The lost mate
Chapter 95: Shattered trust

Chapter 95: Shattered trust

Chris stumbled into the packhouse, his movements sluggish, his mind clouded. His steps echoed softly against the wooden floor as he ran a hand through his dishevelled hair. The taste of whisky still lingered on his tongue—a bitter reminder of the stupid mistake he’d just made. Damien was seated at the long table in his office, hunched over a map of the territory.

Chris hesitated for a moment at the doorway, but the guilt gnawing at his insides pushed him forward.

"Damien," Chris croaked, his voice rough from the alcohol.

Damien glanced up, immediately noticing the uneven sway in Chris’s stance and the glazed look in his eyes. He raised an eyebrow but remained calm. "Chris? What’s going on? You look like hell."

Chris exhaled shakily and sank into the chair opposite Damien, running his hands over his face. He wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear, but it was too late for that now. "I messed up," he muttered, avoiding Damien’s gaze. "Big time."

Damien’s eyes narrowed, and he leant forward. "What happened?"

Chris slouched back in the chair, the words tumbling out in a rush. "I... I told Emily. I told her everything. About how you manipulated Detective Fred." He groaned, dropping his head into his hands. "I was drunk, okay? I didn’t mean to. It just... blurted out."

Damien was silent for a long moment, processing what Chris had just told him.

Damien stood up, pacing the length of the room as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Dammit, Chris..." he muttered, more to himself than to Chris. He paused, turning back to face him, his expression serious but not angry. "You told her about Fred? Everything?"

Chris nodded miserably, his eyes still cast downward. "Yeah. I thought I could make her understand, but... she flipped out. Said you had no right to manipulate people, even if it was to protect Anne."

Damien let out a long breath and shook his head. "She’s not wrong."

"I know!" Chris groaned, slumping lower in his seat. "I know I screwed up, but I didn’t mean for it to happen this way. It just happened. And now... she won’t even talk to me."

Damien stopped pacing and leant against the table, folding his arms. He regarded Chris with a steady gaze, his tone firm but reassuring. "Don’t beat yourself up too much. You were drunk and made a mistake, but it’s not the end. Emily’s angry now, but she’ll come around once she cools off. She just needs time."

Chris finally looked up, desperation in his eyes. "What if she doesn’t? What if I’ve ruined everything?"

Damien’s gaze softened. "I’ll talk to Anne. I will explain that I didn’t mean to hurt Heather or her."

Chris nodded, but the knot of anxiety in his chest didn’t loosen. He could still see the hurt in Emily’s eyes—the way her lips had tightened when he told her the truth. It wasn’t just anger—it was betrayal. And that was harder to fix.

Before either of them could say more, the quiet of the room was shattered by the sharp ring of a phone. Damien and Chris both turned as Anne rushed into the room, her phone pressed to her ear, her face pale and tense. She shot Damien a quick glance, her eyes wide with worry.

"Anne?" Damien’s voice immediately shifted to concern, stepping closer. "What’s going on?"

Anne’s hand trembled slightly as she ended the call, lowering the phone with a shaky breath. "That was Nicky and Aaron," she said, her voice tight. "They’ve been thrown out of the pack by Alpha Jackson."

Damien’s face darkened instantly, a flicker of anger passing over his features. "What? Why? What did Jackson say?"

"I don’t know," Anne replied, her voice strained. "Nicky said it happened out of nowhere. One minute, everything was fine, and the next, Jackson was exiling them—no explanation, no warning. They’re terrified, Damien."

"Where are they now?" Damien asked, his voice low but urgent.

"They’re hiding just outside the territory," Anne said, her eyes shining with worry. "They don’t know where else to go. Jackson made it clear that if they set foot on pack land again, they’d be hunted down."

Damien’s fists clenched at his sides, the frustration and anger boiling beneath his calm exterior. "This doesn’t make sense. Why would Jackson suddenly turn on them? He knows that throwing out members like this is a dangerous game. He’s playing with fire."

"It’s all my fault," Anne said, tears welling up in her eyes. "He is taking out my anger on them."

Damien reached out to comfort Anne, his voice soft but firm. "We need to find a way to protect them, no matter what it takes."

Anne nodded.

Anne stepped closer, her hand reaching out to Damien. "We need to help them, Damien. Nicky and Aaron are—they’re family. We can’t leave them out there alone, not with Jackson threatening them."

Damien nodded, his jaw tight. "We’ll bring them here. But we need to be careful. If Jackson’s already thrown them out, he’ll be expecting us to make a move. We can’t afford to escalate this into an all-out war with him."

Chris stood, his earlier guilt giving way to a renewed sense of purpose. "What’s the plan?"

Damien glanced between Chris and Anne, his mind working fast. "Anne, get in touch with Nicky and Aaron again. Tell them to head to the old cabin near the river—neutral territory. It’s the safest place we can meet them without crossing into Jackson’s land."

Anne nodded, immediately dialing her phone. "I’ll tell them."

Damien turned to Chris. "I need you on patrol near the borders. If any of Jackson’s wolves are trailing them, I want to know about it."

Chris nodded firmly, already heading for the door. "I’m on it."

Unknown to them an omega had heard everytging. The discussion about Detective Fred. She wasted no times to inform Liana about.

Liana smiled and muttered to herself after the omega had narrated everything.

"I must meet these humans, Heather and Emily."