CHAPTER 5: Mine to Protect
1286 Words
Damien's POV
The moment the apartment door closed behind Ethan and Sophia, silence filled the room.
A dangerous silence.
The kind that comes after a storm.
I stood motionless, staring at the door.
My wolf was pacing violently beneath my skin.
Furious.
Protective.
Possessive.
The look on Ethan's face moments ago replayed in my mind.
The jealousy.
The suspicion.
The anger.
He had no right.
None.
Not after what he had done.
Not after the way he had destroyed her.
Yet seeing him look at Aria as though she still belonged to him had awakened something dark inside me.
Something I wasn't proud of.
Something I had spent years controlling.
Ours.
The word echoed through my mind.
I ignored it.
Again.
The same way I had ignored it for years.
But lately it was becoming increasingly difficult.
Behind me, Aria released a slow breath.
I turned.
She was staring at the floor.
Her shoulders tense.
Her expression unreadable.
For a moment neither of us spoke.
Then she laughed softly.
A bitter sound.
"I can't believe they actually came here."
I studied her carefully.
The anger in her voice was obvious.
But beneath it was pain.
Still there.
Still bleeding.
Still raw.
"They wanted forgiveness."
Her laugh returned.
This one harsher.
"Well, they're not getting it."
Good.
Because they didn't deserve it.
I folded my arms.
"You don't owe anyone forgiveness."
Her eyes lifted to mine.
Surprise flashed across her face.
As though she hadn't expected me to say that.
Perhaps she hadn't.
Many Alphas preached unity.
Family.
Second chances.
I wasn't one of them.
Some actions carried consequences.
And betrayal was one of them.
"Everyone keeps telling me to be understanding."
Her voice cracked slightly.
"They tell me Sophia made a mistake."
The rage inside me stirred.
Again.
Dangerously.
"A mistake is forgetting a meeting."
My voice remained calm.
Controlled.
"Sleeping with your sister's mate is a choice."
Something flickered across her face.
Relief.
As though someone had finally said what she needed to hear.
The realization tightened my chest.
How many people had tried to excuse what happened?
How many had expected her to simply move on?
To forgive?
To pretend she wasn't broken?
The thought disgusted me.
Aria deserved better.
Far better.
A sudden vibration interrupted the silence.
Her phone.
She glanced at the screen.
Immediately her expression hardened.
Ethan.
Again.
I looked away before she noticed the dangerous anger building inside me.
The call stopped.
Seconds later another one came.
Then another.
Then another.
The persistence was becoming irritating.
Aria finally switched off her phone completely.
"That makes forty-two calls."
I raised an eyebrow.
"You counted?"
She looked embarrassed.
"Not intentionally."
Forty-two calls.
Interesting.
Apparently my son had finally realized the consequences of his actions.
Unfortunately for him, realization came too late.
Aria stood.
"I'm making coffee."
She moved toward the kitchen.
I watched her go.
The simple action shouldn't have affected me.
Yet somehow it did.
Maybe because she looked calmer than she had three days ago.
Still hurting.
Still grieving.
But stronger.
Fighting.
Surviving.
A small victory.
One I found myself oddly proud of.
The thought startled me.
Pride.
I shouldn't feel pride.
Not where Aria was concerned.
Not when she was Ethan's former mate.
Not when every instinct screaming inside me was inappropriate.
Dangerous.
Wrong.
And yet...
My gaze followed her anyway.
Mate.
The word exploded through my head.
I froze.
Every muscle in my body locked.
My wolf surged forward.
Powerful.
Certain.
Unyielding.
Mate.
The room suddenly felt too small.
Too warm.
Impossible.
No.
Absolutely not.
For years I had sensed something unusual around Aria.
A pull.
An attraction.
A connection I couldn't explain.
But never this.
Never a mate bond.
Mate bonds didn't work this way.
They didn't appear out of nowhere.
They certainly didn't emerge after decades.
It made no sense.
None.
Yet my wolf sounded more certain than ever.
Mate.
I clenched my jaw.
Hard.
No.
Even if he was right—
And I wasn't ready to admit that—
Now was not the time.
Aria was heartbroken.
Vulnerable.
Grieving.
The last thing she needed was another complicated bond.
Especially one involving me.
The scent of coffee drifted through the apartment.
Moments later she returned carrying two mugs.
She handed one to me.
Our fingers brushed.
The effect was immediate.
Electricity shot through my body.
Aria froze.
So did I.
For one brief second neither of us moved.
Neither of us breathed.
The connection vanished almost instantly.
But the damage was done.
Because I saw it.
The confusion in her eyes.
She felt something too.
Not the full bond.
Not yet.
But something.
Dangerous.
Very dangerous.
"Sorry," she said quickly.
I nodded once.
The tension remained.
Neither of us acknowledged it.
Neither of us dared.
Because once spoken aloud, nothing would ever be the same again.
An hour later I finally left her apartment.
The fresh night air did little to calm my thoughts.
I walked through pack territory alone.
Trying to regain control.
Trying to silence my wolf.
Trying to convince myself I was imagining things.
Unfortunately, fate seemed determined to make that impossible.
"Father."
I stopped.
Ethan.
Of course.
He stepped from the shadows.
His expression was dark.
Angry.
Exhausted.
We looked remarkably alike.
Same silver eyes.
Same dark hair.
Yet tonight the similarities ended there.
"What do you want?"
His jaw tightened.
"I saw your car."
I remained silent.
"How long were you in her apartment?"
There it was.
The real reason he stopped me.
Not concern.
Not regret.
Jealousy.
The question irritated me immediately.
"Careful."
The warning came out colder than intended.
Ethan didn't back down.
A mistake.
A very large mistake.
"Why are you spending time with her?"
The possessiveness in his voice made my wolf growl.
Because you threw her away.
I almost said it aloud.
Almost.
Instead I folded my arms.
"Because she needed support."
His eyes darkened.
"I can support her."
The sheer arrogance nearly made me laugh.
"No."
The word landed like a slap.
For a second Ethan looked stunned.
Good.
Perhaps someone needed to tell him the truth.
"You lost that privilege."
Silence.
His breathing became uneven.
"She's my mate."
The rage that surged through me was immediate.
Violent.
Terrifying.
Not because he called her his mate.
But because part of me no longer believed it.
The bond between them was dying.
I could sense it.
And something else was awakening.
Something impossible.
Something I wasn't prepared to face.
"You should have remembered that before you betrayed her."
The words hit their target.
Ethan visibly flinched.
For a brief moment guilt crossed his face.
Then stubbornness returned.
"I love her."
I stepped closer.
The Alpha aura rolling from me intensified.
The night itself seemed to hold its breath.
"If you loved her..."
My voice dropped dangerously low.
"You would have protected her."
Silence.
"If you loved her..."
Another step.
"You would have respected her."
His face paled.
"If you loved her..."
One final step.
"You wouldn't have destroyed her."
The words shattered whatever argument he planned to make.
For several seconds he simply stood there.
Speechless.
Finally he looked away.
Defeated.
Not completely.
But enough.
And for the first time, I saw genuine fear in his eyes.
Not fear of me.
Fear of losing her.
Good.
Because he should be afraid.
Very afraid.
The bond between them was fading.
Every day.
Every hour.
Every minute.
And if my instincts were correct...
Something far more powerful was waiting in the darkness.
Something neither of us expected.
Something that would change everything.
As Ethan walked away, my wolf spoke again.
Quietly this time.
Certain.
Patient.
She is ours.
For the first time...
I wasn't sure he was wrong.
- Writer
