Four

Damon’s POV

The clearing was packed tighter than usual tonight. Torches snapped and hissed, throwing orange flickers across faces I’d known my whole life. The drums thumped low and steady—familiar, almost comforting. I stood at the front with the elders, arms crossed, Val tucked against my side like she belonged there.

She did belong there.

Tonight was supposed to be simple: watch the lower ranks go through their mate reveals, nod politely when the Goddess paired off the nobodies, then step forward with Val at my side. Announce her as my chosen Luna. Seal it with a public mark if the elders pushed for tradition. The pack would cheer. My father would finally stop looking at me like I was still a boy playing at Alpha.

Easy.

Val’s fingers laced through mine, squeezing once. She smelled like jasmine and victory.

“You nervous?” she whispered, lips brushing my ear.

I smirked down at her. “For this? No.”

She laughed softly. “Good. Because after tonight, no one gets to question us.”

I squeezed her hand back. That was the plan.

Elder Mara stepped into the center, silver hair catching the moonlight like wire. Her voice carried without effort.

“Tonight we honor the Moon Goddess and the bonds she weaves. First to be called: Elara Voss.”

A ripple went through the crowd—whispers, a few snickers. I felt Val stiffen slightly beside me.

Elara walked out from the shadows at the edge of the clearing.

White shift. Braided hair. Head high, but I could see the tremble in her hands from here. She looked small against the torchlight. Smaller than usual.

She stopped in the middle. Elder Mara placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Elara Voss, call upon your wolf. Let the Goddess reveal your destined one.”

Silence.

Elara closed her eyes. The whole pack held its breath.

Then it happened.

A thin golden thread shimmered into existence—bright, undeniable. It stretched straight from her chest…

To me.

The bond hit like a punch to the sternum. Sudden. Hot. Alive.

My wolf surged forward, snarling inside my skull. Mate. Mate. Mine.

For one stupid second, everything narrowed to her—green eyes wide with shock, lips parted, the thread pulsing between us like a heartbeat.

The pack gasped. Murmurs exploded.

Val’s nails dug into my arm so hard I felt skin break.

I stared at the thread.

Then at Elara.

Then back at the thread.

No.

Fuck no.

This wasn’t happening.

My wolf clawed at the inside of my ribs, desperate, raging. Claim her. Take her. Now.

I shoved him down. Hard.

The bond was real—I could feel it humming in my blood, pulling, demanding—but it didn’t change facts.

Elara Voss was weak. Unshifted. Orphan. Kitchen girl. She would be a disaster as Luna. The pack would never respect her. My father would never forgive me. Val’s family would pull every alliance string they had.

And Val…

Val was staring at me like I’d just stabbed her.

The drums had stopped. Everyone was waiting.

I raised my hand.

My voice came out steady—colder than I felt.

“I, Damon Blackthorn, future Alpha of Silver Moon Pack, reject you, Elara Voss, as my fated mate and future Luna.”

The golden thread flickered—once, twice—then shattered like glass.

Elara staggered. A red mark bloomed across the side of her neck—raw, angry, permanent. She made a small, broken sound that cut straight through the noise.

The pack inhaled sharply.

Valentina exhaled—relief so sharp it was almost painful.

I turned to her. Pulled her against me. Wrapped an arm around her waist like nothing had happened.

She melted into me, smiling up at me with shining eyes.

Elara didn’t wait.

She spun and ran—white shift flashing in the torchlight as she disappeared into the trees.

A few wolves moved like they might follow. Elder Mara raised a hand to stop them.

“Let her go,” she said quietly. “The Goddess has spoken. And so has our Alpha.”

The murmurs started again—shock, disapproval from some elders, approval from others. Val’s friends were already whispering, laughing under their breath.

I kept my arm around Val. Kept my face blank.

Inside, my wolf was howling—furious, betrayed, tearing at the walls I’d built to keep him leashed.

I ignored him.

This was the right choice.

Strength over weakness. Pack over bond. Future over fantasy.

I looked down at Val. She tilted her face up, lips brushing mine in a quick, possessive kiss.

“Mine,” she whispered.

I kissed her back—harder than necessary.

“Always.”

The drums started again. Slower now. The ceremony moved on.

But the pull in my chest didn’t fade.

It just turned into something darker.

Something that felt a lot like regret.

The ceremony didn’t end with Elara’s disappearance.

It never does.

