CHAPTER 105: 105 - HER SIDE

105

~Damon’s POV

I had barely sat back down after sending the guard away when the frustration inside me started building again. My mind wouldn’t let it go.

I told them to watch her. I told them to bring her back. And they left her? Just like that?

I leaned forward, elbows on my knees, staring at the floor for a long moment. Something didn’t add up. Why was I so... invested? When did this start?

For years, I didn’t care about anyone let alone humans beyond what they could offer the pack. Lisa should’ve been no different. But now...

No. I shook my head sharply, almost annoyed at myself. This wasn’t the time for that kind of thinking.

I stood, my decision made. If I left this to others, they’d fail me again.

When the guard returned with news that the car was ready, I walked right up to him. "I’m going with you," I said simply.

His eyes widened slightly. "Alpha, that’s..."

"Not up for debate," I cut in, my tone flat. "Let’s go."

He bowed quickly and led the way out of the palace.

The ride was quiet, the kind of quiet that wasn’t peaceful but heavy. The air inside the car felt thick, almost suffocating, like every breath I took was weighed down by thoughts I didn’t want to have. I sat in the back seat, arms folded loosely across my chest, my gaze locked on the passing streets outside the tinted window. My jaw was tight, the muscle ticking every few seconds.

Each turn of the wheels seemed to grind on my patience. I could hear the hum of the engine, the occasional hiss of the brakes when we slowed for a bend or traffic, and the faint chatter of people outside when we passed through busier streets. But I didn’t speak. I didn’t even want to. My silence was deliberate.

The driver and the guard in the front seemed to sense my mood. Neither of them dared to make small talk, and I preferred it that way. The only sound was the rhythmic thud of tires over uneven patches of road and the occasional whoosh of another car passing by.

I kept my eyes trained on the buildings as we moved deeper into her side of the city. They were... different. Smaller. Less polished. The glossy, well-maintained facades I was used to seeing in the palace’s territory were replaced by more modest structures, some with faded paint, others with rusted gates or walls that had seen better days. It was like crossing an invisible line into another world entirely.

When the car finally slowed and then rolled to a stop, I looked out the window and saw the place we’d come to. I stayed still for a moment, staring.

My mood soured instantly.

It wasn’t that it was falling apart, no, it was neat enough, the kind of place someone clearly tried to take care of. But to my eyes, to someone who had been raised in wealth, in sprawling estates and gleaming marble halls, this looked... pitiful. Small. Humble in a way that made my chest tighten with a strange mix of disdain and disbelief.

This was where she lived?

I stepped out of the car slowly, my boots hitting the ground with a muted thud. The air here felt different too, less crisp, more lived-in, like the faint smell of cooking and damp concrete clung to it.

I took in the sight again, my gaze sweeping from the plain doorway to the narrow windows, to the small strip of yard in front. My lips pressed into a hard line.

"This is it?" I asked finally, my voice low but carrying enough edge that the guard stiffened.

"Yes, Alpha," he replied quickly, almost too quickly, as if he was worried I’d lash out at the wrong answer.

I didn’t respond. Instead, I walked up to the door, my steps slow but deliberate. I expected to have to wait, maybe knock and let her answer in her own time.

But when my hand touched the doorknob, I felt it turn easily beneath my fingers. It wasn’t locked.

Of course it wasn’t.

I froze for half a second. Then I turned to the guard. "Stay outside. Wait for me here."

"Yes, Alpha."

I pushed the door open and stepped in. The faint smell of dust and something faintly sweet lingered in the air.

"Lisa!" I called, my voice echoing slightly in the small space. "Lisa, where are you?"

No answer.

I frowned. "You didn’t even lock the door?" I muttered under my breath, irritation threading through my voice. "Reckless..."

I moved forward, scanning the space. As I got closer to the living room, my steps slowed.

Then I saw her.

"Lisa?"

She was on the floor.

I was at her side in an instant, dropping to my knees. "Lisa! Lisa, hey..."

Her skin was warm, her breathing shallow. Her eyes were closed, but I could see how puffy they were, the faint redness around them. She’d been crying hard.

I wondered why she was crying.

I shook her gently. "Lisa. Can you hear me? Lisa... open your eyes for me."

Nothing.

"Damn it," I muttered, looking toward the doorway. "Guard!"

Heavy boots thudded as the guard rushed in. "Alpha?"

"Get the royal doctor," I said, my voice urgent. "Now."

He hesitated for a fraction of a second, maybe to offer some useless opinion.

"Don’t talk!" I snapped, my voice sharp enough to make him flinch. "Take the car and make it faster."

He straightened immediately. "Yes, Alpha!"

"Go!" I barked.

He bolted out the door.

I turned back to Lisa, my hands hovering before finally resting lightly against her shoulders. "Hang on," I murmured, my voice low.

Her breathing was steady, but too slow for my liking. I looked around the room, searching for anything, a sign of what happened, something that could tell me why she was like this.

But all I saw were small details that made the knot in my chest worse.

A blanket was thrown over the couch like she’d been there for hours. An empty mug on the coffee table. The faint scent of tea.

And the silence.

The kind of silence that made you feel the weight of someone’s loneliness.

Minutes passed like hours, the only sound my own breathing and the faint creak of the house settling.

I stayed by her side, my hand lightly on hers, waiting for the sound of the car returning with the doctor.