mention you," she sighs, as if reliving those memories. "She missed you like hell, and I was the one who had to assure her that you'll return soon."
Yvonne's words hit me like a tornado. Lyssa used to miss me all that time? She never called me when I was outside, except when I was free because I told her I didn't like to be
disturbed when I was working. She respected my boundaries, but I never knew she actually wanted to talk to me more.
How did I not see it?
With a sudden surge of frustration, I slam my hand down on the table, rising to my feet as the familiar pain resurfaces, burning hot and raw. She's gone now, so there's no point in dwelling on it.
"If you have nothing useful to say, then you should leave," I growl.
Yvonne remains unfazed by my outburst, her smirk only widening as she watches my reaction, her smugness evident in her expression.
"Uh—A—Alpha?" Kio's voice makes both of our heads turn to the door. He trembles while holding the drink in his hand, sensing the tension in the office. "I—I brought your drink."
"Why is Kio bringing you a Starbucks drink?" Yvonne doesn't miss a beat, swiftly rising from her seat to take the coffee from him, her confusion evident in her furrowed brow as she examines it.
Turning back to me, Yvonne poses a pointed question that cuts through the tension like a knife."Where is Lyssa?" she asks, her tone devoid of its previous smugness.
She has caught onto it. It's not surprising, considering she has always been very cunning since our school days. I wonder if she would have let me reject Lyssa if she were not working in the borders and didn't know what was happening here.
"You may leave, Kio." I gesture towards the door. He nods and walks away.
As soon as he's gone, I sigh heavily, feeling defeated. There's no hiding the truth any longer.
"What is it, Damien?" Yvonne asks.
With a heavy heart, I begin to explain everything to Yvonne.
"What?!" Yvonne's brows shoot up in disbelief. "Are you serious?"
"I don't joke, Yvonne," I say in a firm voice.
"You—what—oh my poor Lyssa!" she holds her head as if the information feels too much for her. "What the hell is wrong with you?!" she shouts at an intensity that feels like a physical blow to my ears. "How can you do this to Alyssa? Rejected her? For what? That dumpster barbie?" It's no mystery that she's
referring to Elowen.
"You have lost it, Damien! Are you dumb or what? Who lets go of a girl like Alyssa? If I were a man, I would have prayed to the Goddess to get a wife like her, and you rejected her for a girl who doesn't even come close to matching her in any way!"
My head begins to throb with the force of her shouts, and I instinctively reach up to hold it, trying to dull the pain that radiates from her anger. I can feel the exhaustion creeping in, my energy drained by the weight of Yvonne's accusations.
"It was for the pack," I reply, my voice strained with fatigue.
"How?" She demands. "Alyssa was the best thing for the pack. After her becoming Luna,
we had so many packs begging for an alliance. Silverfang Pack ranks in the top
five powerful packs globally because of her contribution!"
I run a hand through my hair. "I know."
"Then why did you reject her? Let's put aside your emotions and think practically. You out of all people should have known how important she is for this pack. How did you make such a dumb mistake?"
"Are you on drugs?" she asks out of the blue, receiving a glare from me.
"What?!"
She shakes her head. "This is unlike you. You need to get her back immediately!" The disappointment is clear in her eyes, and I feel like she's my Alpha at the moment, ordering me.
"Well, she's not as innocent as you think she is," I snarl. "She faked her pregnancy despite knowing that it's a sensitive topic for us."
"I can't believe it," Yvonne whispers, her voice filled with shock as she processes my
accusation. "Alyssa faked her pregnancy?"
I nod grimly. "But i didn't fall for it."
Yvonne's eyes widen in disbelief. "But why? How could she do something like that?" she
demands, sounding horrified.
"I don't know," I admit, frustration creeping into my voice. "But it's clear she's not who we thought she was."
"Did you verify it?" she asks.
I hand her the report from the clinic. "I did. It's a fake document from Duskwatch Hollow. The receptionist in the clinic said that there was no such test done by her."
She scans the document quickly, her brow furrowing in thought. "We need to run another
check," she declares, her voice determined.
I raise an eyebrow in confusion. "Why?" I inquire, puzzled by her insistence.
"Because this report is genuine," she explains, her gaze meeting mine with a seriousness that sends a shiver down my spine. "I've seen enough forged documents in Duskwatch Hollow to know the difference."
I swallow hard, the implications of what she said sinking in. Yvonne was born in Duskwatch Hollow, so she knows what she's talking about. If this report is real, then...
I turn and stride out of the office. "We'll go to the clinic and verify."