Mated to My Fiancé’s Alpha King Brother

22 Chapter 22

Damien’s POV 1

The past few days had been absolute torture. Every morning, I’d called Lucas before my coffee had finished brewing. Every lunch break,

I’d summoned him to my office with increasingly desperate demands for updates. Every evening, I’d texted him the same question: *Any

news?*

The answer was always the same infuriating response: *Still searching. These things take time.*

Meanwhile, Sera worked at her desk just outside my office, completely oblivious to the storm raging inside me. She’d settled into her

role with impressive efficiency, anticipating my needs before I voiced them, managing my impossible schedule with grace that would

have impressed even Claire. But every time she leaned over to place documents on my desk, every time her vanilla and jasmine scent

wafted toward me, Alex would snarl with barely contained hunger.

*Claim her,* my wolf demanded for the hundredth time that day. *She’s ours. Stop this foolish waiting.*

But I couldn’t. Not until I knew for certain. Not until I had proof that she was the woman who’d haunted my dreams for five years.

Today had been particularly brutal. Sera had worn a fitted black dress that hugged every curve, and when she’d bent to retrieve a

dropped file, the sight of her perfect ass had nearly made me lose all control. I’d spent the afternoon with my hands clenched into fists,

fighting the urge to pull her into my office and finish what we should do.

By five o’clock, I was wound tighter than a spring ready to snap.

what had to

have something,” I growled, not looking up from the quarterly reports I’d been

past hour.

pawn shops still to check, forty-seven jewelry stores, and a list of online

was wearing thin.

the moment I find anything. Asking me every hour isn’t going to

my palm against the desk hard

office, and I saw Sera’s head turn toward my door through the glass

concern flickering across her features, before she quickly looked

a love-struck teenager instead of a powerful

was eating me alive. Every night, I lay awake imagining what it would mean if Sera truly

convinced

with uncharacteristic gentleness. *And you’re making

conflict,

717

my suit jacket from the back of my chair. “I’m going out, I announced to the

me through the soundproof

if I looked into those emerald eyes

spectacularly unprofessional. Like pin her against the

Nightshadow,” she called softly as I passed, her

tighten.

button, every instinct screaming at me to turn around

into the elevator and let the doors

the bar of *Moonlight & Shadows*, the upscale establishment where

pretend their lives weren’t infinitely more complicated than

was dimly lit, all mahogany and brass fixtures, with enough ambient noise

thoughts.