CHAPTER 8

DAMIEN

“No, Sage.” I stepped back from her, my voice firm. “I just got married. I don’t want anything to do with you.”

Sage’s perfect face twisted with anger. “Stop being ridiculous, Damien. You don’t even know that girl.”

I flinched at her words and quickly looked around. “Keep your voice down,” I whispered, grabbing her arm and pulling her into her hotel room. The last thing I needed was for Liora to hear this conversation.

“You can’t be serious about her,” Sage hissed once I closed the door behind us. She crossed her arms, her blue eyes blazing. “You dumped me for a complete stranger!”

“She’s not a stranger,” I said, but even as the words left my mouth, they tasted like lies.

“Stop lying to me!” Sage’s voice rose dangerously. “I know everything that happens in your life, Damien. Everything. You never mentioned dating anyone. You never brought anyone home. Three months ago, you were still with me!”

Her words hit me like cold water. She was absolutely right. Three months ago I was still with her. Hell, I’d been with Sage right up until the elders told me I needed to marry Liora.

“I…” I started, then stopped. What could I say? That the pack elders had basically arranged this marriage? That I’d gone along with it because they said it was best for the pack?

“Yes, you do!” Sage stepped closer, her voice breaking. “We were together for years, Damien. We had plans. We were going to be married. And now you’re acting like none of that mattered.”

I ran my hands through my hair, frustrated. She was right about our plans too. We’d talked about marriage, about having a family together. But then the elders had brought Liora to me and everything changed.

“I think—” I started.

“You think?” Sage stared at me incredulously. “You married a stranger because you think what?”

“It’s not that simple.” But wasn’t it? The moment Elder Morrison had brought Liora to me, unconscious and beautiful, he’d made it clear what was expected. “She’s good for the pack,” he’d said. “The Moon Goddess has brought her to us for a reason.”

“Listen to yourself! You sound like you’re under some kind of spell,” Sage said desperately.

Maybe I was. From the moment I’d seen Liora’s face, I’d been drawn to her. My wolf had been restless, pacing, wanting to get closer to her. She was breathtakingly beautiful – the kind of woman who could stop traffic with a single glance.

“You’re being a psycho,” Sage continued. “Leaving me for her. But I’m not giving up, Damien. I’m not going to stop until I have you back where you belong.”

She pulled my hand closer to her, trying to press it against her breast. Her skin was warm, familiar, but it felt wrong now. My wolf recoiled from her touch, wanting only Liora.

“Let go of me,” I said firmly, yanking my hand away from her grasp.

“Damien, please—”

“I said let go!” I pushed her back, harder than I meant to. “I’m married now, Sage. You need to accept that and move on.”

She stumbled backward, tears filling her eyes. For a moment, she looked like the girl I’d grown up with, the one who used to bring me lunch when I forgot to eat, who’d bandaged my cuts after training fights.

But then her expression hardened. “This isn’t over,” she said quietly. “Whatever hold she has on you, I’ll break it. You’ll see.”

“Leave,” I said, opening the door. “Now.”

Sage walked to the doorway and stopped. “You know what’s funny?” she said without looking back. “I paid for this room. I could have you thrown out right now.”

My stomach dropped. “Sage—”

“But I won’t,” she continued. “Because unlike you, I still remember what we meant to each other. Even if you’ve somehow forgotten.”

She left without another word, and I stood there staring at the empty doorway. My hands were shaking, and I didn’t know why.

I sank onto the bed, my head in my hands.

The truth was, I barely knew Liora at all. Three days ago, my guards had found her unconscious at our pack border and brought her to me. The elders had taken one look at her and declared she was meant to be my mate. Merek had pulled me aside and said if I didn’t marry her, I’d be going against the Moon Goddess herself.

So when she’d woken up confused and disoriented, I’d panicked. I’d made up some story about us meeting at a summer festival, about how we’d been dating for months. I’d expected her to call me out on the lie, to demand proof, to ask questions I couldn’t answer.

But she hadn’t. She’d just… accepted it all. Smiled and nodded like it made perfect sense.

I sat up, running my hands through my hair. Why had she believed me so easily? It had been such an obvious lie – I’d barely been able to keep the details straight myself. But Liora had just gone along with everything I said.

Maybe she’d been having memory problems. Head injuries could do that, couldn’t they? Maybe that’s why she’d seemed so confused when she first woke up, why she’d accepted my fabricated story so readily. She might have been trying to piece together her own memories and had latched onto mine to fill in the gaps.

That had to be it. It was the only explanation that made sense.

My wolf stirred restlessly in my mind. He was drawn to her, fascinated by her scent, her beauty. Even now, separated from her by just a few hotel rooms, he wanted to go to her. But there was something else there too – a confusion, like even my wolf couldn’t quite figure out what was real about this situation.

I thought about the wedding today, how stunning she’d looked walking down the aisle. For a moment, I’d been terrified she would bolt. She’d seemed so shocked, so overwhelmed. But then she’d said yes, and something in my chest had settled.

Maybe the elders were right. Maybe the Moon Goddess had brought her to us for a reason. All I knew was that I was married to the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen, and my wolf was completely captivated by her.

Even if I’d had to lie to make it happen.

I reached for my phone, thinking about calling her room, but then stopped. She’d said she needed space, needed time to get comfortable with me. I had to respect that, even if it killed me to be separated from her on our wedding night.

After all, we were still basically strangers. No matter what lies I’d told her to the contrary.