Damien woke up with a splitting headache, the kind that made him wince with every throb. He groaned, rubbing his temples as he forced himself to sit up. The room spun briefly before settling into focus, and he looked around, trying to make sense of where he was. His own room—safe, familiar, but a far cry from where he had been last night.
The party. That wretched party. He could remember the noise, the people, and the clinking of glasses. But then... something happened. Something that made his heart race and his mind fog over.
A scent. He could never forget that scent—enticing, intoxicating, like nothing he had ever experienced before. It had pulled him in, wrapped around him like a warm embrace. But who was she? His mind struggled to grasp the hazy fragments of memory.
"Son, you're awake!"
Damien looked up to see his mother, Luna Liana, rushing into the room.
"Mother," Damien rasped, his throat dry, "what happened? How did I get here?"
Luna Liana sat besides him, taking his hand in hers. "We brought you back, Damien. You were at that party, and then... you were drugged."
"Drugged?" Damien repeated, confusion clouding his mind. "By who? Why?"
Luna Luna's eyes flashed with anger. "It was Alpha Jack's wretched pack. They tried to use you, Damien! To force you into accepting one of their own as your Luna."
Damien felt a surge of anger at the thought, but it was quickly overshadowed by another memory—the scent, the girl. "Mother, who was that girl? The one I... ?"
Luna Liana's expression shifted, her nose wrinkled in disdain. "Some wretched half-breed omega, nothing more. She couldn't possibly be your mate, Damien. Don't let that drugged haze confuse you."
But Damien's mind was racing. Her scent was so familiar, so... right. And he remembered more now—blonde hair, green eyes. But the rest was still so hazy, like trying to grasp smoke.
Luna Liana's grip tightened on his hand. "It doesn't matter who she was, Damien. She's not your mate. You need to forget about her and focus on what's important."
Damien frowned, his thoughts a tangled mess. Could she really have been his mate? It didn't make sense, and yet... the pull he felt towards her was undeniable.
"Damien," Luna Liana said firmly, breaking into his thoughts, "your father is upset about what happened. You need to go see him."
Damien nodded, though his mind was still elsewhere, lost in the memories that refused to fully form. "Yes, Mother. I'll go see him."
As he stood and made his way to the door, the image of the girl's blonde hair and green eyes lingered in his mind. No matter what his mother said, he couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to this than she wanted him to believe. And he was determined to find her.
Damien walked through the long corridors of the pack's main estate. The walls adorned with portraits of past Alphas who had ruled with strength and wisdom. His footsteps echoed softly on the stone floors as he approached the door to his father's chamber.
Alpha Richard, the current Alpha King, was a man of once great power and influence. But now that his health was frail, his strength diminished. Though Luna Liana, Damien's mother, managed the pack with formidable efficiency, if Alpha Richard were to be challenged and defeated, they would lose their Alpha status. It was an unspoken truth that hung over them like a dark cloud, and Damien was keenly aware of the delicate nature of wolf politics.
He knocked softly on the door and waited for the familiar voice to grant him entry.
"Come in," came the voice, weak but still deep.
Damien entered the room to find his father sitting in a high-backed chair by the window, a thick blanket draped over his legs. Alpha Richard's once vibrant silver hair was now mostly white, and his eyes, though sharp, were rimmed with the weariness of age and illness.
"Father," Damien greeted, bowing his head in respect.
"Damien," Richard replied, a small smile touching his lips. "Come, sit with me."
Damien took a seat across from his father, the weight of the conversation already pressing on his shoulders. Alpha Richard studied his son for a moment, his gaze thoughtful.
"You've been through a lot recently," Richard began, his voice measured. "Your mother has told me everything that happened at the party."
Damien nodded, unsure of where to start. "Yes, Father. It was... unexpected."
"I can imagine," Richard said, leaning back in his chair. "But there's something more important we need to discuss. Your future, and the future of this pack."
He had expected this, but it didn't make the moment any easier. "What do you mean?"
Richard's eyes narrowed slightly, as if weighing his words. "As my health declines, the stability of this pack becomes increasingly dependent on you, Damien. You are the heir, the future Alpha King. And with that comes the responsibility of choosing a mate."
Damien swallowed, his thoughts immediately drifting to the girl with the blonde hair and green eyes. "Yes, I understand."
"You must choose a mate wisely," Richard continued, his tone grave. "She must come from a powerful pack, one that can strengthen our own through the bond of your union. It's not just about love, Damien. It's about the survival and prosperity of our pack."
Damien hesitated before asking the question that had been gnawing at him since the party. "But what if... what if my true mate turns out to be an ordinary wolf? Someone not from a powerful pack?"
Richard's expression hardened, his voice firm. "Then you must reject her."
Damien's heart sink at the words. "Reject her?"
"Yes," Richard said, the authority in his voice unyielding. "Your duty to this pack comes before everything else, even a true mate. An ordinary wolf, a mate with no power or status, could weaken our pack and make us vulnerable to those who would challenge us. You cannot afford to be sentimental, Damien. The future of our pack depends on it."
Damien looked away, his mind a swirl of conflicting emotions. The thought of rejecting his true mate, if she were indeed the girl he had encountered, seemed unthinkable. But the weight of his father's words pressed down on him, reminding him of the responsibility that came with his position.
"I understand, Father," Damien finally said, his voice quiet but resolute.
"Good," Richard replied, his tone softening slightly. "I know this isn't easy, Damien. But you were born to lead, and leadership requires difficult choices. Remember that."
Damien nodded, rising from his seat. "I will, Father. I won't let you down."