Damian's Heartbeat

Damian had watched it all.

From the moment Luna stepped into the great hall, he'd been there—standing behind her, supporting her, protecting her. He'd watched as she faced down the Council. He'd watched as Xavier stepped forward to defend her.

And he'd watched the way Luna looked at Xavier afterward.

Not with hatred. Not with anger.

With something that looked dangerously like hope.

---

He waited until they were alone.

Leo was asleep in his room, exhausted from the day's events. Luna was sitting on the edge of their bed, her silver-blonde hair loose around her shoulders, her expression distant.

"Luna."

She looked up, her grey eyes meeting his. "Damian."

"We need to talk."

The words hung in the air, heavy with meaning. Luna's expression flickered—fear, maybe, or guilt.

"I know," she whispered.

Damian crossed the room, his heart pounding. He'd been dreading this conversation for days. Weeks, even. Ever since Xavier had returned to their lives, he'd felt Luna slipping away from him.

"I need to ask you something," he said, his voice rough. "And I need you to be honest with me."

Luna nodded slowly. "I will."

"Do you still love him?"

The question was a knife to his own heart. But he had to know.

Luna's eyes filled with tears. "Damian—"

"Please. Just tell me the truth."

She closed her eyes, a tear slipping down her cheek. "I don't know."

The words hit him like a physical blow. He staggered back, his hand flying to his chest.

"You don't know."

"I'm sorry." Luna stood, reaching for him. "I'm so sorry. I don't want to feel this way. I don't want to feel anything for him. But the bond—"

"The bond." Damian laughed bitterly. "It's always the bond. The bond you can't break. The bond that ties you to him no matter what."

"Damian—"

"I've loved you for three years." His voice cracked. "I've held you while you cried. I've raised your son. I've given you everything I have. And it's not enough."

Luna sobbed, reaching for him. "It is enough. You are enough—"

"Then why can't you let him go?"

The question hung in the air, unanswered.

Damian turned away, his shoulders shaking. "I thought—I thought if I loved you enough, if I was patient enough, if I proved myself enough—you would forget him. You would choose me. Completely."

"I did choose you."

"But you still feel him." Damian turned back, his amber eyes blazing. "You still feel the bond. You still look at him like he's the sun and you're drowning in darkness."

Luna's face crumpled. "I'm sorry."

"I don't want your sorry." Damian's voice broke. "I want your heart. All of it. Not just the pieces he didn't break."

"I'm trying—"

"Are you?" He stepped closer, his expression fierce. "Are you really trying? Or are you just waiting for me to fail so you can run back to him?"

The accusation hit like a slap. Luna's eyes flashed with anger.

"That's not fair."

"None of this is fair!" Damian's voice rose. "I didn't ask for this. I didn't ask to fall in love with a woman who was already someone else's. I didn't ask to raise another man's child. I didn't ask to spend every day of my life wondering if I'm good enough."

"You are good enough." Luna grabbed his hands, her grip desperate. "You're more than good enough. You're everything I never knew I needed. You saved me, Damian. You gave me a home, a family, a reason to live."

"Then why isn't it enough?"

Luna's tears fell faster. "Because the bond isn't about logic. It's not about what I want or what I choose. It's a part of me—a part that was torn away and left bleeding. And even though I hate him for what he did, even though I will never forgive him, that broken bond still pulses. Still hurts. Still connects us."

Damian's shoulders slumped. The fight drained out of him, replaced by exhaustion.

"I don't know if I can do this," he whispered. "I don't know if I can spend the rest of my life watching you struggle with feelings for another man."

Luna stepped closer, her hands cupping his face. "Then don't."

He looked at her, confused. "What?"

"Don't spend the rest of your life watching." She took a breath, her voice steady despite the tears. "Help me. Help me heal. Help me break the bond—completely."

"You said it could kill you."

"I know." Luna's eyes blazed with determination. "But I'd rather die trying to free myself than live the rest of my life as a slave to a broken bond."

Damian stared at her, his heart pounding. "You mean it?"

"I mean it." She kissed him, soft and desperate. "I choose you, Damian. Not because the bond forces me, but because I love you. I will always love you. And I will fight—every day, with everything I have—to be free of him. Free to be yours. Completely."

Damian's eyes filled with tears. "Luna—"

"I'm scared," she admitted. "I'm scared of what might happen. I'm scared of the pain. I'm scared of losing you. But I'm more scared of losing myself."

Damian pulled her into his arms, holding her tight. "I won't let you lose yourself. I won't let anything happen to you."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

They stood in silence, wrapped in each other's warmth. The bond pulsed, warm and steady—not just hers and Xavier's, but hers and Damian's.

And for the first time in days, Luna felt something she hadn't felt in a long time.

Peace.

---

Later that night, Damian lay awake, watching Luna sleep.

She was beautiful in the moonlight—her silver-blonde hair fanned out on the pillow, her face relaxed, her breathing soft.

But even in sleep, she was troubled. Her brow furrowed, her lips murmuring words he couldn't understand.

Xavier.

The name was a whisper in the darkness. Damian's jaw tightened.

He'd meant what he said. He would help her break the bond. He would do anything to free her from Xavier's hold.

But a small, dark part of him wondered if she would ever truly be free.

Or if Xavier would always be there—a shadow, a ghost, a bond that couldn't be broken.

He pushed the thought away, pulling Luna closer. She sighed in her sleep, snuggling into him.

"I love you," he whispered. "I will always love you."

And somewhere across the territory, Xavier sat alone in his chambers, staring at the moon.

She's trying to break the bond, Kael said quietly. She wants to be free of us.

"I know."

It could kill her.

"I know."

What are you going to do?

Xavier closed his eyes, the weight of his regret crushing him.

"I'm going to help her."

What?

"If breaking the bond is what she needs—if it's what will make her happy—then I'll help her do it."

Even if it kills her?

"No." Xavier's voice was steel. "I'll find another way. A way that doesn't hurt her. A way that sets her free without destroying her."

How?

Xavier stood, crossing to the window. The moon was full, silver-white, powerful.

"I don't know yet," he admitted. "But I'll find it."

And if you can't?

Xavier's hands clenched into fists.

"Then I'll let her go."

You can't mean that.

"I mean it." Xavier's voice broke. "I love her, Kael. More than I've ever loved anything. And if loving her means letting her go—if it means watching her build a life with another man—then I'll do it."

You'll die inside.

"Probably." Xavier laughed bitterly. "But at least she'll be happy."

The bond pulsed between them—Luna and Xavier—faint but steady.

And somewhere in the darkness, two hearts ached.

One with love. One with regret.

And neither of them knew what the future would bring.