Alpha’s Rejected Mate

Chapter 8: Memory of the Alpha

Night fell over the Alpha’s mansion. Damien sat in silence before a dark wooden table, the flames in the fireplace casting flickering red across his stoic face. A glass of wolf’s brew sat untouched in front of him.

To the pack, he was strong, proud, unshakable. But deep inside, a wound that had never healed still bled endlessly.

Closing his eyes, he saw her—long black hair, a gentle smile like morning sunlight. Her name was Lyra. His first mate. The one who had once completed his soul, who made his world whole.

He remembered the day it all shattered. The Black Wolves attacked, chaos and blood staining the ground. He had fought, but not fast enough. Lyra was struck down before his eyes, claws piercing her body. He had cradled her, felt her final breath fade away in his arms.

“Don’t cry, Damien…” she had whispered, her blood soaking his chest. “Live. Protect the pack…”

Then her eyes closed forever, leaving only emptiness inside him.

From that moment, Damien had sworn never again. A mate, love, that sacred bond—it was nothing but a curse, a chain that could break him once more.

When the Moonlight revealed Elena as his mate, he had faltered for a second. The bond tugged at his soul, fierce and undeniable. But then Lyra’s face flashed before him, and the old pain roared back. His cruelty wasn’t about Elena—it was about his own fear. Fear of loss. Fear of weakness.

Damien opened his eyes and finally lifted the glass. The liquor burned down his throat like knives, but it couldn’t erase the memory of Elena’s trembling golden gaze… nor Lyra’s eyes that would never open again.

In the silence, he whispered, a confession meant only for himself:

“I cannot love again… so why does my heart ache when I see her?”