Chapter 4

DAMIAN.

Damian had never been interested in choosing a woman simply because she was beautiful. It wasn't that he failed to recognize beauty. He had spent his entire life surrounded by women who wanted his attention, his approval, and his name.

To many Alphas, a mate was little more than a symbol of power, someone beautiful standing beside them as a reflection of their strength and status. But Damian had always believed a Luna was supposed to be more than that. She carried a responsibility far greater than simply standing beside an Alpha. She understood the people he protected, noticed the problems he could not always see, and stood beside him when decisions became too heavy to carry alone.

For years, Damian had never met a woman who made him believe she could carry that responsibility.

That was why the pressure from the elders had become unbearable.

“You cannot continue avoiding this conversation, Alpha.”

Damian slowly lifted his gaze from the documents on his desk. Marcus, his beta, stood in front of him with the same mixture of concern and frustration he wore every time they discussed this topic.

“I am aware,” Damian replied.

Marcus let out a quiet breath. “That is always your answer.”

Damian leaned back in his chair. The Silvercrest Pack had built its reputation on discipline, strength, and the ability to remain calm when others lost control. He had spent years building that reputation. He was known as an Alpha who rarely backed down, who protected his territory without hesitation, and who never allowed others to see weakness.

But lately, the elders cared about only one thing.

They wanted an heir. They wanted the future of the pack secured and the next Alpha bloodline protected.

To them, the solution was simple. Find a Luna, have children, and continue the legacy.

“I don't understand why everyone suddenly thinks this is urgent,” Damian said.

Marcus raised an eyebrow. “Because you're thirty years old and still act like you're going to rule alone forever.”

Damian gave him a warning look, but Marcus ignored it.

“You know I'm right.”

Damian looked back at the documents in front of him. He had responsibilities. Territory matters, alliance discussions, pack security. Those were real problems. Finding a woman because the elders were impatient was not.

“I'll choose when the time is right,” Damian said.

Marcus studied him for a moment. “And what if the time never feels right?”

Damian didn't answer because that was exactly the problem.

He had never met anyone who made him want to change his life.

Until Marcus mentioned something else.

“There is a place.”

Damian looked up, his attention sharpening. “What place?”

Marcus hesitated before answering.

“A black-market auction.”

Damian's expression hardened. “What kind of auction?”

Marcus looked uncomfortable. “The kind where people go when they want things they can't get through normal means.”

Damian understood immediately. His jaw tightened as the meaning of Marcus's words sank in.

“You're suggesting I attend an auction where women are being sold?”

“No.” Marcus shook his head. “I'm suggesting you see something you've refused to acknowledge.”

Damian remained silent, his gaze fixed on Marcus.

“The elders keep telling you to find a Luna. You keep rejecting every suggestion because you believe nobody understands what that position requires.” Marcus paused before adding, “Maybe you should see what happens when people stop seeing women as people and start seeing them as something they can own.”

Damian hated the idea. Everything about it went against what he believed. Women were not possessions, and mates were not tools. A Luna was not something to be purchased.

The very thought disgusted him.

Still, Marcus's words stayed with him. Maybe because he was tired of being told he was avoiding his responsibilities. Maybe because he wanted to understand how far some people were willing to go.

So he went.

Not because he wanted a woman or expected to find anything, but because he wanted to see for himself.

The moment Damian entered the auction house, he regretted coming.

Something about the place felt wrong. The people around him spoke casually about human lives as though they were discussing business transactions.

His gaze swept across the room. Women stood waiting, some afraid, some defeated, and others looking as though they had already accepted that no one was coming to save them.

Damian's hands tightened. He wanted to leave.

Then something caught his attention.

He looked toward the stage.

At first, he didn't recognize her. The woman standing there looked nothing like the little girl from his memory. Years had changed her. Exhaustion lined her face, her clothes were rough, and the warmth that once seemed to live in her complexion was gone.

But there was something about her eyes.

He knew those eyes.

A memory he had buried long ago came rushing back.

He remembered the little girl surrounded by children who laughed at her. She had stood there pretending their words didn't hurt, even as their insults made it clear they saw her as different.

Damian remembered the anger that had rushed through him that day. Without thinking, he had stepped between her and the children.

“If you want to insult someone, insult me instead.”

The girl had looked at him through tears before asking his name.

He told her, but before either of them could say anything more, someone called for him.

By the time he looked back, she was already gone.

For years, he had wondered what had become of that little girl. He never imagined he would find her again like this, standing on a stage while strangers judged her worth.

The auctioneer continued speaking.

“Full-figured. Strong build. Excellent potential for carrying powerful offspring.”

Something dark stirred inside Damian.

The way they described her disgusted him. They weren't seeing a person. They saw a body, a purpose, and a product.

But when he looked at Serena's face, it wasn't anger that struck him most.

It was the acceptance in her expression, as though she had heard those words so many times that they no longer surprised her.

That realization hit him harder than he expected.

Before he could think, his voice cut through the room.

The number he offered ended the bidding immediately. Silence filled the auction house as everyone turned toward him, the auctioneer freezing in place. Nobody dared to question an Alpha like Damian. His reputation alone was enough to make people step aside.

But Damian barely noticed them.

The moment he spoke, something inside him changed. The mate bond hit with enough force to silence every thought in his mind, immediate and impossible to deny.

His wolf recognized her before his mind could fully understand what was happening.

She was his mate.

For a moment, everything around him seemed to fade. The auction, the people watching, even the questions waiting for him afterward.

But Damian had spent his entire life mastering control. He did not allow emotions to rule him, not anger, not fear, and not even the overwhelming pull of the mate bond.

So he walked toward her.

When he reached the stage, Serena looked at him differently than he had expected. There was no relief in her eyes, no gratitude. Only suspicion.

He understood why.

She had just been stripped of her dignity and treated like something that could be bought and owned. Why would she trust another Alpha?

Her eyes remained fixed on him.

“Why did you buy me?”

Damian remained quiet.

Then she asked the question he knew was coming.

“Do you want me to give you children too?”

For a moment, he had no answer because he understood exactly why she asked. Everyone in that room had looked past the woman standing before them.

“I acted on impulse,” Damian finally said.

Her expression shifted slightly.

“Don't read into it.”

The words sounded colder than he intended, but Damian didn't know how to explain something he barely understood himself.

He didn't tell her about the little girl from his memory. He didn't tell her that the moment he saw her, something inside him had recognized her as his mate.

Some things were easier left unspoken.

Instead, he removed his jacket and placed it around her shoulders.

Serena froze.

She looked surprised by the gesture, and the fact that something so simple could surprise her bothered Damian. A simple act of kindness should never have felt unfamiliar.

The jacket covered the rough clothing she had been forced to wear and blocked the view of her body from the men around them. The stares that had been fixed on Serena were now fixed on him, filled with questions about who she was and why he had stepped forward.

Damian noticed the difference.

For some reason, it mattered.

“Let's go.”

Serena hesitated, but eventually, she followed him.

As they walked away from the auction house, Damian remained silent. He had entered that place expecting nothing more than answers.

Instead, he had found the one person fate had been waiting to return to him, the woman who was now his mate.

Not every decision in life could be controlled.

Damian had spent his entire life believing every problem could be solved with enough control and preparation. But Serena had appeared in his life without warning, without permission, and without giving him a chance to prepare.

Now he was facing the one thing he could not control.