Unbonding the Ruthless Alpha

Chapter 6

Damon's POV

Claudia was leaning against me, crying softly.

The doctor had just left, telling her she needed to rest.

I was whispering reassurances when it hit me—a sudden, indescribable emptiness that punched straight through my soul.

Not pain.

Something worse.

Like a part of me I was born with had been ripped out, leaving a gaping hole.

That disgusting, hateful mate bond connecting me to Aria was breaking.

She was rejecting me.

"How dare she!"

That woman who'd schemed for the "Mrs. Hawthorne" title, who'd climbed into my bed over Liam's blood, who'd used this bond as a weapon—now she wanted to cut it?

My wolf, Rhein, roared with fury in my mind.

No, this was a whimper of loss. Fear had taken hold of him.

Ridiculous.

I forced the storm of violence inside me down.

Suddenly, the hurt disappeared.

She withdrew her rejection.

I should've known—just another trick. Aria? Give up being Mrs. Hawthorne? Please.

But deep down, I had to admit—I was relieved.

My phone buzzed. Mark, one of my guys.

"Talk," I said, walking to the window with my back to Claudia.

"Alpha, they called from the estate. Your wife has a high fever. She's in bad shape."

A fever?

Since when was she so weak?

"I see," I answered coldly. "Send a doctor."

"But the maid says she's been calling for you..."

"Damon?" Claudia's weak voice came from the bed. She'd obviously heard.

I hung up and walked back to her.

She tried to sit up, but I gently pressed her back down. "Don't move."

"Is it Aria?" She bit her lip, her tear-filled eyes all innocence and kindness.

"Damon, you should go to her. She's your mate, after all. She must need you right now. I'll be fine here with the doctors."

Her words were soft, considerate.

But to me, they just lit another fire.

Need me?

Give me a break. It's Aria being Aria.

Her methods were getting more sophisticated. She shakes me by pretending to break the bond, then plays sick, even getting Claudia to plead her case.

What does she want? Does she think I'll cave? Run back like an i***t and beg at her bedside?

Pathetic.

"You rest," I said, leaning down to kiss her forehead.

"I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying right here with you."

She gave me a relieved smile and settled back.

I sat in the chair by her bed, holding her hand, but my eyes were drawn to the endless night outside.

That hollow feeling of rejection didn't fade.

Instead, it was like a cold needle, stubbornly jabbing at my heart.

A weird sense of dread started to creep in.

*****

Aria's POV

I was dreaming.

Not the cold operating table. Not Damon's disgust. Not Claudia's rounded belly.

Just my father.

The man who'd once stood tall and proud as Alpha of the Grayson family, who never bowed to anyone, was now on his knees before Walter Hawthorne.

He lowered his head until his forehead nearly touched the marble floor.

"Please, Alpha Walter. Please protect Aria."

"The Moon Goddess sent a sign. She's Damon's fated mate. I'm begging you—accept this bond. It can end the feud between our families, and it can... it can save her life."

I watched the gray at his temples, saw the proud line of his back bent into a humiliating bow.

I wanted to run to him, to scream for him to stop. But no sound came out. I was frozen, forced to watch him trade his dignity so I could have the title "Mrs. Hawthorne."

So I could be protected.

So I could live.

I jolted awake, sitting bolt upright, my pajamas soaked with cold sweat.

The room was dead silent.

The fever made my head spin, a deep ache settling into my bones.

"Luna, you're awake!" Amy, the maid at my bedside, quickly handed me a glass of water. "How are you feeling? Your fever was dangerously high."

I took the glass. My hands wouldn't stop shaking.

"I called the Alpha several times..." Amy's voice held embarrassment and unspoken pity. "But... no one answered."

I looked at the glaring row of "Missed Calls" on her phone screen.

Thirteen.

What a joke.

The marriage my father sacrificed his dignity for, the protection he begged for—it meant nothing.

I wasn't worth a single returned call from the man sworn to keep me safe.

The hollow, carved-out pain in my chest began to throb again.

I sat on the edge of the bed, numb. I don't know for how long.

Outside, the sky shifted from ink-black to gray, then slowly lightened with dawn.

I felt like a puppet with its strings cut, numb to everything.

Until the roar of a car engine cut through the quiet downstairs, followed by the slam of a door.

Heavy, furious footsteps pounded up the stairs, each one landing on my heartbeat.

BANG!

The bedroom door flew open.

Damon stood in the doorway, soaked, rainwater dripping from his sharp jawline. His chest heaved. His eyes churned with a mix of rage and something else... something like pained shock that I'd never seen before.

He stared at me. His wolf was right there, just beneath his skin. I could feel the fury radiating off him.