Chapter 3 Don't Wait For Me

Ariana

By 8 p.m., I arrived at the restaurant to see that Damian was already waiting. As always, he stood the moment he saw me, pulling out my chair with that same quiet elegance he was known for.

I couldn't deny the fact that he looked extraordinarily handsome tonight and his aura was commanding but calm. He was the kind of Alpha who didn't need to raise his voice to remind others who led the pack.

I mean he was born to lead and control and was raised as the heir to the Blood Moon Pack, trained in diplomacy and strength from childhood. I had never once heard him curse, or lose his temper. Even when he was angry, his tone stayed calm and measured, as if emotion was something beneath him.

"He's perfect in every way, except for the fact that he doesn't love us." My wolf whispered to me bitterly, as we watched him order for us.

When the waiter left to get our food, I watched as he reached into his jacket and set a small box beside my plate. "For our third anniversary," he said.

I froze for a moment, my hand tightening around the glass of water. I gave a small nod, staring at the box without opening it.

Three years as his Luna, more than a decade of loving him.

And yet, I still couldn't reach his heart.

When I was younger, I used to beg him for gifts, any small thing just to see him look my way. He'd sometimes give in, and I'd cherish it for days. But after my pack fell, and my family lost everything, my mother told me something I never forgot:

"You're not his equal anymore, Ariana. You're just a girl from a fallen pack. You're not worthy of him."

From that day, I stopped asking, I stopped expecting anything.

Even so, Damian always kept up appearances. Birthdays, anniversaries, pack ceremonies, every occasion came with a gift, perfectly chosen and wrapped with care.

He had this image of a perfect and devoted mate to the other members of the pack but only I knew better.

When I didn't reach for the box, he opened it himself, showing me the sparkling diamond bracelet in his hand and just by merely looking at it I could tell it cost millions.

He took my hand so he could clasp the bracelet around my wrist and when I tried to pull away, his grip on my hand tightened.

"Don't you like it?" He asked.

"It's fine," I said quietly, not daring to say another word.

He fastened the bracelet and looked at it with faint satisfaction. "It looks beautiful on you."

"Thank you," I replied politely.

He frowned and I knew he was probably wondering why I wasn't acting like my old self, the girl who used to chase after him, laugh too loud, and fill every silence.

He must think I was sulking, maybe he even believed this was about his distance and him missing our anniversary dinner.

"Your favorite steak," he said, cutting a slice and placing it on my plate.

"If I said I wanted one cooked by you, would you ever try to make it for me?" I asked, smiling faintly.

"Everyone has their strengths, Ariana, you know I'm not a good cook but don't worry you can order anything you like and I'll pay for it immediately." He replied, still eating his food gracefully.

I lowered my gaze so he wouldn't see the tears burning behind my eyes.

Everyone has their strengths, sure, but he once made a blueberry pie himself for Lily, and their pup, and even posted it proudly on Instagram. Yet he couldn't lift a finger to do something for me. Not once.

The difference between love and indifference had never been clearer.

I took a bite of the steak into my mouth and chewed on it but it only tasted bitter. My wolf whimpered quietly inside me, restless and suffocated by the tension between us.

Damian rarely spoke during meals, but tonight, the silence was more intense than usual. He kept looking at me in a way that suggested he was trying to study me, as if trying to figure out what had changed.

When I was a child, I couldn't sit still. I'd talk through every meal, laugh too loudly, or find some excuse to touch him. Even when we fought, I'd cry or yell and never go silent like this so I could understand why he looked so unsettled.

We continued eating his silence until his phone lit up with a notification. He glanced at it briefly before turning the screen face down and tried distracting himself by refilling my wine, but the phone buzzed again. Once, twice, and a third time.

I didn't have to ask who it was, because his whole demeanor shifted, first, there was a flicker of hesitation but it was quickly followed by urgency and I knew without needing to look that the only one who could get such a reaction from him was Lily.

I had known him for years and for me a single call was enough, I only had to keep texting him if it was too urgent because that was the boundary he had set for me claiming he was an Alpha often locked in on tense meetings with elders or out handling rogue business and he didn't have time to respond to calls all the time and I had respected it as I never wanted to come off as needy or as a distraction.

The fourth ring came, and he finally sighed, setting his utensils down. "I'll leave the car for you. Go home and rest early and please don't wait for me."

My heart twisted painfully, but I kept my face calm. "Don't worry, I'll take a cab home". I replied, standing up immediately to pick up my bag and phone.

He turned to leave, not bothering to explain and I didn't bother to ask, not like I cared any longer either.

As I turned to leave, I bumped into a passing waiter and my bag opened, its contents scattering across the floor.

My blood ran cold. The rejection papers I had drafted earlier in the day were among the scattered contents on the floor.

Damian bent down to help me pick up my things from the floor, but I quickly gathered the papers before he could touch them. My pulse raced. It wasn't time yet, I couldn't tell him to reject me or give him the rejection notice yet, not until my mother recovered.

"What's that?" He asked as his eyes caught hold of the document I was trying to hide.

"Just... some instructions from the healer," I said lightly.

I knew he didn't buy it from the way his gaze hardened so I turned to leave immediately but his hand caught mine and he tried snatching the paper but I held onto it strongly, not letting go.

Thankfully his phone rang again almost immediately and he shot me one last glance before releasing my hand and walking away.

I smiled bitterly as realization dawned on me of the power another woman had over my mate, and Alpha.

I touched the bracelet still on my wrist. It sparkled beautifully under the restaurant's light while I stood frozen in the middle of the restaurant, my pulse racing from the tug of the wall over the papers.

"End it now before it ends us,' my wolf whispered in my mind, her voice low and broken. 'Let him feel what it's like to lose his Luna.'

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and walked out of the restaurant calmly.