I Left Before He Learned My Worth novel Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**DAMON**

Two weeks.

That was the timeline I had to grapple with. Aria wouldn’t return for another two weeks.

I found myself fixated on her text message, reading it for what felt like the hundredth time within the hour. My wolf was restless, pacing anxiously beneath my skin. There was something fundamentally wrong with the tone of her words—too detached, too clinical. This was not the Aria I knew. Even when she was frustrated or upset, her messages carried a warmth, an underlying softness that reflected the deep bond we had forged over the years.

Now, this message felt like it had been penned by someone entirely different, a stranger who didn’t know me at all.

But what could I do? She had assured me she was safe, that she had uncovered a lead on rare healing herbs. It was a classic Aria move—throwing herself into perilous situations if it meant aiding the pack.

Aiding Sera.

The mere thought sent my wolf into a growl of frustration, an emotion I was reluctant to dissect.

In an attempt to shake off the unease that was growing like a dark cloud in my chest, I dove headfirst into pack responsibilities. There were territorial disputes to mediate, trade agreements to scrutinize, training schedules to approve. The duties of an Alpha never ceased, and I had allowed them to accumulate over the past month while I had been preoccupied with Sera and the bonding ceremony.

It was only when I settled at my desk in the pack office that the extent of my neglect hit me like a ton of bricks.

Papers littered every available surface—reports waiting for my signature, requests demanding responses, complaints clamoring for attention. My inbox was bursting at the seams with unread emails, and the call log displayed a staggering thirty missed calls from various pack members.

How had it spiraled out of control so quickly?

I started to sift through the chaotic mess, attempting to prioritize the urgent from the mundane, but my focus was elusive. Everything lay in disarray, a jumbled puzzle I couldn’t seem to piece together. I couldn’t locate the border patrol schedule I desperately needed, nor could I find the financial reports from the last quarter. Even identifying which stack of papers belonged to what felt like an insurmountable task.

That’s when it struck me like a lightning bolt.

Aria had been the one organizing all of this.

For years, she had been the silent architect behind the administrative side of pack affairs—filing reports, scheduling crucial meetings, ensuring I responded to time-sensitive requests. She had never sought recognition or compensation for her efforts. She had simply done it because she loved me and wanted to help.

And in my singular focus on Sera, I had failed to notice when Aria had stopped.

My phone buzzed again, this time an urgent message from Marcus, my head warrior, inquiring about the training rotation I had promised to approve three days prior. A rotation I couldn’t locate because Aria wasn’t here to guide me to where she had stored it.

I rubbed my temples, feeling the beginnings of a headache throb behind my eyes.

Just then, the door to my office swung open, and one of the younger pack members—David, I think—entered, balancing a tray in his hands.

“I brought you lunch, Alpha,” he announced, setting it down on the corner of my desk that wasn’t buried under paperwork.

I glanced at the tray, and my stomach churned. Roasted chicken slathered in a creamy sauce, mashed potatoes swimming in gravy, and vegetables that looked like they had been boiled to the point of no return.

I detested cream sauces. They always made me feel nauseous.

Aria knew that. She had always brought me grilled meats, simply seasoned to perfection. Fresh vegetables, not overcooked into mush. And coffee—strong, black coffee that kept me alert, unlike the weak, milky concoction sitting before me.

“Thank you, David,” I said, striving to keep the disappointment from seeping into my voice. It wasn’t his fault he didn’t know my preferences.

He exited, leaving me alone with the unappetizing meal, my appetite completely vanished.

This was pathetic. I was an Alpha, for Moon’s sake. I should be able to manage my own pack’s affairs without crumbling just because one omega was absent to organize my life.

But as I surveyed the chaos of my office, the cold meal I couldn’t bring myself to eat, and the endless mountain of work that loomed over me, I felt an unsettling wave of panic wash over me.

I needed help.

“Damon?”

The sound of Sera’s voice pulled me from my spiraling thoughts. I looked up to find her standing in my doorway, looking pale yet resolute. She wore a simple blue dress that highlighted her eyes, and her hair was neatly braided back. The mating mark on her throat glistened in the afternoon sunlight pouring through the windows.

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