C2 Rebecca's POV

“Damian, are you even listening to me?” My voice cracked as I leaned against the table, hands trembling from the weight of words unspoken.

He sat across the room, his broad shoulders tense, his jaw set in that infuriating way he did when he wanted to avoid a conversation. His focus remained on the documents spread before him, but I knew he wasn’t reading a single word.

“I’m listening,” he muttered, his voice devoid of emotion.

“No, you’re not!” The frustration bubbled over, spilling into the room like a dam breaking. “You haven’t truly listened to me in months.”

His head snapped up, his eyes locking onto mine. The gold flecks in his irises glimmered, a warning to tread carefully. “What do you want me to say, Rebecca? That I understand? That I sympathize? Because I don’t.”

His words hit me like a blow to the chest, but I refused to let him see how much they hurt. I folded my arms, forcing my voice to remain steady. “I want you to act like you still care, Damian. Like I’m still your Luna, your mate.”

He let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head. “You don’t act like my Luna, Rebecca. You shrink away when the pack needs you. You’ve distanced yourself from them and from me.”

“I distanced myself because every time I look at them, I see the disappointment in their eyes!” I snapped, my voice rising despite my efforts to control it. “They see me as a failure because I can’t give you what you want. And you… you see me the same way.”

His silence spoke louder than any words ever could. He didn’t deny it, and that broke something inside me.

I turned away, my hands gripping the edge of the table as I tried to steady my breathing. The truth hung heavy in the air, suffocating us both. “I didn’t choose this, Damian,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. “Do you think I wanted to fail you? To fail our pack?”

He stood, the chair scraping against the floor as he closed the distance between us. “It’s not just about the pack, Rebecca. It’s about us. You’ve shut me out.”

I whirled around to face him, tears burning in my eyes. “You think I shut you out? You’re the one who pushed me away. Ever since the healers told us the truth, you’ve treated me like I’m broken.”

“You are broken,” he said, his voice cold and unyielding. The words hung between us, a cruel echo that refused to fade.

I recoiled as though he had struck me. My hand trembled as I raised it to wipe away a stray tear that escaped. “I may be broken, Damian, but I’m still here. I still love you, even if you can’t stand to look at me anymore.”

His expression softened for a moment, a flicker of regret crossing his features, but it was gone as quickly as it came. “Love isn’t enough, Rebecca. Not anymore.”

The finality in his tone shattered the fragile hope I’d been clinging to. My shoulders sagged under the weight of his words, and for the first time, I realized just how far we had drifted from the couple we once were.

The sound of footsteps outside the room pulled us from the tense silence. Ayara’s voice rang out, light and mocking. “Damian, are you in there? The council is waiting.”

I stiffened, my hands balling into fists at my sides. Damian didn’t move, his gaze still locked on mine, but the tension in his body told me he was just as aware of her presence as I was.

“She’s everywhere, isn’t she?” I said bitterly, my voice barely audible. “Always waiting in the wings, ready to take my place.”

“She’s helping the pack,” he replied, his tone defensive. “Something you’ve been unwilling to do.”

His words cut deep, but I refused to let him see how much they hurt. “You mean she’s helping you,” I shot back. “Don’t think I don’t see what’s happening, Damian. She’s not just after my title—she’s after you.”

He didn’t respond, and his silence was answer enough.

Ayara knocked lightly on the door before pushing it open, her smile as bright as the sun. “Oh, I didn’t realize I was interrupting.” Her tone dripped with false sweetness as her gaze flicked between us.

“You’re always interrupting,” I muttered under my breath, but she ignored me, her attention solely on Damian.

“The council needs your input on the border dispute,” she said, her voice soft and honeyed. “It’s important.”

Damian glanced at me one last time, a mixture of frustration and resignation in his eyes, before nodding. “I’ll be there in a minute.”

Ayara smiled, a triumphant glint in her eyes as she turned and left the room.

As the door closed behind her, Damian sighed heavily and rubbed a hand over his face. “We’ll finish this later.”

“No, we won’t,” I said quietly, my voice barely above a whisper. “Because you’ve already made up your mind.”

He hesitated for a moment, as though he wanted to say something, but then he turned and followed Ayara out of the room. The door closed behind him with a soft click, leaving me alone with the crushing weight of his absence.

I sank into the nearest chair, my head in my hands. The ache in my chest was unbearable, a hollow emptiness that no amount of tears could fill. I had lost him. Damian wasn’t just my mate—he was my world, and now that world was crumbling around me.

The sound of shattering glass jolted me from my thoughts. My head shot up, my heart pounding as I scanned the room. The window was intact, but the cold breeze that swept through told me something was wrong.

I stood slowly, my eyes darting toward the shadows in the corner of the room. “Who’s there?” I demanded, my voice trembling.

For a moment, there was nothing but silence. Then, a low growl echoed through the room, sending chills down my spine. It wasn’t a wolf—it was something else, something darker.

“Rebecca…” The voice was low and guttural, barely more than a whisper, but it sent a jolt of fear through me. “You’re running out of time.”

“Who are you?” I demanded, backing toward the door. My hands fumbled for the handle, but it wouldn’t budge. “What do you want?”

The shadows shifted, and a pair of glowing red eyes emerged, staring directly at me. “Your place as Luna isn’t the only thing at stake,” the voice hissed. “The choices you make now will determine more than you realize.”

My breath caught in my throat as the figure stepped forward, its form still shrouded in darkness. Before I could respond, the shadows surged toward me, and everything went black.