Aria's POV
"Damon!" I screamed as he collapsed to the ground.
Blood was spreading across his chest like spilled paint. His breathing was shallow and fast, and his skin was turning pale. The bullet had hit him in the shoulder, but I could smell something wrong. Something poisonous.
"Silver bullet," Kai said, his voice tight with panic. "It's poisoning his system."
The Sterling Pack soldier who had shot him was already backing away into the trees. "My job here is done," he called out. "The girl will come with us one way or another."
"Like hell she will," Kai snarled, but he didn't chase after the man. He was too busy pressing his hands against Damon's wound, trying to stop the bleeding.
I dropped to my knees beside them, my heart breaking into pieces. This was my fault. Damon had been shot trying to protect me. He was dying because of me.
"What do I do?" I asked desperately. "How do I help him?"
"Silver poisoning moves fast," Kai said grimly. "We need to get him to the pack doctor, but I don't know if we have time."
Damon's eyes fluttered open, and he looked straight at me. Even hurt and bleeding, his golden gaze was intense.
"Aria," he whispered. "Are you safe?"
"Don't talk," I said, tears streaming down my face. "Save your strength."
"Had to... protect you," he mumbled. "Couldn't let them... hurt you."
"You stupid, brave idiot," I sobbed. "Why did you do that?"
A tiny smile crossed his lips. "Because... you're mine. My mate. My responsibility."
"I'm not your responsibility," I said fiercely. "I'm nobody special."
"Wrong," Damon said, his voice getting weaker. "You're everything. Everything I never knew... I needed."
His eyes started to close, and panic shot through me like lightning.
"No!" I grabbed his hand without thinking. "Stay with me, Damon. Don't you dare leave me now."
The moment our skin touched, something amazing happened.
That same silver light from before began to glow between our joined hands. But this time, it wasn't destructive. It was warm and healing and full of love.
I could feel Damon's pain like it was my own. The burning poison in his veins. The way his heart was struggling to beat. The darkness trying to pull him away from me.
But I could also feel my power responding to his need. The moon-blessed energy inside me was reaching out, trying to heal him, trying to save him.
"That's impossible," Kai breathed. "Omega wolves can't heal major injuries."
"I'm not just any omega," I said, remembering what Marcus the Exile had told me. "I'm moon-blessed."
I closed my eyes and let my power flow into Damon through our connected hands. It felt like pouring liquid starlight into a broken vessel. The silver poison fought against my healing energy, but slowly, gradually, my power won.
Damon's breathing got stronger. His color came back. The bleeding stopped.
When I opened my eyes, he was looking at me with wonder and something that looked like love.
"How?" he whispered.
"I don't know," I admitted. "I just... I couldn't let you die."
"Aria." He sat up slowly, wincing a little but obviously much better. "What you just did... that kind of healing power... it's legendary. Ancient."
"All I know is that you're okay," I said, fresh tears spilling down my cheeks. "That's all that matters."
Damon reached up and gently wiped away my tears with his thumb. His touch was soft and careful, like I might break.
"Why are you crying?" he asked softly.
"Because I was so scared," I whispered. "I thought I was going to lose you before I ever really had you."
Something shifted in Damon's expression. The walls he kept around his heart seemed to crack open, and I could see straight into his soul.
"You have me," he said quietly. "Completely. Forever. If you want me."
"Of course I want you," I said without hesitation. "You're my mate."
"Even though I walked away from you at the ceremony? Even though I hurt you?"
"Even though," I said firmly. "You came back. You protected me. You almost died for me."
Damon pulled me closer until I was sitting between his legs, my back against his chest. I could feel his heart beating strong and steady against my spine.
"Aria," he said, his voice rough with emotion. "I need you to understand something. What we have... it's not just attraction. It's not just the mate bond. It's deeper than that."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that for the first time in my life, I'm not alone. When I look at you, I don't see someone I need to protect or control or keep at arm's length. I see my other half. My equal. My partner."
His arms tightened around me, and I felt completely safe for the first time in my life.
"I make you a promise right now," Damon said into my hair. "I will never let anyone hurt you. Not the Sterling Pack, not the rogues, not anyone. You are under my protection for as long as you'll have me."
"And I promise you something too," I said, turning in his arms to face him. "I will never leave you. No matter what happens, no matter who tries to tear us apart, I'm staying right here."
"You might change your mind when you learn more about what being my mate really means," Damon said sadly. "Being the Alpha's mate isn't easy. There are expectations. Dangers. Politics."
"I don't care about any of that," I said fiercely. "I care about you."
"Even if it means giving up your normal life? Even if it means being in constant danger because of who I am?"
"Damon," I said, cupping his face in my hands. "My normal life was being alone and unwanted. You make me feel like I matter. Like I'm worth something. That's worth any risk."
He leaned down and pressed his forehead against mine. "I love you," he whispered. "I know it's too soon to say it, but I do. I love you so much it scares me."
"I love you too," I whispered back. "More than I ever thought possible."
We were about to kiss when Kai cleared his throat loudly.
"I hate to interrupt this touching moment," he said, "but we need to get moving. That Sterling Pack soldier didn't come alone. There will be others."
"You're right," Damon said, standing up and pulling me with him. "We need to get back to the pack house. Gather the council. Prepare for war."
"War?" I asked, my stomach dropping.
"The Sterling Pack just declared war by shooting me on my own territory," Damon explained grimly. "This is far from over."
We started walking back toward the pack house, Kai scouting ahead while Damon kept me close beside him. Every few steps, he would squeeze my hand, like he needed to make sure I was really there.
I squeezed back every time, letting him know I wasn't going anywhere.
But as we walked through the dark forest, I couldn't shake the feeling that we were being watched. Every shadow seemed to hide an enemy. Every rustling leaf made me jump.
"Someone's following us," I whispered to Damon.
"I know," he said quietly. "I can smell them. Sterling Pack wolves. At least three of them."
"Should we run?"
"No. Running would make us look weak. We walk calmly and show no fear."
But just as we reached the edge of the pack territory, a slow clap echoed through the trees behind us.
We spun around to see a young woman stepping out of the shadows. She was beautiful in a cold, sharp way, with pale blonde hair and ice-blue eyes. She wore expensive clothes and a smile that made my skin crawl.
Behind her stood six armed guards, all pointing guns at us.
"How touching," she said in a voice like poisoned honey. "The big, strong Alpha and his little omega girlfriend. Father will be so interested to hear about this."
"Isabella Sterling," Damon growled. "You're trespassing on Blackwood territory."
"Am I?" Isabella laughed. "How rude of me. But then again, you Blackwoods have never been very good at following rules either."
Her cold gaze fixed on me, and I felt like a mouse being stared at by a snake.
"So you're the famous moon-blessed omega everyone's talking about," she said. "You're smaller than I expected. Plainer too."
"What do you want, Isabella?" Damon demanded, stepping protectively in front of me.
"What I want," Isabella said with that terrible smile, "is to make a deal. My father has a proposition for you, Alpha Damon. One that could save both our packs a lot of bloodshed."
"I'm listening," Damon said carefully.
"Marry me," Isabella said simply. "Unite our packs through a political alliance. In exchange, we'll let you keep your little pet omega as a mistress. Everyone wins."
The words hit me like a slap. She wanted Damon to marry her and keep me as a secret on the side. Like I was nothing. Like I didn't matter.
"Never," Damon said coldly.
"Never?" Isabella's smile got wider and more dangerous. "Oh, I think you'll reconsider once you hear what happens if you refuse."