Ran Away Pregnant Came Back Alpha Heiress (Amelia and Damien) novel Chapter 104

**Night Whispers Forgotten Names – Colin Shah**
**Chapter 104**

**Amelia’s POV**

The moment Damien’s offer slipped from his lips, a wave of instinctive resistance surged within me. “That’s really not necessary,” I declared, my voice steady yet tinged with urgency. “I’m sure we can find a hotel. There are several just around the corner.”

As the words left my mouth, an audible gasp rippled through the crowd surrounding us. A heavy realization washed over me; I had made a grave mistake. To publicly reject the Alpha like this was akin to delivering a slap across his face. I could feel the weight of the room’s attention pressing down on me, thick and suffocating.

Damien’s expression shifted, the relief he had shown moments ago—after learning that Ethan’s condition had stabilized—now replaced by a subtle tension. His brow furrowed slightly, and I caught a glimpse of the disappointment lurking behind his eyes.

In a desperate attempt to soften the blow of my refusal, I added, “I’m sure you can understand why staying with you would be… complicated.”

“Perhaps,” Damien replied, his voice calm yet firm. “But I assure you, my home has ample space, and the servants are more than capable. Unless, of course, you are insinuating something about their abilities.”

“Of course not,” I replied, frustration bubbling beneath the surface. I loathed that this conversation was unfolding in front of so many witnesses, especially Claire, who stood nearby with a smug smirk plastered on her face, clearly reveling in my political blunder.

“If Amelia prefers to stay in a hotel, she should be free to do so,” Cara interjected, her voice steady and unwavering as she positioned herself protectively behind my right shoulder. As a soldier, Cara had little patience for the intricacies of political maneuvering. Her singular focus was my safety, and we both understood that going to Damien’s house—once my home—was not a place where I would find solace.

Emotionally unsafe, at least, even if Damien had no intentions of holding me captive.

Memories flooded back, vivid and bittersweet, of the house where Damien and I had once loved so openly. The pack had always been hostile, filled with faces that bore disdain for me. Outside those walls, I was perpetually on edge, but within our home, I had discovered a sense of belonging.

Now, the thought of returning, of witnessing how the place had morphed in my absence, twisted my heart in ways I couldn’t articulate.

“She’s been with Jake’s pack for too long,” Claire remarked, her voice dripping with condescension as she leaned closer to Damien. “She’s forgotten her manners. But if she wishes to leave, let her. Only a subpar hotel would take her in now, especially after she’s insulted you.”

Gods, how I despised the truth in her words. Even if Eve and I managed to secure a reservation somewhere, it would likely be rescinded once the whispers of my faux pas spread through the pack like wildfire.

What irked me further was Damien’s unwavering gaze, fixed on me as if I were some puzzle he couldn’t solve. With a single phone call, he could ensure we had a place to stay, despite my blunder. Yet he remained silent, making no effort to intervene.

I turned my gaze to Eve, who met my eyes with a knowing look.

“Don’t overexert yourself,” I replied, a hint of bitterness lacing my tone. “Everyone here despises me.”

Cara shot me a skeptical glance, her expression suggesting she didn’t fully believe my words. But soon enough, she would see the truth. In the hospital, people were behaving themselves, but I had no illusions that anything had changed since my departure. The pack had loathed me then; they likely loathed me even more now that I had abandoned their Alpha.

Eve and I returned to the lab, where we immersed ourselves in our work, determined to find a cure. Yet, as the hours dragged on, our stomachs began to protest, and fatigue weighed heavily upon our eyelids.

“We need to eat and rest, or we won’t be of any help to anyone,” Eve finally said, breaking the silence that had enveloped us.

We had reached a point of stagnation in our task, the tests we had initiated requiring time to yield results.

“We should have enough time to go out and grab a bite to eat,” Eve suggested, her tone hopeful.

I felt the gnawing hunger in my belly and nodded in agreement.

With a sense of purpose, Eve, Cara, and I set out, not needing to venture far to find sustenance. The hospital was nestled in the bustling heart of downtown, a vibrant area brimming with an array of shops and restaurants, each offering the promise of nourishment and a brief respite from our troubles.