Forsaken by the Alpha

CHAPTER FOUR -THE MYSTERIOUS BIRTHMARK

The crackling of the fire in Alpha's study room filled the silence as Beta Liam leaned against the stone wall, arms crossed. Beside him, Alpha Damian sat with his back straight, his eyes fixed on the fire, his expression hard and unreadable.

The air between them was thick with unspoken thoughts, but Beta Liam knew exactly what was on Alpha's mind.

“Have you spoken to her yet?” Liam asked, his voice cautious.

“Who?” Damian asked.

“Selene,” answered Liam, knowing full well that speaking of Selene was a delicate matter.

Damian's lips tightened “And why would I speak to her?” he growled, his voice low and edged with frustration. “The moon goddess made a mistake pairing me with her.”

Liam raised an eyebrow, surprised by the venom in Damian's words".

“I thought you were supposed to be honored. You have a fated mate. Not everyone does, Alpha.”

“Honored?” he repeated bitterly. “What's there to honor? A traitor's daughter, a disgrace to the pack, tied to a bloodline full of shame. She's not fit to be my mate.”

The words stung, though Liam tried not to let them show. He had seen Damian's coldness before, but hearing the Alpha speak so harshly about his own mate, someone that is supposed to be cherished, was unsettling.

“You know it's not her fault,” Liam said softly. She didn't ask for any of this."

“Then it's mine? I never asked to be mated to her..” Damian's eyes flashed with irritation, but there was a flicker of something else there, a twinge of something softer, but something almost regretful. But it disappeared as quickly as it came.

“Doesn't matter” Damian muttered, his voice laced with a mixture of bitterness and anger.

“It's the goddess's will, but I don't have to live with it. I'll keep her around, keep her close for the pack's sake. After all, she's the pack's maid. I don't own her anything.”

“On her eighteenth birthday she will find out I'm her mate, then and there I'd reject her.”

“That will break her heart” Liam interrupted, watching his Alpha carefully, sensing the internal conflict within him, but pressed further.

“She has been through a lot already but being rejected by her mate?....that will completely ruin her.”

He knew Damian's pride ran deep, and he also knew that nothing could change Alpha's mind when it was made up.

There was a long, heavy silence before Damian stood up abruptly, his chair scraping harshly against the stone floor. “I'm done here,” he muttered, making his way to the door and halted.

“One more thing, Beta Liam. No member of the pack should know about this yet, I command it”. His voice was shaky, yet strong.

Liam said nothing as Damian left the room, his heavy footsteps echoing through the hall. As soon as the door closed behind him, Liam sighed, watching the flames flicker before him.

The Alpha's coldness towards Selene was more than just indifference, it was a rejection of what the moon goddess had destined.

Liam could only wonder how much longer Damian would be able to keep his walls up before the pull of their bond became too much to ignore.

Damian's room was dim, the flickering light from a lone candle casting soft shadows on the stone walls. He had barely taken a step inside his quarters with his eyes locked on her.

Selene was leaning against his bed again, curled up on the floor, her body almost cradling his bed as if it offered her some kind of comfort. He should have been irritated.

He should have yelled at her for invading his space again, for making herself so comfortable in his presence. But instead there was only a strange sense of irritation that swirled in his chest.

She looked fragile, vulnerable, even. Her long hair was a mess, tangled in a way only sleep could manage, and her soft breaths hinted at the exhaustion that had taken over her body.

He watched her for a moment, not sure of what to feel, before he moved across the room and began folding his clothes, trying to draw out the ache in his chest.

But then as he turned to place a shirt neatly on his dresser, his eyes caught something, a glimpse of the mark that had always been there, hidden beneath the strands of her hair that fell over her neck.

Damian's breath hitched as he walked closer, his gaze falling on the crescent-shaped birthmark mark at the base of her neck, as if it was his first time seeing it but obviously not. It was faint but unmistakable, the kind of mark that carries weight, a symbol of a bloodline that had once been great, before it all fell apart.

He reached out instinctively, his fingers hovering just above her skin, as if the touch would reveal the answers he had been searching for.

But as his hand hovered, Selene shifted, rolling onto her side, and her face came into full view. Damian froze.

For the first time, he truly looked at her.

Her features were soft, delicate, framed by messy strands of dark curly hair. There was a purity in her expression, a kind of innocence that didn't match the harshness of her reality. And as she slept, her mouth curled into the faintest smile, a peacefulness that he hadn't seen in her eyes when she was awake.

His heart clenched painfully. What was this feeling? Why did he suddenly feel drawn to her?

Damian quickly looked away. Frustrated by the strange emotions stirring inside him. He turned sharply, grabbing a cotton blanket from the edge of the bed and flipping it over her form, covering her as though she was something precious yet something he didn't want to acknowledge.

He didn't want this. He didn't want any of this. His mate, Selene? The girl who should have never been his.

With a deep sigh, Damian walked back to the door, preparing to leave, when he paused. Selene shifted again, murmuring softly in her sleep.

Her hand reached out instinctively, her fingers brushing against the edge of the blanket he had thrown over her.

His irritation boiled over. He couldn't take it anymore.

“Wake up!” Damian growled, his voice sharp as he stepped towards her, his hands gripping the edge of the blanket. He yanked back, causing Selene to stir in surprise.

Her eyes fluttered open, groggy and confused, before meeting his gaze. For a moment there was nothing but silence, just the weight of his cold stare and the soft sound of his breath.

“Selene,” he said, his voice low and filled with irritation. What are you doing here,...again?”

Her eyes widened slightly, as if caught between sleep and awake. For a second Damien almost regretted his harshness, but the cold mask of indifference quickly settled back into place.

She is his mate, but that didn't mean she had any right to be in his space like that.

Selene slowly pushed herself up, her body stiff from the uncomfortable position she had been in. She seemed dazed, blinking up at him with a mixture of confusion and weariness.

“I'm sorry Alpha, I promise it won't happen again” she mumbled, her voice soft, barely above a whisper. She had no idea how to act around him, never had.

Damian's gaze softened for just a moment before he turned towards her. "Leave" he said politely.

Selene stormed out of the room, her footsteps heavy on the stone floor.

Damian's heart was pounding in his chest. He didn't know why, but the sound, but the sight of her so vulnerable, so at peace, made something inside of him twist. It was too much to deal with, too much to handle right now.

As he stepped away, he told himself the same thing. "This is not my problem. Not yet.”