Aria's POV.

The voices from the ceremony were still ringing in my head, blending with the steady pounding of my heartbeat. Every step I took down the corridor felt heavy, like my feet were made of stone. The noise of the pack celebrating Zac's choice for Luna echoed far behind me, but it clung to me all the same, like sharp claws digging into my back.

Vanessa's laughter lingered most of all. That smug, triumphant sound. She had won. At least, that's how it looked to everyone in the hall.

I didn't understand. I couldn't. Just a week ago, Zac's hands had been on me, his lips whispering promises only I could hear. His voice had been soft then, his touch gentle. We were in love, we had plans. Tonight was supposed to be the night everything changed for us. For me.

And it did. Just not the way I thought.

I found him standing in the torch-lit hallway, his back against the stone wall, his posture relaxed as if nothing had happened. My chest tightened so hard it hurt. How could he look so calm after destroying me in front of everyone?

"Zac," I whispered first, my voice breaking even though I wanted it to come out strong.

His eyes slid toward me, sharp and cold, like I was nothing but an interruption.

I swallowed, clutching the front of my dress to stop my hands from shaking.

"What just happened out there?" My words tumbled out too fast, too desperate. "You..you were supposed to pick me. We talked about this. You told me I was your Luna, that tonight..."

"Stop." His voice cut through mine like a blade.

I flinched, but I forced myself to keep going, tears pricking my eyes. "Tell me what this is, Zac. Tell me why you said her name instead of mine. Please I need..."

He pushed off the wall slowly, towering over me now, and the small smile curling his lips made my stomach twist. It wasn't kind. It wasn't loving. It was smug and it was cruel.

"What happened, Aria," he said with a sharpness that made my knees weak, "is that I chose what was best for me. For this pack. For my future. And it was never you."

The words slammed into me like someone had just punched me in the stomach.

I shook my head, tears blurring my vision. "No, no, that's not true. Don't say that. You loved me, Zac. I know you did. Everything we've been through, everything we shared..."

"Shared?" He laughed bitterly, the sound echoing down the hall. "Don't flatter yourself. You were never more than a distraction. A warm body in my bed when I needed it. Did you really think you were anything more than that?"

My chest felt tight, I couldn't breathe. His words burned through me, stripping away every memory I had of us, every touch, every whispered promise.

"You're lying," I whispered. "You're saying this to hurt me because you're scared. You don't mean it..."

"Oh, I mean every word." His voice was low, mocking now as he leaned closer, his eyes cold but glinting with satisfaction. "You were just convenient, Aria. Nothing more. I never loved you. I never wanted you. You were good enough to warm my bed, but never good enough to stand beside me, and how do you expect an orphan with only goddess knows her roots to become a Luna."

My world shattered at that moment.

I stumbled back, shaking my head, my tears spilling fast now. My hands clutched my stomach instinctively, a protective move he didn't even notice. He didn't know yet about the baby, our baby. The proof that what we had was real, wasn't just some twisted illusion.

But how could I tell him now? How could I place that fragile truth in the hands of a man who had just torn me apart?

My voice broke when I asked, "Then why? Why all these years? Why hold me, why whisper promises, why talk about our future if it was all a lie?"

"Because it was easy," he said flatly, his lips curling. "Because you were foolish enough to believe me. And because you were always there, waiting, desperate to be chosen. You made it too easy, Aria."

I felt my legs weakening under me, the weight of his cruelty crushing me. But I still couldn't stop. I still needed something, anything, that made sense because everything happening right now doesn't make a single sense.

How was I to accept it, just like that?

My voice was a broken whisper. "I gave you everything. I stood by you when your father died, when you became Alpha, when you said you couldn't do it alone. I was there for you. And this is what I get?"

His eyes flickered for just a second, almost like he remembered. But it was gone just as fast. His expression hardened again, sharper, colder than the last time as he pushed me against the wall. I felt a sharp sting of pain, burning where he gripped me tightly.

"You were useful then," he said, his tone final. "But I don't need you anymore, you've served your purpose."

My breath hitched, and for a moment, I thought it couldn't get worse than this. I thought I had reached the very bottom of heartbreak. But Zac wasn't done.

He straightened back as he smiled at me, his voice carrying a cruel pride now, like he was making some grand announcement.

"And since you're so desperate to know, Aria... this isn't just about Vanessa. It's just a first step to my path of greatness, I would be the greatest alpha the pack has ever had and you my lovely dear, has been sold."

The words froze me where I stood. "S-sold?" I stammered, my body trembling.

He nodded once, smugness dripping from him. "Yes. To the Winchester Alpha. As proof of our alliance. Consider it your final role, your last usefulness. You'll make a fine little offering to keep the peace."

Damon's pov.

