Chapter 2

Lana’s POV

The word “lovely ex-girlfriend” slipped from his lips like silk laced with poison, and it landed heavy in my chest.

Lovely? Ex? God, yes, I was. But Damon was never like this. Not back then. The Damon I knew didn’t smirk with such arrogant sharpness. He wasn’t this unshakable wall of cold power, built higher than I could ever climb.

I blinked, forcing myself to breathe as his words clung to me, and for a second, my throat tightened. I tore my gaze away, pretending I was unaffected, but… my traitorous eyes found their way back to him.

He moved with this controlled precision, pulling the small black pouch from his pocket. My heart thudded against my ribs. Inside was the fragment of the Holy Grail—the artifact I’d been desperately hunting for, the one that could save my people, my pack, my bloodline.

My fingers curled into fists as my mind traveled backward—back to the night everything shattered.

After the ambush… after they came… we lost everything. Our wolves. Our strength. Our pride. The hostile pack used magic so ancient it ripped our wolf spirits straight from us, leaving us trapped in fragile human shells. We weren’t warriors anymore; we were omegas.

I, Lana, daughter of the Alpha of Moon Tide Pack once next in line to lead, got stripped of everything.

To keep my people from dying, I agreed to Liam’s marriage contract. It wasn’t love; it was survival. He offered protection, resources, and a way to stabilize what was left of us. That’s why I got engaged. But no matter what, I never stopped searching for the Holy Grail, the sacred relic that could awaken our wolves again.

And now… here it was. Right in Damon’s hand.

I stepped closer, my voice trembling but steady enough to carry my desperation. “Damon… please. Hand it over. Please… I need it.”

For the briefest moment, his gaze softened, like the old Damon lingered behind those storm-gray eyes. But it vanished as quickly as it came, and his jaw locked into something sharper.

“So,” he murmured, tilting his head, “that means… you don’t have the money to pay double the price, do you?”

I swallowed hard and lowered my gaze, shaking my head. “…No.”

“Then,” he said, his voice sinking low, cold as steel, “why do you think I’d give it to you? Because you asked nicely?”

His words cut deeper than he knew, and I felt my cheeks heat, a storm swelling inside me. He leaned in slightly, shadows brushing over his shoulders, his presence suffocating. His gray eyes pinned me where I stood, sharper than the last time they’d ever stared into me.

I couldn’t breathe for a second.

I thought stupidly, foolishly, that maybe he’d remember what we were. That maybe, just maybe, Damon would consider giving me the fragment, not for me, but for what we used to have.

But then his lips curved into that mocking half-smile. “If you want it… you’ll buy it at double the price. And I don’t change my mind.”

My chest squeezed painfully. I clenched my fists, almost yelling as the words tumbled out before I could stop them.

“I don’t have that kind of money, Damon! Two hundred million?! Where would I even…”

Then his gaze shifted, sliding past me. My instincts flared, and I glanced over my shoulder.

Liam.

He was standing at the entrance of the auction hall, arms crossed, his sharp eyes watching us, but making no move to come closer.

Damon’s voice dropped, dripping with derision as his smirk widened slightly. “Ah… so your fiancé is too stingy to give you such money, huh?”

I clenched my teeth so tightly my jaw hurt. Heat flared through me, and I turned back to Damon, my voice raw. “Damon… give me the fragment. Please.”

But instead of answering, he stepped even closer. My heart skipped as he leaned down, his breath ghosting over my cheek, his voice low enough that it cut through me like a blade.

“If you want it that badly…” His lips hovered near my ear, his tone laced with cruel amusement. “…then you can exchange yourself for it.”

For a heartbeat, I froze. The world seemed to tilt, my breath catching painfully in my throat. I stepped back, shaking my head slightly, disbelief clawing through me.

“You… you’re unbelievable,” I whispered, my voice breaking.

He didn’t flinch. Instead, he pulled a sleek black card from his pocket and pressed it into my palm. His fingers brushed against mine briefly, deliberately, and controlled.

“You have three days,” he said, his voice steady and unyielding. “Call me… if you decide you’re willing to pay the real price.”

“Damon…”

“Three days, Lana.” His gaze locked with mine, unreadable, endless shadows swimming beneath those silver eyes. “After that… the fragment is gone.”

I stood frozen as he turned and walked away, his footsteps measured and infuriatingly calm.

I barely noticed the way the murmurs rippled behind me, the way Liam’s gaze burned from the hall’s entrance. I just… stared.

Damon reached his car, a sleek, obsidian-black machine that seemed carved from midnight, and slid inside with the same effortless grace that used to drive me insane.

My hand trembled as I looked down at the card. The familiar digits stared back at me, pulling me down into memories I’d spent years trying to bury.

The same number that used to call me at 2 a.m.

The same number I used to wait for.

The same voice that once whispered my name like it meant something.

He… hadn’t changed his number.

But he had changed.

Everything about him had.

And as his car disappeared into the night, a hollow ache filled my chest, leaving me standing there with nothing but a fragile card, a bruised heart, and three days to decide if I was willing to pay the price.

Hearing approaching footsteps pulled me out of my trance.

Liam took a slow step toward me, his boots crunching against the damp earth, his smirk sharp enough to slice through the thick tension.

“You really did it this time, Lana,” he said, his tone laced with mockery. “You’ve walked right into a mess you can’t crawl out of. My uncle… Damon… is now the Alpha of the Storm Howl Pack. The most feared killing machine alive.”

I froze. The words slammed into me so hard I almost forgot to breathe.

Uncle?

Damon… his uncle?

My chest tightened as the second truth sank in — Damon… an Alpha? How's that possible?

My knees felt weak, and before I knew it, I stumbled back a step. Liam’s laughter erupted, low and cruel, wrapping around me like a chain.

“What’s wrong, Lana?” he taunted, tilting his head with false innocence. “Didn’t see that one coming?”

I clenched my fists, trying to steady myself, but my thoughts spiraled out of control. Three years ago, I had chosen Liam without hesitation. I’d accepted his proposal for my pack's well-being and shattered Damon’s heart without thinking twice.

The memory clawed at me. Damon’s face that night, cold, unreadable, but his eyes… they had burned with something unspoken. And yet, I walked away.

I swallowed hard, forcing my voice past the lump in my throat.

“Why didn’t you… tell me all this while?” My words cracked, but Liam only shrugged, his grin widening.

“Would it have mattered? You made your choice,” he said, his voice dripping with venom. “And now, you’ll face the consequences.”

I could almost hear my heartbeat pounding in my ears. Damon, Alpha of the Storm Howl Pack. Damon, whom I’d betrayed. Damon, whose blood ran in Liam’s veins.

There was no way he’d forgive me. No way he’d hand me the fragment. If anything…

A chill spread through me, numbing my fingers.

He might want me dead.

Liam leaned closer, whispering with mocking sweetness, “Better start praying, Lana. You’re not ready for him.”