Rejected Luna, Claimed By The Lycan King

Chapter 5: The stranger between us

Aria POV

"Mate."

The word hung in the air long after she spoke it. The celebration that had filled Moonfang with laughter only minutes ago had vanished completely. All that remained was silence.

I stared at Damon. His gaze locked on the blonde woman as if he couldn't look away. As if some invisible force held him there. The crowd began whispering again.

"Impossible."

"Another mate?"

"How can an Alpha have two mates?"

"What happens to Luna Aria?"

The last question cut deeper than the rest. Because nobody had an answer. The elder who had been leading the ceremony cleared his throat. His voice sounded strained.

"We should continue this discussion somewhere private."

I would have agreed, but there was nothing private about what had just happened. Everyone had seen the way Damon reacted. The way she looked at him. The way the bond seemed to pull them together.

She finally tore her gaze away from Damon; her eyes landed on me. For a brief moment, something flashed across her face. The expression almost made me hate her. Because I didn't want her pity. I wanted my life back.

"I didn't know," she said softly.

The words surprised me. The crowd fell silent once more.

She swallowed.

"I swear I didn't know."

I wanted to believe her. The shock on her face looked genuine. The tears in her eyes looked real, but none of that changed anything. Whether she knew or not, she was still standing in the middle of my future. And every second she remained there made my chest hurt a little more.

Damon finally moved toward me. Relief rushed through me so quickly my knees almost gave out. His hand reached for mine, and I grabbed it instantly. The contact helped; Damon's fingers tightened around mine.

"Aria."

My name sounded broken on his lips. I couldn't remember the last time I'd heard him sound uncertain.

"We need to talk."

One moment, it had been the happiest night of my life. The next, it was a disaster nobody knew how to fix. Nora refused to leave my side, not that I blamed her. I wasn't sure my legs would work if she did.

The crowd slowly dispersed, and some wolves looked curious. Most looked sorry for me, and I hated it. I wanted the version of tonight that had existed before the blonde woman walked through those doors. A painful lump formed in my throat, but I forced it down. Not in front of everyone. I refused to cry here.

An hour later, Damon found me standing outside the pack house. The night air felt cold against my skin, or maybe I was just numb. I wasn't sure anymore. For a while, neither of us spoke. Damon and I had never struggled to talk. Yet suddenly words felt impossible. Finally, he sighed.

"Aria."

I stared at the darkness beyond the village. Not because I was angry but because I was afraid of what I'd see on his face and what he might say.

"What are you thinking?" he asked quietly.

The question almost made me laugh. Because there were too many questions but I did not answer. Instead, I asked the only question that mattered.

"Is she really your mate?"

The words felt like glass leaving my throat. Damon froze. The silence that followed told me everything. When he finally spoke, his voice sounded rough.

"I don't know."

My eyes closed. That was worse.

Because if he had said no, I could have fought. If he had said yes, at least I would know.

But I don't know? That meant uncertainty.

"Damon."

His name cracked on my lips. For the first time all night, I looked at him. The sight nearly broke me. He looked lost.

"I love you."

The words left him instantly without hesitation. My heart squeezed painfully. Because I believed him, I knew he loved me. Yet somehow, that wasn't enough to make me feel safe anymore, not after tonight. Not after hearing that word.

Mate.

The bond existed. Whether either of us wanted it or not. And that frightened me more than anything.

Across the village, inside the guest house, blonde woman sat alone. Moonfang had offered her a room for the night. No one wanted to send away the woman who might be their Alpha's mate. The very thought made my chest ache. She was probably scared too.

Confused.

But I couldn't make myself care. As midnight approached, Damon finally walked me home. Neither of us spoke much.

What was there to say?

When we reached my door, he stopped. For a moment, he simply looked at me. The way he always did as I mattered.

"I'll fix this."

His voice was firm. The voice of an Alpha.

Except this.

Because for the first time, I wasn't sure he could. I wanted to believe him, I really did. But something deep inside me whispered a terrible truth. Some things can't be fixed. Damon touched my cheek gently. Then he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to my forehead. A familiar gesture, one that usually made me feel safe. But tonight it only made my heart hurt. Because for the first time in five years . I wasn't certain I knew what tomorrow would bring. And neither was he.

As Damon turned and walked away, my wolf lifted her head suddenly. I followed her instincts, and my gaze drifted across the village, toward the guest house where his mate slept.

Then a terrifying realization settled into my chest. Tomorrow morning, she would still be here. And the bond between them would still exist. No matter how badly I wanted it gone. No matter how desperately Damon wished tonight had never happened. The bond wasn't disappearing.

But it was only beginning.