Damein.

My gaze remained fixed on Maria the exact moment the word slipped past my lips.

Mate.

The single syllable seemed to hang in the air between us, thick and suffocating, as though even the world itself had paused to acknowledge it. It echoed relentlessly in my mind, heavy, undeniable, impossible to take back no matter how much I might have wanted to in that instant.

Maria went completely still.

It wasn’t just a pause, it was as if time had wrapped itself around her, freezing her in place. For a brief second, her eyes widened, the raw surge of emotion flickering across her face faster than she could hide it. Shock. Confusion. Disbelief. Each one surfaced, collided, and tangled together, leaving her exposed in a way she clearly hadn’t expected.

Then, slowly, like someone forcing themselves to move through an invisible weight, she stepped forward.

"Damien... I don’t know what you’re talking about," she said.

Her voice wavered at first, betraying the storm brewing inside her, but there was still a thread of firmness woven through it, just enough to carry her words clearly through the tense, suffocating silence that surrounded us.

Each syllable landed like a slap against my skin.

My jaw tightened instantly, the muscles locking as irritation sparked deep in my chest.

She stopped only a few steps away from me now, close enough that I could see every detail, the slight furrow of her brows, the faint tremble of her lips, the way her breathing had grown uneven despite her effort to remain composed.

"How can I be your mate?" she continued, her brows knitting together more tightly, her confusion now more pronounced, more real. "I can’t even feel anything... there’s nothing."

Her voice dipped slightly at the last word, as though even she didn’t fully believe it.

"No bond, no connection... nothing."

A bitter scoff slipped past my lips before I could stop it, sharp and humorless, cutting through her words.

"Stop it," I snapped, my eyes narrowing as I fixed her with a hard, unyielding stare. "Don’t play games with me, Maria."

Her expression faltered, just for a moment, but I saw it. That tiny crack in her composure.

"You know," I continued, my voice lowering, turning colder, sharper, each word laced with restrained anger. "You know you’re my mate."

"No," she said immediately.

The response came too quickly, too firmly, as she shook her head, as if physically trying to rid herself of the truth I had just forced into the open.

"I don’t."

The denial poured fuel over the fire already burning inside me, intensifying it, making it harder to control.

"Yes, you do," I insisted, stepping closer, closing the already small distance between us. My voice rose slightly, the restraint in it beginning to crack. "You think pretending like this will change anything?"

Her confusion only deepened, but this time, it wasn’t alone. Frustration crept in, blending with it, sharpening her gaze as she met mine head-on.

"The only thing I know," she shot back, her voice stronger now, steadier despite the tension pressing down on us, "is that you..." She gestured faintly, her hand trembling just slightly before she steadied it. "...and your brothers... are engaged to Vanessa."

The name hit like a sudden jolt.

It wasn’t just a word, it slammed into me, sharp and unexpected, sending a ripple through my entire body. For a split second, everything inside me seemed to falter, as if my mind had tripped over it, refusing to fully process what she had just said.

"And in less than eighteen days," she added, her eyes locking onto mine with unwavering intensity, "she’s going to become your Luna."

Her voice was steady now, too steady. Each word was deliberate, precise, as though she wanted me to feel the weight of it, to truly hear it.

Silence cracked between us again.

But this time, it wasn’t the same suffocating stillness as before. This one was sharper, heavier, stretched so tight it felt like it could snap at any moment. The air itself seemed to grow colder, pressing down on us, amplifying every breath, every heartbeat.

I clenched my fists.

The motion was slow at first, my fingers curling inward until my nails bit into my palms, grounding me against the surge of irritation rising inside my chest.

"Shut up," I snapped harshly.

The words came out rough, edged with something raw and unrestrained, slicing through the silence without hesitation.

Her words grated against something deep inside me, scraping against a part of me that refused to accept them, that rejected every implication buried within them.

"What nonsense are you talking about?" I continued, my voice uneven now, laced with impatience as my gaze hardened on her. "Do you think acting like this will break the bond?"

