Ex-Alpha's Regret: Siren's Comeback novel Chapter 68

POV: Damian

Jax's challenge was a constant, infuriating headache. He didn't fight like a wolf; he fought like a serpent, with whispers and alliances and the poison of public opinion. He was a worthy adversary, I had to admit, and countering his moves required my full, undivided attention.

My life became a whirlwind of war councils, diplomatic missions, and troop movements. The issue of my silent, broken wife faded into the background, a domestic problem that had already been solved. I had not visited her wing since that day I had seen her, empty and hollowed out by grief. The memory of her vacant eyes still left a strange, bitter taste in my mouth, a disquiet I refused to examine too closely. She had brought it upon herself.

Elias gave me the daily reports. "The Luna is quiet, Alpha. She eats what is given. She causes no trouble."

Quiet. Good. I had broken her. The thought should have brought me a sense of satisfaction, a feeling of victory. Instead, it just felt… bleak. But it was a necessary cruelty. I had bent her to my will, and in doing so, I had secured my home. She was no longer a factor. She was a ghost, a sad but necessary casualty of the game of power.

Sylvie, however, was not so convinced.

"You should double the guard on her wing," she urged one evening, her brow furrowed with a concern that I found vaguely irritating. "She is a Thorne. They are treacherous by nature. Her silence could be a trick."

I looked in the direction of Seraphina's silent, lonely prison wing.

"We are celebrating the end of a rebellion," I said, my voice cold and final.

The decision provided the perfect opportunity, the perfect cover of noise and distraction, for a plan I could not have even imagined.