Mated To My Mate's Worst Enemy Chapter 18

DAMON

"I... she didn't tell me specifically," Margaret said finally, her voice strained. "Just that she needed to travel, that it would take a few weeks—"

"Did she go to Shadowmere territory?"

Another damning silence.

"Luna Margaret, I'm going to ask you one more time, and I want the truth. Is Aria in Shadowmere territory?"

"I don't know for certain—"

"But you suspect." It wasn't a question. "That's why you're being evasive. That's why you look guilty every time I've asked about her. What is Aria doing in Shadowmere, Margaret?"

"I can't—you need to talk to Aria directly—"

"Answer me!" I roared, my wolf's fury finally breaking through.

Margaret made a small, frightened sound. When she spoke again, her voice was barely a whisper.

"She's fulfilling an old alliance agreement. One that was arranged before Sera returned. My daughter was supposed to bond with Shadowmere's Alpha, but she refused because of his curse. So Aria... Aria agreed to take her place. To bond with Alpha Kael."

The world tilted sideways.

Bond with Alpha Kael. The cursed Alpha of Shadowmere.

Aria was the new Luna they'd been talking about.

"When?" My voice didn't sound like my own. "When is this bonding ceremony?"

"The blood moon. Three days from now. Alpha Damon, please, you can't interfere—it's too late. She's made her choice, signed the contracts. If you try to stop it now, it could cause a territorial war—"

I hung up on her, my mind reeling.

Three days. Aria would bond with another Alpha in three days.

She'd been in Shadowmere for a week—preparing to become their Luna, learning to lead their pack, probably falling in love with the idea of starting over somewhere new.

Somewhere without me.

Without Sera.

Without the constant reminder of how I'd chosen someone else over her time and time again.

My wolf was howling now, clawing at my insides with desperate fury. This couldn't be happening. Aria was mine—not in the possessive way I'd treated Sera, but in the way that mattered. She'd saved my life. Given up everything for me. Loved me when everyone else had given up.

And I'd thrown it all away for a childhood fantasy that was turning out to be more nightmare than dream.

Sera. Moon help me, what was I going to tell Sera?

As if summoned by my thoughts, the door to my office opened and Sera walked in, looking much better than she had last night. The color had returned to her cheeks, and she moved with her usual grace.

"Damon, there you are," she said with a smile. "I've been looking for you. I thought we could have lunch together, maybe discuss the upcoming pack gathering—"

She stopped when she saw my face.

"What's wrong?" Her smile faded. "Is it about the pendant? Damon, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to drop it—"

"Aria's bonding with another Alpha," I said flatly. "In three days. At Shadowmere pack."

Sera's face went through several expressions in rapid succession—shock, confusion, and then something that looked almost like relief before her features settled into concern.

"What? But I thought she was gathering herbs—"

"She lied. Or Margaret lied. It doesn't matter." I stood up, my wolf demanding action, demanding I do something. "She's been in Shadowmere for a week, preparing to become their Luna. The ceremony is on the blood moon."

"The same night as your birthday," Sera said softly.

I'd forgotten about my birthday. It seemed irrelevant now, meaningless.

"I have to stop this," I said, already reaching for my phone to call my head warrior. "I have to go to Shadowmere, talk to her, make her understand—"

"Understand what?" Sera interrupted. Her voice had gone cold. "That you want her to come back and be your mistress? Your convenient omega who organizes your office and brings you coffee while I wear your mating mark?"

I stared at her. "That's not—I care about Aria—"

"But you chose me," Sera said, stepping closer. "You bonded with me, Damon. You put your mark on my throat in front of the entire pack. You promised me forever. And now, what? You're going to throw all that away because your convenient little omega decided she deserves better?"

"Don't talk about her like that," I growled.

"Like what? Like she's been pining after you for years, hoping you'd choose her? That's exactly what she's been doing, Damon. And now that she's finally given up, now that she's found another Alpha willing to actually commit to her, you suddenly realize what you're losing?"

Every word was like a knife, mostly because they were true.

"I need to talk to her," I said quietly. "Even if she still goes through with the bonding, I need to apologize. To return her mother's pendant—or at least explain what happened to it. She deserves that much."

"The pendant that shattered in my hands," Sera said bitterly. "The one that breaks when someone betrays their bond. Is that what you think, Damon? That I'm betraying you somehow?"

"I don't know what I think anymore," I admitted.

The truth was, everything felt wrong. My bond with Sera didn't feel the way I'd imagined it would. Living with her was like living with a beautiful stranger—we shared space, shared conversations, but there was no real connection. No depth.

Not like with Aria, who'd known my moods, my preferences, my fears without me having to say a word.

"I need to go to Shadowmere," I said finally. "Not to stop the ceremony—I don't have that right. But to talk to her. To make things right, as much as I can."

Sera's eyes flashed with anger. "And what about me? What about our bond?"

"I don't know," I said honestly. "I don't have answers right now, Sera. All I know is that I owe Aria more than what I've given her. And I'm not going to fail her again."

I left Sera standing in my office, her face a mask of fury and hurt, and headed for the door.

Marcus was in the training yard, overseeing combat drills. He looked up in surprise when I strode toward him.

"Gather a small team," I ordered. "We're traveling to Shadowmere territory. Tonight."

"Shadowmere? But Alpha, they're closed to outsiders—"

"I don't care. We're going anyway. I need to speak with someone there. Someone important."

Marcus studied my face, then nodded slowly. "How many wolves do you want?"

"Just you and Jake. This isn't a show of force—it's a personal matter. We leave at sunset."

As Marcus moved to carry out my orders, I looked up at the sky. Three days until the blood moon.

Three days until I lost Aria forever.

Unless I could find a way to fix the unfixable damage I'd done.

The shattered pendant in my pocket felt heavier than ever, a physical reminder of everything I'd broken.

But I had to try. Had to make her understand that I'd been wrong, that I'd been blind, that I'd thrown away something precious because I'd been too stupid to see its value.

I owed her the truth. I owed her an apology. I owed her everything I'd failed to give when it mattered.

And Moon help me, I was going to make sure she knew it.

Three days.

I just had to hope it was enough time to make things right.