Alpha Damon (Sienna) novel Chapter 160

Delilah:

I stayed longer than I meant to.

It wasn’t because I wanted to, but it was because this was the one place where I could be who I was, where I could remove the mask of strength that I was forced to wear, where I could just sit without Giovanni’s men lurking around

me.

I still don’t know what he did to Lysandra, but I knew this. If he had her locked up then she was going to come out as messed up as I did. She was going to come out losing herself and she wouldn’t understand why. To make matters worse, he wouldn’t even care. He was the one who wanted her to become another weapon. He was preparing her in case I failed.

My fingers brushed over the rough stone of her grave, the name Marissa De Luca etched into it as if that was all she’d ever been. But to me, she was so much more. My mother. My ghost. My reason. “You are the one reason that I’m standing. You know, sometimes I find it harder to breathe without knowing that this is the one thing that I’m going to do. That you are the one person that I’m willing to stand for.”

“I’m sorry I never got to meet you the way a daughter should,” I whispered, kneeling at the base of the headstone.” But I’ll finish this. I’ll make them pay, for all of it. Maybe one day you would be in peace. Maybe you would know that you did not die in vain, that them watching you the way that they did will not go without suffering. You cried in pain, you screamed, and neither one of them bothered helping you. They just kept you locked up. I’m going to make sure that the same fate happens to them.”

The wind stirred the leaves around me, carrying the faint scent of moss and soil. I stood slowly, brushing the dirt from my hands, ready to head back.

But I wasn’t alone.

“You have five seconds to explain what the hell you just said,” Ethan’s voice cut through the stillness like a blade, his stance blocking my path, his eyes hard as steel. “And trust me when I say, I do not give second chances.”

Beside him, Carter’s arms were crossed, but his body was tense, ready to move.

I gritted my teeth. “It’s none of your business. Nothing of what I do is your business.”

“You were speaking to Sienna’s mother’s grave,” Ethan growled, stepping forward. “And you called her Mom. And mind you, you are in our pack grounds. I believe that it is my business.”

“So what?” I snapped. “She was a mother to more than just your precious Luna. And with her being here, I am more than welcome to come and go as I please. Just as I always have.”

“You’re not walking away from this,” Carter warned. “Just as you always have?”

I shifted slightly, weighing my chances, preparing to run if I had to. I had made mistakes. This was one of them. I should’ve waited until dark. Should’ve been more careful. I should have followed the pattern that I did in the past. But I needed to be out of the house, I needed to be away from Giovanni’s cruelty.

Ethan lunged.

But I was faster.

I whipped the dagger from beneath my cloak and swung for his side, but he caught my wrist mid-air, twisting it until the weapon clattered to the dirt. He shoved me down, my back slamming against the earth, pinning me in place as his body caged mine. I growled, trying to fight him off, but he pinned me down.

“What are you hiding?” he growled, his canines just barely peeking through as his eyes flickered to black. “What do you mean she was your mother? What do you mean that you’ve been coming here and no one noticed you?”

I shoved his hand away, hard. “No. You don’t.”

He reached for me again, but I was ready.

I drove my knee into his gut, and he stumbled back with a curse.

Ethan lunged, but I was faster this time.

With a flick of my wrist, I released the mist—the same potion I’d used to mask my scent before. It exploded in a wave of silver fog, choking the air between us. Ethan coughed, trying to find me through the haze.

But I was already gone.

My voice echoed from the trees as I ran. “Tell your Alpha I’m not done. I will have justice. I will avenge her.”

Because the flames that took my mother may have burned her body…

But they only ignited mine.