Chapter 151

Damon

I tried to forget Clara while training, but I couldn't. The thought of her being angry with me was unbearable. Why couldn't she understand I was doing all this for her and our child?

"Luca, take over," I ordered, stepping aside as he ran forward.

"Okay, Alpha. Where are you going?" he asked. I sighed, removing my glove.

"I'm going to talk to my wife," I muttered, walking away.

As soon as I entered the house, something felt wrong. An unfamiliar scent filled the air, raising my hackles and making my wolf restless.

"Clara! Go to Clara!" my wolf howled. At that moment, Clara screamed. Without hesitation, I dashed towards her room.

The smell of blood hit me before I reached the door, but it wasn't Clara's, which brought me a moment's relief. "Clara!" I yelled, bursting into the room. She sat on the bed, arms wrapped around herself, her eyes wide with fear.

I quickly scanned the room to ensure no one else was present.

"He's already left," she whispered softly as I moved to check the bathroom.

I sighed, rushing to her and enveloping her in my arms.

"What happened, Clara? Talk to me. Were you harmed?" I asked, checking her body. She shook her head.

"He didn't harm me; he didn't want to. He just wanted to send you a message. I wouldn't usually be this shaken, but he was unlike any creature I've ever seen. He transformed into this monster… and…"

"Shh, that's enough. If you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to…"

"But I do, Damon. There's a being out there far worse than my uncle and his hunters. He said they're coming for you. He said his name is Sebastian," she said. My eyes widened.

If it was the Sebastian I knew, he was the Lycan King, but I doubted his Lycan form was what frightened Clara so much.

"Sebastian is a Lycan King. He's potentially a wolf, but can stand on two feet. Is that what you saw?" I asked, caressing her face. She shook her head.

"He was standing on two feet, and he did look like a wolf, but there was something… wrong about his appearance, Damon. He looked like the devil. He had horns, scales… I…"

"Shh, that's enough. It's okay, I understand," I murmured, though I didn't. A Lycan with horns and scales? I'd never encountered anything like it.

"What are we going to do? His aura was menacing. If he and my uncle come after you at the same time…"

"You need to stop worrying, okay? It'll be alright. I'm sorry for how I spoke to you earlier. If I'd let you stay and watch, you wouldn't have encountered Sebastian," I murmured, pondering how he bypassed security and everyone else undetected. Did his new appearance have anything to do with it?

"Damon, I'm scared," Clara said, and I sighed, pulling back from the hug.

"I won't let anyone hurt you, Clara."

"I'm more worried about you, Damon. I don't want anything to happen to you," she said, her eyes filled with worry. I chuckled to ease the tension.

"Don't worry. Don't you trust your husband? They can all try to kill me, but I bet they can't succeed, because I have a beautiful wife waiting for me with our child. No matter what, I'll always come back to her," I said, kissing her.

"I love you so much," she whispered. I smiled.

"I love you more," I replied. Before Luca entered, I caught his scent.

"What is it?" I asked.

"There's a situation," he announced, sighing.

"What is it?" Clara asked. I glared at Luca, motioning him to be quiet.

"It's nothing important. Why don't you rest…"

"I will not be left in the dark, Damon. Tell me what the problem is now," she commanded. I stared at her before nodding at Luca.

"What is it?"

"My intel suggests the human hunters are planning an immediate attack. Apparently, humans keep getting killed, and all evidence points to you. What do we do? We're not ready for war," Luca said, and I growled.

"Don't say that…"

"With all due respect, it's the truth. Yes, we have strong men, but how many? We need a solution," Luca insisted. I could feel Clara's frustration.

I turned to glare at him, gesturing towards Clara. Couldn't he read the room?

"I can talk to my uncle and try to convince him not to attack…"

"Forget it, Clara. You're doing no such thing," I interrupted, frowning.

"But that's the only way…"

"There are other ways, Clara…"

"Name one! Your death? No matter how strong you are, you and this pack can't withstand an attack from all your enemies. If we had my uncle on our side, it would greatly benefit us. He could help us," she argued, but I wasn't convinced.

"And how exactly are you going to convince him to help us? He hates our kind, he hates what we are, what you are. What guarantee is there he wouldn't kill you this time?" I asked, staring intently into her eyes.

"Damon…"

(The last line is incomplete and appears to be cut off in the original text.)