Chapter 2 Two Birds, One Stone

Ariana

I was about to say something to him when his phone binged and his screen lit up. He immediately rushed to glance at his phone and the look in his eyes after told me all I needed to know.

He kept looking at me to see if I'd react and when I didn't, he quickly typed a reply and tossed it aside.

"Let's just sleep," he said and turned to face the other side of the bed.

But the thing is, I couldn't sleep because even when I closed my eyes all I could see was Damian holding his first love in one arm, and his son in the other hand.

The image was far too engraved into my mind and no matter how hard I tried I just couldn't erase it.

A part of me wanted to grab his phone right then and there, to demand the truth, to ask why she still had such power over him. But another part of me, the part that had learned to endure, remained still.

It wasn't going to be very wise of me to seek a rejection right now knowing fully well that my mother was recovering from her surgery and she didn't need to hear about my mate troubles on top of that.

At 4 a.m., while I was still struggling to sleep, his phone lit up again and five minutes later, Damian got out of bed, grabbed his jacket, and left the house without a word.

I waited until I could no longer hear the hum of his car engine before I opened my eyes.

A single message. That's all it took for him to run to his ex-girlfriend and so called first love. I used to think the Moon Goddess made no mistakes when she bound two souls together, but now I wasn't so sure. Maybe she had turned away from us long ago.

I was angry, I wanted to scream, shout, shift, throw something, or let my rage consume me, but instead I just lay there in silence staring at the door he left open. Even my wolf, Nara, stayed silent in the back of my mind and I knew too well that she was hurting too. It was as if she had retreated deep inside, too wounded to speak

By morning, I dragged myself out of bed and went to the infirmary wing of the pack hospital where my parents were resting.

My mother, Lyra, was lying weakly on the bed, tubes still running from her arm. "Ariana," she whispered when she saw me, "are you all right, sweetheart?"

"I'm fine, Mom," I lied, forcing a small smile. "I just didn't sleep much but don't worry about me and just focus on getting better."

My father, Seth Volkstane, peeled half an orange and handed it to me. "The doctor said your mother's healing nicely and we just need to stay here for another week before she's discharged."

I let out a sigh of relief hearing that her surgery was a success and she'd soon be discharged to go home.

I helped my mom finish eating her breakfast before I went looking for my mom's attending healer.

On my way back, I unexpectedly ran into Damian standing at the payment counter.

Even in a crowd, he was impossible to miss, the way he carried himself, tall and composed, with that calm dominance only Alphas had. For three years, I'd told myself that I was proud to be his Luna. But now, the title just felt meaningless to me.

Our eyes met briefly and his brow furrowed as he walked toward me. There was a small stack of receipts in his hand, but I didn't say anything because I no longer cared enough to ask.

It was a weekday morning and he should've been in a meeting with his pack council, not here so I already kind of guessed why he was.

He reached out, as if to take the papers from my hand, but at that moment his phone rang.

He glanced at the screen and his expression softened in a way I hadn't seen in years.

"I need to take this," he said, already walking toward the elevator.

Then, in a low, gentle tone that stabbed straight through my chest, he murmured into the phone, "Be good now, don't be upset."

I stood there frozen and in shock because not once had he ever spoken to me that way.

My throat burned and I had to quickly run into the restroom so I could cry without anyone seeing me.

After I was done I wiped my face and fixed my makeup as if nothing had happened before I stepped inside my mom's hospital room.

"Sweetheart, are you okay?" she asked softly, "Did you and Damian fight?"

I shook my head, staring at the floor. "No, Mom. Everything's fine."

But the lie didn't even sound believable to me.

A moment later, the door opened again and there he was, right behind my father, carrying a bouquet of peonies.

"Mrs. Volkstane," he called out politely, "I've arranged a private consultation with one of the best healers in the territory. You'll make a full recovery soon."

"You've always been reliable, Damian. We're lucky to have you as family." My father said, smiling proudly.

Damian gave a small nod, his gaze flicking briefly to my swollen eyes. "There's no need to thank me," he said quietly. "We take care of our own."

I looked away, unable to stand it any longer.

He had been my savior once, the Alpha who lifted my family from ruin after our pack fell. He paid off our debts, gave my brother a place to train, and married me to seal the alliance after finding out we were mates.

For years, I'd believed he'd chosen me out of love. But one conversation I overheard between him and his father had shattered that illusion.

He had told his father, "Reputation is everything, and taking in the fallen Volkstane heir will make us look honorable. Besides she still happens to be my mate so think of it as killing two birds with one stone." But still I stayed even after finding out he didn't love me and had only married me out of duty.

But recently I've come to realize that he didn't love me because there was only one woman in his heart, his first love and I was certain her return only meant one thing.

My face grew so pale and I could tell my mother noticed the change as she begged him to take me home. I refused to talk to him, I hadn't said a word to him since he got here.

In fact, his scent I used to love and find soothing now only made me want to throw up

Just before the elevator doors opened, Damian caught my wrist.

"You look pale," he murmured. "Did you not sleep well last night?"

A bitter smile touched my lips.

How could I have slept well when my mate had spent the night with another woman and her child?

So that was the reason he had refused to mark me all these years even after sleeping with me countless times. It was because he hoped one day she'd return.

I had told myself it didn't matter if he marked me or not, but now it was clear to me that he didn't want me, and neither did his wolf.

"Don't worry about me, go back to... whatever's keeping you busy," I said, gently pulling my hands away.

He didn't answer. When the elevator opened, I tried to step aside, but his hand tightened around mine, guiding me inside. "I've booked a table for tonight," he said. "Your favorite place."

I just hummed in reply, too tired to pretend I cared.

He held me close as more people stepped in, as if he didn't want anyone to notice the distance between us. I could see him frowning at me from the corner of my eye.

He must be wondering why I was so quiet when I'd always been so full of life, bubbly, and always throwing myself at him.

"Well....he didn't have to worry about that any longer," I whispered to myself before slipping away from him when the elevator doors opened.

That same morning, I went to the high council office. By noon, the formal rejection request was ready to be presented.

If Damian Zeus wouldn't let go of his old flame......then I'd end the bond between us myself and get him to reject me officially since his heart already has.