Page 24 of Redeeming His Omega Mate

I looked away, my jaw tightening. Whatever Damian had done after I left, it didn’t matter. He had made his choices long before then.

And I would never forgive him for that.

Chapter 11

Damian

The council room buzzed with heated discussions and reports, but I wasn’t really there. Try as I might, I couldn’t get Tala and her daughter out of my head.

Our conversation this morning had gone nowhere, frustratingly so. But I’d gotten more than enough conviction by just speaking with Aria. It was light. Easy. Good. The connection was real. And then there were her eyes. Dark brown. Just like mine.

It wasn’t lost on me that this thought could be irrational. Brown eyes weren’t proof of anything, but that gnawing suspicion refused to let go. Aria looked no more than six. The math lined up perfectly, and my gut had never failed me before.

It was this, or I had to come to terms with the fact that Tala had been with another man.

A sharp, hot pang flared in my chest. The nights we’d spent together flashed through my head. I hated that somebody else had felther soft skin, tasted her lips, and heard the sweet sound of her pleasure. The thought of someone else knowing that part of her made my blood boil. She was supposed to be mine.

Whatever the truth was, I couldn’t rest until I knew it. And something told me Tala wouldn’t be the one to give it to me.

“Damian?” Elder Maren’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

I blinked, forcing myself back into the present. The elders and Grayson sat around the table, their faces taut with concern. My gaze landed on Grayson, and I could practically smell the displeasure radiating off him.

Leaning forward, I locked my knuckles together and spoke with the confidence of someone who’d been listening all along. “We’ll need a patrol unit to escort the healers to Silver Fang. Mixing our scouts with their warriors will give us better coverage along the borders and help secure the forest that separates our towns.”

Grayson was the first to speak, his tone cutting. “That won’t solve the real problem.”

All eyes shifted to him, waiting for the more he had to say.

“We don’t have enough fighters,” he said bluntly. “Yes, we have the numbers, but most of them won’t join the pack protectors. They think they’re fighting for the Alpha and the Betas, not for themselves.

“If we send our warriors for joint patrols and they fail to control the forest, we’re basically giving the rogues a free pass into our town. We’ll have no defense.” Grayson paused, letting the weight of his words sink in. “I don’t think it’s wise to send patrols. We should only send escorts for the healers while we retrieve the promised moonstone barriers. Once we have that, we can fortify our borders.”

I clicked my tongue in disapproval, cutting him off before he could sway the room. “The terms of the alliance were clear: joint patrol units, joint intelligence councils, healer deployments, and border fortifications. The delegate in charge won’t accept anything less.”

“You mean Tala?” Grayson’s voice was sharp.

Silence fell over the room. My gaze locked on his. The scowl on my face was enough to warn him, but Grayson wasn’t one to back down easily.

I turned back to the elders and caught the surprise etched on their faces.

As expected, Elder Maren was the first to speak. “Are you telling me the Omega who Damian rejected all those years ago is the delegate from Silver Fang?”

Grayson remained silent, but his reaction earlier had pretty much revealed that.

I ignored Maren’s question and forced myself to take a steadying breath. As much as I didn’t like his confrontational tone, I couldn’t refute that he wasn’t wrong. The Omegas wouldn’t fight with us. Sending the bulk of our pack protectors was an invitation for the rogues to invade.

But breaking the alliance terms? That wasn’t an option. Not if we wanted to maintain trust with Silver Fang.

“I hear your concerns,” I spoke again. “But abandoning the patrols entirely isn’t an option. The terms of the alliance were clear, and I won’t dishonor this pack by breaking them.” I paused, letting that sink in. “That said, you’re right about the risk. We’ll adjust the strategy; send a smaller, elite patrol unit, handpicked scouts and warriors. They’ll be supported by Silver Fang’s best trackers and warriors as they work on gaining control of the forest. In the meantime, we’ll focus on fortifying the borders and preserving our fighters.”

Elder Maren nodded thoughtfully, but Grayson wasn’t convinced.

“You really think Tala will agree to that?” he asked.

I pinned him with a hard stare. “I’ll talk to her about the recent developments. I’m sure she’ll understand.”

Grayson’s expression was still grim, but he gave a grudging nod. Everybody seemed to have come to terms with adjustment. Now, it was time to work.

---