Panic surges through me, sharp and urgent, as the tires of Daman’s captor squeal against the damp asphalt, speeding away. I can’t believe my charge just got captured right before my eyes. Then again, of course I can—this is me messing up again, like I always do. I had one job: follow Daman around.
And I let my stupid feelings get in the way. I take a breath, shoving my emotions back down. Harry used to tell me that in a moment of crisis, the most important thing is to keep calm. I let my wolf’s predator instincts take over.
I need to track, not to feel. I dash back to the car, hands shaking as I fumble with the keys, jamming the ignition. The engine roars to life, and I peel out of my parking spot, following the dwindling taillights speeding through the woods back towards the city. Waves of guilt and self-doubt assail me, but I don’t let myself get pulled under.
*Don’t think, just act,* I keep repeating. The last time I’d done that, I’d hurt Eevee in the process—and I’ve hated myself for it ever since. But as my wolf reminds me, I’d succeeded at protecting Jake that day too. And I have to protect Daman, no matter who gets hurt while I do.
My chase leads me downtown, the captor’s car turning sharply into a side street before disappearing behind a nondescript building. It houses a club known for its exclusivity and a frequent haunt for the city’s vampire elite. My pulse hammers in my ears as I park in a nearby alley, steeling myself for what’s to come. I find the car I’d been trailing easily, currently being parked by a valet who sends me a suspicious glare as I approach.
I don’t recognize him as one of the kidnappers from earlier—did they just give him the car to park? Hopefully that means they went inside the establishment with Daman. But isn’t a club popular amongst vampires a suspicious place to take someone as renowned as Daman? Surely there’s a higher chance of somebody recognizing him here than in some secret hideout.
This doesn’t make sense. Something’s off. But it’s my only lead. I have to get into that place and make sure Daman isn’t inside.
The club is built below a dimly lit bar lounge, where vampires are having drinks most certainly composed of a single ingredient. The entrance is guarded by a hostess who welcomes me with a cold, suspicious smile. “You have a reservation, Miss? ” she asks politely nonetheless.
“No, I—please, I have to get inside. ” “We don’t let customers in without a reservation,” the hostess explains, waving me out firmly. I quickly calculate my next course of action. Should I punch my way inside?
That wouldn’t be the most discreet way to reach Daman’s side. But how do I get in then? “I’m with the Cromwells,” I suddenly declare, hoping this will work. This is clearly a vampire-owned establishment, and I remembered Ian mentioning in passing that their name would be enough to get me into any vampire scene.
The hostess gives me a bright smile. “Why didn’t you say so earlier? Please come inside,” she says, moving aside to let me in. Not believing my luck, I enter the bar, scanning the crowd for Daman—with no luck.
What if I didn’t trail the right car? What if getting inside this place was a decoy? What if— *Don’t think. * I spot an elegant man in his early 40s—or one who looks like he’s in his 40s, though he may very well be much older, for he’s a vampire—walking towards me.
“Welcome,” he tells me with a polite incline of his head. “Please make yourself at home. I’m Marco Rossi, and I own this establishment. Any friend of the Cromwells is a friend of mine.
” I search his expression for any sign of deceit, but he’s not showing any. Either he doesn’t know Daman is here, or this man is a very good liar. I try not to dwell too much on the third option—the one in which Daman isn’t here at all. “I’m looking for a Cromwell, actually,” I tell Rossi cautiously.
“Damien Cromwell. Have you seen him? ” He shakes his head. “Not tonight.
Trust me, I’d know if he was here. It wouldn’t do me good to ignore a client like that again. ” He sounds sincere. I decide to take a shot.
“Well, mind if I head downstairs to check? We were supposed to meet up here tonight, but I don’t see him. ” Rossi nods, leading me personally towards an elevator in the back. It’s almost too easy, and something feels off.
But it’s not like I have a choice. I need to search this place for Daman. The club is throbbing with life, bass vibrating through the soles of my shoes as I arrive. The air is thick with a mix of expensive perfumes and the undercurrent of decay that always accompanies vampire haunts.
