I Rejected the Alpha After Rebirth—And Married His Brother

Chapter 4 Soul Bonding

Raven pushed past Sherman Holder, the manor steward, and burst straight into Dorian's room. She'd come here looking for Damon.

She banged repeatedly on the bathroom door, her voice thick with tears. "Damon, this was the wish I made at the Blood Moon Ritual last year. We agreed on it back then—please just stay with me one last time."

The bathroom door swung open, and Damon stepped out. The moment he saw the tears glistening in Raven's eyes, his heart softened. He reached out and pulled her into a gentle embrace.

Raven said in a hurt, aggrieved tone, "Last year, I got ambushed by Silverblade Pack hunters in the wild woods just to protect you. I ended up stuck in the Healing Hall. You promised me at my bedside that you'd grant every single wish I had from then on."

Damon stroked the top of her head, his voice soft and soothing. "Alright. I'll stay with you."

Back in my past life, Damon always claimed he was tied up with cross-pack business trips and couldn't come home to keep me company. The truth was he'd always been right by Raven's side, taking care of her. I'd been foolish enough to believe every single lie he told. I even cooked dinner for him every night and waited up for his return. Looking back now, I was utterly naive.

Raven snuggled deeper into Damon's arms and said, "I've always known you care about me too much to ever let me go."

She kept glancing over at me as she spoke. Her clingy, dependent look turned my stomach.

Dorian walked down the end of the hallway. He cast a casual, indifferent glance at the two of them before walking straight over to me and calling my name in a deep tone. "Serena."

Damon finally noticed that I'd been sitting on the sofa, watching their entire embrace unfold. A flicker of guilt and hesitation crossed his face for a brief second.

He turned to face Dorian, forcing a smile. "Why don't we all go celebrate Raven's birthday together? What do you say, Damon? Besides, Raven's my childhood best friend. You know her well, too—I'm sure you won't mind tagging along."

He put deliberate emphasis on the name Damon and the phrase "childhood best friend." His gaze turned sharp and heavy, and his inner wolf let out a clear warning rumble toward Dorian—demanding that Dorian obey his order without question.

Damon's veiled threat didn't faze Dorian at all. He only turned to look at me. "What do you want to do?"

I looped my arm through Dorian's and said plainly, "We're heading to the Temple of the Moon Goddess this afternoon to complete the Soul Bonding Pact."

In my past life, Damon kept putting off our soul bond for three whole years. He made endless excuses—claiming Raven would be upset, or that the Soul Bonding Pact was nothing but a suffocating chain.

Dorian was nothing like him. He'd always been the one eager to claim me as his mate. He truly cared for me, so much so that he'd carve my name straight into his soul if he could.

The smile on Damon's face froze for an instant, yet he quickly masked it with a detached, unbothered expression again. "Fine. I won't hold you two up."

He turned and started walking out. As he passed Dorian, he suddenly stopped and slipped something into Dorian's pocket—it was his official identity token.

Damon leaned in and said urgently, "I know you played that audio clip this morning just to anger me and stand up for her. Just listen to me first. I've never betrayed Serena. I only want to travel to overseas packs with Raven as a friend, to help her live out her lifelong dream."

He paused, his tone turning firm. "Sign the bonding pact for me. We'll switch back to our real identities after today, and I'll make it worth your while, I promise."

Dorian stayed silent, not giving any reply. Damon clapped him on the shoulder, then smiled and strode away.

Once they were gone, Dorian pulled the identity token out of his pocket and tossed it straight into the trash can. Watching that simple action, I knew for certain—Damon thought Dorian was just playing along with his scheme. But he was wrong. He would never realize that both his right to the Alpha position of Shadowspine Pack and his claim to me as his mate were slipping away from him forever.

We soon arrived at the Temple of the Moon Goddess.

Dorian and I finished the Soul Bonding Pact ceremony without delay—we filled out the oath scrolls, signed our names, and handed over our mate tokens. The priestess of the Moon Goddess pressed the soul brand onto our skin, and Dorian completed his final mark on me. When the official Mating Decree was placed in my hands, the names printed clearly on it were: Serena Winterborne and Dorian Blackwood.

I knew in my heart that Dorian had fully claimed me—we belonged only to each other, completely and irrevocably.

Just then, a message popped up.

Damon: Dorian, how's everything going? Did you finish signing the pact yet? Send me a photo right away. Keep your end of the deal, and you'll get everything you're owed—I always keep my word.

A faint playful smirk tugged at Dorian's lips. He took a picture of the Mating Decree and sent it straight to Damon. The second he sent the photo, he turned his full attention back to me. I shot him a look of surprise, but before I could speak, he leaned in and kissed me, deep and intense. I let go of all doubt and kissed him back passionately, lost entirely in the moment with each other.

The moment was broken abruptly when Damon's incoming call rang out loud and clear.

The call connected instantly, yet we paid no mind at all. We stayed locked in each other's embrace, feeling the subtle tremble in each other's bodies with every passing second. I let out a soft, quiet sound without holding back.

Damon's enraged roar burst through the phone line. "Dorian—how dare you... What on earth are you two doing?"