Chapter 26 Karina
Karina
The sheet slides up to my chin as Hudson enters, my fingers clutching the fabric like armor.
Every bruise throbs with new awareness beneath the thin cotton of Damien's borrowed shirt.
The air shifts. The intimate warmth between Damien and me evaporating as his father's alpha presence floods the room like winter air through an open door.
“This isn't a good time,” Damien replies, not moving from his protective position between me and his father.
“We need to discuss what happened tonight.”
Damien's shoulders tense, his posture shifting from protective to confrontational in an instant. “No.”
I watch the two alphas square off, father and son locked in a silent battle of wills.
“This isn't optional,” Hudson insists. “What happened tonight has consequences that—”
“I said no.” Damien takes a step forward, his body blocking Hudson's view of me more completely. “She's been drugged, kidnapped, beaten, and nearly killed. Whatever you need to say can wait until morning.”
I should say something. Should tell them I'm fine, that I can handle this conversation. But the truth is, I can't. My body feels like it's made of glass, ready to shatter at the slightest pressure. The mere thought of reliving what happened in that clearing makes my stomach twist with nausea.
Hudson’s expression hardens, his focus sliding past Damien to land on me. I straighten as much as I can, clinging to what little dignity remains, though I know exactly what he takes in—a bruised, broken girl wrapped in his son’s shirt, curled in his son’s bed.
“This cannot wait, Damien. Decisions need to be made right here and now.”
Damien looks over his shoulder at me, his eyes asking a silent question. I nod slightly, knowing this conversation is inevitable. As much as I want to hide away from the world right now, his father isn't a man who takes no for an answer.
“Fine,” Damien says, stepping aside reluctantly.
Hudson enters the room, closing the door behind him with a soft click that somehow feels final. The air grows heavier with his presence, that unmistakable alpha energy filling the space like a physical thing.
“You have five minutes,” Damien tells him, his voice leaving no room for negotiation. “Then you leave, and she rests.”
I pull myself up straighter against the headboard. The movement sends pain shooting through my ribs, but I refuse to wince. I won't appear weak in front of this man, no matter how broken I feel inside.
“What happened tonight changes everything,” Hudson begins, his attention locked on me rather than his son. “Lockhart’s death will create a power vacuum. The alphas who supported him will be looking for someone to blame.”
“They can blame me,” Damien growls, moving to stand beside the bed. His hand finds mine on top of the covers. “I killed him.”
“It's not that simple. Lockhart held a large territory and had no heirs. His pack will fracture, but the territory will be up for grabs. Other alphas will see opportunity where we see justice.”
I squeeze Damien's hand, drawing strength from his touch. “What does that mean for us?”
“Our law is simple. Damien killed the heirless Lockhart alpha, and by right, the territory is his.”
I stare at Hudson, his words echoing in my head like a bell that won't stop ringing. Territory. Damien's territory now, because he killed to protect me.
“I don't want it,” Damien says immediately, his grip on my hand tightening. “I have no interest in ruling Lockhart's pack. I am your heir.”
“What you want is irrelevant. The law is clear. You killed an alpha without an heir in defense of your mate. The territory is yours by right of conquest.”
My stomach drops as the implications crash over me. “This is my fault.”
“No.” Damien turns to me. “This is not your fault. None of this is your fault.”
But it is, isn’t it? If I hadn’t been born Rosewood, if my mother hadn’t run, if I’d never walked into Crimson Howl—none of this would’ve happened. Damien wouldn’t be stuck ruling land he never wanted, all because he had to save me from a monster chasing my bloodline.
“The pack elders will expect you to accept it within the week,” Hudson continues, ignoring our exchange. “If you don't, they'll assume weakness and divide the territory among themselves. That kind of power struggle will destabilize the entire region.”
I feel sick. Actually, physically sick. My head spins as I try to process what this means. “So what you're saying is—Damien has to take over Lockhart's territory?”
“Yes,” Hudson answers.
My head throbs with each heartbeat, making it hard to focus.
“I'm not leaving her. Not now. Not after what just happened.”
