Chapter 9

Damine drove straight to the infirmary.

Today was Sofia's day to be discharged.

Last night, through their mind-link, she had tearfully asked to see photos from her childhood. That's why he had specifically gone back to the main house to fetch this thick leather photo album.

On the way to Sofia's room, he brushed past an unknown male wolf from another pack.

The man carried a distinct scent of Silverleaf Herb—that was Sofia's favorite fragrance, the scent that always clung to her.

This strange wolf had just come from her room? Was he a friend she knew from another pack?

Damine's body tensed slightly, a flicker of doubt rising in his chest.

But he didn't think much of it.

"Damine!" Sofia's face lit up with a brilliant smile the moment she saw him. She eagerly pulled him down to sit beside her, and they began flipping through the album, reminiscing about the past.

"Look at this one! It's our photo after our first successful transformation! You couldn't control your wolf back then and you tore my little dress!"

Damine managed a weak smile, turning the pages with her.

The happy childhood memories temporarily chased away the inexplicable unease settling in his gut.

At noon, Sofia's parents—two senior Gamma warriors—arrived to take her home.

Seeing Damine, they immediately bowed in thanks: "Thank you for taking care of Sofia all this time, Alpha."

Damine returned the standard wolf pack salute: "Sofia's injuries are my responsibility. Taking care of her is my duty."

Sofia gently brushed her paw against his handback: "I already told you it's not your fault. I explained everything to my parents yesterday. It was those damn rogue wolves' silver traps. They were too well-hidden."

Sofia's father nodded in agreement: "We've been occupied with pack matters for years. Thank you for always being there for Sofia."

Sofia tried to move closer to Damine, but her mother stopped her with a light touch on her arm.

"You are both adults now, and Damine has his own mate," Sofia's mother said, her voice carrying the authority of an elder. "Sofia cannot keep clinging to you like this. We will speak to her. She won't disturb you and your Luna anymore."

The air in the sickroom grew heavy.

Damine's breath hitched. When Sofia's mother mentioned me, his muscles involuntarily tightened.

Sofia pretended not to understand, trying to shift the topic in her usual coquettish tone: "Mom! Damine and I grew up together! He promised he'd always be good to me!"

Then, ignoring her mother's restraint, she looped her arm through Damine's and continued, "Damine promised to escort me home."

But Damine gently pulled his arm from her grasp, his voice low. "I did promise. But I just received a message from David about rogue wolf sightings near the border. Now that your parents are here, I won't need to accompany you."

He turned to leave, but Sofia's mother called out to him, holding out the photo album.

"Damine," her voice softened, "Sofia was young and foolish back then. She didn't understand the value of a true heart."

Seeing the apologetic look on this elder's face, who had watched him grow up, Damine shook his head.

"Auntie, I've put the past behind me. I hold no ill will toward Sofia. You can rest easy."

He took the album, his fingers tracing the rough leather cover. "I've moved on from all that too."

Sofia's mother sighed, her expression complex: "Sofia wasn't worthy of you. I hear your mate, Sylvia, is a brave woman. She stayed by your side during your vulnerable cycles and even took a silver arrow for you. A mate like that is worth your heart and soul to cherish."

Damine knew Sofia's mother meant well.

He also understood that his story with Sofia was long over—on the day of their mating ceremony, he had made the bold choice to bind with another.

For the past three years, he had tried to forget the past and build a life with me.

But how could he just let go of someone he had loved for so many years?

So when Sofia returned and relentlessly pursued him, his heart had softened.

Even if they couldn't be mates, he thought they could at least be friends.

Holding onto that thought, he had repeatedly allowed Sofia to get close.

To be honest, every time Sofia cried and insisted she still loved him, his heart was moved.

But those moments were like ripples on a stirred lake, disappearing as quickly as they came.

Whenever he remembered that I was his mate, he felt himself beginning to fall.

He thought of the side of my face as I treated his silver toxin wounds, of my silently enduring the pain of the mate bond during every Blood Moon night, of the leather letter that had been read aloud at the bonfire—a letter that recorded my humble love...

He thought of my watching him leave in the morning snow, and a warmth flooded Damine's heart.

It was only in this moment that he realized who his true heart belonged to.

A sudden, sharp panic seized his heart.

His wolf growled uneasily within him, urging him to return to his mate's side immediately.