Neon lights cast long, sinuous shadows against the polished concrete floors and exposed brick walls. The bar, a long slab of polished obsidian, reflects the strobe lights, bathing the dancers in an otherworldly glow. I scan the room, my werewolf senses cutting through the haze of alcohol and sweat, seeking out the scent of my charge. There—he’s in a dimly lit booth, surrounded by a small entourage of vampires, looking suspiciously relaxed, a vacant smile on his lips.
“Well, as you can see, he isn’t here,” Marco Rossi tells me with an impassive expression. “Though if you’d like to stay and enjoy yourself, you can. ” “What do you mean he’s not here? ” I protest, pointing to Daman.
“He’s right there. ” Rossi frowns, taking a look towards the booth where I see Daman being served a drink. “Where? ” he asks, sounding genuinely confused.
“I don’t see him. ” I briefly glance back at him and wonder if he’s sincerely blind or just a very adept gaslighter. “Whatever. I don’t have time for this,” I mutter, walking away.
I make my way over to Daman, not nearly as quickly as I’d like, having to push through a small crowd of dancers—some human, but mostly vampires. “Daman! ” I exclaim when I finally reach his booth. He looks up at me with that same vacant smile.
“Chloe! What are you doing here? ” His voice is off, slurred, and his eyes are unfocused. That’s when I notice the glass in front of him, a dark red liquid that smells of copper and something sweet.
“Daman, we need to go,” I say, grabbing his arm. He blinks at me, confused. “Go? But I’m having a drink with my new friends.
” The vampires around him chuckle, and I feel a chill run down my spine. Something is very wrong. “Daman, please,” I insist, pulling him up. He stumbles, and I catch him, my wolf growling inside me.
“I think he’s had a bit too much,” one of the vampires says with a smirk. “Maybe you should take him home. ” I don’t wait for further permission. I half-drag Daman out of the booth, ignoring the curious stares.
As we stumble towards the elevator, Daman mumbles something about his head hurting, and I realize with dawning horror that this isn’t just drunkenness. He’s been drugged. We make it back to the car, and I drive as fast as I can back to the Cromwell estate. Daman is barely conscious, his head lolling against the window.
I keep talking to him, trying to keep him awake. “You’re going to be fine, Daman. Just stay with me. ” When we finally arrive, I have to practically carry him inside.
Ian takes one look at us and his face hardens. “What happened? ” he demands. “He was drugged,” I say, my voice shaking.
“At that club. I don’t know what they gave him. ” Ian’s eyes flash with anger, but he doesn’t say anything. He just helps me get Daman to his room and summons a doctor.
I wait outside, my heart racing, guilt gnawing at me. I was supposed to protect him. I nearly failed. But as the doctor emerges hours later, saying Daman will be fine after some rest, I feel a sliver of relief.
Ian looks at me with a strange expression. “You did well tonight, Chloe,” he says quietly. “Daman is lucky to have you. ” I nod, not knowing what to say.
But even as I go to check on Daman, I can’t shake the feeling that something bigger is at play here. Someone wanted Daman drugged. And I have a sinking feeling this isn’t the last we’ll hear of it. The next morning, I find Daman awake, sitting up in bed with a groan.
“What happened? ” he asks, rubbing his temples. “You were drugged last night,” I tell him, sitting beside him. “At that club.
I got you out. ” He looks at me, a mix of gratitude and confusion on his face. “Why were you even there, Chloe? ” I hesitate.
My orders were to follow him, but I can’t tell him that. “I was worried about you,” I say instead, which isn’t entirely a lie. Daman smiles weakly. “Well, I’m glad you were.
” We sit in comfortable silence for a moment before he speaks again. “There’s something I need to tell you, Chloe. About why I was at that club. ” I tilt my head, waiting.
“There’s a woman—I’ve been visiting her for years. She’s like a sister to me. Her name is Rose, and she’s… she’s my sister. My younger sister.
” I blink, stunned. Daman has a sister? He’s never mentioned her before. “I’ve been keeping her hidden from my mother.
