02. Mate

DAMIAN

This party is incredibly dull.

If it weren’t for something important, I wouldn’t even bother showing up to this kind of crowd, wasting my time just sitting quietly on the eastern side of the hall.

Tobias—my Beta—approached. “Alpha Damian, I haven’t seen Andreas Moonveil arrive yet.”

“Damn it, where the hell is that old man?” I growled in frustration. Meeting Andreas Moonveil was the only reason I came here. “Have you confirmed he was invited?”

Tobias nodded confidently. “I’ve confirmed it. Just wait a bit longer, maybe he’s intentionally arriving late.”

My patience had limits. But I also knew I needed that man. The critical state of my affairs forced me to be patient with the arrogant Alpha of the Moonveil Pack.

Right at that moment, my ears caught some murmurs from the surrounding werewolves. Many of them were now staring in one particular direction.

Curious, I turned toward the hall's entrance—only to find a stunning young woman in a black dress that hugged her body flawlessly.

But what struck me most was the spark I felt as I laid eyes on her. A strange, familiar sensation I hadn’t felt in a long time.

‘Do you feel that, Damian?’ Xave—my wolf—spoke inside my head.

‘This can’t be, Xave,’ I replied, refusing to believe it.

I could feel Xave rolling his eyes. ‘Accept your fate. She’s our mate. That’s the new path the Moon Goddess has given you.’

Fuck. No.

I had begged the Moon Goddess not to give me another mate. So why was this girl showing up now?

“Alpha Damian, it seems Andreas Moonveil won’t be attending this party,” Tobias suddenly said.

I immediately turned to him, frowning deeply. “What do you mean?” My tone carried the heat of my anger.

I’d waited here for too long, and that damned older man wasn’t coming? Should I go to Moonveil myself and stir up trouble there?

“Andreas has sent someone to represent him.” Tobias pointed toward the girl. “She’s one of Andreas’ granddaughters.”

“That girl is from Moonveil?” I asked, genuinely surprised but intrigued by the fact.

“Yes, Alpha Damian. She’s Roseanne Moonveil.”

The corner of my mouth lifted slightly as I watched her walk toward the refreshment table on the west side. My eyes never left her. I couldn’t lie—she was incredibly beautiful.

‘If you’re that interested, just talk to her, you idiot,’ my wolf growled.

‘Shut up, Xave. I think she might be the answer to my problems right now,’ I shot back.

‘Don’t do anything stupid, Damian,’ Xave warned.

Sometimes, having a wolf-like Xave was really difficult. The two of us had many differences. I preferred to act logically while my wolf followed his emotions.

Now, Xave might want to claim the girl as our mate right away. But I was thinking more strategically—this girl could solve all of my problems.

The ones inside the Aeternum Pack and the mess at Fenrison Group.

Roseanne, I murmured inwardly, tasting her name.

One of my eyebrows lifted as our eyes met. I stared at Roseanne sharply from where I sat. Even though there was a considerable distance between us, I could still see her clearly—and I was sure she could see me, too.

I had to admit she was mesmerizing. I hadn’t seen anyone as beautiful as Roseanne since I lost Lyra.

Until now, Lyra had been the only woman I found truly beautiful. But this time, I found myself admiring another girl—who also happened to be my mate.

‘Isn’t she beautiful?’ Xave was already marvelling at Roseanne’s beauty. I knew he was smiling inside.

‘You seem to like this girl a lot,’ I replied.

Xave had liked my former mate, too, but I sensed something different about his attitude toward Roseanne now.

‘I can feel something powerful for her. I know you feel it too, Damian,’ my wolf added.

I hated the fact that we were so connected—that Xave could feel everything I did and vice versa. I also hated that he kept reminding me of this new feeling I had for Roseanne.

‘She feels it too, Damian. She knows we’re her mate.’

Xave’s words brought my focus back to Roseanne. I could see her eyes widen slightly as she looked at me.

‘Stand up and go to her. Or do I need to take over and do it myself?!’ Xave growled in frustration, my wolf quickly running out of patience.

Before Xave could switch places with me, I saw a woman approach Roseanne and pull her out of the hall.

My instincts screamed that she was in danger, and I shot up from my seat on reflex.

“Alpha Damian, are you leaving now because Andreas didn’t come?” Tobias asked—I had almost forgotten he was still beside me.

“No,” I said quickly. “Just wait here. I’ve got something to take care of.”

I walked briskly, not wanting to lose sight of the girl. In my head, Xave kept urging me to find her quickly. He didn’t want anything bad to happen to Roseanne.

I stopped in my tracks when I heard a woman’s voice scolding Roseanne. I leaned against the wall, choosing not to approach them just yet—I needed to understand the situation first.

The woman’s voice echoed through the hallway, saying terrible things to Roseanne. I was honestly impressed by how calmly Roseanne responded to her—even though I could clearly see the emotion on her face.

“So, she’s pretty tough, too,” I muttered to myself with a smirk.

For a while, I just stood hidden behind the wall, not wanting to interrupt. But when I saw the woman raise her hand to slap Roseanne, my body moved quickly—stepping in and stopping her.

‘Shit, you’re so impatient,’ I growled at Xave because he was the one who’d suddenly pushed me to interfere.

Both women were startled by my sudden appearance but even more shocked when I introduced myself. I half expected the older woman’s eyes to pop out from how wide they were.

“That’s impossible, Roseanne can’t possibly have a mate,” the woman muttered in disbelief.

I smirked. “I don’t care if you believe it or not, but I am her mate. So stop bothering her, or you’ll be dealing with me.”

The woman looked panicked. She gave Roseanne one last sharp glare before walking away—leaving me alone with her.

“You… didn’t have to do that,” came a soft voice behind me. Roseanne was there, her head slightly bowed to avoid my gaze.

“Do what?” I asked.

“Help me.”

I gave a slight grin. “Are you talking to the floor?”

‘What kind of stupid line is that?’ Xave commented in my head.

I snorted, trying to ignore him.

Roseanne lifted her face, and I could see her beautiful brown eyes clearly. She blinked, then took a small step back after realizing how close we were standing.

The corner of my mouth twitched, trying not to smile at how adorable her instinctive reaction was.

But then, her expression shifted. “You heard everything, didn’t you? My conversation with my aunt.”

I didn’t answer immediately. Whether I told the truth or lied, neither would do me any favours. I had deliberately eavesdropped on their conversation, and that wasn’t exactly honourable.

“If you want to reject me now, go ahead,” she said, her head lowering again as if she’d lost all her confidence. “As you heard, my aunt said I’m a cursed Omega.”

“Who said I’d reject you?” I asked.

Roseanne looked up quickly. “You’ll accept me?”

“I don’t know,” I replied without hesitation.

I felt Xave roll his eyes and snort. ‘What the hell, Damian?! You could’ve just accepted her!’

But I ignored my wolf. I already had my plan in mind now that I knew Roseanne was Andreas Moonveil’s granddaughter—a strategy that could solve all my problems.

“I can’t give you that answer right now,” I told Roseanne again. “But one thing you should know... we’ll meet again.”

With that, I turned and walked away from the girl—before Xave lost it and tried to take control of my body.