Chapter Two: Unwanted Bond

I barely made it out of the ballroom when Alpha Damian caught up to me.

I didn't even know that he had followed me

"Stop!" He shouted and my legs ceased to move.

I turned back to face him and I saw Alpha Damon coming from a distance.

I didn't understand why he was also here.

I was cornered, heart pounding so hard I thought it might burst from my chest.

Damian reached me first, his hand gripping my arm with a strength that made me wince.

"Why are you running?" He demanded.

His touch sent a jolt through my body, a sensation so foreign and powerful I couldn’t comprehend it.

How could I answer him? How could I stay?How could I—an Omega—be his mate?

I blinked up at him, my lips parting as if I could force the words out, but nothing came.

My speech disorder always got worse in moments like this.

The words I wanted to stay tangled up in my throat, choking me, and I could barely breathe, let alone speak.

Before I could process what was happening, Damon arrived. He stormed toward us, his eyes blazing with something I couldn’t name.

"Damien, why were you running? I wanted to tell you that I felt a mate bond when I saw you run outside." Alpha Damon said.

He looked at me and his gaze sent a shiver down my spine, and then it happened again.

The same feeling. The same word.

"Mate." He said gripping me.

The growl left his throat with such force, I thought it might shake the walls.

My vision blurred as tears welled up, the weight of it all pressing down on me.

Mates—to both of them? It didn’t make sense. None of this made sense.

I stumbled backwards as I tried to pull away, to get distance from the overwhelming intensity, but their grips were firm.

I couldn’t escape. I couldn’t breathe. My head spun with confusion, and I felt like the ground had been ripped out from beneath me.

"How..." I finally managed, my voice barely above a whisper, shaking with the effort. "How can this be?"

Neither of them had an answer. Instead, they exchanged a look—one filled with confusion, frustration, and something darker. Without another word, Damian dragged me down the hallway, Damon close behind.

My legs moved on autopilot, too stunned to resist as they led me away from the noise and lights of the ball, away from the pack that had never cared about me.

They pulled me into a private room, the heavy wooden door closing with a thud.

My pulse raced, fear and uncertainty swirling inside me.

I didn’t belong here. I wasn’t supposed to be with them.

"Sit." Damian’s voice was hard, unyielding.

I sank into the nearest chair, my hands trembling in my lap.

They stood over me, towering figures with eyes that seemed to burn right through me.

"What is your name?," Damon demanded, his arms crossed over his broad chest.

I swallowed, trying to form words, but my throat felt tight.

My speech disorder flared under pressure, making it hard to get the words out. I could feel their eyes on me, impatient, waiting.

"Lyra, my name is Lyra and I... I don’t know... how this is possible," I stammered, my voice barely a whisper.

My hands twisted together in my lap, the tremors making it difficult to stop fidgeting.

"I’m an Omega. This can’t be—"

"An Omega?" Damian interrupted, his expression hardening.

He exchanged a glance with Damon, and I could feel the shift in the air. Something dark, something I didn’t want to face.

Damon stepped closer, his eyes narrowing.

"That doesn’t make sense. Alpha's mates are supposed to be strong. Alphas don’t bond with weaklings." Damon said with anger.

The word "weak" hit me like a punch to the gut.

I flinched, unable to stop the flood of shame that washed over me.

My throat tightened, the familiar block making it even harder to speak. But I had to say something, had to defend myself, even if I didn’t believe my own words.

"I didn’t ask for this," I finally choked out, tears stinging the corners of my eyes. "I didn’t choose this."

Damian’s lips curled into a sneer, his disdain palpable.

"Neither did we."

The rejection in his voice was like ice. It pierced straight through me, freezing me in place.

They didn’t want me. They would never accept me as their mate.

I was nothing but a burden to them, something that could ruin their perfect image as Alphas.

"Having an Omega mate..." Damon's voice trailed off, but I could feel the weight of his words before he said them. "It would destroy our reputation."

Each word felt like a dagger, and I couldn’t stop the tears from spilling over. I had dreamed of finding my mate, of someone who would love and accept me despite my flaws. But this—this was a nightmare.

"We cannot accept you as our mate Lyra." Damian said with pity in his voice.

"I Alpha Damon reject you Lyra as my mate." Alpha Damon suddenly said.

The pain I felt was instant. I felt like my heart was being pierced by a thousand needles.

In my pain, I saw Alpha Damon and Damien exchange glances and I prepared myself for what was coming next.

"I'm sorry Lyra but I have to do this. I Alpha Damian, reject you Lyra as my mate." Alpha Damian said and I gasped in pain.

It was too much to bear, I could barely breathe. The pain was doubled and I clutched my shirt as the tears spilled out of my eyes in torrents.

In just one night, my dream of finding my mate had been crushed before my very eyes.

At that point, I could not take it any longer. I had had enough of the embarrassment.

I stood abruptly, my legs shaky beneath me.

"I’ll leave." The words tumbled out, frantic and desperate. "You don’t have to—"

"Good," Alpha Damon cut in coldly, his voice sharp. "Go."