Damian's POV The anger and jealousy that had been simmering deep inside imploded the very second Michael uttered those words. In a flash I was upon him, my hand circled around his throat, and my fists balled, ready to descend on him at any second. "Keep your hands away from my wife." I cautioned sternly, my bloodlust all over the place. Michael chuckled mockingly, before pushing me off him. He was an Alpha, and was definitely not weak, however I wasn't going to sit still and let him do as he pleased. "Damian please..." Olivia called out to me, her gentle voice calming me only a bit. Even though I could see that she didn't want violence, I knew she was enjoying all of this deep down. This was probably part of her plan, but I didn't want to get mad at her. I glanced at her direction, but instead of feeling relief, I felt a wave of anger surge through me once again. She was in the dress I had bought for her, but she had not dressed up for me. She had dressed seductively for an
Olivia"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry.." I continued to apologize despite many attempts from Damian to get me to stop. Nothing had gone as I had intended, I never planned for things to happen the way they had done, and now I couldn't save myself from the guilt. "I said it's fine, there's nothing to be sorry about." Damian said for the umpteenth time, but there was still no shred of honesty in his voice. He was doing well in concealing his true emotions, but his eyes couldn't lie to me, especially not while I was staring into them this closely. "Don't hate me please, please don't hate me.." I cried out, my voice trembling as I grabbed onto his shirt, soaking him in my hot tears. My makeup was smeared all over my face, and my vulnerability was more evident than it had ever been. I couldn't see Damian's face, but I could feel the subtle change in his emotions. He felt sad for me, and the little air of rage around him was slowly dissipating as the seconds passed by. He raised his hand with
Stefan's POVI glared at the married couple before me with burning hatred. They were the talk of the town, nobody seemed to shut up about them, and once again I had been totally forgotten, left at the sidelines like I've always been all my life. Growing up had been the worst experience for me, especially as the younger brother of the 'perfect' Damian. At first I had been proud of my elder brother, that was until people started comparing us, including our father. "Why did you break that vase?! Can't you be more civilized like Damian? When are you going to get into college like Damian?" Those were the kind of words I had heard throughout the majority of my childhood. Nobody remembered about my existence except when it came to comparing me and my elder brother. At a point I had gotten used to it, and have never thought much about it. Damian was perfect after all, wasn't he? He was handsome, strong, smart, and everything our father could ever want, there had been no need for a second s
Damian's POV Even though everyone had a smile on their faces, the tension in the air was very clear. The elders had called Damian and I for a meeting, and my father and the council members were already waiting. I entered the room and made a quick assessment of the aura. It wasn't very welcoming, and I could tell that I was not about to receive good news. The smile on Stefan's face made me even more certain that something was wrong. "We're glad you could join us Damian, please have a seat." Jerome, the eldest in the room, welcomed me. I lowered my head in a respectful bow before taking my seat opposite Stefan who wouldn't stop smirking. I did my best to ignore him, but that was impossible to do when he was seated right in front of me. He seemed jolly, a little too jolly, and I couldn't help but wonder what he was up to now. What had he done, why was I called here all of a sudden? There had been no prior information that a meeting would be held today. "We've received disturbing inf
Damian's POV I did my best to maintain a jolly demeanor as I headed back to my room. Olivia was probably in there waiting for me, and the last thing I wanted was for her to suspect that something was wrong. She would get curious if she caught a whiff of anger or anxiety on my face, and I didn't know how to look her in the face and tell that the entire council and my father wanted to give her away to the Forgers. She would probably lose her mind, and I didn't want that. I paused abruptly, stopping myself before I could reach the passageway that led to our room. Perhaps it was a bad idea entering there. I wasn't confident that I would keep up this act for long, and I didn't want her to catch off guard either. Turning around, I walked out of the main building and headed towards the grasslands just outside the palace. It was where I usually cooled my head while growing up. Everybody had big expectations for me then, and it was exhausting sometimes. To keep a calm demeanor, I would
Olivia's POV I sat in the garden, waiting for Damian to be done with his meeting. It had taken quite a while now, and I had begun to get a little worried for him and myself as well. He was the only person I knew around here, and the only person who could keep me company. Others were still learning to adapt to my presence, and the same could be said about me. I hummed a tune while I sat patiently on the bench, my feet kicking the soft soil every once in a while. It was a means to release the subtle anxiety growing inside me, but even that wasn't working. "Bored?" A familiar voice asked me. Eagerly, I turned around with a smile, expecting to meet Damian, but was disappointed to find Stefan standing right behind me. I hadn't even noticed him until he spoke, and that scared me even if it was just a little bit."I'm waiting for Damian." I answered flatly before returning my attention to the flowers in front of me. "He's been gone a while now, likely sulking in the fields like a little
