Elena’s POV

The silence after his words is unbearable.

“Our pup.”

Marcus stands frozen, eyes darting between us. Maya stirs again, groaning softly.

“Get back,” I say quietly.

Damon doesn’t move. His chest rises and falls hard, his wolf still pushing beneath his skin. His voice trembles with fury. “You kept her from me.”

“She’s sick,” I snap. “That’s what matters.”

“You had my child and ran.”

“I had no choice.”

“There is always a choice.”

I laugh bitterly. “Not when you’re thrown out bleeding and rejected.”

He flinches but doesn’t stop. “How old is she?”

“Four.”

His jaw tightens. “You left right after…”

“Yes.”

He exhales sharply, turning away for a second. His hands tremble as he drags them through his hair. “Gods, Elena.”

I crouch beside Maya, brushing a hand over her cheek. “You don’t get to say my name like that. Not after everything.”

He takes a step closer. “You should have told me.”

“I owed you nothing.”

“She’s my blood.”

“She’s my life.”

His voice deepens. “And mine now too.”

Marcus finally moves between us, holding up his hands. “Enough. This isn’t helping her.”

Damon glares at him. “You knew.”

Marcus hesitates. “I suspected.”

“You helped her hide.”

“I helped her survive.”

Damon’s control snaps for a moment. His aura flares, pressing down on the room, thick and heavy. My wolf strains against it but refuses to yield.

“Stop it,” I whisper. “You’ll scare her.”

His power eases slightly. His gaze flicks to Maya again, softening in a way that makes my heart ache and rage at once.

“What’s wrong with her?” he asks quietly.

I meet his eyes. “You want truth? Fine.”

I pull the folded papers from my bag and drop them on the table. “Silver Veil Syndrome. It affects pups born from rejected bonds. The wolf spirit fades without both bloodlines connected. The cure is simple but cruel.”

He unfolds the papers with shaking hands. “What cure?”

“Your blood.”

He looks up sharply. “What?”

“She needs transfusions. Weekly. Until her wolf stabilizes.”

His jaw flexes. “And you came here to what, take my blood and disappear again?”

“Yes.”

He stares at me for a long time. “You planned to let me think she never existed.”

“She was better off that way.”

His expression hardens. “You think I would have ignored her?”

“You ignored me easily enough.”

That lands. He looks away, shoulders stiff.

Marcus clears his throat softly. “The healer can confirm the diagnosis. She’s on call for the patrols tonight. I can bring her here.”

Damon nods once. “Do it.”

I shoot him a glare. “I didn’t ask your permission.”

He meets it evenly. “You’re in my territory. Everything that happens here requires my permission.”

I want to throw something at him. Instead, I turn away, kneeling by Maya again. Her breathing rattles faintly. My heart squeezes so tight I can barely speak.

“She doesn’t have time for this,” I whisper.

“Then let’s move,” Damon says.

Within twenty minutes, the healer arrives, a small, older wolf named Rhea. She moves quickly, taking blood samples from both Maya and Damon while I hover by the couch, arms crossed.

Damon doesn’t take his eyes off Maya once. His fingers twitch every time she whimpers.

Rhea studies the results with a low hum. “There’s no doubt,” she says finally. “The child carries Alpha blood. Yours.”

Damon closes his eyes briefly. Then he looks at me. “There. You have your proof.”

I fold my arms tighter. “I didn’t come for acknowledgment. I came for her life.”

Rhea looks between us carefully. “She’ll need regular transfusions. His blood type is compatible. The first treatment must begin tonight.”

Damon nods without hesitation. “Do it.”

I shake my head. “Not here. I’ll take her back to Seattle. I can handle it there.”

He turns sharply. “No.”

“I’m not staying.”

“You are.”

“Don’t command me.”

He steps closer, eyes burning. “Then don’t make me.”

My wolf snaps at his tone, bristling, ready to fight. “You lost the right to order me five years ago.”

His voice drops, low and rough. “Then consider this about our daughter. She needs stability. She needs the pack’s healers. You’re not leaving until she’s cured.”

“I don’t need your pack.”

He doesn’t blink. “You do now.”

Marcus cuts in again. “Elena, maybe staying a few days,"

“No,” I interrupt. “This isn’t home.”

Damon’s hand clenches at his side. “It was once.”

“That home died when you rejected me.”

His eyes flash. “And yet you’re here again.”

The air between us hums with power. I can’t breathe for a moment. The bond burns under my skin, alive and cruel.

Rhea clears her throat, trying to dissolve the tension. “I’ll prepare the transfusion room. It must happen within the hour.”

Damon nods. “Use the Alpha wing. It’s closest.”

“I’m not going to your house,” I say sharply.

He looks at me steadily. “Yes, you are.”

“Over my dead body.”

His gaze softens for the first time. “I almost lost both of you once. I’m not taking that risk again.”

I stare at him, stunned by the rawness in his voice. My anger wavers for half a second before I shove it back down. “You don’t get to act like you care.”

He doesn’t answer. He just walks to the door, calling for his guards. Two appear instantly outside, heads bowed.

“Prepare the Luna suite,” he orders. “The Alpha female and the child will stay there until further notice.”

I step forward fast. “What did you just say?”

He turns to me. “You heard me.”

“I’m not your Luna.”

His voice hardens. “You’re the mother of my heir.”

The words hit like a blow. “Don’t you dare,"

He looks at Maya again, his tone final. “She carries my blood. She bears my eyes. The pack will know tonight.”

Marcus stiffens. “Damon, think before,"

“I have.” Damon’s voice slices through the room. “She stays here. Under my protection. Until the healer declares her cured.”

“You can’t decide that.”

He steps closer, his presence towering. “Watch me.”

I glare up at him, every part of me shaking with fury and exhaustion. “You’re still the same arrogant bastard who thought being Alpha made him a god.”

He doesn’t even flinch. “No. I’m the man trying to save his family.”

The word makes my chest tighten painfully.

Behind him, Rhea gathers her tools quietly. “The treatment will begin in twenty minutes. I’ll need both of you present.”

I turn away before Damon can see the tears threatening to fall.

He moves toward the door, calling over his shoulder. “Get your things. You’re not leaving this territory again.”

I spin on him. “You can’t cage me.”

He meets my eyes calmly. “It’s not a cage. It’s protection.”

“Funny. It feels the same.”

His gaze softens for half a second. “You’ll understand soon.”

He looks down at Maya again, sleeping fitfully. His expression changes then, quiet and fierce all at once. “She’s mine,” he says softly.

“No,” I whisper. “She’s ours.”

He looks back at me, something like hope flickering in his eyes. Then his voice turns cold again. “From this night forward, she will be recognized by the pack as my heir.”

I freeze. “What did you say?”

He straightens fully, power rolling off him. “She is the Alpha’s daughter. And the pack will know it.”

“Damon, no,"

“She stays,” he says simply. “Both of you.”

The finality in his tone settles like a lock clicking shut.

My world traps me again.