She wanted a vampire heir, and when Rose turned out to be human, she wanted nothing to do with her. But my grandfather took her in, and I’ve been looking after her ever since. The night I was kidnapped, I was visiting her. ” He sighs, running a hand through his hair.
“She’s the only family I have that actually cares about me, besides my grandfather. ” I feel a pang of something—relief, maybe, that his girlfriend wasn’t a girlfriend at all. But also a deeper understanding. Daman carries secrets too.
“Why didn’t you tell me before? ” I ask softly. “I wanted to,” he admits. “But I didn’t know if I could trust you yet.
And now… I want to trust you, Chloe. Fully. ”
Later that evening, we’re lying in his bed, the warmth of his body pressed against mine. He’s caressing my hair, and I feel a sense of peace I haven’t felt in a long time.
“Chloe,” he murmurs, breaking the silence. “There’s something I need to ask you. ” I look up at him. “What is it?
” He hesitates, then takes a deep breath. “I want you to be my bride. For real this time. Not just for show.
” My heart freezes. I can’t breathe. “Daman, I—” “I know what I’m saying,” he interrupts, his eyes earnest. “I’ve never been more sure of anything.
I love you, Chloe. And I want to be with you forever. ” Tears prick my eyes, because this is everything I’ve ever wanted, and yet I can’t have it. Not like this.
“Daman, there’s something you don’t know about me,” I whisper. “Something important. ” He waits patiently, but the words won’t come. The compulsion from Ian uses its power to hold me back.
I can’t tell him I’m a werewolf. I can’t tell him I already have a mate. I can’t tell him any of it. So instead, I just say, “I need to talk to your grandfather first.
About us. ” Daman’s expression softens. “He’ll come around. He loves me, and he’ll love you too.
” I wish I had his confidence. The next morning, Daman asks for his grandfather’s blessing. I listen from the sitting area, my heart pounding as Ian’s voice booms across the room. “I absolutely hate the idea.
I forbid it, you hear me? It’s out of the question. ” My stomach drops. Daman argues fervently, but Ian is unmovable.
Finally, Ian says, “Get Chloe. There is something you two need to know. ” A few minutes later, Daman and I find ourselves sitting in front of Ian, nervously holding hands while the man towers over us with a furious look on his face. “This needs to end,” he says, pointing an accusing finger at Daman.
“You two have no idea what you’re getting yourselves into. ” I feel Daman fidget beside me, but Ian silences him with a glare. “A blood bond between a vampire and a werewolf is simply unfeasible,” Ian says with a tired sigh. He looks conflicted suddenly—not rethinking his position exactly, but more like he’s sorry for it.
“And that is the entire reason behind the Accords. ” Daman and I exchange a confused glance. “What do you mean? ” Daman asks.
“I thought it was to maintain the peace between us. ” Ian clenches his jaw. “It is. But not for the reason you may think.
What I am about to tell you is a breach of the Accords itself. You were never supposed to know. ” He rubs a tired hand over his face. “Only a vampire King should know this.
Therefore, most vampires you know aren’t aware of this. Your mother knows, though. She’s too old and powerful for anybody to erase the knowledge out of her mind. Even me.
Vampires of her stature are aware. ” He turns towards me. “And your Alpha knows, Chloe. Like most other pack leaders.
But other wolves—no. ” “Yeah, we get it. Big deadly secret. Quit building the suspense,” Daman grumbles.
Ian snaps, annoyed. “Until it was discovered that a werewolf’s blood has healing properties. So, should a vampire form a blood bond with one, having to rely only on the werewolf’s blood to survive—” he winces, like he finds the very thought abhorrent, “—that would make said vampire mortal. Essentially, the blood would heal the vampire back to life, and the vampire would age along with the wolf.
” My eyes widen in shock. Daman goes still beside me, his grip on my hand tightening as the realization sinks in. “You mean,” Daman says slowly, his voice barely a whisper, “if I were to become Chloe’s bride, it would eventually kill me. ” Ian concludes with a thundering glare.
