LOGINDamianI didn’t remember the drive home.I remembered leaving the Council, I remembered people moving out of my way, and the whispers that followed after. I remembered getting into the vehicle.But after that?Nothing.My mind was blank, and when I say blank, I mean completely blank. The kind of blankness that comes after something important dies. The kind where your brain simply refuses to process reality.By the time I pulled into my driveway, the sun was already beginning to set. The wolves that worked for me and were on their way home to their respective houses greeted me, and I ignored them.I didn’t know how I got there, but somehow, I found myself standing in front of our bedroom.No.Not our bedroom anymore, just a room… or just my room. Gosh, could I even bear the pain that would come with staying in this room alone?I stared at the door for a long moment before finally pushing it open. Ariana’s familiar scent hit me immediately, although it was fainter now, a conscious remi
ArianaThe room exploded with whispers, gasps, and shock. The entire High Council chamber suddenly sounded like a marketplace. Nobody cared about protocol or decorumanymore.Because Darius had just publicly asked the question, everyone was now wondering. Was it all for nothing?I watched as Damian remained seated slightly. His jaw tightened, and his hands clenched, but he didn’t answer because, honestly, what was there to say?I mean, Donald wasn’t his son; he knew that from the start, but still went ahead to deceive his family with fake DNA tests and manipulated blood rituals. Not to mention that Lily never loved him, and their entire relationship had been a lie. He lost me, the woman he loved as he so claimed, because of a LIE.A grand scheme by a woman he had loved previously and felt indebted to, somehow. For the first time since I’d known him, Damian looked trapped. Not by me, not by fate, but by reality.“Answer him.” The voice came from one of the council elders, and more m
ArianaThe High Council chamber was quieter than I had ever seen it, not because it was empty.No, far from it.The room was packed with council members, Alphas, elders, representatives from different territories, and enough curious wolves to make anyone uncomfortable.Yet somehow… It was completely silent.I stood outside the large council doors for a brief moment before taking a deep breath."Are you ready?" Liam asked beside me, and I shook my head."No," I replied honestly. Because how exactly was this day supposed to go? What would I say? And seeing Damian again for the first time since the rejection, it was all just…."That’s good, we can still ditch the whole thing at this moment if you just say the word," Liam said, and I swiftly turned to look at him."What kind of answer is that?" I asked. "The honest kind." He shrugged, and a laugh escaped. Seriously, how was he still able to joke at a time like this?I took a deep breath, and then I pushed the doors open. The moment I ste
ArianaFor the first time in years, I could breathe.Not the forced kind of breathing where you convince yourself you’re okay while slowly drowning inside.No, this felt different and lighter. Although it was painful too, but light at the same time, and honestly? I didn’t even know how to explain it properly.I sat quietly in the living room of my parents’ house, wrapped in one of Mom’s soft blankets while Liam and Ryker argued about something stupid near the fireplace.“I’m just saying if she blasted Damian through a wall, I would’ve respected it more,” Liam said dramatically, and I rolled my eyes immediately.“I rejected my mate, Liam, not declared war.”“Well, from what Riley said, it sounded close enough.” He shrugged shamelessly.A small laugh escaped me before I could stop it, and everyone in the room went strangely quiet afterward. Maybe because they were all relieved to hear me laugh again.Mom sat beside me on the couch while Dad remained nearby with his arms folded, watchin
DamianThe room was silent after she left.I stayed on my knees for what felt like forever, staring at the doorway Ariana had walked through like she might suddenly come back and tell me this was all some sick joke.But she didn’t, because she was gone and the bond…Fuck.My hand pressed harder against my chest as another sharp pain ripped through me violently. It felt wrong now….Empty, like something had been torn out of me so suddenly and my body still hadn’t caught up yet.To be sincere, it was a miracle I was still alive because being rejected by someone who possesses the kind of power she does was practically a death sentence. “Ari…” I whispered weakly but I got no response in return, just silence.My wolf snarled painfully inside me before suddenly growing quiet again. The silence terrified me more than the pain did.Because for years, no matter how angry Ariana got at me, no matter how cold things became between us, she was always there.Always reaching for me emotionally eve
ArianaThe words hung in the air between us like something dangerous and irreversible. Damian had gone completely still across from me. He wasn’t moving at all and from the look of things, it seems his breathing had stopped as well. For the first time since I met him… he looked afraid. And when I mean afraid, I mean afraid afraid like a scaredy cat, and not his usual angry and cold look. “Ariana…” my name left his mouth quietly, broken in a way I had never heard before, and for one weak second… my chest tightened.Because this was the man I had loved almost my entire life, the man I nearly ruined myself for…The man I kept choosing over and over again even when he stopped choosing me back.But then I remembered everything.Him giving me blood cleansers to drink after every sexual encounter, and whispering to my ear that he didn’t want to have a pup with me.His coldness towards me, the humiliation I suffered, Lily coming along, and his attitude towards me getting worse. Him using my
DamianIt’s been 24 fucking hours since Ariana’s mother informed me that she was missing and trust me I’ve combed through the pack looking for her.Yet…She was still yet to be found. I even had the guards torture Lily and Fred so they could confess if they had an idea who had taken her.But they i
ArianaOkay, someone please wake me up from this dream because what is actually going on?I stared at him like he had just lost his mind.“Let me get this straight…” I said slowly, rising to my feet and rubbing my wrists.“You kidnapped me… because you want to help me break my bond… train me… and w
Ariana Ughhh… What the hell happened? My head was hurting like hell and why the fuck am I tied to a chair in ropes? I tried thinking hard but I couldn’t get anything.One minute I was at work, the next minute I called my parents. I was getting home, and immediately I got to the front of our buildi
Damian The door burst open revealing Riley and Cassius. For a split second… everything paused.Lily’s head snapped toward them, her focus breaking for just a moment and that was all I needed.I moved fast and before she could even turn back fully, I lunged at her, my claws aiming straight for her







