Dark Moon Rising

Chapter 12 - Megan's POV

We'd barely made it back inside when the front door burst open without so much as a knock. A tall, stunning blonde woman strode in like she owned the place, her designer clothes immaculate and her confidence radiating Alpha energy that made my wolf bristle.

"Damien, darling," she purred, completely ignoring the rest of us. "I came as soon as I heard about this... situation."

The temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees. Damien's jaw tightened, and I caught the sharp scent of his irritation.

"Victoria," he said coldly. "What are you doing here?"

Who the hell is this? Midnight snarled, hackles raised. And why is she looking at our mate like she wants to devour him?

Victoria's ice-blue eyes swept over me dismissively before returning to Damien. "Really, love, you should have called me the moment you realized you were dealing with dark magic. You know how talented I am with... difficult situations."

The possessive way she said 'love' made my stomach churn, and I saw Jemma's eyes narrow dangerously.

"I don't recall asking for your help," Damien replied, moving subtly closer to me.

"Well, you never were good at asking for what you needed." Victoria's laugh was like tinkling glass—pretty but sharp enough to cut. "Lucky for you, I've always been excellent at anticipating your... needs."

I'm going to kill her, Midnight stated matter-of-factly. Slowly.

We don't even know who she is yet.

I don't care. She needs to stop looking at him like that.

"Victoria," Marcus said with forced politeness, "I don't believe you've been introduced. This is Megan, Damien's mate."

Victoria's gaze finally focused on me, and I felt like a bug under a microscope. She looked me up and down slowly, taking in my still-too-thin frame, my simple clothes, and probably the fact that I was still recovering from months of living rough.

"His... mate?" She tilted her head like a curious predator. "How... interesting. And here I thought the rumors about some feral little refugee were exaggerated."

The insult hit like a physical blow, and I felt my face burn with embarrassment and anger.

"Victoria." Damien's voice was deadly quiet. "That's enough."

"Oh, don't be so sensitive, darling. I'm sure she's lovely once she's been cleaned up and trained properly." Victoria waved a dismissive hand. "Though I have to say, after what we had together, I'm surprised you'd settle for someone so... diminished."

What we had together? My heart clenched painfully.

Jemma stepped forward, her own wolf clearly close to the surface. "I'm sorry, who exactly are you?"

Victoria's smile was razor-sharp. "Victoria Blackwood, Alpha of the Silverstone Pack. Damien's former... partner." The way she said 'partner' left no doubt about the nature of their relationship. "We had quite the passionate relationship before he decided he needed to focus on 'pack duties.'" She made air quotes around the last two words.

"That was over two years ago," Damien said firmly. "What we had is ancient history."

"Is it?" Victoria moved closer to him, completely ignoring my presence. "Because the way I remember it, you said you'd never find anyone who understood you the way I did. That what we had was... irreplaceable."

My chest felt like someone was squeezing it in a vice. Even if they'd broken up years ago, they clearly had history. Real history. And looking at Victoria—tall, confident, powerful, beautiful—I couldn't help but wonder what Damien saw in me by comparison.

"Things change," Damien said, but I noticed he didn't actually deny her words.

"Do they?" Victoria's hand came up to rest on Damien's chest, and I saw red.

"Get your hands off him," I said, my voice coming out as a low growl.

Victoria turned to me with feigned surprise. "Oh my, the little refugee has claws. How... quaint."

Let me out, Midnight snarled. Let me show this b***h exactly who she's dealing with.

Not here. Not now.

She's touching our mate!

"Victoria," Marcus said warningly, "I think you should—"

"Should what? Leave?" Victoria laughed. "I don't think so. You see, I've been doing some research since I heard about Damien's little... situation. And what I've found is very interesting indeed."

She finally stepped away from Damien, pulling out a sleek tablet and swiping across the screen.

"Megan Blackthorne, daughter of the late Alpha Robert Blackthorne of the Moonridge Pack. Disappeared six months ago along with her mother, Luna Sarah Blackthorne. Presumed dead by most accounts." Her eyes glittered with malicious satisfaction. "But here's the really interesting part—she's never manifested her wolf. Not once. In fact, there are no records of her ever shifting or displaying any wolf abilities whatsoever."

"That's not true anymore," I said quietly.

"Oh really? When was your first shift, dear? Yesterday? This morning?" Victoria's tone was sickeningly sweet. "How... convenient that your wolf finally decided to show up right when you need to prove you're worthy of an Alpha."

The implication hit me like a slap. She was suggesting I was lying about having a wolf at all.

"You have no idea what you're talking about," Jemma said angrily.

