Page 37 of Redeeming His Omega Mate

His gaze dragged over me, slow and deliberate, before shifting to the head of the table, where Damian sat in silence. He hadn’t said a word since the meeting started, his back resting against the chair, eyes fixed on the oak table in front of him.

Since yesterday, since barely making it out of the slums after the fight broke out, we hadn’t spoken.

When the guards brought me back to the house, I had been restless, unable to think about anything except the fact that Damian wasstill out there, stuck in a place where years of buried resentment had finally boiled over, and all of it had been directed at him.

Brad had tried to reassure me, but his words had done nothing to ease the knot in my stomach. I knew he was a good man and that he would do everything in his power to make sure Damian got out alive.

But there was only so much one man could do.

A few hours later, Damian had returned. The moment I saw him, my chest tightened. There was a thin cut just above his eyebrow, fresh and unbandaged. His expression was hard, his frown deep, and he barely slowed his steps as he stomped into the house and disappeared into his room.

Relief washed over me—he was safe. But right behind it came the crushing weight of guilt. He was angry. And it was because of me.

Maybe my plan had been ridiculous from the start. Maybe trying to change something that had existed for nearly a century was nothing more than a fool’s dream. Maybe I had let myself believe in something impossible.

And now, that dream had nearly gotten Damian killed.

The next time I saw him was now, in the council room. But he hadn’t looked at me once since he walked in. His gaze stayed locked on the table. His expression was unreadable.

I guess he was just as furious as the rest of them.

Elder Maren let out a scoff, his gaze swinging back to me like a whip. “See what your little plan did? Your stupid outreach event didn’t bring peace. It didn’t bridge any gaps. All it did was undermine our Alpha’s authority. You made him look weak, pandering to those hooligans, hooligans who now think they matter just because they know we need them to win this fight.”

“They’re not hooligans,” I snapped, my jaw tight.

“Of course, you would say that. You’re one of them. No matter how you dress yourself up in luxury, no matter how high you sit at this table, it won’t change what you are.”

The words struck harder than I expected. I curled my fingers into fists, nails digging into my palms as I swallowed the sharp retort burning on my tongue.

He shifted his attention back to Damian. “We’ve got to show themthat we’re strong. We’ve got to send a strong message to those Omegas for trying to ruin the outreach. Everyone who was involved, everyone who threw a cup or spoon, whether woman or child, must be brought in to serve the consequences of their actions.”

“That’s an act of war!” I said. “If we do that, we’re declaring an all-out war that will kill us all even before the rogues do.”

“Girl, you declared war the moment you suggested that stupid idea,” Elder Maren lashed out. “In fact, I suggest you keep your mouth shut and let us handle things the way we’ve always done. You’ve done more than enough already.”

“That’s enough, Elder Maren,” Damian’s voice cut through the backlash, cold and commanding. All heads swiveled in his direction.

Elder Maren reluctantly returned to his chair, but not without passing me a death glare.

The silence stretched as we waited for Damian to speak. It was both uncomfortable and nerve-wracking. But his next words left me in shock.

Damian’s eyes swept over the room, sharp and assessing, before settling on Elder Maren with a cold, unwavering stare.

“The next time you disrespect Tala in this council room,” he said, his voice low but deadly, “you’ll be ripped from your seat. Permanently.”

Silence fell over the room. Stares of shock flickered between the council members, but no one dared to challenge him.

“I’ve listened to you all yell and blame Tala for everything that went wrong yesterday,” Damian continued, his tone steady and commanding, “as if she’s responsible for my father’s failures. For the mistakes of the Alphas before him.” His eyes darkened with something unreadable. “She is not the reason the Omegas resent us. And she certainly isn’t the reason they tried to lynch me.”

He let that sink in, his words settling over the room. “Undoing years of bad leadership won’t happen overnight. Tala’s suggestion was a step forward, but the divide we’re trying to bridge is deep. It will take time. And if you think pointing fingers at her will fix what’s broken, then you are part of the problem.”

A muscle in his jaw tensed as he exhaled slowly, his expression hard. “I won’t hear another insult thrown at Tala. If you have nothing useful to contribute, either keep your mouth shut or leave this council. And if you do walk away, don’t bother coming back. You’ll have lost your seat.”

A tense, heavy silence followed. The council members shifted in their seats, stiff and glaring, but none of them spoke.

I swallowed hard, the tension heavy in the air. Damian had just silenced an entire council in my defense.

As the meeting dragged on, the hostility lingered in the air, but no one dared to speak against me again.

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