Alpha Chose Her Over My Wolf

Synopsis

For five years as mates, Alpha Damon Blackwood spent half his nights at the old den in Hollowridge. He said his elder brother, the old Alpha Cassius Blackwood, was killed in a border hunt, leaving the widowed Vanessa unattended. Damon claimed that as Cassius's brother, he had to shoulder that responsibility. That was how loyalty ran in their family. Back then, I believed him. I put up with his absence during the full moon ritual. I endured Damon splitting the Blood Oath Night bonfire in two, one half for me, the other hauled off to Hollowridge. I even swallowed the whispers from the pack behind my back, calling me the shared Luna and saying I was too weak to hold onto my own mate. Every time Damon talked to me, his voice stayed soft, yet wrapped in a cold distance that never faded. That dusk, Damon, Vanessa, and I were crossing the North Ridge. A rogue's silver blade came swinging out of the shadowed trees. A broken giant log crashed down onto my leg, and silver powder burned into my blood through the wound. Sable screamed in my mind, pounding against my chest. Then its voice slowly faded into silence. Damon was right beside me. His hand was already on the log that pinned me, but he let go. He turned and held Vanessa, who had only a scratch, tight in his arms. "Don't be afraid. It's okay. I'm here." Damon patted her back over and over, as if she were made of glass. And my wolf, Sable, never woke up from that silver fire. It turned out that Damon was never holding onto some brotherly loyalty. He merely couldn't stand to see Vanessa cry. After that night, everyone fussed over Vanessa, asking if she was hurt. No one remembered I once had a wolf.