Chapter 2
951 Words
I had been away on business for years, focusing on the needs of my pack and family.
But when I heard that Darius, my son, got married, I dropped everything and rushed back home.
That night, Darius posted a series of photos on f*******: from our reunion dinner.
The caption read, "You've been by my side all the way. Thank you, the most important woman in my life." It seemed harmless enough, but Lyanna, Darius’s mate, mistook me for someone entirely different.
The next morning, I stepped into the beauty salon, needing a moment of peace after my long flight.
I barely had time to sit before the doors burst open.
Lyanna strode in, flanked by her packmates, her wolf barely restrained beneath her skin.
Her voice sliced through the air like a blade. “You shameless woman!”
The other customers went silent. The staff froze. I slowly turned, meeting her burning gaze.
“You dare seduce my mate?” she spat, stepping forward.
Her fingers curled into fists, nails elongating slightly.
Her packmates stood behind her, their presence a silent but clear threat.
I blinked, confusion flickering through me. “Excuse me?”
Lyanna’s eyes darkened. “Don’t play innocent. You think I don’t know? Sneaking into his life, taking pictures, making him post about you?”
Realization hit me. Darius’s f*******: post.
I exhaled sharply. “I think there’s been a misunderstanding—”
“There’s no misunderstanding,” she cut in. “I’ll make sure you never seduce another man again.”
Her packmates moved at her command.
One lunged forward, claws extended.
Instinct kicked in, and I dodged, but another caught my arm, nails raking across my skin.
A sharp pain burned through me.
The salon erupted into chaos. Customers screamed.
Staff backed away, too afraid to intervene.
I gritted my teeth.
My wolf stirred, but I was exhausted from travel, weakened.
Lyanna’s laughter rang out as she stepped closer, her heel pressing against my shoulder, shoving me down.
“You think Darius could ever fall for you?” she sneered.
My blood boiled. I wanted to fight, to push back—but I was outnumbered. The odds weren’t in my favor.
And this was their territory.
Lyanna had made sure of that.
Then a presence filled the room. A familiar power. Strong. Commanding.
Darius.
The air shifted instantly as he stepped inside.
His gaze swept over the scene, his Alpha aura tightening around the space. Pack members stiffened, recognizing the shift in dominance.
Lyanna turned, a smug smile on her lips. “See?” she taunted. “This is the woman you’re choosing over me.”
Darius’s expression was unreadable.
His wolf flickered behind his eyes, sensing the tension.
Then he spoke, voice even, but firm. “The engagement banquet may end now.”
A beat of silence.
Lyanna’s confidence wavered. “What?”
“You heard me.” His tone was final.
Lyanna’s face twisted with fury. “You’re breaking off our engagement? Over this—this woman?!”
Darius’s gaze flickered to me.
For the first time in years, his expression softened—if only briefly.
Then his walls came back up. “You’ve gone too far.”
Lyanna’s hands clenched at her sides. “Darius, I did this for us! She’s trying to take you away—”
“I said enough.”
His voice echoed through the salon, silencing her.
Lyanna trembled with rage, but she knew better than to challenge his authority here.
Not in front of everyone.
She turned on her heel and stormed out, her packmates following.
The tension in the room didn’t ease until they were gone.
Darius looked at me. “Are you alright?”
I hesitated. Then nodded. “I’ll survive.”
His jaw tightened. “I’ll handle this.”
I didn’t respond. Because deep down, I knew—this wasn’t over. Not even close.
That night, I sat in my temporary home, staring at the untouched dinner before me.
The day replayed in my mind, Lyanna’s words, Darius’s reaction.
A knock on the door broke the silence.
I opened it to find Darius standing there, his expression unreadable.
“Can we talk?”
I stepped aside, letting him in.
He took a deep breath. “Lyanna misunderstood who you were.”
I crossed my arms. “No kidding.”
“She’s… possessive,” he admitted. “The bond between us—it’s always been complicated.”
I studied him. “Then why stay with her?”
His jaw tightened. “Because it was expected. Because it was convenient. Because I thought it was the right thing to do.”
“And now?”
His eyes met mine. “Now, I’m not so sure.”
A beat of silence stretched between us.
I exhaled, shaking my head. “Darius, I didn’t come here to break you two apart.”
“I know.” He stepped closer. “But that doesn’t change things.”
I could hear his wolf in his voice. A deep, lingering growl, something primal, something unresolved.
I swallowed hard. “Darius—”
He reached out, gently brushing his fingers against the wound on my arm. “She hurt you.”
“I’ve had worse.”
“That’s not the point.” His gaze darkened. “She crossed a line.”
Silence.
I looked away. “What happens now?”
Darius was quiet for a long moment. Then he said, “I don’t know.”
And for the first time, I saw the hesitation in his eyes.
The weight of years.
The burden of choices that could no longer be ignored.
The engagement was over.
But the war had only just begun.
- Writer
