Damien’s POVI stood at the head of the dining table, hands loosely clasped behind my back as the maids moved around, placing dishes one by one. The clink of cutlery, the scent of roasted meat, everything was in order. Quiet. Almost too quiet.Then Aurora’s voice cut through it.“Seriously? You didn’t tell her?”I didn’t even need to turn. I knew it was her. I closed my eyes for half a second before replying.“You’ll speak with respect, Aurora.”She let out a short, humorless laugh. “Respect? From me? That’s rich.”Her heels hit the floor harder than usual as she walked into the room. I turned toward her. Her cheeks were flushed. She looked ready to burn the entire palace down with her eyes alone.“So, what is this?” she asked. “You’re actually making her Luna? Is that what we’re doing now?”I didn’t answer right away. Not because I didn’t know what to say, but because behind her, standing half in the shadow of the hall, was Scarlet.She was quiet. Watching. Listening.Aurora hadn’t
Scarlet’s POVEveryone went silent.Callan just raised his brow at me, smirking like I was some child playing pretend.I took a few steps back, waiting for something—anything—to happen after the rejection. But nothing came.He stepped forward, cocky as ever, his eyes locking on mine.“You see yourself, cutie?” His voice was low. Mocking. His hand reached out like he was about to touch my face again.I flinched and turned my head.“You look cute,” he chuckled. “But next time, don’t pull stunts you don’t understand.”He moved to the door.“You can’t reject me, baby,” he said without looking back. “Only I can do that.”And then— It hit.A deep, guttural growl shook the room. Callan stopped. His hand dropped from the doorknob.He gasped suddenly and stumbled, grabbing his chest like something inside him just snapped loose. Then he crashed into the door with a loud bang before falling flat to the floor.I froze.“What’s happening?!” I whispered, my voice trembling.Callan writhed on the g
Scarlet’s POVJust then, she let go of me and turned toward the door.It was only when her fingers brushed the handle that I found my breath again… and a sliver of nerve.I knew I didn’t have to say it, but I said it anyway.“I’m not interested in Damien,” I muttered, forcing the words through my throat. “You can have him.”She froze.Her back stiffened, lips drawn into a thin line.“I can have him to myself?” she repeated slowly, like she wasn’t sure she heard right.“Yes,” I said. “I don’t want anything to do with him.”She turned slightly, enough for her eyes to catch mine. “But… you’re his mate, aren’t you?”“Yes.” The word caught in my throat. I swallowed the rest of the ache it brought.“And the mate pull? You think he’s really going to let you go?”“Eight spaces,” I said quickly.She blinked. Confused.“What does that even mean?” she snapped, voice cracking from exhaustion and disbelief.She was trembling. Her entire body looked like it was about to collapse. Truth be told, sh
Scarlet’s POVAs soon as the door opened, my eyes landed on her, the strange woman.Her gaze flicked from me to Damien, and back again. She wasn’t trying to hide how pissed she was.I could tell right away. She wasn’t okay with this. Not one bit.Damien stepped forward, tension rippling through him. His voice came out sharp.“Shouldn’t you be sleeping? What are you doing here?”But she ignored that.Instead, her eyes locked on the contract form in my hand.Then she looked at me like I was the problem.“Are you really going to pick her over me?” she asked, voice flat, but her expression screamed jealousy.And honestly? I could understand why.She’d just been with him brutally. The scars were still fresh on her skin. Deep. Bleeding in some spots, barely healing in others. Her wolf hadn’t even caught up yet.I forced myself to look away. The whole air in the room had turned heavy, too thick to breathe in.But Damien wasn’t letting it slide.“I said…” he growled, fists curling tight. “Ain
Scarlet’s POVAll through their argument, I stayed close—but not too close.I made sure I didn’t breathe too loudly, didn’t shift too much. I just… listened.I stared at the contract in my hands, then back at the door every few seconds. I heard Damien growl at one point, and my heart nearly jumped out of my chest. I almost opened the door.But I didn’t.Sounded like they’d already calmed down, and so I tiptoed quietly back to my room.The whole time, I kept my eyes on that contract. Line by line, I flipped through it, reading every word like my life depended on it, because maybe it did.I didn’t just skim it. I studied it.By the time I reached the end, I picked up the quill, ready to sign, until something caught my eye.One rule stood out: You are to stay eight steps away from me whenever we are close.I blinked. Read it again.Eight steps?I tried not to overthink it. But the voice of that strange woman, the one who’d been screaming earlier, still echoed in my head.Still haunting
Damien’s POVI pulled out of Aurora the moment I hit my peak. Knotting all over the floor like some damned beast before dropping back into the throne, breathless.I growled low, the pain crawling up my spine. My chest rose and fell fast.Aurora was barely moving.Claw marks. Blood. Everywhere. She looked wrecked, like the curse took more than her body.Her chest still rose, but just barely. She was still alive.I pulled my shorts back on and stood, not looking back at her.To the guards, I said, “Clean her up. Give her a warm bath. Make sure she lives.”“Yes, Alpha,” they responded without hesitation.I left.I tried reaching Callan through the mindlink. Nothing. No connection.I asked around, and no one had seen him. Not even Scarlet.Then one of the maids whispered something. Said she saw both of them heading into a room near Callan’s.That was all I needed.I didn’t knock. I don’t need to knock.This palace is mine.I pushed the door open.There they were.Callan is holding the co