Damien hadn't been able to stay calm since morning.
Not after Nandi had brought forward the thatched satchel.
He'd recognized it immediately as Danika's. The same one she had carried when she first arrived at Raven Blood Pack. And when they opened it, the sight had clawed at something raw inside him as her dresses had been found folded neatly inside.
It was packed to leave.
His blood had run cold.
He hadn't wanted to believe she was the one. From the start, he'd searched for a way to dismiss the accusations they had leveled on her. To reason it away. He knew he was innocent and would have no reasons trying to t poison his crown, in Lyra's chambers which were always full of servants.
But when he had seen the satchel and the timing, he had felt like a noose tightening. She wanted to leave the pack and he couldn't let her. And if pretending to believe that she was the culprit who tried to kill him was all it would take for him to keep her in his pack, he was ready to do so.
