Alpha Damon’s Greatest Regret

Zarah~

I was still aching as I served the guests of the gala. Once in a while, it was my heart that ached. The look of disgust on his face after sleeping with me gutted me. Why did it have to be him? Damon Torrence, of all people. It seemed like the Moon Goddess was a cold-hearted bitch. As I offered wine to the high ranks in the pack, I tried to focus on the upside. Damon had thrown three hundred dollars at me. Maybe I had been humiliated, but at least it wasn't for nothing.

I could feel his eyes on me as I worked, his green gaze following me wherever I went. Nala could feel it too, her excitement bubbling just beneath the surface at the sight of her mate. She didn't understand or even want to understand, that he had rejected us without even saying the words.

I looked around as the high-ranking pack members found their mates. It was a beautiful sight, despite what had happened to me. Damon must have been pissed, knowing he couldn't dance with his fated mate like the others were doing.

Then the soft music stopped, and my heart sped up when I heard Damon's voice echo throughout the hall. Everyone stopped what they were doing and faced the dais.

"Tonight has been an incredible night for all of us," Damon began, his deep voice resonating through the hall, commanding attention. My heart pounded in my chest as I instinctively knew something was about to happen—something that would shatter me completely.

"I've found my mate," Damon declared, his eyes sweeping over the crowd before they locked on me for the briefest moment. "Lorelei Winston, my Luna."

Gasps echoed through the room, but I couldn't hear them. I couldn't breathe. My vision blurred as I saw Damon step aside, revealing Lorelei in a sleek red gown. She smiled—smug and victorious—before she wrapped her arms around his neck. Damon kissed her, sealing their bond in front of everyone.

Nala howled inside me, her blood boiling. She wanted blood. She didn't care that Damon had rejected us; she only saw betrayal. Without warning, she surged to the surface, taking control.

Mate, she growled.

Before I could stop her, we shifted, my bones snapping into place as my wolf form took shape. A snarl ripped from my throat as I launched myself at Lorelei.

Chaos erupted in the hall.

Lorelei shifted instantly, her gray wolf meeting mine mid-air. We clashed with teeth and claws. I could taste blood—hers or mine, I didn't care. All I knew was the raw fury driving Nala, the need to make her pay, to make him pay for this humiliation.

But before I could sink my teeth into Lorelei's throat, two other wolves barreled into me from the side, knocking me off balance. They were Damon's loyal cronies, my bullies, ganging up on me. I was outnumbered—three against one. They tore into my flesh, dragging me down, but Nala fought viciously, refusing to submit.

I saw Damon standing back, watching with cold eyes as his fated mate was ripped apart. He didn't lift a finger to stop them.

Pain spread through me as their claws shredded my side. Blood poured from deep wounds, but Nala didn't stop. I couldn't stop.

"Shift," Damon commanded, and immediately Nala obeyed, retreating back into my body, leaving me bare to the eyes of everyone, including Damon.

"What the hell was that?" he growled when he was close enough.

I swallowed, wanting nothing more than to disappear.

He crouched down to my level when I refused to open my mouth. "Answer me, goddamn it!"

I looked up at him. I had been humiliated enough, why not drag him down as well? "We are mates, Damon."

Gasps tore through the crowd of watching guests. Even Lorelei paled.

Damon's eyes darkened as if I had committed treason.

Suddenly, a hand slapped me across the face. I held my cheek as Lorelei loomed over me. "How dare you lie? Just after he chose me?" she snarled.

I looked at Damon, but he said nothing, as I had expected. I pulled down the collar of my blouse to reveal the mark he had left on my shoulder. "He is my mate," I said through gritted teeth. "He even marked me." I didn't look at Lorelei—I faced Damon. If he wanted to humiliate me, I had the right to do the same. Nala, however, was pleading for him to say something to defend us. But his gaze remained cold.

Lorelei's eyes widened. "That's not true. A runt cannot be mated to—"

"It's true," Damon's voice cut through the air. "She is my fated mate."

It was my turn to be surprised. Lorelei turned to him, horrified. "What are you saying?"

Damon stepped closer, his eyes hard as stone. "Yes, she's my fated mate," he said, his voice devoid of emotion. "But it changes nothing."

The crowd gasped again. I stared at him, numb.

Lorelei looked between us, her face twisted in rage. "What are you saying, Damon? This runt—"

He cut her off. "Zarah Langdon," he spat my name like poison, "I, Damon Torrence, reject you as my mate."

The words hit like a blade to the chest. The pain of the mate bond breaking was excruciating, tearing through me as though my soul was being ripped apart. My knees buckled, and I hit the floor, gasping for air. Nala whimpered inside me, our bond shattered beyond repair.

"I accept," I whispered, my voice barely audible through the agony.

Damon crouched beside me, pulling out a wad of cash. He tossed it at my feet. "That's your pay," he sneered. "Heard you entertained my friends while I was away. And I gotta admit, you fucked like a whore."

Tears blurred my vision as his rejection tore through me like a hot blade. I couldn't breathe. The room was closing in around me.

Laughter erupted around me, but it felt distant like it was happening in another world. I grabbed the money, my hands trembling, and stood on shaky legs. I took one last look at Damon. He was already kissing Lorelei, his eyes cold as he watched me limp away.

I pushed through the crowd, each step more painful than the last, knowing I'd never be the same again.

---

I got home with two thousand dollars. My bags were already packed. It didn't matter if my leg was bleeding or my heart had been ripped to shreds—I was leaving tonight.

I entered my room to find my mother waiting for me.

"I heard what happened," she murmured.

I didn't even look at her. I began to gather my luggage.

"Who would have thought that you, of all people, could be the Alpha's mate?"

I ignored her. My body shook from the force of the broken bond.

"I heard you made a lot of money. How much?" she asked.

I didn't look at her.

"You know you're going to have to share. It's only fair. You live in my house."

"Not anymore."

She blinked at me, then laughed. "Don't tell me… you want to leave me."

I could have rolled my eyes if not for the blinding headache wreaking havoc on me. I pulled my luggage, every muscle in my body throbbing.

Suddenly, my mother lunged at me. "You can't leave me after all these years of me letting you live under my roof." She began hitting me.

I'd had enough and pushed her. She fell on her butt. "I paid for rent!" I snapped. "Paid for more than that! You never worked. While I worked like a slave. You're only scared now because you know that without me, you'll starve. Well, I don't care."

With that, I continued to pull my luggage, but I was dizzy. I had to do something about this mate bond. The place where he had marked me hurt the most. I staggered to the kitchen and picked out a knife. I pulled down my blouse and went to work. I gritted my teeth as I cut over the mark, pain coursing through me like a torrent, but I didn't stop until the mark was nothing but a bloody mess. It was excruciating, but after that, the pain in the rest of my body subsided. The bond was finally fully broken.

I treated myself and covered my wound. I returned to find my mother rummaging through my bags, searching for money.

I pushed her for the second time in my life. "You're getting nothing." With the pain radiating from the wound I had inflicted on myself, I began to pack again.

It was just a travel bag and a handbag anyway. I made my way outside. My mother screamed after me.

"Without me, you're nothing—just a worthless, used-up bitch. You'll come crawling back when the world spits you out."

I didn't even look back as she ranted on and on about how she hated me and other nonsense. I wouldn't miss this place, not even a little bit. I could only hope that with money in my shoes, the human sector would treat me well.