Damien Knight POV:

The air in the VIP lounge felt thick and suffocating. The moment Kaci accepted my rejection, a searing agony ripped through my chest. It felt as if a rusty blade was violently scraping against my soul. The backlash of a broken fated mate bond was far worse than the legends described.

Carly noticed my pale face and rushed over, her sweet gardenia scent suddenly making me nauseous. "Damien! Are you okay? What did that crazy woman do to you?"

I gritted my teeth, violently shoving her hand away. "I'm fine!" I snapped, trying to use my Alpha will to crush the pain.

At that moment, the door opened, and Caleb walked in. I leaned back into the sofa, rubbing my throbbing temples, forcing a look of absolute indifference. "Is it done?"

"Yes, Alpha. Miss Reynolds accepted everything," Caleb replied.

"Hmph." I let out a cold snort. A strange silence fell over the room. I lifted my eyelids, a trace of undetectable mockery flashing in my grey eyes. I knew she couldn't keep up her act for more than a few minutes. She had no right to play hard to get with me.

"Did she ask you to pass on a message?" I asked lazily, waiting to hear her desperate pleas.

Caleb hesitated for a second before answering. "Yes. Miss Reynolds asked me to assure you that she will never disturb your life again."

My sneer froze slightly. "What else?" I demanded, my voice dropping dangerously. "Did she cry? Did she throw a fit?"

Caleb swallowed hard, avoiding my gaze. "No, Alpha. She was... very calm. In fact..." Caleb took a deep breath. "Miss Reynolds immediately contacted a human real estate agent. She listed the villa you just gave her for emergency sale. Cash only. She's liquidating it."

The words struck me like a physical blow. She sold the house? Immediately?!

A surge of inexplicable, violent fury erupted in my chest. I snatched the crystal glass of whiskey from the table and hurled it violently against the wall. The glass shattered into a thousand pieces, making Carly shriek in terror.

"Good! Very good!" I roared, my chest heaving. She was playing a game. Yes, that had to be it! She thought selling the house would provoke me, that it would make me pay attention to her. It was a pathetic, desperate tactic!

I turned to Carly, who was trembling in the corner, and deliberately raised my voice, making sure my Alpha command echoed through the halls. "Carly! Prepare yourself. We are holding our official Mating Ceremony this weekend!"

Carly's eyes widened in pure ecstasy as she threw herself into my arms. "Oh, Damien! Yes!"

I stared at the closed door, a cruel smirk twisting my lips. Let's see how long you can keep up this little act, Kaci. When you hear about the Mating Ceremony, you'll come crawling back on your knees.

Hours later, late in the night, the suffocating void in my chest refused to fade. I paced the study like a caged beast. Driven by a restless impulse I refused to acknowledge, I opened my phone and checked the Pack's social network.

My thumb froze over the screen. It was a new post from Kaci. A photo of her, looking breathtakingly beautiful, her eyes shining with a radiant, untamed light I hadn't seen in three years. There were no tears. There was no despair.

The caption read: "End of the debt. Reborn."

A sudden, icy panic seized my heart. The phone in my hand let out a sharp crack as the screen shattered under the crushing grip of my fingers.