My chest rose and fell heavily, each breath deeper than the last, as though I was trying to steady something that refused to be contained.

"It won’t," I said firmly, the certainty in my tone leaving no room for argument. "It’s not something you can just deny away."

The bond wasn’t fragile. It wasn’t something that could be brushed aside with words or ignored into nonexistence.

I took another step toward her.

The distance between us shrank even further, my presence pressing in, my gaze intense and unwavering as I held hers captive. There was no hesitation in me now, no room for doubt.

"No matter what you’re trying to do... no matter what you’re planning..." my voice lowered, quieter this time, more controlled, but beneath it lurked something far more dangerous, something that hummed with quiet authority, "...you are my mate."

The words settled between us like a declaration.

Heavy. Absolute. Unavoidable.

"Which means," I added, my tone hardening as my jaw tightened again, "you don’t get to go around with anyone else."

For a fraction of a second, it felt like the world had narrowed down to just the two of us, her defiance clashing against my certainty, neither willing to give way.

Before Maria could respond...Noah moved.

The shift was immediate, abrupt enough to cut cleanly through the tension that had built between us. One moment he was still, the next he had stepped forward, placing himself directly between us.

His hand reached out without hesitation and grabbed Maria’s, pulling her slightly behind him in one smooth, protective motion.

The movement was subtle, but the intent behind it wasn’t.

His jaw was tight, the line of it rigid with restrained tension, and when his eyes lifted to meet mine, they were cold, completely devoid of warmth, sharp with quiet defiance.

"I don’t understand what you’re talking about," Noah said.

His voice was calm, almost too calm, but beneath that composure lay something firm, something unyielding that refused to bend under pressure.

"From what I can see," he continued, his grip on Maria tightening just slightly, as if anchoring her behind him, "Maria is right." 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

My expression darkened.

Slowly, deliberately, the irritation in my chest twisted into something heavier, something more dangerous as my gaze locked onto his.

"You’re getting married to Vanessa," Noah added, his tone sharpening now, the calmness from before giving way to something more pointed, more deliberate. "Very soon."

Each word was measured.

Carefully placed.

There was no hesitation in the way he said it, no uncertainty, just a quiet, cutting emphasis that made it clear he meant every single syllable. It wasn’t just a statement. It was a reminder. A boundary.

"So whatever this is," he continued, his gaze hardening as it remained fixed on me, unwavering and cold, "you need to stop."

The air between us tightened even further, his words settling heavily, pressing against the already fragile tension that hung in the room.

A beat passed, short but suffocating, then...

"Stay away from her, Damien."

The warning was clear.

Final.

It wasn’t loud. It didn’t need to be. The firmness in his tone carried enough weight to make it unmistakable, a line had been drawn, and he was daring me to cross it.

My eyes flickered downward, almost against my will.

To where his hand still held Maria’s.

His fingers wrapped around hers.

Protective.

Possessive.

Something inside my chest twisted violently at the sight, sharp and sudden, like a blade dragging through something raw. My jaw tightened again, the muscles straining as I forced myself to look away, only to find my gaze drifting right back to it.

To them.

Without another word, Noah shifted.

The movement was subtle, but decisive, as he turned slightly, positioning himself between me and her even more clearly before guiding her toward the door.

"Let’s go," he said to her.

His voice had softened now, the edge gone as he spoke to her, replaced with something quieter, gentler, so different from the tone he had used on me.

And just like that...they walked out, with no hesitation, no looking back.

The door opened.

Closed.

And the space they left behind felt emptier than it should have.

I stood there.

Alone.

Frozen.

The silence that followed wasn’t just quiet, it was heavy, suffocating, pressing down on me as everything replayed in my head over and over again.

Her denial.

His warning.

That word.

Mate.

My fists clenched at my sides again as the truth settled deeper, refusing to be ignored, refusing to be pushed aside no matter how much anyone tried.

She was my damn mate.

And no one else was going to have her.