“Yes. ”
The room falls silent. I can’t breathe. This can’t be happening.
The one thing I wanted more than anything—a life with Daman—is impossible. Being with me would kill him. Daman looks at me, his eyes filled with pain and confusion. He opens his mouth to speak, but I can’t bear to hear what he has to say.
I stand up, my legs trembling. “I should go,” I whisper, and before anyone can stop me, I turn and flee the room. I can’t face him. I can’t face any of it.
I thought I’d found a place where I belonged, a person who loved me for who I was. But I was fooling myself. I’m a monster, and monsters don’t get happy endings. I escaped the estate, running until my lungs burned, not knowing where I was going.
It took me hours to realize I was standing in front of the pack’s old territory, the place where I had attacked Eevee all those years ago. The place where everything had gone wrong. I sank to my knees in the damp grass, tears streaming down my face. Daman loved me.
And loving me would destroy him. The days that followed were a blur. I avoided Daman, avoiding Ian, avoiding everyone. I couldn’t bear to see the look in Daman’s eyes—the look of someone who knew the truth now.
And I certainly couldn’t bear to see the look of pity on Ian’s face. I stayed in my room, barely eating, barely sleeping. The only thing that kept me going was the thought that at least Daman was safe. At least he wouldn’t die because of me.
But then, on the third day, there was a knock on my door. It was Daman. He looked exhausted, his eyes red-rimmed, but there was a determination in his gaze that I hadn’t seen before. “We need to talk,” he said simply.
I wanted to turn him away, to save us both the pain, but I couldn’t. I let him in. Daman sat on the edge of my bed, his hands clasped together. “I’ve been thinking,” he began, his voice rough.
“About what my grandfather said. About what would happen if we bonded. ” I nodded, unable to speak. “I don’t care.
”
I blinked, stunned. “What? ” “I don’t care about the consequences,” Daman said, looking at me with fierce determination. “I don’t care that it would shorten my life.
I don’t care about any of it. Because a life without you isn’t worth living anyway. ” “Daman, you can’t be serious,” I protested, my voice cracking. “You can’t throw away your life for me.
I’m not worth it. ” He grabbed my hands, his grip warm and insistent. “You are worth everything, Chloe. Don’t you see that?
” Tears streamed down my face. “There’s so much you don’t know about me,” I whispered. “Things that would change how you feel about me. ” “Like what?
” he asked softly. I opened my mouth to speak, but the compulsion held me back. Ian forbade me from telling anyone about my true nature. But Ian wasn’t here.
And Daman already knew the truth. Did he? I thought back to that night, to his words: *“Is this about you being a werewolf? ”* And I remembered how he hadn’t seemed surprised.
He’d known this entire time. “You already know,” I said, realizing it. “You’ve known since that night, haven’t you? ” Daman smiled faintly.
“I’ve known for a while, actually. You’re not as subtle as you think. There were two werewolves following you the other day. One is constantly hanging out in my backyard.
And you beat up at least ten vampires with your bare hands. Plus, you don’t pass out when I bite you. Of course you’re a werewolf. ” I stared at him, speechless.
“Why didn’t you say anything? ” “You never mentioned it,” Daman said with a shrug. “So I thought it was something you weren’t comfortable talking about. Were you afraid of telling me?
Is that why you said you couldn’t be my bride? ” I shook my head, a sob escaping my lips. “It’s not that simple, Daman. I’m not just a werewolf.
I’m mated. To Nate. ” Daman’s expression didn’t change. “I know who Nate is.
I know he’s the one who hurt Rose and Harry. ” I flinched at the mention of their names. “You know? ” “I know that you have a history with him.
I know that he’s your mate, but he’s also a monster. ” Daman’s voice was firm. “You don’t love him, Chloe. I can see it in your eyes when you talk about him.
You’re not with him anymore. ” “No,” I admitted. “I’m not. But it doesn’t change the fact that I’m bound to him.
The bond is still there. ”
Daman was silent for a long moment. Then he said, “I’ve been thinking about that too. About bonds.