He bowed deeply to the elder. "Thank you for the reminder. I know... I've made many mistakes lately."

Clutching the photo album, he practically ran to his SUV, the engine roaring impatiently.

He now had only one thought—to return to my side immediately, to apologize for his neglect, and to tell me what was truly in his heart.

After leaving the infirmary, Damine didn't head to the border to check on the supposed rogue wolves. Instead, he drove directly back to the Blackwood family's ancestral home.

This was where the elders lived, the home where he had grown up.

As soon as he stepped into the main house, built from heavy timber, his mother, Lindy, called him into the study.

The room's curtains were drawn tight, and the air was filled with the scent of pine incense.

"When you and Sylvia first formed your mating bond, I admit I thought she was just a lowly wolf, abandoned by humans and raised by an Omega. I didn't think she was worthy of you, a noble and powerful Alpha."

Lindy said. Her voice held the authority of an elder, but it was softer than usual.

"But in these three years, I've seen her take a silver arrow for you, stay by your side during your vulnerable cycles, and manage pack affairs so well that even the most critical elders can find no fault. I changed my mind a long time ago."

Damine stared at the floor, his fingers unconsciously tracing the rough cover of the album. He thought of the sleepless nights Sylvia had stayed by his bed during his silver toxin episodes, of her staying up late to sew leather ritual offerings for the ceremony, and a sharp pain lanced through his heart.

"You're no longer a pup, so I won't repeat the same things," Lindy continued, her fingers tapping lightly on the desk. "Let the past stay in the past. You've chosen an excellent mate. It's time to settle down and build a proper life with her."

"The mate bond in our pack isn't a game for pups," she said, picking up a leather scroll from the desk—the ancient tome containing the pack's most sacred laws. "Once the bond is formed, it's a lifelong connection. It must be protected as jealously as our territory. You and Sylvia didn't have the emotional foundation that comes from growing up together, so you need to communicate more to avoid building up misunderstandings. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Damine looked up, his eyes filled with guilt: "Mother, I know I was wrong. I was blinded by what was happening with Sofia, and I ignored Sylvia's feelings..."

"Realizing your mistake is what matters," Lindy interrupted him. She took a pair of bracelets from a wooden box on her desk, intricately carved with wolf head crests. "These were the Luna's tokens of the Stormfang Pack, passed down from your grandmother. It's time they were given to Sylvia. The day after tomorrow is your father's memorial ceremony. Remember to bring her back. She is already the Luna our family recognizes."

Damine took the bracelets. The cool metal against his fingertips suddenly made him think of the Blood Moon mating ceremony three years ago.

On that day, Sofia was absent. The elders' faces were thunderous, and the guests whispered among themselves. He stood at the mating altar, feeling abandoned by the entire pack.

Until I had stood up, pushed through the crowd, and walked to his side. My gaze had been steady.

When the bond was complete, he hadn't even known my name, yet he had found his lost courage in my eyes.

In that moment, he had silently sworn to spend his life treating me well—the one who had extended a hand to him when he was at his lowest.

Damine carefully placed the bracelets in the glove compartment of his SUV.

Before closing it, he noticed a file with slightly curled edges at the side. He wondered when it had been put there.

But just as he reached for it to take a look, his encrypted comm device chimed.

"Damine, my parents just left. Some friends are throwing a party for me, now that I'm out. Are you done? Want to come?" Sofia's voice came through the communicator.

This time, Damine didn't hesitate: "I have some pack business to attend to. I won't be able to make it."

Sofia's tone immediately fell. Just as she was about to wheedle him further, Damine made up an excuse about needing to lead a guard meeting and quickly ended the call.

After hanging up, he closed the glove compartment and started the car, heading back to the main house.

Usually full of life, the main house was eerily quiet today.

Damine looked around and noticed many things were missing—the hunting trophies that had been on the coffee table for months, the blue flame berry sauce on the dining table, the Moonflower pot on the windowsill... these were all items Sylvia had carefully tended to.

He had never paid attention to these details before, but now he could sense something was wrong. He called the steward Alexander over. "Why are so many things missing from the house?"

"Luna cleared them all out," the elderly steward answered respectfully. He then looked up, observing Damine's expression, and hesitantly added, "Alpha, you and Luna..."