Rejected Omega: Claimed By Her Ex's Uncle

Shut Your Mouth, Zayne!

Damon’s POV

I had reached the absolute limit of my restraint. I had stood by for Reina’s sake, letting her face her demon, but watching Zayne spew this vile poison made my inner wolf howl for blood.

"Shut your mouth. You are justifying your cheating, which you shouldn't," I said. "You fooled Reina. You butchered her trust. You played a game with a fated bond that you were too weak to carry."

"Uncle, you're the one—"

"SHUT YOUR MOUTH, ZAYNE!" I bellowed. The sound was so loud that it vibrated the crystal chandeliers above us. "You're going to pay for what you've done. You better prepare yourself, because I will destroy your pack. I will dismantle everything you think you’ve earned until you have nothing left but the shame of your name."

It wasn't an empty threat. As the Warlord, I could ruin the Black Shadow territory.

Zayne staggered back, but his arrogance was still at its peak. He actually had the nerve to try and use our family history as a shield.

"Uncle, you’re not doing it right," he gasped, his voice thin with terror but still laced with that insufferable entitlement. "If Grandpa finds out about this, he’s going to be upset with you! I don't care why you chose Reina, but don't let our relationship be ruined because of her. Didn't you hear me? She’s the reason my parents died!"

At that final, baseless accusation, I felt something snap. Reina was a child when my brother died. She was an innocent who had been used as a scapegoat for Zayne’s own inability to accept he cheated on her.

I didn't use my speed this time. I walked toward him slowly.

"My father is a man of honor, Zayne. If he heard the words coming out of your mouth, he would disown you himself," I said, stopping only when I was inches from his trembling form. "And if you ever blame Reina for the tragedy of your parents again, I won't just kill you. I will make sure the history books forget you ever existed."

I looked over my shoulder at the guards standing by the entrance. "Get him out of my sight. Throw him into the street. If he touches the gates of this mansion again, shoot him."

I watched Zayne’s retreating back as he sneered and marched out of the palace doors, his ego still bruised but his heart seemingly made of stone. He didn't look back once, leaving a wake of toxic accusations behind him.

I turned my attention immediately to Reina. She stood perfectly still, her eyes fixed on the empty space where Zayne had been. She wasn't blinking; she wasn't even reacting to the heavy silence of the foyer. It was as if her soul had temporarily retreated into a shell to survive the verbal onslaught.

When I reached out and gently grasped her shoulders, she finally blinked, her gaze slowly focusing on me.

"Why did Zayne say that?" she whispered, her voice fragile and trembling. "I—I didn't kill them. How could he accuse me like that?" The first of many tears began to stream down her cheeks, carving paths through the shock on her face. "I—I don't want you to fight with your nephew—"

I didn't let her finish. I pressed my finger gently against her lips, silencing the selfless plea before it could leave her mouth.

"Stay quiet and listen to me, Reina," I said. "He and his lies do not matter to me. I know how my brother and sister-in-law died. I know every detail of that day, and you were nothing but a child. He is simply trying to bury his own infidelity under a mountain of excuses. For the sake of my late brother, and for your sake, I have held back. But I will make sure Zayne learns his lesson. I am going to avenge every ounce of pain he inflicted upon you."

Reina shook her head, a sob catching in her throat. "You don't have to."

The sight of her like this, broken by the very people who should have protected her, ripped through me. I could feel her pain as if it was my own.

"I would like to be alone for some time. Please," she urged.

Every instinct I had told me to pull her into my arms and never let go, to shield her from the very air if it felt too cold. I wanted to refuse, to stay by her side until she felt whole again, but I knew she needed to process the wreckage Zayne had left behind.

"Sure," I replied softly, loosening my grip on her shoulders. "But I will keep an eye on you, not from close, but from afar. You are safe here, Reina."

I watched her walk out toward the gardens. Her shoulders were slumped, a heartbreaking sight that only fueled the cold fire of retribution burning in my chest.

Zayne thought he had escaped. He had no idea that the real storm was only just beginning.

"My lord, the breakfast—" the butler whispered, his head bowed as he gestured toward the grand dining hall where the table had been meticulously set for a family meal that had turned into a m******e.

I didn't even look at him. My eyes were fixed on the garden path where Reina’s silhouette was disappearing into the morning mist.

"Reina isn't in her right mood," I said, my voice vibrating with a cold, lethal edge that made the butler stiffen. "Make sure no one speaks a word of what happened here in front of her. If I hear even a single whisper of gossip or a rumor about her past, I will kill that person myself. Am I understood?"

"Perfectly, my lord," he stammered, his face paling.

I didn't wait for further acknowledgement. I stepped out of the mansion right behind Reina to keep a close watch on her. I couldn't let her suffer in alone.