Clawed by Betrayal

CHAPTER TWO: DON'T LET HER GO

Damien's POV

I watched her from the shadows again.

I’ve grown good at it—watching her from a distance. Always from the edges, It’s the only way I know how to keep her alive.

River.

Moon goddess help me, even her name hurts.

She stood in the middle of the clearing, dirt-smeared and shaking, her eyes wide as she looked at Gerald. Her mate. Her fated one.

And he crushed her.

Right there beneath the tree, I saw it happen—the moment her heart shattered. The moment everything that was holding her together snapped like a brittle thread. And I did nothing.

Again.

Venom growled low in the back of my mind, furious. Do something, he urged. Step in. Stop this.

But I couldn’t move.

My breath was caught somewhere between my lungs and my throat, and all I could do was stand there like a ghost while the girl who once looked at me like a second father was torn apart in front of my eyes.

I had made a promise.

And I’d broken it.

Rhoda had trusted me with her safety and with her daughter. With River.

And I let her down.

One moment we were binding them to the pack, and the next… Rhoda was coughing blood, her body collapsing like a marionette with its strings cut. I still hear River’s screams sometimes. Still feel the way my hands trembled, frozen at my sides as if I were the one dying.

And now… River is alone.

Because I made myself disappear.

I tell myself it’s for her own good. That I’m cursed, that anyone who gets close to me dies.

Rhoda. My son Richie. My mate.

All dead.

I couldn’t take that risk again. Not with River.

So when Gerald turned on her, when the pack turned her pain into sport, I just stood there, watching from the dark.

Coward.

I trailed her scent now, like I always do when I’m sure no one will see me. It led through the forest, where her tears mixed with blood and fear and heartbreak. I found her by the riverbank, on her knees, sobbing like her soul was coming apart.

She clutched her chest like it was burning. Like the pain would never end.

And still—I did nothing.

Venom paced inside me, snarling and restless. Go to her.

I stayed rooted.

Go to her.

I closed my eyes.

She deserved comfort. She deserved arms around her, someone to whisper that she mattered—that she wasn’t alone.

But if I went to her… would she die too?

I felt it, then—the shift. Her wolf. Awake. Whispering to her. Telling her it was time.

To run.

To leave this place before it consumed her too.

I could’ve stopped her. One word. One step.

But I didn't.

Because deep down, I believed it was the only way I could keep her safe.

Her sobs quieted, her posture shifting. I saw her freeze, and then slowly, she lifted her head. Her eyes met mine through the trees.

She saw me.

The pleading in them shattered what was left of my heart.

Please, she seemed to say. Just one step. Just this once.

But I couldn’t move.

She blinked, and something in her gaze hardened. Acceptance. Resolution.

And I—Alpha Damien, protector of this cursed pack—turned away.

Emotionless on the surface.

But inside, my heart screamed as I walked in the opposite direction.

Because I knew this time…

She wouldn’t be coming back.

I slowly walked back towards the direction I came through. I intended to go back to the castle but some how found myself at Rhoda's grave.

The earth still smelled like her.

I knelt beside the grave, the cold stone rough beneath my fingers. The wind rustled through the trees, carrying her scent—or maybe just the memory of it. Either way, it gutted me.

“I never meant for any of this,” I whispered, voice raw. “Every decision I made… I made for her. For River.”

My hands trembled as I reached for the carved name in the stone. Rhoda.

The word felt hollow now, almost cruel.

“I thought that I could make you happy, that I could make River's life better. What a cruel world we live in. I only ended up taking her life from her and now I've abandoned the most important person to her, the one I vowed to protect.

I bowed my head, unable to hold back the tears any longer. “I failed you, Rhoda. And I’m failing her.”

The sound of crunching leaves behind me didn't make me flinch. Only one wolf would dare approach me here.

Beta Claus.

I didn’t look up until his hand gripped my shoulder, firm but gentle. When I turned, his eyes were glassy too.

“You didn’t fail her, Damien,” he said softly. “You made the hardest call anyone could.”

“Of course you’re hurting. No one could ever understand the weight you carry like I do.

“But that’s the burden of a true leader, isn’t it? Making the impossible choice, even when it tears you apart. It’s tragic, really. No one else sees the pain behind your strength—but I do. I always have.”

Beta Claus looked toward the woods, his voice quieter now, almost tender.

“You did the right thing. Don’t ever doubt that. And when you both meet again—when she finally sees the truth—you’ll be the hero again. Just like you should be.”

He smiled faintly. “They all just need a little… reminder of who really held everything together.”

“I gave her pain,” I rasped. “She thinks I let her be alone.”

“But she’s alive,” he said, voice cracking. “And that's all that truly matters.”

I nodded, though the ache in my chest refused to ease. The guilt didn’t let go. It clung to me like a second skin.

We started to walk back, the silence between us heavy. Then suddenly—

It hit me.

A searing pain tore through my chest like claws ripping through my soul.

I staggered, clutching my heart. “No—”

“Alpha?” Claus caught me before I collapsed. “What is it?”

I couldn’t speak. My wolf—Venom—howled inside me, wild and feral. Something was wrong. So wrong.

“River…” I gasped. “She’s—she’s dying.”

Her essence was flickering and I could feel her slowly slipping away. I felt it dimming. Withering like a flame smothered by ash.

Pain. Terror. Weak, fading breath.

Venom surged forward, tearing control from me as I shifted mid-run, my body stretching into my massive black wolf form. A thunderous growl ripped from my throat as my paws slammed against the earth.

“Find her!” I roared through the mind-link. “She’s out there—River’s out there and she’s dying!”

Wolves across the territory answered, their howls rising into the night like a battle cry.

But none would reach her before me.

The forest blurred around me as I ran faster than I ever had, heart pounding, soul unraveling. My daughter was in agony. And I'll do anything to get her back.

Now I realize, the best way I could have protected her was to keep her by my side.

I would not lose her too.