Chapter 6: Meet Miriam

“She’s not here either! Damn it!” Damion says, slamming his hand on the steering wheel. I was sure she’d be here.          

The new Beta’s house is dark and empty. Damion drives away, clearly frustrated.

“She could be anywhere,” Sera sighs, also frustrated. They’d be driving around aimlessly. 

          

“There’s one more place she could be,” Damion states, pulling a U-turn in the middle of the road. They drive to the Wolf and Fiddle, a small pub near the pack border. Sera follows him inside and sure enough, Miriam is there, sitting at the counter, slumped over a martini glass. Several empty ones are strewn around her; clearly, she’s been drinking.

          

“Miriam,” Damion exclaims, as relief washes over his face. When she hears her name, she turns around. It takes her eyes a few moments to focus, but then she topples off the bar stool and runs, clumsily, into Damion’s arms. 

She leaps up and he catches her, spinning her around like a scene from a movie.

          

Sera watches this with skepticism. She’s never seen Miriam before. She’s heard a lot about her, but she’s never actually seen her in person.  When Damion releases her from his embrace, she studies Miriam’s face.

          

The first thing Sera notices are the long, blonde curls. Sera’s always been a little jealous of wolves with blonde hair; hers is just a mousy brown. The texture is similar, though. Next she sees Miriam’s bright blue eyes. They’re the same color as Sera’s own eyes. Their lips have the same fullness, too. In fact, the more she looks at Miriam, the more similarities she sees. Miriam is younger, and her features are much more delicate - she looks more like a porcelain doll than an actual person -  but overall, they could easily pass for sisters.

          

Damion softly wipes a tear from Miriam’s cheek with his thumb. They’re even the same height!

          

He’s been using me! Sera slowly realizes. He’s been using me as a substitute for her! Is that why he chose me? Because I look so much like her? Sera didn’t think it was possible, but her heart breaks again.

          

Look how he holds her. Damion wipes away another tear and then kisses her, softly, on the top of her head. He’s so gentle with her, so soft and caring. He never held me like that; he never kissed me on the top of the head. Damion looks deep into Miriam’s eyes and sighs. He really does love her. And I actually thought, for a moment….

          

Sera realizes that she’s been a fool. Her wolf lets out a low growl, the sound of pain. Damion had always been kind to her, but not like that. He’d never been protective of her, or so soft. Sera had assumed it was because he was Alpha and Alpha’s have a lot of pride. It’s time to face the truth, though, Sera.

          

Sera thinks back to all the times they’d been in bed together. Her wolf had connected with him during sex. Like, really connected. Or at least, she’d thought it had. She’d had deep feelings for him, real feelings. She assumed that he had, too, and that he was just controlling his wolf, like all Alpha’s do.

          

He was faking it? The whole time? He felt no connection? I thought we were mates, and he knew it, too. But I thought he just wouldn’t admit it. That he was just blocking our connection. I’ve been so stupid! I should have known! Look at the way he looks at her! He never named me Luna because Miriam is his true mate. I see it now. I’m nothing to him – just someone to pass the time with, someone to keep his bed warm…

          

“I can’t believe you’re finally back,” Damion says. Miriam smiles and hiccups. “You silly girl. How many drinks did you have? You’re a little drunk.”

          

He talks to her so kindly…

          

“Yes.I.am,” she says, slurry the words slightly. “But I’m drunk cuz I was upset. I thought I was too late, Damion! Who was that woman on the phone? I thought you said that you’d wait for me. That you wouldn’t allow anyone into your bedroom.”

          

Miriam pouts, jutting out her bottom lip. Damion tucks her hair behind her ear and kisses her on the cheek. ‘Then he turns to Sera, his eyes pleading.

          

Now! Now’s the time. Please explain it to her, his eyes say.

          

Sera takes a deep breath. Just tell her what you came here to say and then you can go, she thinks, prepping for herself. She opens her mouth to start, but Damion wraps his arm around Miriam in such a protective, loving way that Sera just about loses her mind.

          

She can’t even string together a sentence. She feels tears, threatening to spill out and she blinks them back. She needs to get out of there. It’s all just too much.

          

“I’m…I’m sorry,” is all she can get out. Then she runs from the pub.

          

Realization dawns on Miriam’s face. She nods knowingly. “Damion, you should go after her. She’s very upset.”

          

“Don’t be such a hypocrite,” Damion laughs. “You yelled at me and hung up the phone when you thought I was with another girl. And now you want me to chase after her?”

          

“I see it differently now,” Miriam shrugs.

          

“No way! I’m not leaving your side! I’ve waited waaaay to long for you. You’re the most important thing in the world to me.”

          

Miriam sighs. “I overreacted. On the phone. It just, it upset me to think about you with…another girl. But Damion, I’ve been gone for a long time. Too long. And I understand. You have…needs.” She looks up at him, her eyes full of desire. “And I couldn’t be there for you. Of course you took a lover.”

“I don’t want to talk about this,” Damion exclaims, surprised at her sudden leniency. Perhaps it was the alcohol? 

 “Please, go get her and bring her back. I’d like to thank her. She took care of you when I couldn’t. I owe her my gratitude.”

          

Damion pulls her into his chest in a strong embrace. “It’s not like that,” he says, shaking his head and holding her tightly. “She doesn’t mean anything to me. She’s nothing.”

          

Miriam pulls away from his chest. She smiles. “You can’t lie to me, Damion. I can feel your wolf. He’s disturbed, distraught. I can feel it when you hug me. She clearly meant something to you. She’s way too graceful to be some unimportant maid. And she’s gorgeous. Really, she is. Well educated, too, I assume. You don’t owe me any explanations. I get it.”

          

Damion searches her eyes. He can see that she’s being sincere. “I know you love me. I can see it in your eyes. Please, find her. I already feel guilty enough as it is. She’s out there all alone.”

          

Damion sighs. Miriam is right. Sera wasn’t ‘nothing’ to him, she just didn’t matter much anymore since Miriam was back. But he should help her get home; it was the right thing to do.

          

“Fine, I’ll go stay with her. But only until Mathew gets here. My father has sent him to bring her back.”

          

“Mathew? Is he the new Beta?”

          

Damion nods as they walk to the door. He kisses Miriam on the forehead and then hugs her again. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

          

Miriam smiles sweetly at him. “I know you will.”

          

She closes the pub door behind him and then turns to the corner as an old woman walks out from the dark.