Chapter 3

The moment Damon came into view, Ava's wolf went absolutely wild inside her - like a puppy who just heard the word "treat." Years of sneaking glances from across rooms hadn't prepared her for this. Up close, he was... overwhelming. He made everyone else look small, and it wasn't just his height. He had this presence, this aura of pure Alpha power that seemed to fill up all the space around him. The way he moved reminded her of a predator - every step precise, deliberate, like each motion was part of some bigger plan.

As he made his way down the line, he wasn't just looking at the girls - he was studying them, analyzing them. His eyes had this intense focus, like he was searching for one specific thing among all these faces.

When he paused in front of Alora, Ava swore her heart stopped beating for a second.

Time seemed to freeze as he looked at her friend, his expression impossible to read. Finally, he gave this tiny nod - so small you could've missed it if you blinked - and kept moving.

But then something strange happened. As he got nearer to Ava, that excited fluttery feeling in her stomach transformed into something else entirely. Something that felt... wrong. The air around her got heavy and thick, like the atmosphere before a massive thunderstorm. Her heart wasn't just racing anymore - it was pounding with warning signals. Every cell in her body was screaming that something wasn't right.

"I have to get out of here," her mind raced in panic. "Now."

She whirled around to bolt - and slammed straight into what might as well have been a concrete wall.

Except walls didn't radiate body heat. Or smell like pine and rain. Or make her wolf howl in recognition.

She'd crashed right into Damon.

"I'm so, so sorry!" The words tumbled out of her mouth as she stumbled backwards. Her voice sounded pathetically small, even to her own ears. "I didn't... I wasn't trying to... please, forgive me." She stared down at her feet so hard she could probably count the threads in the carpet, praying the floor would just open up and swallow her whole.

The silence that followed felt endless.

Finally, she gathered enough courage to look up - and found Damon staring at her like he'd seen a ghost. His expression was a mess of emotions - shock, confusion, and then... was that disgust?

And then it hit her. One word that changed everything.

Mate!

"What?!" Ava's mind screamed as her breath caught in her throat.

Her wolf was going crazy with joy, howling "Yes! Yes! Yes!" But Damon... Damon looked like someone had just punched him in the gut. His whole body went stiff, jaw clenched so tight she could see the muscle jumping. His hands balled into fists, and for just a second, pure rage flashed across his face.

"No..." she heard him growl under his breath, fighting against what his wolf already knew. But it was too late - the truth was out there now. They both felt it.

She was his mate. His destined partner. The one person in the world meant just for him.

Before she could even process what was happening, his hand shot out and grabbed her wrist. "Come with me," he snapped, his voice hard and cold. He started pulling her forward, not giving her any choice in the matter.

The crowd erupted in whispers as he dragged her up to the platform. She could see the confusion on everyone's faces. Why her? What was the Alpha doing with Ava, of all people?

Her mind was spinning, heart pounding so hard she could barely hear anything else. Was this really happening? Was he actually going to claim her as his mate? Right here? Right now?

She didn't know whether to be thrilled or terrified.

Damon released her wrist and let out a deep, commanding growl, silencing the murmurs in an instant.

"Welcome, everyone, to the official Mate Selection Ceremony of the Moonwood Pack." His voice was powerful, unwavering. "As tradition dictates, the Moon Goddess chooses our mates. It is not something we can control, nor something we can deny."

The crowd waited with bated breath as Damon addressed them, the silence heavy with anticipation.

Then he dropped the bombshell that would change everything.

"My chosen mate..." His voice rang out clear and strong across Moon Square. "Is Ava Sterling."

The silence shattered like glass.

Chaos erupted throughout the square. People were gasping, whispering, some even laughing out loud like this was some kind of joke. Faces turned from shock to disbelief to horror to amusement and back again. The whispers grew into a roar:

"Ava? That Ava?"

"The weak one?"

"The girl who can barely shift?"

"This has to be some kind of mistake..."

"The Moon Goddess must have lost her mind..."

