Page 29 of The Reaper's Vow

He's testing me, looking for cracks in my composure. I've survived eight months under his scrutiny by keeping my emotions locked down tight. But tonight, with Karina's scent stillclinging to my clothes and my wolf howling for her, my restrain feels paper-thin.

“She witnessed Marco's execution,” I explain, choosing my words with precision. “I couldn't risk her talking.”

“So, you brought her here?” Anselm shakes his head, disappointment etched in the lines of his face. “That's not like you, Damien. You don't bring problems home, you eliminate them.”

The casual way he suggests killing Karina makes my blood boil. I clench my jaw so hard I hear my teeth creak.

“The situation is more complicated than that.”

“Enlighten me.” He settles into the leather chair behind his desk, the effortless confidence of a man long accustomed to being obeyed.

I weigh my options, knowing that half-truths will serve me better than outright lies.

“She's my mate.”

Anselm goes perfectly still, his attention sharpening on my face with renewed interest. I can almost feel the calculations grinding behind that measured stillness—the implications, the opportunities, the potential complications.

He leans back in his chair, fingers steepled beneath his chin. “Go on.”

“I tracked her down with every intention of tying up loose ends. But then Lockhart showed up at her apartment. He wasn’t there by accident.”

Anselm’s features tighten. “Explain.”

“He had a team with him. Professional extraction. They were there to take her.” My wolf surges at the memory of those men approaching Karina’s door. “I couldn’t let that happen.”

“So instead of eliminating the problem, you brought it to my doorstep.”

“I brought her to safety,” I correct him.

“How convenient that you discovered her right when you need to justify breaking protocol.”

I wait, knowing he’s not finished. Anselm never speaks without purpose, never shows his hand before he’s ready to play it.

“Why would Thomas Lockhart be interested in this female? Who is her family?”

“I have no idea,” I admit, holding his scrutiny without flinching. “We weren’t exactly sitting down with coffee to trace her family lineage while people were trying to kidnap her.”

“You expect me to believe you took this female under your protection without knowing her bloodline?” Anselm’s tone is cool but laced with skepticism. “She could already be promised to someone else. For all we know, Lockhart might have laid a claim years ago.”

“I find that unlikely,” Damien replies, voice steady. “She’s been living among humans, hidden. Lockhart isn’t the type to misplace something he considers valuable.”

Anselm’s mouth twists into a grim smile. “Is that so? If Lockhart has been hunting her, I can see why you’re suddenly so interested. Perhaps you take after your father more than you’d like to admit. Hudson always had a talent for turning other men’s assets to his advantage.”

“My father’s ambition has nothing to do with this. She has no idea how our world works. Best guess, her parents were rogues. It would explain why she doesn't shift often and why she refers to her wolf as a monster.”

“She doesn't shift?” His interest sharpens.

“Only when necessary, from what I gather. She hides what she is, even from herself.”

Anselm rises, moving to the window that overlooks the estate grounds.

“You've brought an unknown variable into my territory, Damien. A wolf with no pack ties, no allegiance, and apparently no training.” He turns back to me. “You know better than anyone what a liability that represents.”

“I need your protection for her.” I step closer to his desk, “Lockhart will have caught my scent in her apartment. He knows I interfered with whatever he had planned. He'll come after her again.”

Anselm's expression remains cold, calculating. The silence stretches between us stretching like a rubber band pulled too tight.

“Your mate. Your problem.” He waves his hand dismissively, as if swatting away an annoying fly. “I didn't send you to kill Marco so you could bring home a stray.”