From Rejected Slave to Second Chance Luna

Mating Ball Part 2

Part 2

Damon’s POV

I turned Spurn toward me. Tears had gathered in her eyes, but she blinked them away before they could fall. That hurt almost as much as the tears themselves. “You need to know something,” I said. “I will do everything in my power to keep you safe, and I will do everything I can for the innocent wolves trapped here too. But right now, you are my first priority.” Her voice was barely above a whisper. “Why? Because I am your mate?” The question landed between us like something fragile. “You can feel it?” She nodded, but fear swallowed the small movement almost immediately. “Are you going to reject me too?” Her voice trembled. “Because I am worthless? Because I am a piece of s**t?” For a second, I could not answer. Not because I doubted myself, but because rage and heartbreak collided so hard inside me that speaking felt dangerous. Someone had made her believe those words belonged in her mouth. Someone had taught my mate to stand in front of me and offer herself up for abandonment before I had even touched her. I wanted to roar. I wanted to find every wolf who had carved that belief into her and make them choke on it. Instead, I forced my hands to stay gentle and my voice to stay steady. She did not need my fury right now. She needed my certainty. “I am not going to reject you,” I told her. “Not because of your past. Not because of what they called you. But I am not going to rush you either. I will not demand trust you are not ready to give. I will not touch you in ways that make you afraid. I am going to take you home, help you heal, and stand beside you until you believe you are safe. If love comes, it will come because you choose it, not because the bond forces it.” Her lips parted, but no words came. The disbelief in her eyes nearly broke me. I pressed a kiss to her forehead because it was the safest place I could think to give her affection. Then I guided her to the food. “Eat whatever you want, Little Star. No one will take it from you.” She sat cautiously, still watching me as if kindness might turn into punishment if she moved too quickly. I filled my plate with bacon, eggs, potatoes, and a bagel, then poured coffee. “Would you like to try this?” “I have never had that before,” she said. “What is it?” I explained coffee and the many ways people liked it. She chose sugar and milk. When I handed her the cup, she lifted it with both hands and took a careful sip. A smile grew behind the rim, tiny and unguarded, and for one second I forgot how to breathe. “You like it?” She nodded and took another sip. It was such a small thing. Coffee. A smile. A quiet morning. But for Spurn, it felt like a first taste of a world that had not been built to hurt her. I let her have that moment before I spoke again. “Spurn, I want to ask you something.” She set the cup down immediately. “Did I do something wrong, sir?” The question hit my heart like a fist. “No. Never. I only want to understand why you thought I would reject you. Did you have a mate before?” Pain crossed her face, old and sharp. She nodded. “Can you tell me about it?” She stared at her hands for a long moment. “It was on my eighteenth birthday. I had to wait until the party was over before I could clean up. Everyone had gone outside for Morgan’s first shift, or I thought they had. I smelled my mate while I was cleaning. It was Dominik.” Her voice stayed steady, but her fingers twisted together. “He rejected me right there. He did not give the bond a chance. I accepted it and rejected him back. I would not let him see my pain. He did not deserve that satisfaction.” Pride and sorrow tangled in my chest. She had been broken down for years and still found the strength to stand tall in front of the wolf who discarded her. “Is that why you thought I would reject you?” She nodded. “I did not think I was worthy of love or a mate. I thought the Moon Goddess hated me. I thought she was playing a cruel joke on me. I do not even have a wolf. At least if I had a wolf, I would not have been so lonely.” Stowne pressed against my mind, gentler than I had ever felt him. Tell her. I can sense her wolf. She is there, just weak.

I think you are right, I answered. I looked back at Spurn. “My wolf, can sense yours.” She went completely still. “What?” “You are too weak to feel her right now, but she is there.” A small gasp left her. Hope flashed across her face so quickly she looked afraid of it. “What is your wolf’s name?” “Stowne.” “How can he sense something in me when I cannot?” “Because he is strong, and because the bond makes us aware of things others might miss. Did you feel sparks when we touched? Do I have a scent only you can smell? Have you noticed how quickly some of your wounds are healing?” She looked down at herself, checking places where marks had been only days before. Slowly, understanding began to replace disbelief. “Yes,” she whispered. “You have a unique scent. And I felt tingles when you touched me.” I smiled, and if I had not been watching so closely, I would have missed the tiny smile she gave back. “I hope I get to see that more often,” I said. “Your smile is beautiful.” She ducked her head, cheeks turning pink. I gently lifted her chin with one finger. “Do not hide from me, Little Star.” Her blush deepened, and Stowne rumbled with quiet satisfaction. “Can I ask another question?” I asked. She nodded. “Are you still in school?” “No, I graduated already.” I was glad to hear that. “What were your grades like?” For the first time, she answered without hesitation. “Straight A’s. I graduated with High Honors, and a scholarship for the University of Howlers.” Pride hit me bright and fierce. “I am proud to call you my mate, you know that?” Her eyes softened, but there was fear there too, like she did not know where to put praise when no one had ever given it to her. I wanted to kiss her. I wanted to hold her close enough to pour every bit of protection I had into her bones. But she was not ready for that, so I stayed where I was. “Jacob is bringing clothes and shoes for you,” I said. “Before you worry, listen to me. You will be with me at the Mating Ball. I am going to tell Alpha Amos and Beta Blake that you are leaving with me. This is not a secret escape. This is not you running like you did something wrong. You are my mate, and by the law of the Moon Goddess, they cannot keep you from me. If they challenge that, they challenge me.” Panic rose in her eyes, but this time it did not consume her. She breathed through it, watching me, trusting me just enough to stay seated. That small act of trust felt like a victory.