Chapter 6

Clash in the Dark (Isabella’s POV)

Damien’s roar slammed through the corridor like a wild beast’s, startling me.

“Get your damn hands off my Luna!”

His voice cracked against the stone walls, loud enough to shake dust from the ceiling. Guards rushed behind him, torches bouncing in their fists, eventhough they probably didn't need it to see us. 

The smell of sweat, iron, and old fear filled the air.

I froze where I stood, my fingers still curled around the cold bars. Lucas didn’t move. He stood tall in front of my cell, shoulders squared, calm like a rock standing against a storm. 

His hand lowered from my cheek, but he didn’t back away, not even a step.

Damien stormed up to him, rage twisting his face. “How dare you touch her?” He jabbed a finger at Lucas’s chest. “She’s mine.”

A small part of me wanted to shrink back. But another part, the part that had died with a knife in my heart, felt a sharp, bitter satisfaction twist inside my chest.

Let him rage.

Let him break.

Lucas didn’t flinch. “She is my mate,” he said, voice steady and deep.

The words settled over me like a second heartbeat. My stomach tightened. Damien’s face went slack for a second, as if he couldn’t process it. Then he laughed, loud, hard, and cruel.

“Your mate?” He threw his head back, laughing even louder. “Isabella? Her?” He pointed at me as if I was dirt on the floor. “She’s a poisoner. A liar. A manipulator. She would say anything to make herself look good after what she did to Vanessa.”

I felt heat rise up my neck. My nails dug into the bars.

“That’s enough,” I snapped.

Damien swung toward me, eyes blazing. “You don’t get to speak.”

Lucas stepped forward instantly, blocking Damien’s path with one shoulder. “She speaks whenever she wants.”

The guards behind Damien shifted uneasily. Some whispered. One of them muttered, “Fated mate…?” Another said, “But the Alpha said—”

“Silence!” Damien barked. His aura burst out like a gust of wind. The guards stiffened, but Lucas didn’t blink. His own aura rose, heavy, and powerful. I felt it brush against my skin. Warm. Solid. Steady. A clear difference from Damien’s own.

Aurora pressed against my mind. He’s strong. Stronger than Damien.

I swallowed. My breath fogged the cold air.

Damien leaned in toward Lucas, their faces inches apart. “You’re being played. She’ll ruin your pack next.”

Lucas stared back calmly. “I don’t take advice from you.”

Damien’s jaw flexed. “She’s mine,” he growled. “I chose her.”

“And you rejected me,” I cut in.

Damien’s head snapped toward my cell. My voice echoed sharp and clear in the corridor. “You rejected me, Damien. In front of everyone. I don’t belong to you anymore.”

His face twisted, something ugly rising behind his eyes. “I didn’t reject you. I accepted your rejection. Don’t twist my words.”

“I’m not twisting anything,” I said. “You humiliated me. You accused me. You dragged me down here like a criminal.”

His lips curled. “Because you are one.”

My chest tightened with anger. I stepped closer to the bars. “You believe a woman you met three days ago over your own wife. You didn’t even ask what happened.”

“She doesn’t lie,” Damien hissed.

Oh, the irony burned.

Lucas’s aura thickened again, pressing back against Damien’s own. He shifted closer to my cell, standing just half a step in front of me, shielding without crowding. “You mistreated your Luna. You locked her here like an animal.”

“Not your problem,” Damien spat. “I deal with my pack however I want.”

“Clearly,” Lucas said quietly.

Damien lunged as if to shove him, but Lucas didn’t budge. They stood chest to chest, sparks of dominance cracking in the air, the corridor suddenly too small for the two of them.

Aurora’s voice rose again inside me, urgent and low. Stand behind our mate. He’ll protect us.

My throat tightened. I looked at Lucas. His calm eyes, his steady breathing, the way he held his ground, eventhough he was clearly in his enemy's territory.

But the moment I moved even an inch in his direction, fear punched through me.

No.

No more blind trust. No more losing myself.

“I don’t belong to either of you,” I said, forcing my voice to cut through their fight like a blade.

Both their heads turned.

Lucas looked back at me, something unreadable flickering in his eyes. Not hurt. Not surprise. Just quiet understanding.

Damien scowled. “Stop acting like you have any choices left.”

“I do,” I said. “I belong to myself.”

For a second, silence hung heavy. Even the torches seemed to lower their flames. My hands trembled on the bars, but I didn’t look away from either of them.

Lucas’s aura softened just a little, like he respected my words. Damien’s darkened, swelling with possessive anger.

“That's the most stupid thing I've heard Isabella. You don't belong to yourself. You belong to me. Always have and always will.” 

“And I'm here to refute that claim.” Lucas replied coldly as he stepped further into Damien's space. “You heard her, it's over between the both of you. You have your fated mate now.”

“This isn't up for a debate,” Damien growled. He stepped back and snapped his fingers. “Guards.”

The men stepped forward, shoulders tense.

“Remove Alpha Lucas Stormridge from this dungeon,” Damien ordered coldly. “Now.”

Two guards moved toward Lucas carefully, like men approaching a wild beast. Their faces were pale, hands shaking slightly as they reached for him. 

I watched the slow movement of their arms, the way their fingers hovered inches from Lucas’s broad shoulders.

Lucas didn’t step back. He didn’t show any arrogance that comes with his position. He didn’t even raise a hand.

He just watched them quietly, shoulders relaxed, jaw set, like he had already made a choice he wasn’t going to take back.

Aurora pressed close to my mind, her breath quick against my thoughts. They’re going to try to drag him out.

My heart pounded hard. The cedar scent around him mixed with the damp air, steady and warm, and grounding even across the bars.

One guard hesitated. “Alpha… he’s—”

“Do it,” Damien barked. “Or face treason.”