The Undeniable Bond

Chapter 8 - The Aftermath Part 1

Clarrise POV

As our driver sped away from the baby shower, I fumed in silence, my nails digging into the leather of the seat. The audacity of Amelia, of Roland, to stand against me and David so brazenly—it was infuriating. I had expected to assert my dominance, to make it clear that I was the Luna and that Amelia was nothing more than a side note in David’s life. But it had all gone horribly wrong.

I glanced over at David, who was staring out the window, his jaw clenched tight. I could tell he was just as angry, but whether it was with Amelia, Roland, or himself, I couldn’t quite tell. my blood boiled even more at the thought of how Amelia had dared to humiliate us both.

As we pulled up to the pack house, I could no longer hold my tongue. “How could you let them talk to us like that? Do you have any idea how pathetic you looked back there, David?”

The car came to a stop, he jumped out of the car, and without waiting for him, I stormed out, slamming the door behind me. The pack members milling about quickly averted their eyes as we stalked past, sensing the storm that was brewing.

We go upstairs to the master bedroom of our pack house, he tries to close the door behind him but I quickly manage to get through the door in time. I whirled around to face David. He remained silent, his eyes still focused on some point far off in the distance.

“You were supposed to control her! You were supposed to make sure she and that bastard child of hers were put in their place! But instead, you let her walk all over us!”

David’s eyes darkened as he finally looked at her, his voice low and menacing. “Enough, Clarisse. I won’t be spoken to like that, not by you or anyone else.”

I scoffed, my anger flaring even hotter. “You won’t be spoken to like that? You let her laugh in your face, David! You let her humiliate us both! If you were any kind of alpha, you would have—”

My words were cut off as David’s hand shot out, striking me across the face with a force that sent me stumbling back. The echo of the slap lingered in the air as if the very walls of the pack house were holding their breath. I stood there, stunned, one hand trembling as it touched the place where he’d struck me. The initial shock was quickly replaced by a flood of emotions—fear, anger, and a deep, gnawing doubt that began to take root in my heart. The shock of the blow silenced me, and for a moment, the room was filled with nothing but the sound of my ragged breathing. My cheek, feeling the sting of the strike radiate through my skin.

David, still seething with fury, took a step toward me,he was far from finished. The anger that had driven him to violence was still boiling inside him, and it found a new outlet in words—words that were sharp, cruel, and laced with the bitterness he felt toward the entire situation.

“You think I care about your opinions, Clarisse? You think your feelings mean anything to me? You’re nothing more than a means to an end.” his voice cold and devoid of the warmth he’d once shown me. “You forget your place, Clarisse. Don’t ever challenge me like that again.”

His voice was cold, almost detached, as if he were talking to a subordinate rather than his mate. Clarisse flinched at his words, her heart sinking. She had always known David to be ruthless, but this was different. There was a venom in his tone that she hadn’t heard before, a cruelty that seemed to strip away any semblance of the man she thought she knew.

Tears began to well up in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. I would never give him the satisfaction of seeing me in pain, especially if he is the one afflicting it. Swallowing my pride, I had to straighten up, there was nothing on my mind except thoughts of revenge.

“Do you really believe that I ever loved you? You’re just here because you were convenient. Because you could give me what Amelia couldn’t—a child I could control, a legacy I could shape.”

Tears welled up in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. I couldn’t afford to show weakness, not now. Not in front of him. But every word he spoke felt like a dagger, each one twisting deeper into the fragile hope I had clung to—the hope that, despite everything, David cared for me, that he saw me as more than just a tool.

“And now look at the mess you’ve created. Amelia’s brat is still a problem. A girl, sure, but still a threat to everything I’ve worked for. You should have kept her out of our lives. But no, you had to poke the bear, didn’t you? Had to make a scene at the baby shower, show everyone just how little control you have.”

I could feel the ground shifting beneath me, everything I had believed in suddenly crumbling. I thought that by standing by David, that my place as his Luna was secured, that I would share in the power and respect that came with the title. But now, as I looked at him, all I saw was a man who had used me, who had never truly cared for me.

“And Amelia… she’s always been a thorn in my side, but now she’s got that bastard Roland backing her up. They think they can outmaneuver me, but they’re wrong. I’ll crush them both if I have to. I’ll make sure Amelia and that little girl of hers never become a problem for us.”

My breath hitched at the mention of Amelia’s child. I had known, deep down, that David was obsessed with control, but this—this was something darker. He wasn’t just trying to manage a situation; he was willing to destroy anything and anyone who stood in his way. The realization sent a chill down my spine.

As David continued to rant, his words becoming more and more venomous, I began to doubt everything. Was this the man I had pledged herself to? The man I had trusted to lead, to protect? Or was he something else entirely—a tyrant who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals, no matter the cost?

Trying to push the doubts away, to remind myself of the reasons she had allied with him in the first place. But the seed had been planted, and it was growing, spreading its roots through every thought, every feeling. Had she made a terrible mistake? Was she just another pawn in David’s game?

And then, almost as quickly as it had begun, the tirade ended. David turned away from her, his rage momentarily spent, leaving behind only the cold, calculating man she had come to fear.

“You’d better pull yourself together, Clarisse. I don’t have time for your weakness. I've got moves to make, and I won’t have you dragging me down.” With that, he left the room, leaving me alone with my doubts and the stinging pain in my cheek. As the door closed behind him, the tears she had been holding back finally fell, silent and hot against my skin. The doubts that had been simmering in her mind began to solidify into something darker, more dangerous.

I knew I couldn’t fight David directly—he was too powerful, too ruthless. But there had to be a way to protect herself, to ensure that she and her unborn child weren’t caught in the crossfire of his ambitions. And if that meant turning to someone else for help, someone like her cousin Miramis, then so be it.

“You’ll regret this, David. You’ll regret everything.” Clarisse made her way to her private quarters, where she kept a secure phone—a direct line to her cousin, Miramis. Miramis was part werewolf and part sorceress, a dangerous combination that had made her a powerful ally in the past. Clarisse knew that if anyone could help her take down Amelia, it was Miramis.

I dialed the number with trembling fingers, my mind already plotting out my request. The phone rang once, twice, and then Miramis’s voice came through the line, cool and controlled.

“Clarisse. What a surprise. What do you need?”I wasted no time in explaining the situation, my voice tight with barely contained rage. “I need you to make something for me, Miramis. Something that can harm another werewolf… or better yet, a sorceress.”

There was a pause on the other end of the line, and then Miramis spoke, her tone curious.“Who is it this time, Clarisse?”

my eyes narrowed as she thought of Amelia, my mind flashing back to the smug look on her face at the baby shower. “It’s Amelia. I want her to suffer, Miramis. I want her out of the picture—for good.”

Miramis hummed thoughtfully, and I could practically see her cousin’s calculating mind at work.

“That can be arranged. But it will take time, and it won’t be easy. Are you sure you’re prepared for what might come of this?”

I didn’t stop and hesitate. “I don’t care what it takes. Just do it.”

There was another pause, and then Miramis spoke again, this time with a hint of warning in her voice.“Very well. I’ll prepare something, but Clarisse—be careful. Once this starts, there’s no going back. I will call you when I have completed putting together a potion that might work, where do you want to meet”

I didn't want to be seen, and for sure didn't want to get caught up,"At the old pizzeria we went to as kids."

"Giuseppe on 12th street, we can do that, I'll take a supreme calzone, with extra marinara on the side, bye." She had hung up before I could protest her request.

I didn’t care about the consequences. All I cared about was making Amelia pay for what she’d done. And with Miramis’s help, she would make sure that Amelia suffered in ways she couldn’t even begin to imagine.