The lost mate

Chapter 156: Shattered truths

Anne hesitated, the weight of her words pressing down on her. She had carried this secret for so long. But now, seeing the chaos and pain Liana’s paranoia had unleashed, she knew she couldn’t stay silent any longer.

Taking a deep breath, Anne squared her shoulders and locked eyes with Damien. "You deserve to know the truth," she said, her voice trembling but resolute. "Liana isn’t your real mother."

The room fell silent as though the air had been sucked out. Damien blinked, disbelief and shock flashing across his face. "What?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Anne’s heart pounded, but she pressed on. "Your real mother... was Jennifer. She was Heather’s sister, Damien. A human."

Damien staggered back a step, his world tilting. "Jennifer? No. That can’t be. Liana raised me. She’s my mother."

Liana’s voice sliced through the air like a whip. "Enough!" She strode forward, her eyes blazing with fury. "Anne, you have no right to say such things. Damien, don’t listen to her."

But Damien turned to Liana, his voice tight with a mix of hope and fear. "Is it true?" he demanded. "Is what Anne said true? Tell me, Mom!"

Liana hesitated, and for a moment, her mask of authority slipped, revealing a flicker of vulnerability. Finally, she exhaled sharply, her lips pressing into a thin line. "Yes," she admitted. "It’s true. Jennifer was your biological mother. But that’s not the whole story."

Damien’s eyes widened, his breath catching. "Then what is the whole story? Tell me!"

Liana’s expression softened, her voice adopting a tone of sorrow and regret. "Jennifer didn’t want you, Damien," she said, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "She abandoned you—left you. She was... weak, selfish. She couldn’t handle the responsibility of raising you, so she ran."

Anne’s mouth opened to protest, but Liana’s sharp glance silenced her.

"I took you in," Liana continued, her voice cracking. "I raised you as my own, protected you, loved you. Everything I’ve done, Damien, has been for you and for this pack. That’s why I don’t trust humans. They’re unreliable; they don’t understand loyalty or strength."

Damien stared at her, his mind racing. The foundation of his identity felt like it was crumbling beneath him. "She was my mother," he whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "And you never told me."

"I didn’t want to hurt you," Liana replied, stepping closer. "I wanted you to feel safe, to feel loved. I didn’t want you to carry the burden of knowing your real mother didn’t want you."

Anne clenched her fists. "That’s not true," she said, her voice cutting through the tension. "Liana, stop twisting the story. Jennifer didn’t abandon Damien. She loved him. She was desperate to keep him, but you took him from her. You and Richard planned it all. You manipulated her into having Richard’s child so that you could get an heir."

Damien’s head snapped toward Anne. "Is that true?" he asked, his voice trembling with anger.

Liana’s expression darkened, her composure slipping. "She was unfit to be a mother!" she snapped. "I did what was necessary to give you a better life."

"By lying to me my entire life?" Damien’s voice rose, his anger finally breaking free. "By tearing my mother away from me and then demonizing her? How could you, how could you?"

Damien turned to Anne, his voice sharp. "Start from the beginning. I want to know everything."

Anne drew a deep breath, her shoulders slumping as though an invisible weight pressed down on her, and she narrated everything to him.

Damien’s jaw clenched, his heart pounding as Anne continued.

The room was silent, save for Damien’s labored breathing. He felt as if the ground beneath him had been yanked away, leaving him to dangle over an abyss of betrayal and heartbreak.

Heather’s voice, soft but steady, broke the quiet. "It makes sense now," she said, glancing at Emily. "Why Liana accused us of treason. She’s been trying to control the narrative all along. Anyone who knows the truth—anyone who might stand up to her—becomes a threat."

Emily nodded, her voice trembling with anger. "She doesn’t just want to protect the pack. She wants to protect her power. We were never conspiring against her, Damien. But Liana saw us as loose ends, so she decided to get rid of us."

Damien’s mind reeled, the pieces of the puzzle falling into place, each one sharper than the last. His breathing quickened, his head pounding as if it were about to split open. "Stop," he muttered, raising a hand as the room seemed to spin. "Just... stop."