Damian's POV "That damned bastard!" I cursed inwardly, he had managed to get to Olivia before I had the chance to stop him. Martha had distracted me, and if I hadn't wasted time dealing with her, perhaps I could have made it back on time. But it didn't matter now, the truth was out, and I couldn't keep it from her. I had suspected that Stefan had said something to her already, and had planned to distract her somehow, but she was clearly stronger than I had given her credit for.Olivia kept her eyes on me, never breaking contact even for a moment. She was determined to know the truth and it was evident from the look on the face. "It's not something to be worried about, it's nothing important." I waved off, but she wasn't satisfied with my answer. "Stefan sure made it sound like a big deal. Something about the Forgers?" The mention of the Forgers didn't make denying the truth feasible anymore. As long as Olivia knew the Forgers were involved, the chances of her letting go of this co
Olivia's POV The last person I had expected to pay me a personal visit was Alpha Alexander, Damian's father. Sure, he had been nice to me since I arrived, and would often ask me random questions every now and then. I had never had a one on one conversation with him. He had walked in seconds after Damian had left, and it made me feel as though he had been waiting for Damian to leave before entering the room. I wondered what he was up to, was something wrong, or was this some random visit? "Your grace—" "Don't bother yourself with formalities, Olivia. You're my daughter, there's no need for you to do all of that." He cut me short before I could finish my sentence. I replied with a simple nod, before gesturing for him to sit. It was odd that he was here, but since he had a smile on his face, I figured he couldn't have come bearing bad news, right? "How have you been adjusting? I hope Damian is treating you like a husband should a wife." Alpha Alexander started the moment he
Damian's POV "Your mother was not my true mate, Stefan's mother was." Alexander started and I felt my blood run cold just because of that sentence. So Stefan wasn't even my blood brother? And father had two wives? What was going on here? "Your mother and I were in love, but she wasn't my mate. When I found my true mate, Stefan's mother, I just couldn't connect with her emotionally. I loved your mother so much that my mate bond felt like a burden. I neglected Eliza, never loved her, and treated her like she was nothing short of a regret. When your mother passed, my hatred for her grew even further." Alexander paused for a moment, taking a deep breath and a second to catch a glimpse of the stunned look on my face. "But Stefan's mother was a witch, at least that's what most people believed. They said she was responsible for the death of your mother, and I gave into the rumors. She loathed me, and after giving birth to Stefan she cursed me, saying that my son would never find happine
Damian's POV I chased after Olivia, determined to catch up to her and explain myself to her, but she was simply too quick on her feet. "Liv, please." I called out to her but she simply wasn't listening. How on earth did she even come to find out about the Forgers? Who had told her? Aside from that, there was the problem with my father who just couldn't keep a secret. Despite my warnings, he had gone ahead to betray me. Angry, I stormed to his room to have a word with him. He was taking this obsession with me being Alpha way too far, and it was clearly affecting my relationship with Olivia. I made it to his room in mere seconds and found it empty. Frustrated, I turned to head for the garden, and only then did I catch sight of him on the other side of the passage. I could tell he had seen me too because he had suddenly changed paths in a bid to avoid us running into each other. "Coward!" I cursed inwardly while I raced to apprehend him. "Are you going to run away from me
Olivia's POV I froze for a moment, unsure if I had heard correctly or if I had misheard the man in front of me. Did he just say surrogate? And did he just say that Damian told him about our situation? "W...what?" I returned with a trembling voice. "A surrogate, Olivia." Alpha Alexander clarified, further confirming my suspicion. "I know how it sounds, and I understand how you must be feeling right now. But we will keep it a secret, no one has to know. Once Damian gets an heir, his position as Alpha would be solidified. Plus, the Forgers wouldn't want a woman whom they believe has already taken in for another Alpha—" I didn't let Alpha Alexander finish before I rose from where I sat and stormed out of the garden. The alpha didn't chase after me, and I was happy he hadn't done so. I wouldn't have responded if he had called out to me, and the last thing I wanted was for his subjects to see me being disrespectful to him. They already hated me enough, and I was more than content with
