Chapter 3

Damian POV

The agony in my chest was a living, breathing fire. The Rejection tore through my soul, leaving a jagged, bleeding void where my Mate used to be. My Inner Wolf thrashed against the confines of my mind, howling in pure, unadulterated devastation. I forced myself off the cold stone floor of the Ritual Chamber, my vision swimming with a red haze of fury.

I needed the truth.

I stormed into the Pack Infirmary, the sterile stench of rubbing alcohol doing nothing to mask the sour reek of fear. The Pack Doctor cowered against the medical cabinets.

"Alpha-" he stammered.

"Tell me the truth!" I roared, unleashing the full, crushing weight of my Alpha's Command.

The absolute compulsion slammed into him. The Doctor dropped to his knees, his will shattering instantly. "She paid me!" he sobbed, trembling violently. "Kacie gave me a fortune to exaggerate her injuries! The blood ritual was her idea... a way to permanently taint Celine's status as your Fated Mate!"

A lethal growl vibrated in my chest. I had almost let them drain my Mate dry for a lie. "Take this traitor to the dungeon," I commanded the Warriors at the door. "The Elders will deal with him."

I didn't wait to hear his pleas. I marched straight to Kacie's quarters and kicked the door off its hinges.

The cloying, artificial floral scent of her room made my wolf snarl in disgust. Kacie jumped up from her vanity, her eyes wide with genuine panic as she saw the murderous rage in my glowing gold eyes.

"The Doctor confessed," I said, my voice a deadly whisper. "Every single lie."

Her innocent facade crumbled. Tears spilled down her cheeks as she fell to her knees. "Damian, please! I was just so jealous! I was terrified of losing you, just like I lost Jorge!"

Jorge. The name of my fallen Warrior, the man who had died saving my life. The guilt I carried for his death was a heavy chain, and Kacie knew exactly how to pull it. My wolf wanted to tear her throat out, but the vow I made to Jorge's bleeding corpse held me back.

"Celine is my Mate," I warned, my voice dripping with ice. "If you ever touch a single hair on her head again, Jorge's memory will not save you."

I turned to leave, but Kacie's voice cracked like a whip behind me.

"A wolfless disgrace!" she shrieked, her face twisted in ugly, desperate spite. "How could the Moon Goddess pair a pureblood Alpha with that pathetic, lowborn trash? She doesn't even deserve-"

My control snapped.

I spun around, my killing intent suffocating the room. A low, thunderous snarl ripped from my throat. The sheer force of my Alpha aura slammed into Kacie, choking the words from her lungs. She collapsed against the floor, gasping for air, her eyes wide with absolute terror.

Disgusted, I walked out, leaving her trembling in the silence.

I retreated to my office, the dark mahogany walls offering no comfort. The hollow ache in my chest was driving me insane. I had to fix this. I had to get her back.

*'Find her,'* I ordered my Beta through the Mind-Link, pacing behind my desk. *'Whatever it takes, bring the Luna back.'*

There was a heavy, agonizing pause.

*'Alpha...'* my Beta's voice echoed in my mind, thick with hesitation. *'She has already left our territory. Gustave Moon, the Gamma of the Silver Crescent Pack, personally escorted her away.'*

I froze. The Silver Crescent Pack? They were ancient, powerful, and notoriously reclusive. Celine was just an orphaned Omega. Why would their Gamma come for her? A cold dread began to coil in my gut.

*'Investigate,'* I commanded, my heart pounding against my ribs. *'Find out exactly what Celine Moon's connection is to that Pack.'*

I poured myself a glass of bourbon, my hands shaking. The minutes dragged on like hours, the silence of the office mocking my shattered bond.

Finally, the link crackled to life.

*'Alpha... we found it,'* my Beta said, his mental voice trembling. *'Celine Moon... she is the only daughter of the late Alpha Farley Moon. Her grandfather is Aldo Moon, the former Alpha King. Our scouts report he personally welcomed her at their inner gates. She is a White Wolf descendant, Alpha. The sole legitimate heir to the Silver Crescent Pack.'*

The crystal glass in my hand shattered into dust.

The bourbon dripped from my bleeding fingers, but I couldn't feel the pain. The realization hit me with the force of a freight train. For three years, I had neglected, humiliated, and ultimately rejected a woman I thought was a worthless, wolfless Omega.

Instead, I had just broken the heart of a future Queen.