Chapter 18

Hade’s Pov

Anger coursed through my veins, hot and pulsing, as Damian’s words echoed in my head. The way he said it—as if I should have simply followed the elders’ orders and married a Luna of equal standing and that got me infuriated. I clenched my fists, trying to control the surge of emotion, but it was no use. Damian had pushed me too far.

I turned to face him, my voice low and dangerous. “Enough, Damian.”

 Damian knew better than to question me like this, especially when it came to my mate. He didn’t understand. No one did.

“Alpha, I’m just—”

I cut him off sharply with a growl,“Don’t. You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

The room was suddenly too small, too confining. I felt trapped by my own anger, by the constant reminder of what I had lost. My mate had betrayed me, shattered every shred of trust I had once held. And yet, here was Damian, throwing it all back in my face, as if I should’ve just followed the rules and done what the pack wanted.

A heavy silence fell over us, and I turned away from him, unable to look at the pity in his eyes. I didn’t need his sympathy. I didn’t need anyone’s sympathy.

But then, from the corner of my eye, I saw Anita whisper something to Damian. Her voice was soft, barely audible, but it was enough to catch my attention. I strained to listen, catching only fragments of what she said.

“Are you sure his mate cheated?” she asked, her tone laced with disbelief. “Why would anyone give up an Alpha for someone else?”

Damian shrugged, his expression unreadable. “I don’t know.”

Anita’s words stung, more than I’d ever admit. Of course, she couldn’t know the full story, but her disbelief struck a chord deep within me. She couldn’t fathom it, couldn’t understand how someone would abandon an Alpha. The truth was, neither could I.

But it didn’t matter anymore. My mate was gone, and with her went any hope of living the life I had once imagined. The life the pack elders had planned for me. Now, all that remained was bitterness.

Then, out of nowhere, my wolf, haddy stirred. The familiar voice whispered in the back of my mind, low and insistent.

“Something’s wrong.” he said.

I frowned, closing my eyes for a moment, trying to focus on what my wolf was saying. But I couldn’t. The anger still clouded my mind, making it hard to think clearly.

“What is it?” I asked silently, hoping for clarity.

“I’m uncomfortable,” he replied, the unease in its tone catching me off guard. “I need the soothing scent I smelled earlier. It calmed me. I need it again.”

My eyes snapped open, and I turned my gaze toward Anita. The realization hit me like a blow to the chest. My wolf wanted her. Not in the way I’d expect a mate to be wanted, but for comfort, for calm.

I stiffened, trying to push away the idea, but my wolf wasn’t having it.

“I need close contact,” it insisted, the urgency in its voice growing loudly, making me uncomfortable. “Hug her.”

I nearly choked on the absurdity of the suggestion. Hug her? The thought alone was enough to send my mind spinning.

 Hugging a rogue? A rogue who was nothing to me? My mate had left, betrayed me, and now my wolf was asking for comfort from someone else entirely?

This was wrong. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be.

I took a step back, unsure of what to do. My instincts told me to listen to my wolf, to trust its guidance. But the rational part of me, the part that had been hardened by betrayal, refused to accept it.

I had spent so long building walls around myself, and now my wolf wanted me to tear them down, even if just for a moment.

“Is it necessary?” I asked my wolf nonchalantly.

“Yes." He replied immediately with an assertive tone. “I need this. We need this.” he added.

I swallowed hard, turning my gaze back to Anita. She was standing there, watching me with a mix of confusion and something else, curiosity, maybe.

She had no idea what was happening inside my head, the internal battle I was fighting. She didn’t know that my wolf had singled her out as the source of the comfort it craved.

Reluctantly, I turned toward her, taking a deep breath. My pride screamed at me to stop, to turn away and pretend none of this was happening, but my wolf’s need was too strong to ignore.

“Anita, I—” I hesitated, struggling to find the right words. “My wolf… It needs close contact with you.”

Anita’s eyes widened in shock. “What?”

I could hardly blame her for the reaction. The whole situation was beyond awkward, and explaining it only made it worse. “It’s not what you think,” I said quickly, trying to dispel any negative assumptions. “It’s just… my wolf. He needs it to calm down. It’s part of the healing process.”

Anita raised an eyebrow, clearly not convinced by what i said. “Healing should require contact with your mate, not me,” she replied with a sarcastic tone, though I could see the uncertainty in her eyes.

I sighed, rubbing a hand over my face. “I know. Believe me, I know. But this is different.” My voice was strained, each word feeling like it took an immense amount of effort to say. “Please, just… trust me on this.”

For a moment, she stood there, staring at me as if she couldn’t quite believe what she was hearing. Then, finally, she nodded, though her posture remained tensed, “Fine,” she said quietly. “If it helps.”

I could hear the doubt in her voice, but I wasn’t in a position to argue. My wolf was growing more restless by the second, and I knew that if I didn’t do something soon, it would only get worse.

Slowly, I approached her, trying to keep my movements calm and measured. Every step felt like a thousand miles, and the closer I got, the more I could feel my wolf’s desperation clawing at me.

When I finally reached her, the air between us seemed to thicken, heavy with tension and unspoken words. I hesitated for a brief moment, my hands hovering just above her shoulders, unsure of how to proceed.

Then, with a deep breath, I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her into an awkward embrace. The moment I did, my wolf let out a contented sigh, the tension in its voice easing. It was as if a weight had been lifted, though I still felt the unease clinging to the edges of my consciousness.

Anita stood stiffly in my arms and with the way she was, it clearly showed that she was uncomfortable with the situation. I couldn’t blame her. This wasn’t what either of us had expected when the night began.

As we stood there, an odd sense of calm began to settle over me, my anger started softening just slightly. My wolf was right—this helped.

But it didn’t make sense. Why did Anita’s presence calm me? Why wasn’t it my mate’s?

Suddenly, Anita shifted, and I felt her forehead brush lightly against my lips. The contact was brief but it sent a jolt through me that I hadn’t anticipated.

I froze.

For a split second, the world seemed to stop, the air between us cracked with tension. My mind raced, trying to make sense of the sensation that had just surged through me. It was just a touch, nothing more, but it felt like something far more than that.

Immediately, I pulled away from her, my hands dropping to my sides as if I had been burned. I took a step back, my heart pounding in my chest as I stared at her face.

Different thoughts came flooding into my mind. What had just happened? What was wrong with me?

Anita looked up at me with widened eyes, clearly just as shocked as I was. She opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out.