LOGINBrittany held her cheek, staring at Damien through tears, unable to believe it.The love she thought she had was just something he'd picked up out of boredom.She looked at him, choking on the words. "But… but… I really love you…""I'm sorry. Gianna is the only one I love."Damien had stopped bothering with pretense."Gianna—your mate is me. Not Lucian."Lucian's fist clenched inside his sleeve.But I didn't react the way either of them expected. My voice came out flat. "So. You lied to me."He didn't know how to answer. He just nodded."Oh? And what proof do you have that you're my mate?"He hadn't expected the question. He scrambled for an answer. "I have photos of us. I kept every love letter you ever wrote me. All of it—that's proof of how much I love you."I shook my head. "I'm not stupid. I can see perfectly well. If you really loved me, you wouldn't have handed me off to someone else. If you really loved me, you wouldn't have cheated on me behind my back.""So you don't love me.
When Lucian came back to the ballroom, I could see the worry in his eyes.He pulled me gently into his arms and asked carefully, "Gianna. You wouldn't ever leave me, would you?"I couldn't see his face, but I could feel a tremor in his voice. He was afraid.Afraid I'd go back to Damien.I rubbed his back softly. "No. You're my mate. I'm not going anywhere."That didn't settle him. If anything, he looked more uneasy. "And if I'd lied to you? If you got your memory back and realized I wasn't actually your mate?"Five years ago, walking away had almost destroyed him. And now, somehow, he had me back.He couldn't face losing me a second time."Whoever my mate is supposed to be—you're the one I love. Trust me. You're the only one."That eased him a little.He nodded and buried his face in my neck. "I believe you."Through the rest of the party, Damien's eyes kept finding me.He tried to come over several times. I made sure to slip away.As soon as the party ended, he caught me and pulled me
Just as I'd expected, Brittany led with something arrogant. "Damien just proposed to me. We're holding the mating ceremony soon.""Congratulations," I said lightly.She frowned at how unbothered I sounded."You probably don't know this, but before me, Damien had a fiancée. He got tired of her a long time ago. That's why he left her for me."I gave her a blank look. "And you're telling me this because…?""You really don't know who his fiancée was?"I heard the probe in her voice. I kept my face smooth. "Damien and I aren't close. How would I know? And even if I used to, I've lost my memory. I wouldn't remember now."She said nothing. Just stared at me."It was you.""Me?" I pointed at myself, feigning surprise."I don't care if your amnesia is real or fake. Damien proposed to me. I'm his mate now. Stay away from him."So that was why she'd dragged me out here.She thought the proposal meant he actually loved her.She had no idea she was just his new shiny toy.For Damien, she was a nove
The room went dead silent. Damien's face was pure disbelief. His eyes were locked on our joined hands.Two seconds passed. Then someone started clapping, and the rest of the room followed."Congratulations!""You two are perfect together."Beneath the cheers, Lucian looked a little lost. He tugged at my sleeve and lowered his voice. "Are you really going through with the mating ceremony? With me?"I blinked up at him. "Aren't you my future mate?""…Yes."I smiled. "So. You don't want to?"He rushed to explain. "No—I mean—I do. I really do.""I just didn't think you'd actually want to go through with it."He relaxed then, taking my hand as friends came up to congratulate us. He didn't notice Damien's face in the crowd—utterly thunderous now.The party went on. Flushed, Brittany asked Damien to dance.His mind was somewhere else. His voice came out cold. "I'm tired. I don't feel like dancing."Because he'd just proposed, she convinced herself he really loved her. She hung off his arm and
In the end, I stopped wrestling with it. I let him keep playing the part.Lucian made me breakfast every morning. Held me as I fell asleep at night. Asked for a goodbye kiss before he left for work. Brought home my favorite desserts when he came back.Whenever he had the time, he took me wherever I wanted to go.Every evening after dinner, we'd walk through the quiet park.The days were ordinary. And they were happy.We lived like newlyweds on honeymoon.But it didn't last.One phone call shattered the quiet.It was Brittany's birthday. Damien was throwing her a party in the pack's biggest ballroom.That was where I saw him again.He tried to keep his face neutral. But from the moment I walked in, I caught his eyes drifting toward me again and again.Brittany stood at his side in an elaborate couture gown, greeting guests with the air of a queen.Halfway through the party, the ballroom lights cut out.Before anyone could react, a single spotlight hit Brittany.Damien walked forward wit
Soaked through, I curled into Lucian's arms, clinging to his neck, trembling like a spooked fawn, whispering his name over and over.He held me tightly. "You're okay. You're okay. I've got you. Don't be scared."His voice was soft. Slowly, the panic in my chest began to ease.On the other side of the lake, Damien watched it all and clenched his fists.Once I was settled back in our room, Damien called Lucian outside.His voice was furious. "Lucian, don't you think you're crossing a line?""Am I?"Lucian sounded calm. Steady."She's my mate. If anyone's saving her, it should be me."Lucian let out a cold laugh. "You knew Gianna was your mate. So why did you leave her there to drown?""If we'd all waited on you, she'd be at the bottom of that lake right now."It landed right where it hurt. Damien's bravado collapsed. He stammered. "I… I wasn't thinking straight—""You can't even put your own mate's life first. You don't deserve her."The words lit something in him. He threw a fist at Luc







