Damian:
After massaging my temples repeatedly, I aggressively ran my hands through my hair as my men and I combed through the dense forest. Our senses were on high alert for any sign of Ruby. Hours had passed, and still she remained hidden like a ghost slipping through our grasp.
Her scent was faint and untraceable; it was almost as if she didn’t exist anymore. If it weren’t for my scent marking all around her, I wouldn’t have perceived anything. Yet, it wasn’t enough for me to figure out her exact location.
What made everything more infuriating was the fact that our mate bond felt practically useless. I couldn’t communicate with her through it; it was as if an invisible barrier had been placed between us. This left me with a gnawing fear that she might have been hurt, or worse-dead.
No, I hoped not…
“We’ve been searching for hours, Alpha. Perhaps it’s time to regroup and come up with a new plan,” one of my warriors suggested, rubbing his eyes tiredly, reflecting the exhaustion we all felt.
I squinted my eyes shut for a moment, feeling frustration and anxiety coiling tightly in my chest, before giving him a hard glare.
“Regroup? No, we will not retreat until every inch of our territory has been scoured,” I snapped, my patience wearing thin as I imagined the worst-case scenario. Wasting a second could cost Ruby her life, and I couldn’t afford that.
When I get my hands on the men who took her, death will be a lighter punishment for them.
“It’s because of your failure to protect our borders that my mate was taken. We will not rest until she is found and brought back to safety,” I thundered, my voice crackling with authority.
My eyes were red in anger, and my chin was lifted, daring anyone to challenge my command. My warriors exchanged uneasy glances, sensing the storm brewing within me, before bowing their heads in reluctant submission.
“I think they are right,” my wolf chimed in.
“We won’t achieve anything if the men are exhausted. Besides, it’s evident she has been taken beyond our borders. They need to rest before we proceed.”
He had a point, but I couldn’t afford to let my emotions cloud my judgment. My mate’s life hung in the balance, and every second mattered. Yet, as I surveyed my weary warriors, I realised the toll our relentless pursuit had taken on them, and some were so close to fainting. It was my fault she was taken, and I would be damned if I let it happen again under my watch.
“Alright, let’s take a two-hour break and then meet me back at the territory. We’ll be going beyond the borders, this time in our wolf form. Don’t forget to bring extra food and water; we’ll need them,” I instructed firmly, then turned away without waiting for their reply.
As I approached my house, thoughts of Ava’s unexpected appearance flooded my mind. I silently prayed to the moon goddess that she had heeded my warning and vanished back to wherever she came from. I simply didn’t have the energy to deal with her right now.
Reluctantly, I opened the door to my house, and as I trudged through the hallway, which seemed longer than usual, the exhaustion seemed to seep into my bones, dragging me down with its relentless grip, but the strength of my wolf pushed me forward.
My first impulse was to collapse into bed and shut out the world in order to gain as much energy as I could in my human form before continuing the search for Ruby.
However, a nagging voice in the back of my mind reminded me of my responsibilities. I needed to check on my daughter and Alex, who was likely still confined to his room.
With a heavy sigh, I decided to head to Anna’s room first, my footsteps echoing in the empty hallway. Approaching, I caught whispers drifting out from within, sparking my curiosity.
Carefully, I pushed the door open a crack and peeked inside. To my surprise, I saw Ava seated on the edge of my daughter’s bed, watching over Anna as she slept peacefully.
Ava’s presence felt like a dark shadow over my life, one I couldn’t wait to rid myself of. For a moment, I debated whether to intervene or let them be. Opting for the latter, I turned to leave and check on Alex when a cough from a man stopped me in my tracks, igniting my curiosity.
“It was his fault you died,” the familiar voice said, freezing me in place. Silently, I crept closer, straining to hear their conversation.
“It’s all in the past now. I’m lucky that Selene brought me back to life,” Ava murmured softly, but her words sent a shiver down my spine.
“I have you, and together, we’ll make him pay for what he’s done to me.”
My blood ran cold at her words, and a sense of unease settled over me like a heavy blanket. Who was she speaking to? And what did she mean by “make him pay”? Where are they talking about me?
“You heard him. He doesn’t love you anymore and publicly rejects and embarrasses you,” the voice continued, and it finally clicked in my mind-it was James. He had somehow masked his scent, explaining why I hadn’t sensed him when I entered my house.
Confusion and concern gnawed at me as I strained to catch their words, my heart racing. Why were James and Ava having a secret discussion? And why did it feel like a knot was forming in the pit of my stomach? Could Selene be right about him?