Elder Mara cleared her throat, voice steady despite the tension still crackling in the air.

“The Moon Goddess has spoken. The bond was offered and refused. We move forward.”

Murmurs rippled through the pack—some relieved, some disappointed, a few elders exchanging looks that said they didn’t approve. I didn’t care. My wolf was still snarling inside my skull, clawing at the cage I’d locked him in, but I shoved him down deeper.

Valentina pressed closer, her body warm against my side, fingers digging possessively into my arm. She smelled like triumph.

Elder Mara turned to us.

“Alpha Damon Blackthorn, you have chosen your mate. Step forward.”

This was it.

The part I’d planned for months.

I led Val into the center of the clearing. The torches flared brighter, as if the flames themselves approved. The pack formed a tighter circle—warriors, elders, families—all eyes on us.

Valentina’s chin lifted, regal, beautiful, everything a Luna should be.

I faced her.

She looked up at me, eyes shining—part love, part victory, all hunger.

I cupped her face with both hands.

“Valentina Reyes,” I said, voice carrying across the silent clearing, “I choose you as my mate, my Luna, my partner in leading Silver Moon Pack. Do you accept?”

Her smile was slow, radiant.

“I do.”

The pack exhaled as one.

I leaned down. She tilted her head to the side, exposing the smooth curve of her neck—the spot reserved for a mate mark.

My wolf surged again—not for her, but I forced him to focus.

I kissed the skin first—soft, almost tender. Then my canines lengthened. The shift was partial, just enough.

I bit down.

Hard.

She gasped—sharp, then melting into a moan as the bond snapped into place. Not the fated one. A chosen one. Different. Strong in its own way. The pack felt it too—a ripple of power that made the weaker wolves lower their eyes.

Blood welled. I licked it clean, sealing the mark with my tongue. She shivered against me, hands clutching my shirt.

The pack erupted—cheers, howls, drums pounding again in celebration.

Valentina pulled me down for a kiss—deep, claiming, tasting of blood and possession.

When we broke apart, she whispered against my lips, “Take me home, Alpha.”

I didn’t need to be told twice.

We left the clearing together—her hand in mine, the pack parting like water. Cheers followed us all the way to the alpha quarters.

The door slammed shut behind us.

She was on me before I could lock it.

Lips crashing, hands tearing at clothes. My shirt ripped open—buttons scattering across the floor. Her dress was already half-off, crimson silk pooling at her waist.

I lifted her, legs wrapping around my hips, and pinned her against the wall.

She laughed breathlessly. “Harder.”

I obliged.

I thrust into her without warning—deep, rough, no gentleness tonight. She cried out, nails raking down my back, drawing blood.

“Yes—fuck—Damon—”

I fucked her against the wall like I was trying to erase something. Every thrust hard, punishing. Her head fell back, exposing the fresh mark on her neck. I bit it again—reclaiming, reinforcing—while I drove into her relentlessly.

She came fast—shuddering, screaming my name, walls clenching so tight I nearly lost control.

I didn’t stop.

I carried her to the bed, threw her down, flipped her onto her stomach. She arched back, ass up, begging without words.

I gripped her hips—bruising—and slammed back in.

The room filled with the sound of skin slapping skin, her moans, my growls.

She pushed back against every thrust, greedy, insatiable.

“Mark me again,” she gasped. “Make sure everyone knows.”

I leaned over her, chest to her back, teeth grazing the mark again. Bit down—not breaking skin this time, just pressure. She shattered a second time, body convulsing, voice breaking on my name.

That pushed me over.

I buried myself deep and came with a guttural roar—hips jerking, vision blurring, spilling inside her until there was nothing left.

We collapsed together—sweaty, panting, tangled in sheets.

She curled into my side, tracing the scratches she’d left on my chest.

“Mine,” she murmured, kissing the mark she’d made on my shoulder.

I stared at the ceiling.

My wolf was quiet now. Too quiet.

The chosen bond hummed between us—solid, real.

But somewhere deep, a faint echo lingered.

A golden thread that had snapped.

A girl running into the dark.

Regret?

No.

Just… awareness.

I pulled Val closer.

She sighed contentedly.

“Tomorrow the pack will celebrate us properly,” she said. “Luna Valentina Blackthorn. Sounds perfect.”

I kissed her forehead.

“Yeah. Perfect.”

But my wolf didn’t agree.

He was still listening.

Still waiting.

For something I’d just thrown away.