Chapter 193 Temporary Goodbye
Damian’s POV
Aria’s voice was tight with worry when she explained the situation:
Lucas detained in Italy, trumped-up charges, the Nightshade Pack pulling strings behind the scenes because their precious alliance got rejected.
"I’ll handle it," I told her, my tone leaving no room for argument.
"Damian, I know this is asking a lot—"
"It’s not." I cut her off, gentler this time. "Lucas helped you when you had nothing. That makes him Pack in my eyes. I’ll take care of this."
The relief in her exhale made my wolf settle slightly, though fury still simmered beneath my skin.
Some European Pack thought they could hold one of my mate’s people hostage over a rejected marriage alliance?
They were about to learn exactly how much weight the Alpha King could throw back.
I ended the call and pressed the intercom. "Rick. My office. Now."
My Beta appeared within thirty seconds, his expression already sharpening at the edge in my voice. "What do you need?"
"Lorenzo Moretti is somewhere in this building," I said flatly. "Find him and bring him to me. Not his aides—him. Tell him it’s about the Arctic Route negotiation."
Rick’s eyebrows rose slightly.
Lorenzo Moretti was the European Alpha King—controlled most of the old-world Packs from his seat in Rome, had his claws deep in international commerce, and had been dragging his feet on the Arctic shipping route discussions for days now.
"You think he’ll come on short notice?" Rick asked carefully.
"He’ll come." My wolf rumbled low in my chest. "Because he knows if he doesn’t, I’ll shut down every North American port his Packs use for trade. Go."
Rick nodded and headed for the door.
I leaned back in my chair, fingers drumming once against the armrest. Lorenzo had been stalling for political reasons—wanted concessions, wanted leverage, wanted to prove the European Packs weren’t going to roll over just because the North American Alpha King said so.
Well. He was about to get a reality check.
Because I didn’t negotiate with wolves who played games with people under my protection. And Aria cared about Lucas, which meant Lucas was mine to protect whether Lorenzo liked it or not.
Rick came back a few minutes later. "He’s on his way up. He was already here for the summit prep."
"Perfect." I stood, rolling the tension out of my shoulders. My wolf was already pushing forward, ready. "Clear the hall. No witnesses."
Rick’s mouth twitched—almost a smile. "Understood."
---
Lorenzo Moretti strolled into my office exactly twelve minutes later.
The delay was deliberate. A power play. A reminder that he was a King too, and he didn’t come running just because I snapped my fingers—not even when he was two floors down.
My wolf snarled at the disrespect, but I kept my expression neutral as he settled into the chair across from my desk like he owned the damn place.
He was tall, broad-shouldered, steel-gray hair slicked back, sharp blue eyes that missed nothing. Italian suit tailored to perfection.
He carried himself with the kind of arrogance that came from centuries of European Pack dominance.
"Damian." He inclined his head—barely enough to count. "Rick said this was urgent. Something about the Arctic Route?"
"Sit down, Lorenzo," I said evenly.
He was already sitting, but the command hung in the air anyway—a reminder of exactly who held the power in this room.
His smile didn’t falter, but his wolf flickered behind his eyes. Wary now. "I’m listening."
"I need you to make a call. One of your Packs—Nightshade—is holding a young wolf named Lucas Smith in Italy on fabricated charges. You’re going to tell them to release him. Today."
His expression didn’t change, but I caught the tightening around his mouth. "The Nightshade Pack operates independently within my territory. I don’t interfere in their internal affairs."
"You do now."
His jaw ticked. "With all due respect, this is a European matter. Lucas Smith refused a marriage alliance with the Nightshade Alpha’s daughter. That’s Pack law. He made his choice—now he faces the consequences."
"Lucas Smith is connected to someone under my protection," I said quietly, letting the weight of it settle between us. "Which makes this my business. So I’ll ask again—make the call."
Lorenzo leaned back, studying me with a calculating look. Trying to figure out if he could push back without starting a war.
"You’re asking me to undermine one of my strongest allied Packs over a refused alliance," he said slowly. "Do you have any idea what message that sends to the rest of my territory? That I roll over the moment the North American King asks nicely?"
"I’m not asking nicely." My voice dropped, cold and sharp as a blade. "Lucas walks free today, or the Arctic Route deal dies. Permanently."
That got his attention.
His eyes narrowed, wolf rising to the surface now, bristling. "You’d sabotage months of negotiations over one wolf?"
"Try me."
The air between us crackled, both our wolves pushing forward, testing boundaries without tipping into violence. The office felt smaller suddenly, the walls pressing in as the energy radiating off us filled every corner.
Lorenzo’s Alpha aura flared—old, powerful, backed by centuries of bloodline and territory.
But mine was stronger.
I let my power unfurl slowly, deliberately, like a wave crashing over him. My wolf surged forward, filling the space with dominance so absolute the air itself seemed to thicken.
Lorenzo’s breath hitched. Just slightly. But I caught it.
His wolf whimpered, instinct recognizing a superior predator even as his pride fought to hold ground.
"You want to talk about messages?" I said softly, leaning in. "Here’s the one you should worry about: the Alpha King doesn’t bluff. You think Nightshade is strong? They’re nothing compared to what I’ll do if you keep stalling."
His hands gripped the armrests, knuckles white. Sweat beaded at his temple. His wolf was screaming at him to submit, to drop his eyes, to bare his throat the way instinct demanded in the presence of something more dominant.
He held on. Barely.
"You’d start a war over this?" he forced out.
"I’d end one," I corrected. "Your Packs rely on North American ports for seventy percent of their overseas trade. You want to keep that access? Then Lucas Smith walks free. Today. Or I shut it all down, and you explain to your allies why their shipments are rotting on the docks."
Silence stretched, thick and suffocating.
Then his wolf buckled. I saw it in the sag of his shoulders, in the way his gaze dropped—just for a heartbeat—before he forced it back up.
He exhaled slowly, the fight draining out of him. "Fine. I’ll make the call."
"Good." I leaned back, letting my aura retreat just enough to give him room to breathe. "Confirmation within the hour that he’s released and on a plane. No delays. No conditions."