4

Damon ignored her, only looking down at me with an impossibly gentle voice. "Easy, you need to clean the silver off first. I'll handle things here and be right with you."

I didn't speak, letting him help me stand and walk step by step toward the door.

My mind was completely blank, ears ringing, until the silver was neutralized with special medicine and I finally came back to my senses.

Soon after, Damon's Gamma guards came out first.

One of them approached me.

"Luna, even though you haven't had the mating ceremony yet, we all know you're the Alpha's mate. Don't misunderstand—this is an arranged marriage by the pack elders. He didn't tell you because he wanted to handle it himself, but he never expected Lydia Ashford to dare provoke you. He cares about you so much, he would never be with anyone else."

Cares about me?

I found it laughable, but my face remained expressionless as I sat quietly like a lifeless statue.

After a while, Damon came out. Lydia ran away crying, her figure utterly disheveled.

Damon dismissed the Gamma guards and got in the car, tenderly applying medicine to my wounds.

His movements were gentle as if handling fragile treasure, his voice low and hoarse. "Sage, the marriage alliance is arranged by the pack. I won't bond with her. You're my mate. Don't overthink this."

I didn't speak, just stared ahead blankly. "I understand, Damon. Let's go."

Damon glanced at me, seeming to want to say more, but finally just started the car.

The atmosphere inside was suffocating. I closed my eyes, my mind in chaos.

Suddenly, the sharp sound of brakes pierced the air.

I snapped my eyes open to see countless silver arrows flying toward us. But because of the silver water's earlier corrosion, my wolf was still unconscious and my reflexes were too slow to dodge.

My pupils contracted sharply. The next second, Damon threw himself over me, holding me tightly in his arms.

"Thud—" the sound of arrows piercing flesh.

A tremendous crash, and the whole world spun.

I lost consciousness in a pool of blood.

When I woke again, I was lying in a hospital bed, the harsh fluorescent lights stabbing at my eyes.

Damon sat beside the bed, his face pale, his eyes filled with both sorrow and relief. "Sage, you're finally awake. You scared me to death. We... we lost the baby. But don't worry, we're both still healthy. We'll have children of our own in the future."

I was devastated. I had been pregnant and didn't even know it. Lost before even a month. But thinking of how Damon was using me, maybe it was better the child was gone. This way, after successfully breaking the mate bond, I wouldn't have any more entanglements with him.

After some time, as I recovered from the grief of losing the child, I moved my lips and asked hoarsely, "How badly are you hurt?"

Only then did Damon ruffle my hair, his tone casual. "Just took two arrows, nothing serious. I failed to protect you properly."

He quickly stood up. "You rest here. I'll get the healer to examine you."

After he left, my phone suddenly vibrated.

I picked it up to find a video message from Lydia Ashford.

The footage showed the scene from the restaurant earlier.

In the restaurant, a group of pack guards were explaining repeatedly:

"Miss Ashford, how many times do we have to tell you before you believe us? The Alpha being with Sage Rivers is all planned. Pretending to love her is all an act. He needs to actually bond with Sage Rivers to trade her mating rights and threaten that bastard Garrett Rivers. Since the Blackwood and Ashford families have already agreed to the alliance, he'll definitely break the mate bond with Sage Rivers and become your mate. The Alpha always keeps his promises—when has he ever gone back on his word? Just don't sabotage the Alpha's plans, please."

But Lydia only stared at Damon, her voice trembling. "Damon, is what they're saying true? You really don't care about Sage Rivers at all? It's all just using her?"

The men quickly chimed in: "Of course! How could he possibly fall for his mortal enemy's sister? That's not Damon's style at all. If he actually fell for her, it wouldn't be Damon humiliating Garrett Rivers—it would be Garrett Rivers trampling Damon underfoot. Damn, I can't even imagine that scene."

"I only want to hear it from Damon!" Lydia stared at Damon with red eyes. "Damon, you tell me."

Damon's expression was complex as he kept looking toward where I sat in the car.

Finally, he nodded.

Lydia finally threw herself into his arms, her voice choked with tears. "But I still don't feel secure. All the pack members know about our engagement, but you're still someone else's mate in name. You still have to act with another woman. How about this—arrange for your men to attack Sage Rivers with silver arrows so she gets hurt and hospitalized. Then I'll believe you, okay?"

Damon was silent for a moment, then said quietly, "Alright."

The video cut off there.