Ruby;"Who's your mate?" I asked, attempting to mask the ache in my chest beneath a veil of nonchalance."Ruby, I understand you're upset, and you have every right to be. But trust me, it's not what you think. There's an explanation for all of this, but before I get into it, Damian's voice trailed off as his gaze shifted to the other men in the tent."Out!" His command was sharp, sending the men scurrying out of the tent,leaving us alone in the bloody aftermath."Ruby," Damian began, but I cut him off before he could say anything more."Don't say my name. Just make this madness stop, please, because it's all your doing," I breathed out, feeling the pain in my core intensify."Are you giving me permission to touch you?" His question held a hint of mischief, a smirk playing at the corner of his lips. All I could manage was a reluctant nod.His lips curved up in a half-smile, and his eyes sparkled with a mischievous glint, like they had stars sending an unexpected flutter through my ches
Damian:Standing before the mirror, my hands trembled slightly as I adjusted my tie. In the silence of my thoughts, Marcus's voice broke through via the mindlink."Alpha, everything is ready for the Luna's welcome ceremony.""Alright, thanks," I replied with a sigh of relief, taking a deep breath in an attempt to steady my nerves.I didn't want anything to go wrong with the celebration, and I was determined to make today perfect. It was inexplicable how I managed to convince her, and despite my past mistakes, Ruby had shown incredible bravery and forgiveness by agreeing to stand by my side as Luna. It was wrong of me to have invaded her privacy by taking her precious book without permission, and even worse, to have considered her as a replacement for my deceased mate.It was unacceptable, and deep down, I knew I didn't deserve her trust. But I was too selfish to let her go. After last night's passionate time together, our bond felt stronger than ever, and I could sense it growing with
Ruby:"Selene was right. I came at the perfect moment." The beautiful lady wearing a similar white dress to mine laughed loudly, and a shiver of discomfort ran down my spine as her words sank in. I closed my eyes briefly, trying to quell the frustration rising within me, before running my hands through my hair in embarrassment.It felt like the universe was conspiring against me, and Ava's mocking laughter only added fuel to the fire burning in my heart. I shot her a glare, hoping to silence her, but she just smirked back, enjoying my discomfort.Turning to Damian, my jaw clenched as I watched him stand there like a statue, his eyes locked on the resurrected figure of his dead mate, a look of disbelief etched on his face. I reached out to him, my fingers trembling as I hoped to break through the invisible barrier that seemed to hold him captive."Damian, snap out of it!" I yelled with desperation as I fought to get his attention. But he remained unmoved, his gaze fixed on Ava as if sh
Ruby:"No, Damian," I choked out, feeling overwhelmed by the situation. As his Luna, it was my duty to ensure his honor wasn't compromised by neglecting the well-being of his pack members, who had placed their trust in him."What do you mean by no?" he questioned, and my heart fluttered at his words. He was making this difficult for me, but as I looked over at his pack members, seeing disappointment all over their faces, probably because I, as their Luna, was associated with criminal charges, I knew I had to do this.It would be selfish and foolish of me to drag Damian down with me into this mess until the misunderstanding was settled.Even though it deeply hurt me, I couldn't allow that. So for now, letting him go and saying things I didn't mean was my only option."I'm nothing but trouble, Damian," I said through gritted teeth, my glare directed at Ava. "Be with her because she's the one who came back from the dead for you.""Ruby, please don't say-""Your daughter would be happy to
Ruby:Lilith's eyes flashed with anger at my words, her lips curling into a snarl. "You dare to mock me? You think you can outwit me with your pathetic attempts at humour?""I'm not mocking you, Lilith; I'm just stating the obvious." I retorted boldly, maintaining eye contact with her."I remember warning you clearly the last time, didn't I? But here you stand before me, still thinking you can control my fate. Your level of delusion is amazing." There was a hint of amusement in my voice as I challenged her.Her nostrils flared with rage, but she quickly composed herself, a smirk playing at the corners of her lips. "Ruby, I don't need to control your fate because you're already doomed to repeat your mistakes. And this time, I would make sure that there would be no escaping the consequences." She spat, keeping her distance from my cell.I noticed she was intentionally avoiding it, likely because it contained silver. This could explain why I was unable to communicate with Damian through
Ruby;"Tell me." Lilith leaned closer, her eyes widening with disbelief, showing eagerness to hear more, seemingly unfazed by the silver cage.Her love for Damian must be intense. Too bad she didn't know Ava was back from the dead and Selene was in love with Damian. The naive fool had thought I was the only threat, but now she was in for a surprise.But before I could reveal any further details, a man interrupted, and I instantly recognized him as one of the men who had roughly taken me away from Damian's pack and had hit me on the head.The damn bastard."Luna Lilith," he bowed in respect toward Lilith before sending a disrespectful glare my way, igniting a fire within me."I will make sure you bow before me and beg for your life," I countered with a smirk, refusing to cower in the face of his aggression. As a Luna, I knew that automatically placed me above him. Despite being locked up in a cell, I wouldn't tolerate such disrespect and I intended to make him pay for hurting me."You
Damian:I groaned in annoyance as I watched my daughter run into Ava's arms as if her life depended on it.Maybe it did, considering she had been bugging me her whole life for her mother's presence, and now she finally got what she wanted. Was I happy?Absolutely not."Mummy, I miss you so much. Why did you leave me?" Anna screamed, her voice cracking at the end. I knew tears would be streaming down her face in no time.Ava picked up Anna and cradled her tenderly, soothing her like a newborn. For a moment, I couldn't help but reflect on how different my life would be at this moment if I hadn't met Ruby and fallen in love with her.Would I love to go back to the past and make everything right? Absolutely not.Comparing Ruby and Ava was like comparing apples and oranges, as the two were different. Ava exuded sweetness, gentleness, and kindness, qualities that endeared her to everyone in the pack. On the other hand, Ruby possessed a fiery spirit, passion, and a willingness to selflessly
Damian:After massaging my temples repeatedly, I aggressively ran my hands through my hair as my men and I combed through the dense forest. Our senses were on high alert for any sign of Ruby. Hours had passed, and still she remained hidden like a ghost slipping through our grasp.Her scent was faint and untraceable; it was almost as if she didn't exist anymore. If it weren't for my scent marking all around her, I wouldn't have perceived anything. Yet, it wasn't enough for me to figure out her exact location.What made everything more infuriating was the fact that our mate bond felt practically useless. I couldn't communicate with her through it; it was as if an invisible barrier had been placed between us. This left me with a gnawing fear that she might have been hurt, or worse—dead.No, I hoped not..."We've been searching for hours, Alpha. Perhaps it's time to regroup and come up with a new plan," one of my warriors suggested, rubbing his eyes tiredly, reflecting the exhaustion we al