Chapter 97

Damien's POV “I understand you were short a Beta,” he said flatly. “But Trey was trained already. He arrived the very next day. You weren’t struggling for months, Damien, you were overwhelmed for a week at most.” He crossed his arms and leaned in slightly, tone sharpening. “You say you didn’t have time, but you had time to coordinate a funeral, assign a new Beta, and make a grab for the daughters. Yet, you had no time to investigate the suspicious death of your second-in-command? That doesn’t add up. An Alpha’s first duty is to protect his pack, not conveniently let go of a potential murder.” The mocking note in his voice was unmistakable. But I didn’t flinch. He could wait as long as he wanted. I would never admit what really happened. “I messed up,” I admitted, letting a heavy sigh escape. “I’ll be the first to say I dropped the ball on this. But I can tell you honestly, I never suspected anything beyond what the police reported. I took it at face value.” I let my voice falter just e