About mates. ” I looked at him, confused. “There’s a way to break a mate bond,” Daman continued carefully. “I’ve read about it in ancient texts.
It’s rare and it’s dangerous, but it can be done. If the bond is broken, you’re free. You can choose who you want to be with. ” My heart pounded.
“How? ” “I’ll tell you,” Daman said, taking my hand. “But you need to trust me, Chloe. Completely.
” I looked into his eyes, and I saw only love and sincerity there. This man was willing to risk everything for me. How could I do any less for him? “I trust you,” I whispered.
Daman leaned forward and pressed his forehead against mine. “Then we’ll find a way. Together. ”
A week later, Daman and I found ourselves in the library of the estate, surrounded by dusty tomes and ancient scrolls.
Daman had been researching the bond-breaking ritual for days, and he believed he’d found what we needed. “It requires the blood of the werewolf and the blood of the mate,” Daman explained, pointing to a passage in a worn book. “Mixed with a specific herb and spoken over with a specific incantation. The ritual must be performed at the exact moment of the full moon.
” I nodded, my nerves trembling. “Where do we find the herb? ” Daman smiled. “That’s the difficult part.
It’s a rare plant called moonpetal. It only grows in the heart of the Shadowfen, a dangerous swamp on the outskirts of the territory. ” I felt a chill run down my spine. The Shadowfen was a place of legend, filled with dangerous creatures and dark magic.
“Do you think we can make it? ” Daman took my hand. “We don’t have a choice. This is the only way.
” So, on the eve of the full moon, Daman and I set out towards the Shadowfen. The journey was treacherous, the ground soft and treacherous, the air thick with the smell of decay. We moved carefully, our senses alert for any sign of danger. As we delved deeper into the swamp, I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
We were being watched. “Daman,” I whispered, my hand on his arm. He nodded, his eyes scanning the shadows. We weren’t alone.
A figure emerged from the mist. A woman with long, dark hair and familiar hazel eyes. My heart stopped. “Chloe,” she said, her voice carrying the weight of years of pain.
“Eevee,” I breathed, unable to believe my eyes. She was standing, walking, healed. The last time I’d seen her, she’d been paralyzed from the waist down, and it had been my fault. Eevee looked at me, her expression unreadable.
“I’ve been looking for you,” she said. “I heard you were trying to break your mate bond. ” Daman tensed beside me. “What do you want?
” Eevee’s gaze flickered to him, then back to me. “I want to help,” she said. I blinked, stunned. “What?
” Eevee’s face softened. “For years, I blamed you for what happened to me. I hated you for ruining my life, for ruining my brother’s life. ” She shook her head.
“But I know now that it was an accident. You were trying to protect Jake. You didn’t mean to hurt me. ” Tears welled in my eyes.
“Eevee, I’m so sorry. ” “I know,” she said. “And I forgive you. That’s why I’m here.
” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small, silver flower that glowed with a soft light. “This is moonpetal. I found it earlier today. ” I stared at the flower, disbelief and gratitude washing over me.
“Why would you do this for me? ” “Because you deserve to be happy,” Eevee said simply. “And because my brother has done enough damage. It’s time to let go of the past.
” She handed the flower to Daman. “Take it. Use it. And please, take care of Chloe.
She deserves better than what life has given her. ” Daman nodded, his expression serious. “I will. ” Eevee turned and disappeared back into the mist, leaving us alone.
Daman looked at me, the flower clutched in his hand. “Are you ready? ” I took a deep breath and nodded. “Yes.
”
That night, under the light of the full moon, we performed the ritual. The words were ancient, the magic powerful. I felt the bond to Nate snap, a sharp, agonizing pain that made me cry out. But as the pain faded, I felt a sense of freedom I’d never known.
The mate bond was gone. I was free. Daman caught me as I collapsed, holding me close. “It’s over,” he whispered, pressing a kiss to my forehead.
“You’re free. ” I clung to him, tears streaming down my face. But even as I felt joy at my newfound freedom, a shadow of doubt lingered in my mind.
If being with Daman would eventually kill him, was this freedom truly worth it?
