096

Alpha Damien sat back in his chair. "The man in the frame," he said slowly, "was Mr. King. My father, I succeeded him as Alpha when he fell ill and was no longer capable of leading the pack."

Hank stared at the picture for a long moment before shaking his head in disbelief. "Mr. King was your father?" he murmured, almost to himself. He let out a long breath and looked back at Damien. "It's indeed a small world."

Damien raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "You knew him?" There was a genuine note of surprise in his voice. "My father didn’t talk much about his old friends."

Hank chuckled softly. "We go way back, your father and I. We were... close at one time."

Damien leaned forward, his curiosity piqued. "How did you know my father?"

Hank sighed, before speaking. "Through Maya," he said quietly, his eyes searching Damien’s face. "Maya... Stephanie’s mother."

The moment the words left Hank’s mouth, Damien’s eyes widened in shock. He sat up straighter, trying to grasp the connection. "Maya?" he