Chapter 97

••• Victoria’s POV ••• Damien’s tenderness after everything made my heart stir in ways I wasn’t ready to face. It wasn't that he was never tender, but this time it felt different. His hands had been reverent. His voice was full of need and restraint. The way he’d whispered my name, as though it was a prayer, echoed in my mind like a lullaby. But even wrapped in his arms, something unsettled twisted inside me. I knew Damien. He was a sexually experienced, dominant Alpha. Charismatic. Sought after. And I was just... me. No wonder he wouldn't fall in love with me. And the thought still sliced my heart. I stared at the ceiling while his fingers traced idle patterns on my back. I should’ve been content. I should’ve felt peace—instead, a low, ugly heat churned inside me. I remembered the blonde escort, the way they kissed, the way he welcomed her. And Diana, always clinging to him, always smiling like she knew something I didn’t. It made me feel... small. Replaceable. Maybe I was, since he c