Chapter 5: Chapter 5 Alpha King
Damian’s POV
The scent hit me the moment I stepped onto Crescent Moon territory.
Jasmine and vanilla, underlaid with something uniquely hers—something that made my wolf surge forward with a violence I’d never felt before.
*Mate.*
The word roared through my mind like thunder.
After thirty-one years. After countless Council meetings pressuring me to choose someone, anyone. After I’d nearly given up.She was here.
The moment I kicked through those parlor doors, rage consumed me. I saw her pinned in a chair, two guards restraining her while some bastard tried to force a pen into her hand.
Every muscle in my body coiled tight. My vision sharpened, narrowed to the sight of those hands on her. On what was *mine*.
"She’s MINE"
"Get your fucking hands off her." My voice came out as a growl, Alpha command rolling through the room like a physical force.
The guards released her instantly, stumbling back.
Then I crossed the room in three strides.
She looked up at me with wide green eyes—stunning, defiant, absolutely breathtaking.
Everything in me screamed to pull her into my arms, to shield her, to tear apart anyone who’d dared touch her.
But I forced myself to stop a few feet away, my hands clenched at my sides.
Nathan had gone pale. "Alpha King Blackwood—we didn’t expect—"
"Clearly." My gaze never left my mate. "You should have."
Sylvia stepped forward from the windows. "Your Majesty, this is a family matter—"
"It stopped being a family matter the second you laid hands on her." I let my wolf bleed into my voice, watching with satisfaction as both Nathan and Sylvia took another step back.
My mate was still sitting in the chair, staring at me like she couldn’t quite process what was happening. There was no recognition in her eyes. No spark of the bond.
That should have been impossible.
Every wolf knew their mate instantly. The pull was undeniable, overwhelming. But she was looking at me like I was just another stranger who’d crashed through a door.
Human. The word clicked into place. She was human.
That explained the lack of recognition. Humans couldn’t feel the mate bond the way we did. They had to be told, had to learn what it meant.
But it didn’t explain the wall I could sense between us—something cold and guarded in her expression that went beyond simple confusion.
I extended my hand toward her. "Come with me."
She hesitated, her gaze flicking from my hand to my face. For a moment, I thought she might refuse.
Then she stood, ignoring my outstretched hand entirely, and walked toward the door on her own.
My wolf bristled at the rejection, but I pushed down the instinct to simply pick her up and carry her out. She’d been through enough today.
"Your Majesty," Sylvia started, her voice tight. "Surely we can discuss—"
"There’s nothing to discuss." I didn’t bother looking at her. "Touch her again, and I’ll dismantle the Crescent Moon Pack piece by piece. Are we clear?"
The silence that followed was answer enough.
I turned and followed my mate out of the parlor, my men falling into formation around us.
---
The drive back into the city was tense.
My mate sat in the far corner of the backseat, as far from me as physically possible. She stared out the window, her jaw tight, her hands folded in her lap.
The bond thrummed between us, insistent and maddening. Every instinct I had demanded I pull her closer, breathe in her scent, hear her voice.
But she was silent.
"What’s your name?" I asked, keeping my voice gentle.
"Aria."
"Aria." I tested the name on my tongue. It fit her. "I’m Damian."
"I know who you are." Her tone was flat. "Alpha King of the Blackwood Pack. Ruler of the entire werewolf kingdom. Everyone knows who you are."
There was no awe in her voice. No fear, either. Just... nothing.
My wolf whined softly in my chest.
"Why did you help me?" she asked suddenly, still not looking at me.
"Because you needed help."
"That’s not an answer."
I studied her profile—the sharp line of her jaw, the way her fingers twisted together in her lap. She was nervous, despite the facade of calm.
"You’re my mate, Aria."
The words hung in the air between us.
She turned to face me fully then, and I saw it—disbelief. Cold, hard disbelief.
"Your mate," she repeated slowly.
"Yes."
"Right." She laughed, a bitter sound that made my chest tighten.
"And I’m supposed to just believe that? Some powerful Alpha shows up out of nowhere, claims I’m his destined soulmate, and I’m supposed to swoon and thank the Moon Goddess?"
The sarcasm in her voice cut deeper than I expected.
"I’m telling you the truth."
"Sure you are." She turned back to the window. "Look, I appreciate the rescue back there. I do. But I’ve had enough of powerful men making claims about me today."
"This isn’t a claim. It’s a fact." I could hear the frustration creeping into my voice. "The bond—"
"I don’t feel any bond."
The words hit like a physical blow.
My wolf recoiled, wounded. Of course she didn’t feel it—she was human. But the way she said it, the absolute certainty in her tone, felt like rejection.
I forced myself to take a breath. "You can’t feel it because you’re human. But I can. And I know what it means."
"So what?" Her voice was sharp, dismissive. She crossed her arms and leaned back against the seat, putting distance between us.
I could see the guardedness in her eyes, the way she’d tensed like she was ready to bolt. I couldn’t let her run. I had to find a way to keep her here, to make her stay long enough to understand what this meant.
"A contract marriage."
She stared at me like I’d lost my mind.
"You need protection from the Smith family," I continued, forcing my voice to remain businesslike even as my wolf clawed at my chest. "I need a mate to satisfy the Council. We both get what we need. Clean. Simple. Temporary."
The word ’temporary’ tasted like ash in my mouth.
My wolf howled in protest at reducing our sacred bond to a business transaction.
"You want a contract marriage," she said slowly, her voice flat with disbelief. "Between us."
"Yes. It’s the most beneficial arrangement for both of us right now, isn’t it?" The words felt like poison on my tongue, but I forced them out anyway.
She was quiet for a long moment, and I could practically see her mind working, weighing options, calculating risks.
Finally, she shook her head. "I don’t think that’s a good idea."
My chest tightened, but I didn’t argue. Instead, I pulled out my phone and sent my private number to hers without asking for permission.
"If you change your mind," I said, my tone leaving no room for negotiation, "contact me."
She glanced at her phone, then back at me with a frown. "You can drop me off here."
I followed her gaze. Meridian Tower. A luxury high-rise downtown. Elegant enough for most, but it was far beneath the status expected of my mate.
"This is where you’re staying?"
"For now."
"Aria—"
"I’ll be fine." She reached for the door handle. "Thank you. For today. I mean it."
As she moved to close the door, I leaned forward and caught her gaze.
I let myself smile—slow, deliberate. The kind that had made more than one she-wolf submit without a word.
"I’m looking forward to our next meeting."
Her breath caught. Just for a second. Then her mask slid back into place.
"Goodbye, Alpha King."
The door closed. I watched her walk into the lobby, every instinct screaming at me to follow. Instead, I tapped the partition. "Drive."
As the car pulled away, I dialed my Beta.
"Rick. Full background check on Aria Smith. Everything. I want to know who she is, where she’s been, and what the hell happened to make her this way."
"On it, Alpha." A pause. "You found her, didn’t you. Your mate."
"Yeah." I stared at the city lights blurring past. "I found her."
"And?"
"I just offered her a contract marriage."
Silence. Then a short, incredulous laugh. "You’re kidding."
"I wish I was."
"What are you going to do?"
I rubbed a hand over my face. "I don’t know yet."
I ended the call and leaned back, closing my eyes. My wolf was still pacing, restless and wounded.
*She doesn’t want us,* I told him.
*She will, *he growled back. *She has to.*
I wasn’t so sure.
Something must have happened to make my mate lose faith in werewolves and mate bond.
What the hell had happened to her?
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