Chapter 3 - Damien

This is for the pack.

That’s what I keep telling myself as I make my way to the chapel. I’m not doing this for me. This mating ritual isn’t personal. It’s about protecting the pack, securing Jade’s loyalty, and triggering more of her witch powers.

But deep down, I know there’s more to it. Maybe I want her close. Maybe I want to remind everyone she’s mine.

I shove that thought aside as the chapel comes into view. It’s old, built back when the pack first settled in this area. It’s meant to feel like a sanctuary for our pack. We’re not like the other two packs that border Glory Town. We’re more progressive, while the others cling to the old ways of doing things. Still, we’ve always had an uneasy truce, living in the same space without tearing each other apart—until now. With the recent deaths and everything spinning out of control, the fragile peace we’ve managed to keep is fraying at the edges.

And that’s why I’m here. This ritual will solidify Jade’s place, tie her to us—tie her to me—so no one can question her loyalty again.

When I push open the heavy wooden door, she’s already inside. She’s standing near the altar, her back to me, looking as tense as a drawn bowstring. She’s wearing the traditional white dress, and her dark hair is braided, hanging down her back. It’s a stark contrast to the jeans and t-shirt she usually wears. She’s beautiful, but her eyes are haunted.

Two pack elders, Benedict and Agnes, are waiting on either side of the altar. This ritual is a tradition. Anytime an alpha takes a luna, there’s a ceremony to seal their bond. The union must be witnessed by two council members. In our case, it’s Agnes and Benedict, both long-standing members of the Starfire Hollow pack.

Jade doesn’t turn when I enter. She hasn’t looked at me once since I dragged her back here and told her she’d be my mate. The coldness between us crackles thicker than the air in this damn chapel. But I keep my face neutral as I step up beside her. I can’t let anyone see how much her silence grates on me, or how much I notice the space between us.

“Let’s get this over with,” I mutter, keeping my voice low enough that only she can hear.

She still doesn’t look at me. Fine. I’m not here for a reunion.

“Damien,” Benedict begins, “this ritual binds you both to the pack and to each other. Are you certain of the weight of this choice?”

I meet his gaze without flinching. “I understand.”

This isn’t a choice. This is what needs to happen to keep things in check.

“And you, Jade,” Agnes continues, “do you accept this claim? Once done, there is no turning back.”

Jade doesn’t move at first. Her fists are clenched at her sides, and for a split second, I wonder if she’s going to bolt. That might be easier—her showing some real fight, giving me a reason to lock things down even tighter. But we both know that denying an alpha is a death sentence. And while Jade may have made it alone these past three years, she doesn’t have that kind of luxury anymore.

I wait, counting the seconds as they pass.

Finally, her jaw clenches, and she lifts her chin. “I accept.”

The knot in my chest loosens a fraction, but it doesn’t go away.

Benedict and Agnes exchange a look before Benedict says, “You may begin.”

I curl my fingers under Jade’s chin, forcing her to meet my gaze. She’s pissed. I get it. But this isn’t about what she wants.

“This is for the pack,” I whisper.

Her eyes flash with something I can’t quite name, but she doesn’t pull away. Instead, she stays rigid, waiting for me to make my move. Fine. I’ll play my part.

I lean in, brushing my lips against hers. It’s quick. Cold. A formality. There’s no feeling behind it, no passion. Just the business of sealing the deal, making sure the elders can report back to the pack that their alpha has done his duty.

But the second our lips touch, something tightens in my chest—something I wasn’t prepared for. It’s like a jolt of electricity running through every inch of my body. Every nerve is lit up, and it takes everything in me not to pull her close and deepen the kiss. But I don’t.

I won’t.

This is about mating to awaken her powers more than anything. This is about protecting the pack, not giving in to desire.

Jade stares at me wide-eyed. Her lips part, as if she’s going to say something, but the words never come. Instead, she dutifully walks to the bed that has been set up at the far end of the chapel. She lies down and stares up at the ceiling, awkward and stiff.

I follow, standing over her. The moonlight pours through the stained-glass window above, bathing her in soft light. She looks so fragile, so vulnerable.

But I can’t let myself think like that.

This is a job.

The elders watch on as I settle on the edge of the bed next to Jade. Her scent wraps around me, pulling at the base of my spine, and for a split second, I’m taken back in time. I remember what it was like before everything fell apart, to that night in the field when we were alone, just the two of us. How much I wanted her.

But those memories are a long time ago, and tonight is different. We’re not alone, and this is a duty, nothing more.

“Are you ready?” I ask.

She gives me a sharp look, a reminder that she doesn’t have a choice. “As I’ll ever be,” she mumbles.

With a nod, I begin. My hands slide over her arms, her shoulders, her neck. Everywhere they land, the skin warms and tingles, responding to my touch. I can sense the shift in her, the change, and I know the ritual is working.

Her body is coming alive under my hands. Her eyes are closed, and her breath comes quicker. She’s fighting it, but it’s too late. The spell is taking hold, and I have to bite back a growl of triumph.

This is going better than I expected.

I work my way down her body and bunch up the hem of her dress. My fingers trail along her calves and thighs, and a soft moan escapes her lips. She tries to cover it, turning her face away from me, but I hear it, and my wolf howls.

I lean closer, letting her scent flood my senses, and my fingers slip between her legs. She gasps, arching off the bed. Her heat surrounds me, and my cock stirs.

Fuck.

This isn’t supposed to be sexy. This is a duty.