Ava stood there, feeling like she was watching everything through thick glass. Her mind couldn't seem to catch up with what was happening. She'd imagined a thousand different scenarios for tonight - being totally ignored, being mocked, maybe even being kicked out. But this? Being chosen as mate? This wasn't even in the realm of possibility she'd prepared for.

But before she could even begin to process it, Damon turned to face her. The look in his eyes wasn't just cold - it was arctic. Sharp enough to cut straight through her.

"I, Damon Harrington," his voice boomed across the now-silent square, each word precise and cutting, "reject the will of the Moon Goddess—"

Ava's heart stopped.

"—and reject you, Ava Sterling, as my mate and as the Luna of the Moonwood Pack."

The world seemed to stop spinning. Everything went quiet - not just around her, but inside her too. Her wolf, who had been so alive with joy moments ago, curled up into a tight ball of pain. She couldn't breathe. Couldn't think. Couldn't feel anything except the crushing weight of those words.

In front of everyone, in the most public way possible, he hadn't just rejected her.

He'd destroyed her.

Her breath caught in her throat, and her chest tightened. Did he really just…?

The pain hit her all at once—a sharp, unbearable ache in her heart.

It wasn't just the rejection. It was the humiliation.

She had been mocked, insulted, and ridiculed her entire life, but this… this was worse. He had dragged her onto this stage just to shame her in front of everyone.

Tears welled in her eyes as she forced herself to ask the one question burning inside her.

"Why?" Her voice was barely above a whisper, trembling with raw emotion. "Is it because I'm an Omega? Because I'm not powerful like the others? Because I'm not—"

She paused, swallowing the lump in her throat before her voice rose, cutting through the noise of the crowd. "Tell me, Damon—why do you hate me so much?"

A hush fell over the square.

All eyes turned to Damon, waiting.

And then, his entire expression changed.

His anger snapped. His emotions, the ones he had kept buried for years, erupted like a storm.

"You don't get tired of pretending, do you?" he spat, stepping closer. "When exactly do you plan to take responsibility for what you did?"

Ava's brows furrowed. "What did I do?" She looked genuinely confused. "I don't understand what you're talking about."

Damon's nostrils flared. His hands clenched into fists. And then—

Memories flooded back.

Flashback

"Dad… please, no! Stay with me— Dad!""

A young Damon sobbed, his small hands pressing against his father's bloodied chest, desperately trying to stop the bleeding.

Just a few feet away stood a little girl—her dress stained in blood, a fresh wound on her right arm.

She wasn't crying. She wasn't screaming.

She just stood there, staring blankly.

And then—

"You… you did this!" Damon had roared, lunging at her. He had tackled her to the ground, his hands wrapping around her small neck. "You killed him!"

There had been no struggle. No resistance. She just lay there—silent, unmoving, almost as if she wasn't even there.

He would have choked the life out of her.

But then—

"Damon."

A weak, dying voice stopped him.

Damon turned back to his father, who was barely holding on.

"Son… promise me…" his father rasped, coughing up blood. "Promise me… that you won't blame her. That you won't harm her… because of me."

Damon shook his head, "But Dad—"

"Promise me."

His father's final words. His final wish.

And then… he was gone.

Present

Damon's body tensed. His breathing was heavy, his anger barely controlled.

"My father died because of you," he said, his voice dark with rage. "You killed him."

Ava's eyes widened. "What?!"

She shook her head, stepping back. "No, I didn't! I don't even—"

"Don't lie!" he growled, grabbing her right arm roughly. "What about this?" He yanked up her sleeve, revealing the scar that had been there since childhood.

Ava gasped, her voice shaking. "I don't know how I got that! I swear, Damon—I don't remember!"

But no one was listening.

The entire pack stared at her with disgust. No one stepped forward. No one spoke up for her.

Not even Alora.

Damon let go of her roughly, causing her to stumble and fall hard against the ground.

"You're only alive because I made a promise," he muttered coldly. "But I will never accept you. And I will never forgive you."

Ava couldn't move.

Then, Damon turned to Alora. He reached for her hand, pulling her onto the platform.

"I, Damon Harrington, take Alora McGrave as my mate."

Ava felt the last piece of her heart shatter.