Chapter 2

He glances at the pendant, then back at me. "Lila needs it more than you do now."

Lila lowers her head and cups her belly again.

I know that fragile look too well.

In the past, whenever other she-wolves bullied her, she would come to me with this look.

Whenever her wolf grew too weak, it was this look that soften me—enough to make me use my blood and power to strengthen her wolf.

I still remember the first time she met Damon as a pup. She stood behind me and whispered his name as if she were afraid to breathe too loudly.

I was the one who protected her.

Now she hides behind the man who promised to protect me.

The room is so quiet I can hear the candles crackle.

Damon finally walks toward me.

"Selene," he says, as if I am a problem he has to manage. "Today's ceremony will continue, but I won't complete a true mate bond with you."

A low wave of whispers moves through the room.

My veil suddenly feels too heavy. The tiny pearls sewn into it brush my cheeks with every breath.

"Lila is my fated mate," he says. "She carries my pup. If he is born safely, he will be the future of Blackthorn Pack."

"So what am I supposed to be?" I ask.

His expression hardens, like he expected gratitude instead of a question.

"When I become Alpha, I will let you stand beside me as my Luna."

"In name."

"Yes."

He reaches toward my face, the same way he has done a hundred times before.

I step back.

His hand pauses in the air. His eyes flash gold for one sharp second.

"But my mate mark will only go to Lila," he says. "The true bond too."

The floor seems to tilt beneath me.

Now I understand the shape of his plan.

Damon wants the power my blood brings to his pack.

He wants the rare White Wolf beside his throne so every allied Alpha will envy him.

He wants my title, my healing, and my obedience.

But his wolf chose Lila. His pup grows inside Lila. His mark belongs to Lila.

Damon keeps talking as if he has not just gutted me in front of everyone.

"Lila's body is struggling with the pup. The White Wolf blood can stabilize him."

"After today, she'll move into the cottage with you. You can care for her there."

A laugh rises in my throat, "You want me to care for her?"

"Once a month," he says. "A little healer blood. Enough to keep the pup strong until birth."

Lila sniffles. "The pup is innocent, Selene."

Damon's voice softens, which makes it worse.

"If you behave, I'll protect you. I'll let you keep your place in Blackthorn Pack. You'll have the title and respect."

Respect.

I love this man for years.

I stand at the altar for him.

In the end, I will never be his mate.

I am just his fated mate's medicine.