Hudson’s expression doesn’t change. “You won’t have to. You’ll both go. The territory needs an alpha. You need protection. The solution is obvious.” Hudson looks between us. “You’ll take command of the territory together.”
Damien and I, ruling a territory? Becoming responsible for an entire pack of wolves who just lost their alpha. Wolves who might hate us for killing him.
“She’s not ready for that,” Damien argues. “She’s only just accepted her wolf. She doesn’t even know our ways, our politics—”
“Then teach her,” Hudson cuts in. “Lockhart’s pack is only the beginning, son.
You’re going to need to bring them to heel to take back the Rosewood territory.
Your mother’s pack has been without an alpha for decades.
The land has been divided, weakened, and left open to predators like Lockhart.
With his death, you have a chance to restore what was stolen from your family. ”
“I never asked for any of this.”
“None of us ask for the blood that runs in our veins,” Hudson replies, unmoved by my distress. “But we all must answer for it eventually.”
The room spins around me as I struggle to process what he's saying. Territories. Packs. Power. It's too much, too fast. Just days ago, I was a normal woman with a normal job, living a normal life. Now I'm expected to help rule a territory I've never even seen?
“You're overwhelming her,” Damien growls. “Your five minutes is up.”
Hudson ignores him. “You need to understand what's at stake here, Karina.
With Lockhart's territory and eventually the Rosewood lands under your control, you'll command one of the largest territories on the west coast. That kind of power doesn't just protect you—it ensures your safety for generations. Not only yours, but your children’s safety.”
Children.
“I haven't even thought about children.” The concept is so foreign it feels like Hudson is speaking another language.
“The future comes whether you're ready or not,” Hudson replies, his tone softening just slightly. “Your bloodline is too valuable to leave unprotected. Too many will covet what you represent.”
I look up at Damien, searching his face for any sign of what he's thinking.
“We need time,” Damien answer resolutely. “Time to heal, time to decide what we want.”
“Time is a luxury you don't have,” Hudson counters. “Word travels fast in our world. By sunrise, every alpha within five hundred miles will know that Lockhart is dead.”
My head pounds harder, exhaustion and stress blurring the edges of my vision. “And if we refuse? If we just...walk away?”
Hudson's expression hardens. “Then you sign your own death warrant. Both of you. Your mother and father ran, and look what happened to them, and to you. Don’t make their mistakes.”
“That's enough,” Damien growls, rising to his full height. “Get out.”
For a moment, I think Hudson will refuse. His jaw tightens, his shoulders squaring as father and son face off in a silent battle of dominance. Then his shoulders relax slightly, though his expression remains implacable.
“We’ll speak again once your both rested. I expect a decision by then.” He turns and walks toward the door, pausing only when his hand reaches the handle. “For what it's worth, your mother would be proud of the woman you've become. Elena never backed down from a fight either.”
The door closes behind him with a soft click, leaving Damien and me alone in the sudden quiet. I stare at the space where Hudson stood, my mind reeling from everything he just laid at our feet. Territory. Responsibility. A future I never wanted stretching out before us like an unavoidable path.
“Breathe,” Damien says softly, settling back onto the bed beside me. His hand finds mine again, warm and steady against my trembling fingers. “Just breathe.”
I try, but each inhale feels like it catches in my chest. “This is insane. We can't rule a territory. I don't know the first thing about being an alpha.”
“Neither did I when I first shifted,” Damien admits, his thumb tracing circles on the back of my hand. “But you learn. You adapt. You do what needs to be done to protect your pack.”
“Your pack,” I correct, shaking my head. “I'm not cut out for this, Damien. I've spent my entire adult life running from who I am. How can I suddenly turn around and embrace it? How can I lead a pack when I've barely figured out how to be a wolf myself?”
Damien shifts closer, his body warm against my side.
“You shifted tonight without hesitation when you needed to. You faced down Saloma. You survived Lockhart's torture and came out stronger. That's not the behavior of someone who runs from who they are.”
“That was survival. This is...” I gesture helplessly at the air between us. “This is politics. Leadership. Making decisions that affect hundreds of lives.”
“And you think I was born knowing how to do those things? I learned by watching my father. By making mistakes. By having someone believe in me even when I didn't believe in myself.”
