Chapter 4: We Used To Be Engaged

Damian's POV

I took Olivia to my father's palace the moment her wounds were fully healed. Now that I had found my mate, I finally had the courage to face him after eleven months. I could finally stand before the council members and hold my head high, and finally prove all the rumors wrong. The moon goddess hadn't cursed me, I had just been a bit unlucky.

I could see the light return to my father's eyes the moment I announced that Olivia was my mate. "When do we hold the mating ritual? She's a beauty, you need to get married immediately!" He sang out excitedly, his face beaming with smiles. He wasn't the only one excited, half of the castle was filled with joy, but amongst the smiles, a few angry faces were present.

"Congratulations brother, it seems your prayers have finally been heard. Now let's hope you'll be able to provide an heir." Stefan commented with a grim smile. I paid him no attention, I wasn't going to let him ruin my day.

"Ignore him." I whispered to Olivia who seemed confused by Stefan's remarks. She didn't know who he was, and I would have loved for it to remain that way, but Stefan was nothing less of a scheming bastard. He walked past me and approached Olivia with a bright smile.

"I'm Stefan, Damian's younger brother, it's lovely to meet you." He reached for Olivia's hand, took it in his, and planted a light peck at the back of her palm. I felt my blood curdle in rage at the sight of the gesture, but managed to reel in my emotions. It was just a gesture, nothing more. I convinced myself while I struggled to keep the smile on my face steady.

"Olivia Stone, it's nice to meet you." Olivia returned with a practiced smile. She glanced towards me for a brief second, and I gave her a reassuring smile. I could tell she was uncomfortable, but I reassured her that this would only last for a while.

"I'm glad my brother finally found his mate, you must be lucky, Olivia. Damian is a kind man, although he tends to lose himself sometimes, I'm sure the two of you will make it work—"

"That's enough, Stefan." I interjected, pulling his hands off Olivia. "Stay away from her, and stay away from me!"

Stefan didn't argue, he merely backed away with a sadistic smile. Olivia turned to me, a little scared of my minor outburst. Stefan had managed to plant seeds of doubt about me in her head, and now she seemed afraid of me losing my temper.

"I'm sorry, he's just unbearable sometimes." I apologized with a hung head. "Let's go outside for some air, I'm sure you're in need of space as well."

Olivia gave a small nod, her eyes flicking between Stefan and me, clearly sensing the tension in the air. Without another word, I led her outside to the balcony.

The evening breeze was gentle, and it brought a little bit of calm to the rage simmering inside of me. I glanced at her, hoping the fresh air would help ease her discomfort.

She leaned against the railing, staring out at the distant hills before finally speaking. "Is he really your brother? He seems....weird?"

I sighed, leaning beside her, unsure of where to begin. Saying I hadn't expected Stefan to act this way would definitely be a lie. I knew he wouldn't be happy that I had found my mate. He had never liked me, and I blamed my father partially for that. He had always favored me over Stefan, and it seemed to have made Stefan grow in my shadow. Now that we were both adults, he wanted to do what he could to outshine me, and the only way he could do that was by becoming Alpha. However, that wasn't possible anymore.

"Stefan is my younger brother," I said, my voice low, almost strained. "He's always been like this for as long as I can remember. And while he hides it behind smiles and pleasantries, he isn’t exactly thrilled that I found you."

Olivia turned to me, confusion still lingering in her eyes. For someone who had been betrayed by her sister, she still seemed to hold light in her eyes for people. "Why wouldn’t he be happy for you? For us?"

I took a deep breath, choosing my words carefully. "Stefan believed I wouldn’t find a mate. If I hadn't found you before the next full moon, Stefan would have been made the Alpha. But now that you're here, his hopes of becoming Alpha have been dashed."

Olivia's eyes softened for a moment before she finally turned towards me, a satisfied smile clear on her face. "I'm happy you found me, I'm happy I found you." She said, and I couldn't help but return the smile. She was coming out of her shell, and I was happy to see that.

"Perhaps it's time we leave, we would plan everything else on our own" I suggested, and she didn't refuse. I didn't want to make her uncomfortable any further, and there was one person I didn't exactly want to meet. She wasn't here from the look of things, and I wanted us to be out of here before she made an appearance.

I led Olivia towards the exit without informing anybody about our departure. If I did, they would only force us to stay back, and I didn't want that. We hadn't crossed the door when a familiar figure came into my line of view. It was the worst, the last person I had expected to see was right in front of me, and she had seen me.

"Damian?" She called out, swiftly rushing forward to throw herself onto me. Olivia's brows raised in confusion, and I couldn't blame her for being confused.

"Olivia, this is Martha, Martha and I used to be engaged.”