The hall was too loud for my liking. Wolves pressed in on all sides, the smell of perfume, sweat and wine filling the air. I stood near the back with my beta and two guards, my arms folded, my face calm. On the inside, I hated every second of this, I didn't like ceremonies. I didn't like watching another Alpha preen in front of his pack like a rooster.

But there was a treaty to be signed, so I had come.

Zac had been full of himself from the moment we stepped into his territory. His smiles were too wide, his handshakes too firm. His eyes darted, always making sure people were looking. He spoke of loyalty and unity but everything about him stank of pride.

I was already thinking of leaving as soon as the speeches ended. But then I saw her.

She wasn't at the center of things like the other she‑wolves. She wasn't showing off or laughing. She stood off to the side, quiet. Small. Her dress simple but beautiful. Her hands twisting together in front of her stomach like she was holding herself in.

And then the scent hit me.

Not perfume, not wine but her.

It slid over me like warm earth after rain. A soft wild smell under the heavy room. I went still. My wolf went still and for one heartbeat, I didn't even hear the music.

'Mate.'

The word slammed into my skull, my pulse jumped. My chest tightened at that word. My wolf surged up, claws scraping, teeth bared.

I kept my face blank but my eyes were locked on her.

She didn't look back at first, her eyes were on Zac watching him with a kind of hope that hurt me to see. Like he was her whole world.

I felt a strange jealousy. I didn't know her but I wanted to drag her away from that look, away from him. My wolf growled under my skin with a possessive tone, 'Mine.'

I took a slow breath, fighting to keep control of my emotions to avoid my wolf coming out, walking straight to her and marking her as ours.

The ceremony moved on, speeches and toasts. Vanessa and her painted friends dancing near the stage while Zac was acting like a king in front of his court. And her, standing still like a candle flame about to go out.

Then it came, the announcement.

"In front of the moon goddess and the elders of the pack, I pick Vanessa as my lifelong mate and my Luna."

The room cheered while Vanessa squealed in victory. A title chaser, I scoffed when I look at her before letting my eyes go somewhere else.

It landed at the girl, my mate who just froze.

I felt it in my own chest like a blow. Her pain hit me like a punch, her heart breaking echoed in my bones. My wolf roared inside me, pacing, ready to tear at someone.

She still didn't cry as I thought she would, rather she just stood there, trembling, her face pale, her eyes wide.

I took a half step forward without meaning to. My beta shot me a look but said nothing. Zac went on talking, smiling, holding Vanessa's hand, soon he left the hall and was immediately followed by mate. He came back 10 minutes later and looked straight at my section of the hall. Straight at me, and his smile turned even smugger as he made another announcement.

"Aria has been sold to the Winchester Alpha as proof of our alliance." He said, loud enough for everyone to hear. It made my stomach turn to stone and my wolf lunged. Not at her but at him.

Sold.

The word echoed in my head.

He had just called her by name, Aria. He had just told his whole pack she was a piece of property, that he had given her to me.

I stared at him, my hands curling into fists. My jaw clenched so hard my teeth ached.

I didn't even know her yet, but everything inside me screamed at the insult. She wasn't his to give. She wasn't a land deed or a weapon deal. She wasn't some treaty gift. She was mine, my mate.

I looked at her, the moment she stepped inside.

She looked at Zac like she didn't know him anymore. Like she was watching a stranger. Her lips trembled. Her hands were pressed to her stomach like she was trying to hold herself together. Tears gathered but she held them back. She looked so small, so fragile, but under it all I could see the hatred in her gaze towards him.

Our eyes met for the first time.

The bond snapped tight.

It was like lightning in my veins, making my breath flutter. My heart slammed. I could smell her fear, her heartbreak, but under it, her scent wrapped around me and my wolf howled.

She blinked at me, confused. She felt something, even if she didn't know what. I took a slow step forward. Wolves near me shifted aside without even thinking. My wolf was pushing at my skin, at my voice.

'Take her. Protect her. She's Ours.'

Zac kept talking, basking in his own power while Vanessa smiled like she'd won something. The crowd whispered. But none of it mattered.

All that mattered was her.

All that mattered was that the moon goddess had given me a mate, and this arrogant boy thought he could hand her off like a coin.

I stopped a few paces away, my eyes locked on hers. My voice came out low, almost a growl under my breath. "I won't let them hurt you anymore."

She heard me. I saw her eyes widen, her breath catch.

My wolf's voice filled my head. 'Mate..Our mate.'

I wanted to take her right then. Pull her away, mark her in front of all of them. But I didn't, at least not yet. I needed to play it smart. I needed to keep her safe.

I stood there, breathing hard, my heart hammering. Every sense is full of her. Every plan in my head is shifting.

She was not an offering, nor was she a token of peace.

She was my mate.

And as I looked at her, trembling but standing, my decision settled in me like stone: I would take her from this place. I would make her safe. I would make Zac regret every word he'd said.