The parallel he's drawing isn't lost on me. I can feel through our bond that he means it—that he believes I'm capable of this impossible thing his father is asking of us. The faith he has in me makes something flutter in my chest, fragile as moth wings.
“What if I make the wrong choice? What if people die because I don't know what I'm doing?”
“Then we learn from it and do better next time.” His hand cups my bruised cheek with infinite gentleness.
“That's what leadership is, kitten.” He pauses before he continues. “I vowed to put your first, Karina, and despite the advantages and protection this would give us, I don’t want it unless you do. I meant what I said earlier, you before me. If you want to run, tell me where you want to go, and I’ll pack the fucking car. ”
“Where would we go?” I ask, allowing myself to imagine it for just a moment. “How far would we have to run to escape what I am? What my blood means?”
“Anywhere. Everywhere. I'd take you to the ends of the earth if that's what you wanted.”
I search his face for any hint of reluctance, any shadow that suggests he's offering this sacrifice against his nature. But I find only certainty—and something else, something that makes my heart ache with its intensity.
“You'd leave everything behind? Your pack, your position, your father? For me?”
“In a heartbeat.”
I believe him. That's the terrifying part. I believe him completely.
And maybe that's why I can't ask.
“We can't run. If your father is right, they'll just keep coming. Other alphas, other packs. They'll hunt us down.”
The words taste bitter on my tongue, but I know they're true. Running didn't save my parents. It didn't save me from Lockhart. It only delayed the inevitable while making me weaker, more vulnerable.
“So we stay and fight?”
I close my eyes, trying to imagine myself as an alpha.
Leading pack meetings. Making decisions about territory disputes.
The image feels foreign, impossible. But then I remember the feeling of my wolf tonight—not cowering, not hiding, but fierce and protective. Ready to kill Saloma for her betrayal.
Maybe that's what leadership is. Not some innate ability to command, but the willingness to do what needs to be done to protect the people you care about.
“I don’t know the first thing about ruling a pack,” I admit, lifting my head to face him fully. “But if not taking this territory means other innocents will suffer, we don’t have a choice. We have to do this.”
“Then we do it together,” Damien finishes, his hand tightening on mine. “Not because my father demands it, but because it's the right thing to do.”
I nod, feeling something settle in my chest—not peace exactly, but resolution. The kind that comes from finally choosing your path instead of having it chosen for you.
“We need to take the territory.”
“You're sure?”
“No,” I admit with a shaky laugh. “I'm terrified. But I'm sure about us. About this.” I gesture between us. “And if we're going to be hunted anyway, I'd rather face it with power than without it.”
His smile is small but genuine. “My fierce mate.”
“Your terrified mate,” I correct, though warmth spreads through me at his words. “Who has absolutely no idea what she's doing.”
“We'll figure it out together.” He leans down to press a soft kiss to my forehead, careful of my bruises. “One decision at a time.”
My stomach chooses that moment to growl loudly, reminding us both that I haven't eaten in hours. Damien chuckles, the sound rumbling through his chest.
“Right. Food first, conquering territories second.”
“That should probably be our pack motto,” I say, settling back against the pillows as he rises from the bed. “Practical priorities for practical alphas.”
“I like it.” He stops at the door, his features gentling, affection flickering in his eyes. “You’re already thinking like an alpha. Putting everyone else before yourself.”
After he leaves, I sink deeper into the pillows, my body finally beginning to relax now that we've made our decision. The truth of our situation settles over me—not crushing, but substantial. Real. In a matter of days, I'll be responsible for an entire pack of wolves who lost their alpha tonight.
The thought should terrify me more than it does. Instead, I find myself thinking about the masked figures in that clearing. How some of them backed away when they realized what Lockhart was truly planning. How even monsters have lines they won't cross.
Maybe leadership isn't about being fearless. Maybe it's about being afraid and choosing to act anyway.
I close my eyes, letting exhaustion pull me toward sleep. Tomorrow will bring new challenges, new responsibilities I never asked for but can't avoid. But tonight, I'm safe in Damien's bed.
And that’s enough for me.