It took a second for my words to sink in. When they did, both Damian and Louisa went a little pale.
“Liv, baby—”
“No,” I said firmly. “I am not your baby, we are not getting married, and I want you out of my house.” Damian’s mouth gaped open like a fish’s.
It was funny, watching him realize his planned prosperity was crumbling in front of him.
Eventually he landed on a response, and it was just as cowardly as I’d anticipated. “Olivia,” he said slowly, “are you feeling okay? Is this another mood swing?”
“Nope,” I said, keeping my calm instead of ripping his eyes out of his skull with my fingernails. I knew my calm would bother him more, and I could tell I was right. He looked uneasy with dawning horror.
“Olivia,” Louisa chuckled nervously, “you’re taking it too far. Damian’s not just your fiancé, he’s your Fated Mate! Rejecting him is the same as rejecting the Moon Goddess herself.”
I did my best not to show it on my face, but my conviction did waver at that reminder. Damian was a piece of trash and I had no qualms about getting rid of him, but Louisa was right. Did I really want to turn my back on the very Goddess who gave us all life?
Could I even turn my back on Her? Then again, how could she give me an unfaithful Mate? Could I even ask these questions, or was I already a heretic just for thinking about it?
“Ba—Liv,” Damian corrected. “Let’s sit down so we can talk about this, please?”
“I thought you wanted to get ready for the meeting,” I said, cocking my eyebrow mockingly. “You’d better get going if you expect to make it back to your parents’ house in time to take a shower. You can’t show up like this if you want them to take you seriously.”
Again, I had to hand it to Damian for his acting chops. It was almost impossible to see the indignant rage building underneath the façade, and I was actively looking for it. No wonder I missed it before.
“Look—we—“he sputtered, then sighed. He ran his hands over his face, realizing I was right; he couldn’t afford to be late to the meeting because he was arguing with me.
“Okay,” he relented. “I’ll stay with my parents for a few days. But let’s come back to this with clear heads on Saturday, okay?”
“Sure,” I said airily, “but don’t be disappointed when I don’t change my mind.” Damian just sighed. I gave Louisa a pointed look to let her know I meant her too, and she huffed and stomped to the door after him.
The door slammed heavily behind them, and I almost chuckled. Louisa always acted so…childish.
And yet these two were the biggest obstacles to my future, along with my stepfather, who they were probably going to talk to right now. I didn’t bother calling first—he’d believe his precious baby if she told him the sky was red. Besides, I had to get ready for the meeting too.
As I quickly showered and redressed, I got a good look at the bruises on my chest. Elroy had really enjoyed gnawing on my tits last night, huh? It had been so intense I’d barely even thought about marks.
I hadn’t thought about condoms either, I realized. A sudden bolt of panic hit me, but I shook it off. Sure, pregnancy after a one-night-stand happened, but with my fertility issues?
I didn’t bother worrying, just making sure to look my best. I got a front row seat to Damian’s fall from grace, and I intended to enjoy the show.
And oh, what a show it was.
Without my notes Damian was left fumbling blindly. My stepfather Greg was putting him forward as our pack’s future Alpha as well, and by the end I could see the doubt in the faces all around the table. They were asking themselves if Damian was truly fit to run the illustrious Moonshadow pack, to represent us among the Alphas of the three packs of Lunaris City.
“If there are no more matters to address, then the monthly Moonshadow pack Alpha meeting is adjourned,” Greg said from the head of the table. “Meeting minutes will be sent out within the hour. Olivia, stay behind to speak with me.”
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. I had seen this coming, but that didn’t mean I was looking forward to it. Hadn’t enough happened in the last twenty-four hours?
The worst part of dealing with him was that he was my pack Alpha. I had the moral high ground, but he had the power.
As soon as the door closed and we were left alone in the room, my dearest stepfather pinned me with an icy glare. I expected him to go after my antics during the meeting first, but instead he just declared, “You are marrying Damian.” I snorted.
“I am not marrying Damian,” I responded. My stepfather bristled.
“You are,” he grit out, “because he’s your Fated Mate, and no one else will so much as look at you because you can never give them a child. Damian is your only option.”
I pressed my lips together, trying to hide how hard that hit landed. It made me furious, but it also just hurt. After all, he was right.
There was nothing more important in werewolf society than passing down your genes, and it seemed any man who married me never would.
“So here’s what’s going to happen,” Greg continued, “Damian has graciously agreed to stay with his parents until Saturday, to let you get your head on straight. You’re going to let him move back in. Then, in two weeks, you’re going to walk down that aisle to him with a smile on your face.
Got it, girl?”
By the time he was done with his little sanctimonious rant, I was struggling to hold back my rage. I wanted to explode, but I gritted my teeth and tried to stay level-headed. I’d had enough practice.
“That will not be happening,” I said, trying to imitate my mom’s ‘political voice.’ “The wedding is off. I will not be marrying Damian.”
Greg slammed his hand down on the table with a loud bang.
“You need to marry!” he shouted. “Who will lead the pack if you have no husband?” I narrowed my eyes.
“You have some nerve to ask that question after marrying Lunaris City’s first female Alpha,” I spat. “Damian is not fit for the position and you know it, so why shouldn’t I follow my mother’s footsteps?”
I heard the slap before I felt it, and only then did I understand why I was looking at the side wall all of a sudden. As soon as I realized what Greg had done, I was jumping out of my chair in an explosion of fury—but his words stopped me cold in my tracks.
“I will banish you,” he snarled. “You will marry Damian, he will lead the pack—as a man should—or I will banish you from Moonshadow.”
Banishment? He couldn’t be serious. Wolves need packs—there was a reason the Rogues outside the city were almost all insane. Without my wolf to help protect me, the Rogues would kill me before I got the chance to go crazy too.
“Your mother should have known better than to fight the status quo,” Greg hissed. “Her rebellion is what led to her downfall, and if you rebel it will lead to mine. Especially now that I’m running for Alpha King.”
I was still struggling to wrap my head around his banishment threat, but that information was a shock. It was true the current Alpha King would be stepping down soon, but I would have never imagined Greg would try for the position. Then again, that explained why he was so focused on making Damian the next Alpha—he’d need someone to take over running Moonshadow if he was elected Alpha King.
“I can’t have any scandals,” Greg said. “You already caused one in the meeting today with your little stunt, you are not costing me any more. Eclipse pack’s new Alpha is a total unknown so I have to be prepared for anything.”
He threw down a single photo onto the table. “One of our members snapped this photo of him earlier today,” Greg said, “but I can’t even see his face clearly enough to properly ID him. All I know is that he killed his own father to take his position, so he’s a serious threat. You don’t want a murderer running Lunaris, do you?”
I stared at the picture. It looked like the subject had turned away at just the wrong moment, his head blurry, but even though I didn’t recognize him I did recognize something.
My engagement ring.
