084

Alpha Damien paced his office, his usual calm demeanor was now replaced with restless energy. The stack of paperwork on his desk was ignored, pushed aside in favor of more immediate concerns—Stephanie and the children. He had spent the entire morning trying to focus on his duties as Alpha, but his mind kept drifting back to them. Would Stephanie come with Caleb? And more importantly, would she bring Kayla?

He sighed, running a hand through his hair as he glanced at the clock. The hours seemed to drag by painfully slow, each minute increasing his apprehension. He knew he had no right to expect anything from Stephanie, not after the way he had treated her all those years ago. If she chose to send Caleb with someone else, he wouldn’t blame her. He had hurt her deeply, and he was painfully aware that their relationship—or lack thereof—was entirely his fault.

Damien thought back to the few brief encounters he’d had with Kayla since learning of her existence. She was a spitting image of Ste