Chapter 8
I whipped around-
A sharply angular face suddenly loomed close–so close I could smell the unfamiliar scent clinging to him: worn leather and the restless heat of a werewolf.
The man looked like he had traveled through the night to get here. There were heavy bruises beneath his eyes, his stubble was unkempt, and his bloodshot eyes flared with something feral. Every breath he took was rushed, ragged.
This was a high–ranking Alpha. The kind that only exuded such pressure when pushed to emotional extremes.
But his face meant nothing to me.
Instinctively, I flinched and tried to pull away, but his grip on my arm was so tight it felt like he meant to fuse me into his bones.
Annoyed, I clicked my tongue, reached into my bag, and pulled out a wad of cash. I shoved it into his hand.
“This is all I’ve got. Is it enough?”
He froze. His fingers trembled slightly
I had no idea who he was.
as
if the
truth
had just
hit him-
I had mistaken him for some kind of vagrant.
He pressed his lips together and rasped, “I don’t want your money,”
I frowned, already losing patience. “Then why are you grabbing me? Do we know each other?”
His gaze burned through me, voice suddenly trembling.
“We know each other… more than that. We’re mates. We’re married. I’m Damon. I’m your Alpha. Your husband.”
I froze.
Mate? Husband?
Those words crashed into my world like wild beasts, primal and irrational.
Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a photo.
It was a wedding photo–me and him in formal attire. I was smiling sweetly, and he held me with a tenderness that looked almost sacred.
“Zoey, look. This is our wedding picture,” he said urgently, thrusting the photo toward me. “You told me even if the world betrayed you, you’d never forget me. But I made you drink that potion… it’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have”
I listened in silence, emotionless. Then I calmly furrowed my brows and replied:
“I’m sorry, but I don’t remember a single word of what you’re saying.”
His voice faltered. Silence fell.
I thought of what Hannah had warned me before and pressed on without hesitation: “I don’t know what happened before, but whatever it was, it’s over now. You live your life, I’ll live mine. We owe each other nothing.”
My words hit him like a dagger straight to the chest.
The light in his eyes dimmed, replaced by something twisted–grief, desperation, disbelief.
“You can’t forget, Zoey. You can’t,” he whispered, voice cracking like a wounded Alpha howling in the dark. “You said you’d remember me for the rest of your life. You said I designed that wedding dress for you–and you loved it. You said you’d build a sea of flowers in my name…”
He went on, repeating those memories like an incantation, each one more desperate than the last.
And then-
Something hit me.
Suddenly, my mind felt as if it had been hit hard by something. A sharp pain hit me all of a sudden, and my memories rushed up like a tide, only to collapse in an instant,
“Ugh…”
1
My vision darkened. I could feel myself collapsing.
He lunged forward to catch me, but I fell into someone else’s arms instead.
“Don’t touch her.”
Hannah’s cold voice rang out, cutting through the tension like a slap to the face.
She wrapped her arms around me protectively, her fury so palpable it vibrated through her bones.
“You’ve got some nerve showing your face here. Go back to your little ‘pure–love‘ and live your hypocritical dream.”
With that, she threw a stack of documents at his face.
Damon staggered back a step. He caught the papers and stared down at the top sheet. His whole body trembled.
“Medical Report”
His voice cracked. “This is… Clara’s?”
Hannah tightened her grip on me, her tone ice–cold and merciless.
“She never told you, did she? Her illness was cured a long time ago. She faked everything. Played weak to get close to you, to win your pity–all so she could steal you from Zoey.”
“You thought you were in control, but you were just a pawn from the beginning.”
His fingers quivered as he whispered, “She lied to me…”
Hannah scoffed, glaring at him like he was pathetic. “If you had some mind, you would’ve seen through her lies. But no–you trusted her completely. Trusted her so blindly you couldn’t see the truth if it was written on her forehead.”
She stepped closer, every word hitting like a blade.
“Honestly, you and Clara are perfect for each other.”
“One’s a homewrecker, the other a fool.”
Her gaze sliced through him.
“Get lost. And don’t you dare show your face to Zoey again. She’s no longer the Luna who begged for your love.”
Chapter 8