Before I lose my senses entirely, I position myself between her legs and undo my pants. I pull her close and thrust inside, swallowing her cry with a kiss. We move together, finding a rhythm. Our bodies seem to remember the past, even if we don’t want to. I want to draw this out, to make it last and make her scream my name like she did three years ago, but that’s not what tonight is about.

So, instead, I fuck her hard and fast, chasing my release. It doesn’t take long before I feel the familiar coil in the pit of my stomach. The pleasure builds until it’s too much to hold back, and just before I come, I elongate my fangs and sink them into the tender flesh of her neck.

She cries out, her body spasming beneath mine, and it sends me over the edge. My vision blurs, and the pleasure hits like a tidal wave. I ride it out, letting the feeling wash over me, and when I finally pull away, we’re both breathless and spent.

I stare down at her, drinking in the sight. Her cheeks are flushed, her lips parted. She’s panting, her eyes wide, and there’s a thin trickle of blood on her neck where my teeth broke the skin.

She’s mine now. Forever.

The elders are still watching, and they look pleased. Good. Everything is going according to plan.

The room feels colder somehow as I step away from the bed. Jade doesn’t move at first. She’s still staring up at the ceiling with a look of detachment on her face. Eventually, she pushes herself up and smooths her dress down with shaky hands. She doesn’t look at me, doesn’t speak. Fine. Let her have her silence. I have bigger things to deal with.

I walk toward the door, needing some space to clear my head. Outside, the compound is alive with the soft sounds of evening, with the crickets chirping and the occasional hoot of an owl. The moon is high in the sky, the light from it illuminating the stone paths and the old buildings. This place has always felt like a fortress, but tonight, it feels more like a cage.

This is why I prefer my cabin in the woods.

A flicker of movement catches my eye, and I turn to see Alec standing by the central square with Penny in his arms. She’s chattering away, and her little voice is bright and full of excitement. He’s smiling—genuinely smiling—like this is the most normal thing in the world.

I frown as I watch them. It doesn’t make sense. Alec shouldn’t have even known about Penny, but he didn’t look surprised at all to see his niece. Penny’s completely at ease with him, waving her hands around as she tells him some story about her stuffed wolf, and Alec… well, he doesn’t seem like a guy who’s just meeting his niece for the first time.

Something’s off.

I move toward them, keeping my footsteps deliberately slow as I approach. Alec looks up, and the easy smile on his face falters when he sees me. He knows. He knows I’m onto something.

“You two look pretty comfortable for people who supposedly just met.”

He shifts Penny in his arms, giving her a quick kiss on the forehead before setting her down. “Penny, why don’t you go find your mom, yeah? I think she’s right in that big building.”

Penny nods, oblivious to the building tension, and skips off toward the chapel. Alec watches her go, but when he turns back to me, his expression is guarded.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I ask, keeping my voice low. Part of me doesn’t want to make a scene, but the betrayal is gnawing at me, making it hard to keep my temper in check. When an alpha gives an order, it’s supposed to be followed without question. My father banished Jade three years ago, and that means no one in the pack should’ve had any contact with her whatsoever.

“You’ve known this whole time, haven’t you?” I continue. “That Jade had a kid. You’ve been in contact with her.”

Alec gives me a half-hearted shrug, followed by a nod. “Yeah, I’ve known.”

The words hit like a punch to the gut, but I keep my expression neutral. “And you didn’t think that was something worth mentioning? Your alpha’s supposed to know what’s happening in his own damn pack, Alec. You weren’t supposed to have anything to do with her!”

He doesn’t flinch or back down. “Look, after you banished her, she had no one. What was I supposed to do, just let her suffer? It’s not like we have parents who could do anything. So I stepped up.”

My fists clench at my sides. “You were supposed to tell me. You were supposed to trust my father to make the right choice.”

He lets out a bitter laugh. “Trust? After what he did to her? After you and your father threw her out of the pack without a second thought? No, Damien. I wasn’t going to stand by and watch my sister struggle while you played alpha.”

My wolf is stirring inside me, angry and restless, and I have to breathe through the urge to shift. “You went behind my back.”

“For her,” he shoots back, stepping closer, his eyes burning with anger. “I did it for her, because you left her with nothing. You might be alpha, but that doesn’t mean you can just treat people like they’re disposable.”

I don’t recognize the shifter standing in front of me. Alec has always been my right-hand man, the one person I could count on, but now? Now, I feel like I’m standing on the edge of a cliff, wondering if I can trust anyone at all. He hid this from me. He helped her, and he never once thought to tell me. Not even after I took over as alpha.

“How long?” I ask, my voice dangerously calm. “How long have you been helping her?”

Alec’s eyes narrow, and for the first time, I see the cracks in his resolve. “Since the day she left. I made sure she had money, a place to stay. I did what family should’ve done.”

“You should’ve told me.”

“I didn’t owe you that,” he snaps back. “I owed her .”

There’s a long silence that stretches between us. For a moment, I don’t know what to say. The betrayal stings more than I expected. Alec wasn’t just my beta-in-waiting; he was my best friend. And now, everything feels fractured.

“I’ll handle this from now on,” I finally declare. “You don’t need to be involved anymore.”

“Yeah,” he mutters as he jerks his head toward the chapel, where Jade is standing on the front steps, gawking. “I can see you’re handling it just fucking fine, Damien.”

He turns and walks away, leaving me standing there, staring after him. The sound of his footsteps fades into the night, and I’m left alone with the weight of everything that’s just come crashing down around me.

Jade. Alec. The pack.

I thought I had control. But now, I’m not so sure.