2

Diana’s POV

I didn’t wait. I didn’t scream nor did I demand answers. I just turned and ran. Tears filled my eyes.

The walls of the grand hall blurred out as I sprinted out, my breath coming in short, ragged gasps. My heels clicked sharply against the marble floor, but the noise was drowned out by the celebration continuing behind me.

No one followed me.

No one cared. They were all drowned in the celebration. I felt so used.

But just as I stepped outside, the cool night air hitting my flushed skin, a voice called out.

"Diana."

I stopped, my heart still racing, and turned slowly.

Celia Whitmore stood a few feet away, the older woman’s expression unreadable. I could see the resemblance to Celeste, the same sharp cheekbones, the same calculating eyes. I dabbed my eyes with my handkerchief, not planning on appearing weak in front of this woman.

I folded my arms across my chest. "What do you want?" my voice came out softer than I wanted.

Celia stepped closer, a sinister smile playing on her lips. "You need to stay away from Celeste and Alpha Damon," Celia said. "Let them have their happiness. Let them have their peace."

I barked out a laugh. It was sharp, humorless. "Peace?" I shook my head and asked her "You think I’m the problem?"

Celia’s gaze hardened. "You are the past, Diana. Celeste is his future."

I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms. I felt rage clawing at my chest, but it wasn’t just anger; it was pain and betrayal. The bitter realization that I had never truly been part of Alpha Damon’s plans. That I was just someone he was passing the time with while he prepared his future with Celeste. Why did he make me believe it was real when he knew from the start that I was not the one he wanted?

I took a step forward; my voice was deathly calm. "You can tell your daughter and that spineless man she’s marrying... happy horrible marriage."

With that, I turned on my heels and walked away.

I reached home in no time. It was either that or I was too lost in my thoughts to notice anything else.

The moment I stepped inside, I felt suffocated by the walls of a house that no longer felt like I belonged there anymore. It no longer felt like the place I knew I could run to when everything felt overwhelming.

I didn’t hesitate.

I walked straight to his bedroom, the very room where Alpha Damon had betrayed me, and yanked open the closet doors.

Within minutes, I was done packing the few things I left behind each time I had to sleepover; throwing them into suitcases with little care. Rage boiled in my veins, but beneath it was something deeper, an emptiness that threatened to swallow me whole.

I moved fast, dragging her belongings downstairs.

The maids stood awkwardly, watching. No one offered to help. Not that I would have accepted anything from their traitorous selves.

They were all traitors. They all betrayed me. They would have given me a headstart but they decided to keep quiet and go along with all of it. To hell with all of them!

I heaved my suitcase into the trunk of my car, slamming it shut with finality.

This place had never been home. It was a place I got stuck in on my journey of finding a home. It was time to find a home I could call mine.

I got into the driver’s seat, turned the ignition, and drove without looking back. I headed to my house and packed all my things. There’s no way I can stay in this pack and watch him flaunt her. I won’t delude myself into thinking it wouldn’t affect me. I won’t subject myself to that torture.

I threw my bags into the trunk and the remaining, in the back seat. Then I drove away.

The moon was high in the sky by the time I reached the Underwood border—the farthest edge of the pack's territory. I gripped the wheel, breathing heavily.

I am almost free. Just one more step and I will finally be free of all the shackles that held me down.

But just as I exhaled, a sharp click sounded under the hood.

Then the engine sputtered.

My heart sank.

I turned the key again.

Nothing. “seriously?”

Frustration swelled in my chest. I slammed my hands against the steering wheel, cursing under my breath. "Not now. Not when I’m so close."

Reaching for my phone, I dialed my uncle, Jeremy Carter.

No answer.

I tried again.

Still nothing.

I groaned, leaning my head against the seat.

Then I heard it.

The unmistakable sound of rustling leaves.

My entire body went rigid.

I am not alone.

The realization sharpened my senses. I slowly stepped out of the car, my pulse steady despite the growing tension in the air.

I knew the signs very well. Someone was nearby. Watching.

My instincts screamed at her to be ready.

The moment I caught movement from the corner of my eye, I moved.

I spun, fist aimed to strike—

But before my blow could land, the attacker twisted my arm around with inhuman speed, locking me in a firm grip.

A cold blade pressed against my throat.

My breath hitched.

I struggled, but the grip was like steel. The stranger held me effortlessly, his scent suddenly invading my senses—

It was a scent I had never encountered before.

A growl rumbled from his chest.

Then, he inhaled sharply.

The air around us shifted.

I froze as I felt his grip loosen slightly.

Then, in a voice that was both rough and filled with disbelief, he muttered—

"Mate."

My eyes widened.

My heart pounded violently against my ribs.

I tilted her head back, trying to get a better look at the man holding me.

His eyes burned gold in the moonlight.

A stranger.

A powerful aura radiated from him, sending shivers down my spine.

But the most shocking part?

I felt it too.

The pull.

The undeniable bond.

The universe had just thrown me into a storm I never saw coming.