"Don't I? I know all about the old prophecies, the legends of the dark moon wolf. Very romantic, very dramatic. Also very convenient for someone looking to convince a powerful Alpha that she's his destined mate."

My hands were shaking with rage and hurt. "You think I'm faking the mate bond?"

"I think," Victoria said, stepping closer to me, "that you're a clever little opportunist who saw a chance to land herself a powerful Alpha and took it. The question is, how long before Damien realizes he's been manipulated by someone with no real power and no real wolf?"

"That's enough!" Damien's voice cracked like a whip, and his Alpha power filled the room so intensely that everyone except Victoria took an involuntary step back. "Victoria, you will not come into my home and insult my mate."

"Your mate?" Victoria's composure finally cracked, revealing the jealousy underneath. "Damien, you can't be serious. Look at her! She's weak, she's damaged, and she's probably lying about having a wolf at all!"

"My wolf is real," I said, my voice stronger than I felt. "Her name is Midnight, and she doesn't appreciate being called a lie."

"Prove it," Victoria challenged. "Shift. Right now. Show us this miraculous wolf that appeared just in time to land you a mate."

The room went dead silent. I could feel everyone's eyes on me, waiting. The problem was, I had no idea how to shift. Midnight and I were still learning to communicate properly, and the idea of actually transforming felt impossible.

Can we shift? I asked desperately.

I... I don't know, Midnight admitted. The connection is still weak. I can feel the potential, but actually changing forms... I'm not sure we're strong enough yet.

Victoria's smile was triumphant. "I thought so. No wolf, no shift, no real mate bond. Just a clever little liar trying to trick her way into power."

Something inside me snapped. Maybe it was months of running and fear, maybe it was the stress of everything I'd learned today, or maybe it was just the sight of this woman touching my mate and calling me a liar. But suddenly, I felt power surge through me like lightning.

The lights in the room flickered. The windows rattled in their frames. And everyone in the room except Damien took several steps back as raw, untrained power radiated from me in waves.

"I am not a liar," I said, my voice echoing strangely in the suddenly electric air. "And I am not weak."

Victoria's face had gone pale, but she lifted her chin defiantly. "Parlor tricks. Anyone can learn basic energy manipulation."

"Is that what you think this is?" I could feel Midnight rising to the surface, not quite shifting but definitely present. "You want to know what I am? I'm the wolf your nightmares warned you about. I'm the darkness that makes Alphas wake up screaming. And I'm done being polite."

The power in the room intensified, and I heard glass breaking somewhere in the house.

"Megan." Damien's voice was calm but urgent. "You need to pull it back."

His words cut through my rage, and I realized I was losing control. The power that had felt so good moments ago was now threatening to tear me apart from the inside.

Help me, I begged Midnight.

I'm trying! But you have to calm down. You have to breathe.

I closed my eyes and focused on Damien's scent, on the memory of his arms around me, on the feeling of safety I'd experienced for the first time in months. Slowly, painfully, I pulled the power back inside myself.

When I opened my eyes, Victoria was staring at me with something that looked like fear.

"What are you?" she whispered.

"She's mine," Damien said firmly, moving to stand beside me. "And if you ever question that again, you'll be dealing with me."

Victoria straightened, trying to regain her composure. "This isn't over, Damien. Whatever spell she's cast on you—"

"Get out." His voice was Alpha command, pure and simple. "Get out of my territory and don't come back."

For a moment, I thought Victoria might challenge him. Then she seemed to remember where she was and who she was talking to.

"Fine," she said coldly. "But when this little charade falls apart and she shows her true colors, don't come crying to me."

She stalked toward the door, then paused and looked back at me.

"Enjoy it while it lasts, little wolf. Men like Damien don't stay interested in broken toys for long."

The door slammed behind her with enough force to rattle the frame.

In the silence that followed, I became aware that I was shaking. The burst of power had left me drained, and the emotional toll of the confrontation was hitting me all at once.

"I need some air," I said, heading for the back door.

"Megan, wait—" Damien started to follow me, but I held up a hand.

"Please. I just... I need a minute."

I stepped out onto the back porch and sank into one of the chairs, trying to process what had just happened. In the space of ten minutes, I'd learned that Damien had a gorgeous, powerful ex-girlfriend who clearly still had feelings for him, had my legitimacy as his mate questioned, and had apparently unleashed some kind of magical power that I didn't understand and couldn't control.

We handled that badly, Midnight said quietly.

You think?

She was trying to provoke us. She wanted us to lose control.

Why?

Because powerful, uncontrolled wolves are dangerous. If we'd hurt someone with that power surge, it would have proven her point about us being too dangerous to mate with an Alpha.

