Page 107 of The Reaper's Vow
For a moment, I think Hudson will refuse. His jaw tightens, his shoulders squaring as father and son face off in a silent battle of dominance. Then his shoulders relax slightly, though his expression remains implacable.
“We’ll speak again once your both rested. I expect a decision by then.” He turns and walks toward the door, pausing only when his hand reaches the handle. “For what it's worth, your mother would be proud of the woman you've become. Elena never backed down from a fight either.”
The door closes behind him with a soft click, leaving Damien and me alone in the sudden quiet. I stare at the space where Hudson stood, my mind reeling from everything he just laid at our feet. Territory. Responsibility. A future I never wanted stretching out before us like an unavoidable path.
“Breathe,” Damien says softly, settling back onto the bed beside me. His hand finds mine again, warm and steady against my trembling fingers. “Just breathe.”
I try, but each inhale feels like it catches in my chest. “This is insane. We can't rule a territory. I don't know the first thing about being an alpha.”
“Neither did I when I first shifted,” Damien admits, his thumb tracing circles on the back of my hand. “But you learn. You adapt. You do what needs to be done to protect your pack.”
“Your pack,” I correct, shaking my head. “I'm not cut out for this, Damien. I've spent my entire adult life running from who I am. How can I suddenly turn around and embrace it? How can I lead a pack when I've barely figured out how to be a wolf myself?”
Damien shifts closer, his body warm against my side.
“You shifted tonight without hesitation when you needed to. You faced down Saloma. You survived Lockhart's torture andcame out stronger. That's not the behavior of someone who runs from who they are.”
“That was survival. This is...” I gesture helplessly at the air between us. “This is politics. Leadership. Making decisions that affect hundreds of lives.”
“And you think I was born knowing how to do those things? I learned by watching my father. By making mistakes. By having someone believe in me even when I didn't believe in myself.”
The parallel he's drawing isn't lost on me. I can feel through our bond that he means it—that he believes I'm capable of this impossible thing his father is asking of us. The faith he has in me makes something flutter in my chest, fragile as moth wings.
“What if I make the wrong choice? What if people die because I don't know what I'm doing?”
“Then we learn from it and do better next time.” His hand cups my bruised cheek with infinite gentleness. “That's what leadership is, kitten.” He pauses before he continues. “I vowed to put your first, Karina, and despite the advantages and protection this would give us, I don’t want it unless you do. I meant what I said earlier, you before me. If you want to run, tell me where you want to go, and I’ll pack the fucking car.”
“Where would we go?” I ask, allowing myself to imagine it for just a moment. “How far would we have to run to escape what I am? What my blood means?”
“Anywhere. Everywhere. I'd take you to the ends of the earth if that's what you wanted.”
I search his face for any hint of reluctance, any shadow that suggests he's offering this sacrifice against his nature. But I find only certainty—and something else, something that makes my heart ache with its intensity.
“You'd leave everything behind? Your pack, your position, your father? For me?”
“In a heartbeat.”
I believe him. That's the terrifying part. I believe him completely.
And maybe that's why I can't ask.
“We can't run. If your father is right, they'll just keep coming. Other alphas, other packs. They'll hunt us down.”
The words taste bitter on my tongue, but I know they're true. Running didn't save my parents. It didn't save me from Lockhart. It only delayed the inevitable while making me weaker, more vulnerable.
“So we stay and fight?”
I close my eyes, trying to imagine myself as an alpha. Leading pack meetings. Making decisions about territory disputes. The image feels foreign, impossible. But then I remember the feeling of my wolf tonight—not cowering, not hiding, but fierce and protective. Ready to kill Saloma for her betrayal.
Maybe that's what leadership is. Not some innate ability to command, but the willingness to do what needs to be done to protect the people you care about.
“I don’t know the first thing about ruling a pack,” I admit, lifting my head to face him fully. “But if not taking this territory means other innocents will suffer, we don’t have a choice. We have to do this.”
“Then we do it together,” Damien finishes, his hand tightening on mine. “Not because my father demands it, but because it's the right thing to do.”
I nod, feeling something settle in my chest—not peace exactly, but resolution. The kind that comes from finally choosing your path instead of having it chosen for you.
“We need to take the territory.”
