Damon's pov.
The hall was too loud for my liking. Wolves pressed in on all sides, the smell of perfume, sweat and wine filling the air. I stood near the back with my beta and two guards, my arms folded, my face calm. On the inside, I hated every second of this, I didn't like ceremonies. I didn't like watching another Alpha preen in front of his pack like a rooster.
But there was a treaty to be signed, so I had come.
Zac had been full of himself from the moment we stepped into his territory. His smiles were too wide, his handshakes too firm. His eyes darted, always making sure people were looking. He spoke of loyalty and unity but everything about him stank of pride.
I was already thinking of leaving as soon as the speeches ended. But then I saw her.
She wasn't at the center of things like the other she‑wolves. She wasn't showing off or laughing. She stood off to the side, quiet. Small. Her dress simple but beautiful. Her hands twisting together in front of her stomach like she was holding herself in.
And then the scent hit me.
Not perfume, not wine but her.
It slid over me like warm earth after rain. A soft wild smell under the heavy room. I went still. My wolf went still and for one heartbeat, I didn't even hear the music.
'Mate.'
The word slammed into my skull, my pulse jumped. My chest tightened at that word. My wolf surged up, claws scraping, teeth bared.
I kept my face blank but my eyes were locked on her.
She didn't look back at first, her eyes were on Zac watching him with a kind of hope that hurt me to see. Like he was her whole world.
I felt a strange jealousy. I didn't know her but I wanted to drag her away from that look, away from him. My wolf growled under my skin with a possessive tone, 'Mine.'
I took a slow breath, fighting to keep control of my emotions to avoid my wolf coming out, walking straight to her and marking her as ours.
The ceremony moved on, speeches and toasts. Vanessa and her painted friends dancing near the stage while Zac was acting like a king in front of his court. And her, standing still like a candle flame about to go out.
Then it came, the announcement.
"In front of the moon goddess and the elders of the pack, I pick Vanessa as my lifelong mate and my Luna."
The room cheered while Vanessa squealed in victory. A title chaser, I scoffed when I look at her before letting my eyes go somewhere else.
It landed at the girl, my mate who just froze.
I felt it in my own chest like a blow. Her pain hit me like a punch, her heart breaking echoed in my bones. My wolf roared inside me, pacing, ready to tear at someone.
She still didn't cry as I thought she would, rather she just stood there, trembling, her face pale, her eyes wide.
I took a half step forward without meaning to. My beta shot me a look but said nothing. Zac went on talking, smiling, holding Vanessa's hand, soon he left the hall and was immediately followed by mate. He came back 10 minutes later and looked straight at my section of the hall. Straight at me, and his smile turned even smugger as he made another announcement.
"Aria has been sold to the Winchester Alpha as proof of our alliance." He said, loud enough for everyone to hear. It made my stomach turn to stone and my wolf lunged. Not at her but at him.
Sold.
The word echoed in my head.
He had just called her by name, Aria. He had just told his whole pack she was a piece of property, that he had given her to me.
I stared at him, my hands curling into fists. My jaw clenched so hard my teeth ached.
I didn't even know her yet, but everything inside me screamed at the insult. She wasn't his to give. She wasn't a land deed or a weapon deal. She wasn't some treaty gift. She was mine, my mate.
I looked at her, the moment she stepped inside.
She looked at Zac like she didn't know him anymore. Like she was watching a stranger. Her lips trembled. Her hands were pressed to her stomach like she was trying to hold herself together. Tears gathered but she held them back. She looked so small, so fragile, but under it all I could see the hatred in her gaze towards him.
Our eyes met for the first time.
The bond snapped tight.
It was like lightning in my veins, making my breath flutter. My heart slammed. I could smell her fear, her heartbreak, but under it, her scent wrapped around me and my wolf howled.
She blinked at me, confused. She felt something, even if she didn't know what. I took a slow step forward. Wolves near me shifted aside without even thinking. My wolf was pushing at my skin, at my voice.
'Take her. Protect her. She's Ours.'
Zac kept talking, basking in his own power while Vanessa smiled like she'd won something. The crowd whispered. But none of it mattered.
All that mattered was her.
All that mattered was that the moon goddess had given me a mate, and this arrogant boy thought he could hand her off like a coin.
I stopped a few paces away, my eyes locked on hers. My voice came out low, almost a growl under my breath. "I won't let them hurt you anymore."
She heard me. I saw her eyes widen, her breath catch.
My wolf's voice filled my head. 'Mate..Our mate.'
I wanted to take her right then. Pull her away, mark her in front of all of them. But I didn't, at least not yet. I needed to play it smart. I needed to keep her safe.
I stood there, breathing hard, my heart hammering. Every sense is full of her. Every plan in my head is shifting.
She was not an offering, nor was she a token of peace.
She was my mate.
And as I looked at her, trembling but standing, my decision settled in me like stone: I would take her from this place. I would make her safe. I would make Zac regret every word he'd said.