“I came back to life to be his mate and Luna. I won’t let another cheap bitch take my place,” Ava declared, her voice laced with bitterness that I couldn’t recognise.
“Don’t I matter to you? I love you so much, for heaven’s sake, that I gave up on my mate, yet you never did the same. Please, Ava, forget about Damian, and let’s move on. Give up on him and start a family with me. He doesn’t care about you anymore, and that’s why he has gone after her… Let’s take Anna and disappear without a trace,” James pleaded so desperately that I almost pitied him.
Almost.
“I can’t. I can’t give up on Damian. I’m sorry. We have a daughter together.” Ava’s voice trembled with emotion, and her words were laced with regret.
“You mean my daughter, Anna” James interjected possessively, sending a chill down my spine.
What the actual fuck? Did James just claim my daughter as his?
My wolf growled inwardly as my mind reeled with disbelief at his audacity.
“James, someone can hear you. Please, keep your voice down,” Ava whimpered, her small voice filled with fear, and I watched as my beta approached her, pulling her into a comforting embrace.
“No one can hear us, Ava. You don’t have to keep lying to me because I confirmed it myself by doing a paternity test. I slept with you first before you snuck your way into Damian’s bed to make him think he was the one. Anna is my daughter.” James asserted confidently his words like a dagger to my heart, shattering my world into a million pieces.
Our friendship had been a lie.
“What the hell did you just say?” I roared, bursting into the room with fury and disbelief, my voice trembling with rage. As I confronted them, Ava instantly let go of James, pushing him away as if he had burned her. Her eyes widened in shock, darting nervously between me and James.
You both are joking, right?” I laughed nervously, hoping they would join in.
“Damian, it’s not what you think,” she stammered and flinched when I took a step towards her.
“Not what I think? Oh, dear moon goddess. Explain to me, Ava. Explain why my beta is claiming that my daughter isn’t mine,” I growled, my fists clenched at my sides.
James stepped forward, shielding Ava from my wrath. “I’m sorry, Damian. You can hit me, punch me, or kill me if you want, but it’s the truth. Ava and I… we were together before she came back to you. I was her first boyfriend and lover, and Anna is my daughter,” he confessed, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.
I rubbed my face with my palm in astonishment, feeling like the ground had been pulled from beneath me. For the first time ever, I didn’t know how to react. My world came crashing down around me as the weight of his words settled in my chest. I had raised, protected, and cherished my daughter for seven years, and now she wasn’t mine?
No, this must be an expensive, sick joke.
“No, no, this can’t be happening,” I muttered, the words catching in my throat, feeling as though the ground beneath me was slipping away.
Ava pushed James away in an attempt to reach out to me, her eyes pleading for understanding. “Damian, please… I never meant for any of this to happen. I love you, and I love Anna. Can’t we find a way to work through this together?” She implored, her voice trembling with emotion.
The worst part was that I didn’t even have the strength to snap their necks. My wolf and I were shattered by the revelation that Anna wasn’t ours. The pain was suffocating, leaving me feeling hollow and lost. I felt betrayed, and the searing pain was tearing through me as I looked at the woman I had loved and trusted.
I couldn’t find the right words to speak, barely managing to stumble out of the room and into my office. My heart felt crushed by the revelation, tears streaming down my face unchecked.
Anna isn’t my daughter. Fuck me.
I felt like my world was ending as I collapsed into my chair, the sobs wracking my body as I struggled to make sense of the chaos that had consumed my life.
James, all this while, had slept with her and lied to my face. I was going to kill him. I would kill them both with my bare hands. Why didn’t he tell me? Why did he wait for seven long years?
“Alpha Damian, there’s a woman here to see you,” a voice of my warrior broke through the haze, the urgency in his tone cutting through my anguish with startling clarity.
“I’m not in the mood to entertain anyone right now,” I growled, my voice thick with frustration.
“But alpha, I think you need to hear her out. She claims she can assist you in locating your Luna.”
My heart skipped a beat at the mention of Ruby. Could this woman truly help me find her?
“And who is this person?” I asked, and my curiosity piqued despite my reluctance.
“Her name is Mrs. Smith,” the warrior replied, and a sense of anticipation washed over me.
“Fine, send her in. And please check up on Alex. He’s locked up in his room,” I added, wiping my tears away, relieved to have found something to distract me from the unexpected betrayal inflicted by two people I had once trusted the most.
“Understood, alpha.”
Ruby, hold on. I’m coming for you, darling.