Mated To My Mate's Worst Enemy Chapter 2

ARIA

Damon knew better than anyone how desperately I had always loved him,my actions were a clear sign, he also knew how my omega wolf called to his wolf in a way that should have sealed our fate.

When I stayed silent, staring at the moonstone necklace in disbelief without touching it, he thought it meant I was done with my tantrum and was finally placated by his actions.

He reached for the necklace, intending to fasten it around my throat—a gesture that would have sent shivers through me just days ago, because it would have given me hope that there was a spark between us, but now it just made my stomach burn with nausea.

"I don't want this necklace! I just want my mother's pendant!"

I slapped his hands away and said firmly, "That pendant was the last connection to my birth pack. How could you give it to Sera? I only want what was already mine! Give her the bloody expensive necklace and give me back my mother's keepsake."

"Still throwing a fit..."

Damon's patience snapped as his Alpha aura flared, filling the small cabin with the scent of pine and dominance.

His face turned cold and hard, radiating fury that made lesser wolves submit instantly under his gaze.

"Sera really treasures that pendant."

"She's dying—how much longer do you think she'll even get to wear it? Why must you fight over jewelry with someone whose wolf is already fading? Aria, when did you become so selfish and cruel?"

Selfish. Cruel. Fighting a dying she-wolf over a pendant...

But that pendant was mine—the only thing left of my murdered pack, my dead mother, the only connection I had to my real pack, and where I was from, in a pack where I wasn't wanted.

What was wrong with wanting it back?

Did he really expect me to keep sacrificing everything for him after he'd chosen another omega in front of everyone and took no regard of my feelings? Was I supposed to roll over and show my belly after being discarded? Even dogs bite their owners after being mistreated.

I wasn't that pathetic.

Before I could respond, Damon's phone buzzed with an urgent message.

It was from Sera.

Her text sounded weak and desperate:

"Damon, I just collapsed right now. The silver poisoning is getting worse... Can you come stay with me? I'm scared I won't make it through the night."

Damon's entire body went rigid, playing this message in front of me.

He hadn't even managed to calm me down yet.

But he knew I would never really leave him—omega wolves didn't survive well without pack protection.

And Sera was genuinely dying. So he made his choice.

"Sera, don't panic. I'm coming."

He turned and left the cabin without looking back, his wolf already coming out for a full shift under his haste.

As the door slammed shut, I let out a bitter laugh and kicked the moonstone necklace into the corner where it skittered across the wooden floor.

It had been like this ever since Sera returned a month ago.

Every time she felt weak or frightened about something, even if it was as insignificant as her shadow, he would drop everything that he was doing without a second thought just to run to her side.

Rain or shine, day or night, through every phase of the moon—he was always there for her.

It was like all those whispered promises he'd once made to me, all those vows of eternal devotion, of me bearing his mark and birthing his pups, and being the only Luna that he recognized had been nothing but a fever dream.

But thankfully, it would all end soon.

In one month, I'd be bonded to Alpha Kael of the Shadowmere pack.

Then Damon could stop worrying about me clinging to him and go protect his precious childhood mate without thinking that he needed to absolve himself of his guilt towards me. This was a perfect solution for everyone.

The irony wasn't lost on me—my bonding ceremony would be on Damon's birthday.

His birthday, my bonding. Two ceremonies on the same night. The moon certainly had a sense of humor and it was letting me know that.

As far as I was concerned, once I rejected whatever claim Damon thought he had on me, he was no longer my Alpha, neither was I one of his pack members. I had no reason to stay in his territory anymore and the sooner I started cutting off my ties, the faster I could leave this godforsaken place.

I spent the entire day packing everything I owned, or was in my name-which wasn't much for an omega who'd lived on the generosity of others.

I contacted the largest supernatural trade post in the Northern Territories.

Their representatives came to evaluate my few valuable possessions—some rare herbs I'd collected, a silver dagger I'd earned in combat trials, and jewelry Damon had given me over the years.

Everything sold for enough to secure passage to Shadowmere territory and start fresh in a new chapter of my life. I didn't send Damon a single coin of it. I'd earned that money through my own blood and sacrifice.

As night fell, I tore to bits the last scarf I'd knitted for Damon during the long winter nights when I'd waited for his return from pack business.

I threw the pieces in my fireplace and watched them burn.

I was just about to leave with my single duffle bag when I noticed the photograph that was still on my nightstand.

In the picture, I was curled against Damon's chest in wolf form, my smaller silver coat a stark contrast to his massive black fur. His muzzle rested protectively over my neck, and for once, his eyes held something that looked like contentment.

Damon had always hated having his picture taken—said it was vanity that weakened a wolf's spirit.

This photo was taken last year on the anniversary of the night I'd saved him, after I'd begged relentlessly. It was the only image we had together.

I had treasured it like a sacred relic.

As soon as it was printed, I'd placed it on my nightstand and looked at it every morning and night. Even when I traveled to gather rare ingredients for his pack's healers, I carried it with me, keeping it as a way of keeping Damon close to me. I had spent two nights in the woods searching for it without fail, during one of my expedition, almost going unconscious from lack of rest and food.

Now, all I felt was mockery of a life that I would never have.

I smashed the frame against my cabin's stone hearth and watched the glass scatter into pieces just like my shattered dreams.