The back door opened, and Jemma slipped outside.

"You okay?"

"No," I said honestly. "I'm really not."

She sat down in the chair next to mine. "For what it's worth, I thought you handled that pretty well."

"I nearly brought the house down with some kind of power I don't understand, and I let her get to me with her mind games."

"You defended yourself and your mate. That's what any wolf would do." Jemma was quiet for a moment. "She's gorgeous."

"Thanks. That helps."

"But she's also a manipulative b***h who clearly can't accept that Damien moved on."

I looked at her. "What if she's right, though? What if I'm not strong enough for him? What if he realizes he made a mistake?"

"Megan Blackthorne," Jemma said firmly, "I have known you my entire life, and you are the strongest person I know. You survived the destruction of your pack, months alone in the wilderness, being hunted by a psychopath, and having your wolf blocked by dark magic. If that's not strong enough for any man, then he doesn't deserve you."

She's right, Midnight said. And besides, did you see the way Damien looked at Victoria? Like she was something unpleasant he'd stepped in. There's no love there anymore.

But there was once.

And now there's us. That's what matters.

The door opened again, and this time it was Damien who stepped outside. He looked at Jemma, who immediately stood up.

"I'll just... go see if Marcus needs help with anything," she said diplomatically, disappearing back inside.

Damien sat down in the chair Jemma had vacated, close enough that I could feel the warmth radiating from his body.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly.

"For what?"

"For not telling you about Victoria. For not preparing you for the possibility that she might show up and cause trouble."

I looked at him. "Were you in love with her?"

He was quiet for a long moment, and my heart sank.

"I thought I was," he said finally. "But looking back, I think it was more about convenience than love. She was powerful, she was available, and our packs had good relations. It seemed logical."

"What happened?"

"She wanted more than I was willing to give. Marriage, a permanent alliance between our packs, political power. When I told her I wasn't ready for that kind of commitment, she... didn't take it well."

"She still has feelings for you."

"Maybe. But I don't have feelings for her." He reached over and took my hand, and I felt that familiar electric spark. "What I feel for you, Megan, is nothing like what I felt for Victoria. This is real. This is forever."

"How can you be sure?"

"Because when she was insulting you, threatening you, questioning your worth as my mate, I wanted to tear her apart with my bare hands." His green eyes were intense as they met mine. "Because when you lost control of your power, my first instinct wasn't fear—it was pride. Pride that my mate was strong enough to make an Alpha back down. Pride that you were defending what's ours."

He's telling the truth, Midnight said softly. I can feel Dorian's emotions through the mate bond. There's no deception there.

"The power thing," I said hesitantly. "What was that?"

"I don't know," Damien admitted. "But we're going to find out. Tomorrow we'll go see Elena, and she can help us understand what kind of abilities you have and how to control them."

"What if Victoria was right? What if I'm too dangerous?"

Damien's grip on my hand tightened. "Then we'll deal with it together. But Megan, you're not too dangerous. You're just untrained. There's a difference."

I wanted to believe him. I wanted to trust that this was real, that he wouldn't change his mind when he realized how much baggage I came with.

"She's beautiful," I said quietly.

"So are you."

"She's powerful."

"So are you."

"She's not broken."

"Neither are you." He lifted our joined hands and pressed a kiss to my knuckles. "You're healing, Megan. You're becoming who you were always meant to be. And I'm honored to be part of that journey."

See? Midnight said smugly. I told you he was perfect.

Despite everything, I smiled. "Midnight says you're perfect."

"Tell Midnight that Dorian thinks she's pretty amazing too."

We sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes, watching the sun move across the garden. Then Damien spoke again.

"There's something else we need to discuss."

"What?"

"Samuel's deadline. We have less than twenty-four hours to respond to his ultimatum."

My stomach clenched. "What are you going to tell him?"

"That he can go to hell," Damien said simply. "But I wanted to make sure you were okay with that decision. If you want to avoid a war, we could—"

"No." The word came out stronger than I expected. "I'm done running from him. I'm done letting him control my life through fear."

"Even if it means putting the pack at risk?"

I thought about Marcus and Jemma, about the comfortable home I'd glimpsed, about the safety and belonging I'd never had before.

"This pack took me in when I had nowhere else to go. They accepted me as their Alpha's mate without question. They're willing to fight for me." I met Damien's eyes. "I think it's time I fought for them too."

His smile was brilliant. "There's my fierce mate."

There's our fierce Alpha, Midnight corrected with satisfaction.

As we headed back inside to prepare for whatever Samuel had planned, I realized that for the first time since this nightmare began, I wasn't just running away from something.

I was running toward something worth fighting for.