Damien lifted one finger in the air, "One, she didn't bewitch me. She's not a witch, that fact I am fairly certain. She's like you and me, just that she hadn't found her wolf, that's all."
"Two, I found her wounded and chased down by a pack of wolves who seemed to be hunting her. That is why I brought her back to my packgrounds to rest and heal. I didn't inform the others because I did not feel the need to report my every action to everyone. Clearly from the accusations some of you attempted to make, there was no need for me to declare anything anyways."
For his final point, he made sure to look every single one of them in the eye as he spoke, "Last but not least, yes. As I've declared to the Alpha of Nightmoon pack, Safira is my mate. There's no mistake in that."
All the elders in the room were stunned into silence. None of them dared to mutter a word for quite some time. Seeing that his words had made their desired impact, Damien smiled.
"Now, is there anything else I can clarify for the council?" He asked, allowing his voice to echo through the silent council room.
No one dared to reply.
"Good, if the council has no need of me, I will leave now. I need to care for my mate," he said as he got up to his feet and left the room.
No one dared to stop him, but it was clear the council had much to think about his words. For now, they let him be. Seth was already waiting for him at the door when he came out of the council room.
"What did they say?" He asked as they made their way down the hall.
Damien sighed, "Nothing that I didn't prepare myself for."
"Damien, are you sure about this? You're risking everything for her." Seth asked. He wanted to mince his words a little more carefully but now was not the time.
Every action Damien made seemed to be inching them toward war. Damien shot him a side-eye glare filled with anger. Seth could tell that Yukon was right behind him in his mind, waiting to pounce.
Damien signaled him to follow him to his office so that they could speak in private. As they closed the door behind them, Damien sat down at his desk. Seth stood before him.
The young Alpha was only sixteen when he first became a leader. Seth was right there by his side, watching him grow into the strong, capable wolf he was today. Every decision he had ever made was for the good of his pack.
Yet, with the appearance of the wolfless woman whom he claimed to be her mate, he had placed her above all else.
"Would you not do the same, Seth? If it was your mate?" Damien asked as he looked up at his best friend.
Seth had been his best friend before he became his Beta. There were few he trusted more than him.
"I…" but this was a question the Beta could not answer.
He had not found his mate yet. He had dedicated his life and training to the role of Beta of the Obsidian Howl pack. He never had the time to look for a mate of his own, fated or chosen.
"But she lied to you, did she not? You said it yourself. She told you she was a rogue and now Alpha Bayzil claimed her to be a member of his pack. What if… what if…"
"What if she bewitched me, is that what you wish to say?" Damien asked as he rubbed his temples with his thumb and index finger.
Seth lowered his head and nodded. He knew Damien didn't want to hear any of this, but he had to say it. Others might not dare to tell the Alpha the truth but he made a promise that he would. He intended on keeping it.
Damien got up from his seat and looked out the window. With his back facing Seth, he sighed.
"I knew she was lying about being a rogue," he sighed.
All Alphas had the innate ability to tell when someone belonged to a pack or not.
"You… what?"
"I knew she was lying before she even told me, it's an Alpha thing," he explained as best he could, "But I believe she had her reasons for lying and it would seem that I'm right."
Seth's expression softened a little as he relaxed his stance.
"The way she held onto me when Bayzil threatened to take her… that was fear, Seth. Fear of being killed or worse."
"Then why doesn't she feel the mate bond as you do? Don't you find that odd?" Seth added.
Damien had thought that was odd too. Could it be because she didn't have her wolf? But that was not it. After hearing what Bayzil had to say, he started to put the pieces of the puzzle together.
"When one suffers a rejection from their fated mate, they lose the ability to sense their second chance mate for a while," Damien explained.
After hearing how the mysterious other Alpha was the one who wanted Safira, he suspected that might have been the case. It would have also explained why her wounds were healing so slowly, even for one who didn't have a wolf.
As he explained the other details to Seth, the Beta got a better understanding of the situation. While it did not change his entire stance on the subject, it was enough to see that Damien was not blinded by Safira.
For a long time, many thought the Alpha of the Obsidian Howl would never take another mate. He once had a childhood friend, Marcella. They were close, so close that everyone knew for sure that they were fated mates.
But when he turned 21, he realized that wasn't true. Still, he vowed in his heart that he would take her as his chosen mate. But that never came to fruition. Marcella had been ill for a long time, plagued by an illness her entire life.
She was well-loved by all members of her pack but it soon became clear that her illness would take her. When it did, the entire pack mourned her death, as if they mourned the loss of their Luna.
As for the truth of the matter, Damien chose to bury it deep in his heart. The pain he had felt afterward was real. It was as if he had lost a piece of his heart. He would never forget her.
When he met Safira, everything changed. His world was filled with color once more. To see her in so much pain and having suffered through so much, just a short distance away from his packgrounds pained him.
He felt as if he had failed to protect her.