Finnian’s POV
The moment her melodic voice rang through the house, calling out to her father, and her scent drifted in like a whisper of spring, something ignited inside me. My entire body responded like a live wire catching fire. I had a fated mate. I shouldn’t still feel this way about her. But no matter how strong the pull to Jovie was, no matter how tightly our bond was stitched, nothing could smother the emotions that surged to the surface whenever I laid eyes on Dahlia Sterling.
For years, she had been my everything. And even now, against all logic and loyalty, some part of me refused to believe that she wouldn’t be again.
Watching her throw herself into Oberon’s lap like a child who hadn’t seen her father in years-not just a week-made me chuckle in spite of the ache in my chest. Their bond had always been unshakable, special. But nothing could have prepared me for what it would feel like when her eyes met mine. One glance and it was like every breath was ripped from my lungs. She hadn’t changed-still radiant, still otherworldly, still a goddess. And yet, she crushed me in a single moment.
She called me Alpha. Apologized for interrupting me in her own home.
Like I was nothing more than her leader. Nothing more than a title.
Not the man who once held her heart.
She excused herself to the garden-the same one that had been her mother’s haven. I didn’t even have to think. I followed. I had to get her to talk to me. Just once. Just to see if there was still something left.
But then the Blood Moon Alphas walked in.
I knew Liam Ashford immediately. We’d worked closely during the alliance negotiations between our packs. The other man was unfamiliar to me, but the resemblance was undeniable. His twin. He had to be.
I barely registered his presence. My focus tunneled on Liam-and the way he looked at her.
It shattered something inside me.
That look… It could only mean one thing.
He was her mate.
No one could fake that kind of love, that quiet, fierce devotion in a gaze. And the way Dahlia moved around them-silent, careful-it only confirmed what I feared. She murmured something I couldn’t catch and slipped past them.
Oberon, thankfully, stood to greet the guests, drawing their attention. It gave me just enough of a window to follow her outside.
She was wrestling with the garden hose when I found her, muttering under her breath as it tangled around a planter. I watched her in silence, a sad smile tugging at my lips. The moment she caught my scent, her body stiffened. Shoulders squared. She turned with that carefully neutral expression that wounded me more than any slap could.
“Alpha, it’s good to see you. How have you been?” Her voice was polite. Distant. Stripped of the warmth I used to know.
I wanted to shake her-to make her say my name. To remind her that I wasn’t just her Alpha.
I told her not to call me that. Again.
She reminded me, with icy finality, that it was all I was to her now.
Fine. If she wanted formal, I could be formal too. But I had to know.
“He’s your mate, isn’t he? Alpha Liam Ashford?” I asked, tone sharp. “Though I see he hasn’t marked you yet.”
God, how I wanted her to tell me she planned to reject him. That she was just buying time. That there was still hope for me.
Another, darker part of me hoped he hadn’t touched her at all. I inhaled deeply, letting her scent settle into my lungs. And when I did… I felt my heart stutter.
She was still untouched. Unclaimed. A virgin.
But the relief was fleeting. Because then she spoke.
“They’re both my mates.”
Barely a whisper. But it thundered through me.
Both. How the fuck was that even possible?
Surely she wouldn’t accept them both. That wasn’t the Dahlia I knew. She was too pure for something like that… wasn’t she?
But when I asked-when I gave her the chance to deny it-she said nothing. Didn’t defend herself. Didn’t reassure me.
And that silence… that silence snapped something inside me.
“So what?” I spat. “You’re going to fuck them both like some kind of whore?”
The words were out before I could stop them.
The slap came fast. Hard.
I deserved it.
And she looked stunned-shocked, maybe, by her own reaction-but I didn’t care. I wanted to take it back. Apologize. Beg, even. Anything to keep her from walking away thinking I hated her.
But it was too late. They were there.
Her mates.
Despite being an Alpha myself, the sound of their growls made my blood chill.
Twin silver eyes pinned me like prey, gleaming with fury.
And Dahlia… she just stepped forward. Calm. Unshaken. She placed a gentle hand on each of their chests. Their rage melted under her touch, replaced with tender worry.
“I’m fine,” she whispered to them, voice soft as moonlight. Then she walked away. Without a second glance at me.
I looked back-and the twins were advancing.
The one I hadn’t met spoke first, his tone low and lethal.
“Out of respect for Lia and her father, we’ll honor the alliance. Ending it would only hurt the pack. But let me make this clear,” he growled. “If you ever speak to our mate like that again-if you so much as look at her wrong-I will rip your limbs from your body and shove them up your ass. Are we clear?”
His eyes burned into mine.
“She. Is. Ours.”
I kept my expression neutral, forced an air of remorse onto my face. Now wasn’t the time to start a war-not with Alphas that powerful.
“I apologize,” I said smoothly. “To both of you. And I’ll apologize to Lia, too, when I get the chance. I… reacted poorly. I appreciate your commitment to the alliance.”
Liam studied me for a long moment before nodding.
“We appreciate your apology, Alpha Blackwell,” he said, voice cool but no longer dripping with venom. “Now, if you’ll excuse us, Logan and I have matters to discuss with Oberon. Unless your business here is finished?”
“It is,” I lied easily. “I was just leaving.”
But my mind was anything but done.
During the alliance discussions, I’d learned plenty. I knew the twins shared leadership of the Blood Moon Pack, though only Liam had taken part in negotiations.
And I’d heard things. About Logan.
Things Dahlia couldn’t possibly know.
His reputation with women… it was the stuff of whispered warnings. The kind of man who used, then discarded, like they meant nothing.
All I had to do was make sure she found out. Every sordid, damning detail.
She’d never choose him if she knew the truth.
And once he was out of the way… maybe I’d still have a chance to win her back.