Claimed by My Ex's Half-Brother-Chapter 229 Damien was genuinely happy.

Victoria’s POV

Damien was genuinely happy.

On the day of my hospital discharge, I watched him cradle our son with one arm while extending his other hand toward me, silently inviting me to take it. My fingers slipped into his, warm and secure.

"Victoria," he said, his smoky cedar scent enveloping me as he leaned closer, "once we get home, let’s get our marriage license first, shall we? We can plan the ceremony later."

My heart skipped a beat. Marriage. The ultimate bond between mates that would make our connection official in both human and wolf societies.

"Yes," I nodded, accepting his proposal. Nora, my wolf, purred with contentment inside me, already considering herself mated to Arthur even before any human paperwork made it official.

One month later, I found myself lying beside an extremely restless Damien. He’d been tossing and turning all night, his excitement radiating off him in waves that made it impossible for me to sleep. Finally, I kicked him under the covers.

"If you can’t sleep, go pace somewhere else," I growled, pulling the blanket tighter around myself.

Instead of leaving, he pressed his body closer to mine, his chest warm against my back as his arm snaked around my waist. "Not a chance," he whispered, his breath hot against my ear. "Can’t you sleep either, Luna? Perhaps we could find more... entertaining ways to pass the time."

I turned my head slightly, catching his predatory gaze. "What exactly do you have in mind?"

His hand slid lower, tracing circles on my hip. "What mates do best, of course. It’s been a whole month, Victoria." His voice dropped to that husky tone that always made my skin tingle. "You’ve healed well, our pup is with the nanny tonight... we could be a little wild."

Previously, Damien had been the one waking up to tend to our son’s midnight cries, allowing me to recover. Tonight was different - we finally had privacy.

"No way," I protested halfheartedly. "I’m not fully recovered yet."

Truth was, I was getting drowsy and knew that once Damien started, he wouldn’t stop until we were both completely satisfied. With his stamina, that could mean hours of pleasure - and exhaustion.

"I researched it online," he murmured, his fingers tracing featherlight patterns along my waist. "You’re medically cleared now, Luna."

His touch tickled, sending shivers up my spine. I couldn’t help the laughter that bubbled from my throat as I squirmed away. "Stop! That tickles!"

My evasive maneuver backfired spectacularly as I ended up pressed even closer against his chest. Before I could protest, his mouth claimed mine in a searing kiss that left no room for argument. Damien knew exactly what he was doing - bypassing my verbal resistance by reminding my body how perfectly we fit together.

He kissed me until my resistance melted away, until my body grew soft and pliant against his. Heat pooled low in my belly, creating an aching emptiness that only he could fill. I hadn’t even noticed how my back had arched or how my breathing had quickened, my cheeks flushed with desire.

"You’re so beautiful like this," Damien whispered reverently, his eyes darkening as he took in my expression. "Thank God only I get to see you this way." His voice dropped lower. "If anyone else ever saw you looking like this, I’d lose my fucking mind."

I could feel his wolf, Arthur, rising close to the surface, possessive and hungry. There was something primal about the way Damien looked at me - like he wanted to claim and protect me all at once.

"Sometimes I want to hide you away from the world," he confessed, planting soft kisses on my eyelids, my cheeks, the corner of my mouth. "Those gorgeous eyes... they drive me crazy."

His lips traveled lower, nipping at the sensitive skin of my neck with just enough pressure to make me gasp.

"Careful," I hissed through clenched teeth, my body already responding to his touch. "Not so rough!"

"I can’t be gentle tonight," he growled, his voice deepening with desire. "And what’s coming next will be even less gentle."

He wasn’t lying. What followed was a demonstration of just how primal an Alpha wolf could be when reclaiming his mate after weeks of forced abstinence. Damien was relentless, coaxing me into calling him "husband" long before it was officially true, then rewarding me with such intense pleasure that I lost track of how many times I cried out his name.

No matter how I begged him to slow down or give me a moment to catch my breath, he continued his sweet assault on my senses. The word "husband" on my lips seemed to unleash something wild in him - a possessive need to mark me as his in every way possible.

"Say it again," he urged, his fingers digging into my hips as he moved inside me with deliberate, deep thrusts that had me seeing stars. "God, Victoria, I love hearing you call me that."

Even when I raised my hand to swat at him in frustration, he merely caught my palm and pressed it against his face, turning it into a caress rather than the smack I’d intended.

"Don’t push your luck," I warned, but my voice came out breathy and weak, betraying how much I was enjoying his attentions.

He kissed my palm, his eyes never leaving mine. "But you love it when I do," he whispered, his hips never stopping their relentless rhythm. "Your body can’t lie to me, Victoria."

He was right, damn him. During my pregnancy, Damien had been incredibly restrained, afraid of hurting our baby. Despite my frequent desire, he’d held back, never letting things get too intense.

Now, with no reason to hold back, he took full advantage, claiming me over and over throughout the night. When he finally carried me to the shower, supposedly to clean up, one look at my flushed skin and parted lips had him pressing me against the cool tiles for yet another round.

By the time we finished, I was completely spent, every muscle in my body deliciously sore yet deeply satisfied. As I drifted off to sleep in his arms, I made a half-hearted promise to myself that I’d never let him touch me again - a lie we both knew wouldn’t last beyond the next day.

Morning came with a rude awakening - my entire body ached in protest at the slightest movement. I curled into a ball under the covers, unwilling to face the day.

Damien, meanwhile, was practically glowing with satisfaction. He even brought our son in for me to see, asking with false innocence if my breasts were feeling full.

I shot him a glare. "What do you think? You know perfectly well our son is on formula now. Have you no shame, Damien? Competing with your own child?"

I was referring to his particularly thorough attention to my breasts the night before. Damien, predictably, showed not a hint of remorse.

"You’re my mate first, then his mother," he replied with a shameless grin. "Don’t be angry, Victoria. Look at our son, then rest. We have all the time in the world."

And rest I did. Damien had brought me to A-country partly so I could recover and relax away from the pressures of pack business. We stayed for several weeks, enjoying the peace and privacy.

One morning, Damien approached me with an unusual request. "Victoria, would you show me around? I want to see where you grew up, visit your old school, walk the paths you walked. I missed those years of your life - I’d like to see them through your eyes now."

The request touched something deep inside me. He wanted to know everything about me, even the parts of my life he hadn’t been able to share. I nodded. "Of course."

I’d attended the most prestigious university in the region, having completed my studies early thanks to my accelerated learning abilities. I’d always been considered exceptionally bright, even among other Alpha heirs.

Damien handed me a garment bag with a smile. "Wear this while you show me around?"

I unzipped it, surprised to find my old university uniform inside. "How did you get this? It’s my actual uniform from college."

"Found it in your closet," he admitted. "I considered buying a new one, but thought wearing your original might bring back more authentic memories."

The fact that he’d thought about this, planned it so carefully, made my heart swell. Behind his confident Alpha exterior, Damien was still trying to piece together all the parts of my life he’d missed, wanting to understand every aspect of who I was.