Chapter 6

That night, Damon finally came back to sleep in our bedroom. He tried to curl up with me like he used to, like nothing had changed, but I pulled away the moment he reached for me.

Ever since I gave him the Luna's Ring, every time he came near me, I felt like I was going to be sick.

I closed my eyes, pretending to sleep. But sleep never came. I lay awake listening to my twins kick restlessly inside me.

Then Damon's phone buzzed. His low, gentle voice broke the silence.

"What's wrong, love? Are you having contractions?"

I didn't know what Sophia said on the other end, but Damon shot up from bed.

"I'm coming right now. Don't move, don't stress yourself."

Something compelled me to follow him. I walked silently behind him and stopped in the doorway of the Luna's Chamber.

Sophia was lying in the birthing bed, her nightgown clinging to her pregnant form. The Luna's Ring gleamed on her finger.

Damon rushed to her and gathered her into his arms.

"The baby's been kicking so hard," she whimpered. "Every time I try to sleep, they start moving. It's like they're longing for you."

She pressed his hand to her belly, and I watched his face light up as he felt his pup kick.

"I'm here now," he murmured, voice soft with tenderness. "I won't leave you alone anymore."

Sophia looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "I know I shouldn't be selfish... Aria needs you too. She's carrying twins. I don't want to steal you away from your Luna."

Damon stroked her hair. "Don't worry about Aria. She's strong—she can handle herself. But you've been through so much. You need me more."

"But if the pack finds out you're spending nights with me..."

"The pack doesn't understand," he said firmly. "What we have is different, Sophia. What we've always had is real."

I stood there frozen, listening to him dismiss what we had as nothing compared to them.

Sophia shifted in the bed, and I caught sight of the ring glowing faintly on her finger.

"Damon," she whispered, "the doctor said the baby's stable now. And I've waited so long..."

She reached up and touched his face.

"Can I finally be yours completely? Here, tonight?"

Damon didn't hesitate. He leaned down and kissed her with desperate hunger, his hands tangling in her hair as she pulled him onto the bed.

"I've wanted this for so long," he growled against her lips. "To have you here, wearing that ring like you were meant to."

Within moments, they were consumed by each other, lost in passion I'd never seen from him before.

So that was what it looked like when he really loved someone.

I pressed my hand to my belly, feeling my babies kick frantically as if they could sense what was happening.

"I'm sorry," I whispered to them. "I'm so sorry."

I turned away, numb, and walked back to our bedroom. The rejection papers were still on the nightstand, Damon's signature scrawled across the bottom.

He thought he was so clever, signing what he assumed was just another pregnant Luna's tantrum. He had no idea he'd just freed us both.

I sat on the edge of our bed, staring at our mating ceremony photo. Even then, he'd probably been thinking of her.

I picked up the frame and hurled it against the wall. The glass shattered into pieces.

But they were too busy in the chamber to hear it.

I didn't sleep that night. I sat by the window, watching the hours pass.

When dawn broke, I could still hear them, and I knew everything had changed.

By tomorrow, I'd be gone. And Damon would finally have what he'd always wanted.

He just didn't know yet what it would cost him.