The runaway bride

Chapter 12

Damon’s POV

The moment her eyes widened and locked onto mine, I felt it.

Panic.

Shame.

Something… raw and ancient stirred in me. Something I hadn’t felt in centuries. My face…exposed.

Her soft gasp stabbed through the heavy air like a dagger. My entire body froze, and then I did the only thing I knew how to do when vulnerable.

I shouted.

“Get away! Stay away from me!”

My voice thundered through the room, echoing off the stone walls like a wounded beast. No one…not a soul…had seen my face in the last 999 years. Not a servant. Not a wolf. Not even the moon herself.

My mask had always been my shield. My prison. My comfort.

And she had seen me.

“But…” she stammered, trembling, her voice as fragile as glass.

“GO!” I roared, my voice cracking with a mixture of rage and shame. Water sloshed violently around me, some of it splashing against the cold tiles.

This was her fault.

All of it.

If she hadn’t…

I clenched my fists under the water, fury rising like heat through my skin.

She turned and bolted, her gown trailing behind her like fear itself, her footsteps frantic and unsteady. I didn’t move. Not until I was certain she was gone.

Only then did I slowly reach for the black mask resting on the marble ledge beside the bath..my second skin.

I slid it back over my face, my heart thudding against my ribs. That was the only way I ever felt safe.

That was the only way I ever felt… me.

But even with the mask on, I could still hear her voice…her thoughts…lingering in the air like perfume.

“He’s so handsome… What?! I can’t believe this…”

She had thought I was… handsome?

I sat there in silence, confused, listening to the echo of her unspoken words. A strange, foreign warmth flickered in my chest.

Was I supposed to… smile?

But just as quickly as it had come, a searing pain slammed into my chest, ripping through my thoughts.

“Ahhh—” I groaned, my body jerking forward.

The chains.

The cursed chains that wrapped around my soul, squeezing the life out of me every passing day.

They were tightening again. I clutched my chest, gasping, my fingers trembling. It felt like molten iron burning through my bones.

“I have to… get them off. Now.”

Gritting my teeth, I dragged myself out of the bath. Water dripped from my robes as I staggered to my chambers and threw on my usual black clothing. My body screamed in agony, but I didn’t stop.

I made my way to the ancient library, my breath labored, my steps unsteady. My fingers scanned the spines of old, leather-bound books until I found it…the book of curses, bound with a strange red thread.

I flipped through the dusty pages, eyes desperate, searching for something I might’ve missed.

And then… there it was.

“Marriage. A sacred bond. Only through union with the chosen bride under the law of the Lycan shall the cursed chains be broken.”

My hand froze on the page. My heart pounded.

Marriage?

Of all the solutions… it had to be that?

I didn’t wait another second.

“Selene!” I bellowed, my voice shaking the tower. Within moments, she appeared in the doorway, her head bowed respectfully.

“Yes, my lord,” she said softly, sensing the urgency in the air.

“Prepare everything. I’m getting married.”

She blinked, stunned. “My lord… are you sure about it? You barely know her. Her hair, her scent… she’s not like the others. She’s not… ordinary.”

I stepped forward, the pain in my chest twisting my expression.

“I don’t care what she is. All I know is that this pain is killing me. If marrying her is what it takes to be free…so be it.”

“But..”

“No more questions, Selene,” I snapped. “Get her ready. The ceremony will happen tonight.”

Before she could argue again, I vanished in a shimmer of shadows and appeared in Ivy's room.

The moment she saw me, she jumped, clutching her chest like her heart had leapt out of her ribcage.

“What… what are you doing here?! You scared me!” she gasped, wide-eyed.

I stepped closer, my voice cold and decisive. “We’re getting married.”

She stared at me like I’d lost my mind. “Wha… Married?”

“Yes,” I replied bluntly. “I delayed it before, but there’s no more time. To break this curse, we must perform the full werewolf ceremony. Only then will these chains be removed.”

She stood up abruptly, her expression a mix of shock, disbelief, and defiance.

“But… I’m not ready. I can’t just…”

Her words grated against my already strained nerves. My patience snapped.

“You will marry me,” I growled. “And that’s final. I made you a promise…revenge on your ex-mate. I’ll still keep it. But you don’t get to run from this.”

Without another word, I vanished, leaving her in stunned silence.

Back in my chambers, I paced the floor, her angry voice ringing in my head. She was furious. I could feel it. Hear it.

And yet, I didn’t care.

Let her be mad.

She’d get over it.

This was bigger than feelings…this was survival.

Then…

Bang!

The door to my study burst open. A guard stumbled in, panting, his eyes wide with panic.

“My lord… Her Highness is missing.”

The words hit me like ice water.

What?

“What did you say?” I growled, my voice dropping an octave.

“She… she escaped, my lord. We searched her room. She’s gone.”

I grabbed him by the collar and lifted him off the floor with one hand, my rage boiling over.

“How did this happen?! How did you let her escape?!”

“I-I don’t know! We were guarding the halls…she must’ve used the secret passage…”

“FIND HER!” I roared, throwing him to the ground.

I vanished in a flash of black mist, my body trembling with fury.

And then… I saw her.

Running.

Her cloak billowing in the wind. Her breathing ragged. Her legs pushing forward through the woods as if she could actually escape me.

I stepped out of the shadows and blocked her path.

Her eyes widened in horror.

“You dare run from me?” I snarled, storming toward her. “After everything I’ve done for you? After the promises I made?”

I was seething.

“You ungrateful little…”

I stopped, breath heaving, fists clenched. Her face was pale, but her eyes… they were defiant. Angry. Hurt.

“You think you can just leave?” I whispered harshly. “No one walks away from me.