Juran stood by the fireplace in the grand hall. His posture was rigid, and his eyes burned with fury the moment he saw Damien.
"Where were you?" Juran said with a low voice.
Damien froze, he swallowed the lump in his throat. He knew the moment he saw his father's expression that this confrontation had been inevitable.
"I was... out," Damien muttered, his lie was weak, and he knew his father wouldn't buy it.
Juran turned fully toward him, with his fists clenched at his sides. "With him," he growled. It wasn't a question; it was a statement. "You think I wouldn't find out?"
Damien's heart dropped, but he kept his face as neutral as possible. "It's not what you think—"
"Don't lie to me," Juran snapped. He stepped closer, standing tall over Damien. "I've let it go on long enough, but no more."
"Father, it's not—" Damien started, but Juran cut him off.
"If you don't end whatever this is with Harlan," Juran said with fury, "I will make sure he is erased from this world. Do you understand me, Damien?"
Damien's eyes widened. "You wouldn't..."
"Oh, I would," Juran's voice dropped to a whisper. "And I would make you watch. I will burn everything he loves, everything he cares about, until there's nothing left but ash. I'll make his suffering so unbearable, he'll beg for death, and I'll deny him that mercy."
Damien's face went pale. His heart pounded, and for the first time, he truly felt the weight of his father's power. Juran wasn't bluffing. He meant every word, and there was no doubt in Damien's mind that he would follow through on his threat without hesitation.
"I don't care what you feel, Damien," Juran continued. "But you will end this. You will stay away from him. Or I'll make sure you live to regret it for the rest of your life."
Damien's hands clenched into fists at his sides. Every instinct in him screamed to fight back, to push against his father's control. But he couldn't. Not with Harlan's life hanging by a thread..
"Do you understand?" Juran demanded.
Damien swallowed hard, with his body trembling with suppressed rage. He couldn't look his father in the eyes, not now. "Yes," he finally whispered.
Juran studied him for a long moment. Then, without another word, he turned and walked away, leaving Damien standing alone in the grand hall.
The following nights were torture for Damien. Every time he thought about Harlan, he was reminded of his father's threat, the image of Harlan's life being destroyed haunted his mind.
But he couldn't stop himself.
He kept going back, kept meeting Harlan in secret, each time growing more dangerous as he defied his father's orders. Harlan always knew something was off, but he never pushed Damien to explain.
One night, after they had finished fucking, Harlan rolled over, looking Damien in the eye with a smirk plastered on his face. "You don't have to keep doing this, you know."
Damien stared at him, his heart ached with the knowledge of what he was risking just by being there. "I know," he whispered.
And he leaned in to kiss Harlan. "I love You," Harlan muttered under his breath as he kissed Damien. But Damien never said it back.
Weeks passed, and Juran never found out his son was defying him. Until one evening, after yet another secret meeting, Juran finally cornered Damien in the mansion. His fury was evident as he grabbed Damien by the collar, slamming him against the wall.
"I told you to stay away from that boy!" Juran roared with pure rage.
Damien winced, but he held his ground. "I tried, father."
"Not hard enough," Juran yelled. Then he lowered his voice, he didn't want to attract anyone's attention, even his other son's. "This is your last warning, Damien. If I ever find out you went back, I will make sure Harlan and his entire clan never sees another sunrise. Do you understand me?"
Damien's resolve finally broke. He couldn't bear the thought of his father's wrath destroying Harlan's life. "I understand," he whispered.
And this time, he meant it. He had no choice. He had to walk away.
Present Day: Crimson Estate
Damien stood with his arms crossed and his gaze fixed on Harlan, who was bound before him. He let out a deep breath as he ran his hand through his hair.
"Eight years ago, I kept coming back, even when you told me not to. I couldn't stay away. I didn't want to." He glanced at Harlan. "But he found out. My father... Juran found out."
Harlan's jaw clenched, but he stayed silent, waiting for Damien to continue.
"I didn't leave because I wanted to. Juran gave me no choice." Damien's voice was quieter now, it was filled with regret. "He threatened to destroy you. He said if I didn't end it, he'd make sure you suffered—make sure you were erased. He would have killed you, Harlan."
Harlan's eyes showed understanding, but there was still anger. "So that's it?" he asked. "You were saving me from him?"
Damien nodded slowly. "Yes."
Harlan shook his head. "And after Juran died? Why didn't you come back then? Why didn't you tell me the truth?"
Damien opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out at first. He struggled to find the right explanation. "After Juran died... years passed, Harlan. And you... you had moved on. The distance—it was too much."
"That's bullshit, and you know it." Harlan said contemptuously. "You didn't come back because you didn't want to. You didn't want your brothers to know. You didn't want them to find out you were fucking with the enemy."
Damien looked away. "It wasn't like that."
"Wasn't it?" Harlan pressed. "You couldn't face them, could you? You didn't want Kai or Zephyr to know that you were with me. That you were in love with a werewolf."
Damien's fists clenched at his sides, but he didn't deny it. Deep down, he knew Harlan was right.
"Look at you," Harlan continued. "Still hiding. Still running from what you feel. You're a coward, Damien. You loved me, and you left me."
Damien didn't want to look Harlan in the eyes, but he forced himself to meet Harlan's gaze. "I had to."
"You didn't have to," Harlan said quietly. "You chose to."
Damien hated how hard it was for Harlan to reason with him. "You think I wanted this?" he whispered. "You think it was easy for me?"
Harlan didn't respond, but the look in his eyes said everything. He was hurt—deeply hurt. And Damien knew there was no fixing that.
"I didn't come back because of them," Damien admitted. "My brothers... they don't know. And they can't know. Not now, not with everything going on."
"Of course," Harlan said bitterly. "You're choosing them. Again."
"I'm with my brothers now," Damien said softly. "And I won't lie to myself, Harlan. Deep down, I don't want them to know."
Harlan's jaw clenched, and Damien could see the hurt in his eyes.
"In this time of factional distress," Damien continued with a low voice, "no one will ever accept us. Not now. Not ever."
As Harlan stared at him, his eyes carried anger and hurt. And in the silence that followed, both of them understood. There was no going back.