Olivia's POV "What do you want this time, Martha?" I inquired the moment I caught sight of the sneaky lady in front of me. I had noticed a couple minutes ago parading the hallways aimlessly, but didn't pay much attention to her. I might have been forced to forgive her, but that didn't make us friends. "It's a nice evening, so I thought taking a stroll would be nice." She lied as she slowly walked towards me with a fake smile plastered across her face. "It is a nice evening..." I admitted while my eyes closely followed her every step. Damian had warned me to be weary of her, but with John constantly hovering around me, there was little to worry about. "..what brings you to the palace? Are you here to stroll aimlessly, or did you come to visit someone?" Martha's face twitched lightly, the sarcasm in my voice was unrestrained, and I could tell my last sentence had struck a nerve. "I actually came to see you, my lady.." she said with a bright smile. "There's barely anybody aro
Damian's POV "It's nothing, forget I ever said a thing—" "Don't you try to act like this is nothing! Tell me what those words mean right now!" Alexander urged, his determination to get answers almost frightening. I had wanted to keep everything to myself until we found a solution to the problem, but after the slip up it seemed impossible now. Alexander drew closer, the frustration on his face slowly turning into concern. "Tell me what's wrong.." he urged softly. I stared at him for a straight minute, confused if I should confide in him or not. We had our ups and downs, but at the end of the day he was still my father, and I was grateful for him. However, this time, I was more skeptical than ever about telling him anything concerning me and Olivia. He wanted her gone, and even though it was to protect his people and family, he still wanted her gone. Telling him that we can't have a child, would only give him more reasons to push Olivia away. It was always easy to blame the fema
Damian's POV I entered the council room with a blank expression on my face. I already had a vague idea of what the discussion was going to be about, and quite frankly I was not in the best mood to have such conversation. But then again, it was inescapable, it was either now or later, I would still have to deal with the situation. Just like me, everyone of the present councilmen had a stoic expression plastered across their faces, all besides Stefan who always seemed to be amused by something each time he saw me. "Damian..." My father, Alpha Alexander, started. He rarely spoke during these types of meetings, unless it was something serious. But in this case, I could tell he wasn't just speaking because of the seriousness of the matter, the disappointment and anger on his face and voice made that much obvious. "...since you've refused to give Olivia up to the Forgers, you might as well provide us with an heir. For her to put our pack in danger, she has to be worth it, and right n
Olivia's POV A month had passed since I attempted to escape from the palace. And while things seemed to be getting relatively better, Damian and I had once again encountered another big problem; we couldn't produce a child together. We were the only people who knew about this at the moment, but it wouldn't be long before people started whispering. We had consummated our marriage on the day of our mating night, naturally I should be pregnant by now, but that hadn't been the case. We had also tried several times, but for some unknown reason I just couldn't seem to get pregnant. We had consulted a doctor twice already, and yet nothing seemed to be wrong with the both of us. It had become a problem, and what was even more problematic was that the elders were looking forward to an announcement from the two of us soon. I sat at the balcony, my gaze fixed on the clouds above. The sun was slowly beginning to dip over the horizon, but even the beauty of the sunset didn't seem to entice me a
Damian's POV I returned home to meet Olivia fast asleep on the bed. John stood guard outside our room, and he could easily tell that I was not doing very well with just one glance. "Is something the matter, Damian?" He inquired as he pushed open the door for me. I swiftly waved off his concern with a simple smile. "I'm fine, just exhausted." I said as I quietly entered the room. I didn't want to disturb Olivia's nap, and I definitely didn't want John to know that I had gone to Shadow pack. "Take a break, she'll be fine with me here." John lowered his head in respect before finally leaving the room for me and Olivia. I glanced at her innocent and peaceful face, completely grateful that I had found her. She was the best thing that had ever happened to me, and now they wanted to take her away from me. There was no way I was going to let that happen, not while I was still alive and kicking. Olivia was my mate, and I wouldn't let anybody take her from me. But at the same time, my
Damian's POV The ride to Shadow pack was as uneventful as it was terrifying. I was basically walking into the enemy's territory uninvited, but even then I kept a bold persona on my face, this issue wouldn't be resolved unless I spoke to Michael and found a mutual ground with him.. "I'm here to see Michael Forger.." I said to the guard at the gate. I had come with my own guards, just two of them. Compared to the army behind these walls, two guards were nothing. But there was no need for a comparison, I had not come for war, I had come to negotiate and possibly stop a potential war. Nobody knew I was here, not Olivia, not even my father. I knew that none of them would agree with my decision, so I didn't bother with them. The only people who knew of my plans were the two guards with me, and I had made sure they understood that saying a word of this day to anybody would mean certain death. The guard on the gate looked me up and down for a moment before finally unlocking the gate to