Anne stepped toward him, her voice laced with concern. "Damien, I—"

"Don’t," he said, his voice breaking. "I need... I need some time."

He turned and strode out of the room, ignoring the calls of the others behind him. His footsteps echoed down the hallway, each one louder than the last, until he burst through the door into the crisp night air. The forest loomed ahead, dark and silent, a haven from the chaos threatening to consume him.

Without hesitation, Damien broke into a run. His muscles burned, his lungs heaved, but he didn’t stop. The wind lashed at his face, cold and biting, as if trying to strip away the layers of pain and confusion that weighed him down.

As he neared the edge of the forest, his wolf surged forward, desperate for release. Damien gave in, letting the shift take him. His bones stretched and reformed, his senses sharpening as his wolf form took over. The world around him exploded into vivid detail—the damp earth beneath his paws, the rustle of leaves in the wind, the faint scent of prey nearby.

He ran, his wolf’s powerful strides eating up the distance as he plunged deeper into the forest.

Damien slowed to a stop near a small clearing, his sides heaving as he stared up at the moon. It was full, its light casting the forest in an ethereal glow. He tilted his head back and let out a long, mournful howl—a cry of anger, pain, and betrayal that echoed through the trees.

For the first time in his life, Damien felt truly alone.

*************

The door slammed shut behind Damien, the sound echoing in the tense silence of the room. For a moment, no one moved, the weight of what had just transpired pressing down like a suffocating blanket.

Then Liana’s voice cut through the stillness, sharp and seething. "Are you satisfied, Anne? Look at what you’ve done! You’ve upset him—confused him! You had no right to tell him any of that!"

Anne turned to face her, her expression unflinching. "No right?" she repeated, her voice low but steady. "Wasn’t it you who had no right, Liana? No right to lie to him for years, to steal him from Jennifer, to twist the truth to suit your agenda? He deserved to know."

Liana’s eyes narrowed, her face a mask of fury. "What I did, I did to protect him! To protect this pack! And don’t think for a second that your meddling has changed anything. Damien is loyal to me. He will come back, and when he does, he’ll stand by my side. He always has, and he always will."

Anne’s frustration flared, her hands curling into fists at her sides. "You still don’t get it, do you?" she said, her voice trembling with suppressed anger. "This isn’t about loyalty. This is about the truth. Your schemes, your manipulations—they’ve hurt him, Liana. They’ve hurt all of us. It’s time you stopped pretending this is about the pack. It’s about you and your control!"

Liana’s lips twisted into a bitter smile. "Say whatever you like, Anne. But it doesn’t matter. The truth doesn’t matter. I am the Alpha, and Damien knows where his loyalty lies."

Her gaze shifted to Chris, who had been standing silently, his jaw tight as he watched the exchange. "Chris," Liana commanded, her tone brooking no argument, "take Heather and Emily to the dungeon. They are still accused of treason, and they will face judgment in due time."

Chris stiffened, his hands curling into fists. He glanced toward Heather and Emily, who sat silently, their faces pale but resolute. His hesitation was palpable, the conflict in his eyes clear.

"Chris," Liana barked, her voice sharp as a blade. "I gave you an order."

For a moment, it seemed as though Chris might refuse. His lips parted, his gaze flicking between Heather, Emily, and Liana. Then, with visible reluctance, he gave a curt nod. "Yes, Madam Luna," he said, his voice low.

Heather stood, her eyes blazing with defiance. "You can throw us in a dungeon, Liana, but it won’t change the fact that your lies are unraveling. Damien will see the truth for what it is, and when he does, you won’t be able to manipulate him anymore."

Liana’s expression hardened, but she said nothing, merely gesturing for the warriors to follow Chris’s lead.

As Heather and Emily were escorted out, Anne sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of her nose. "You’re making a mistake, Liana," she said quietly, her tone weary but firm. "Damien isn’t going to take this lightly. The more you tighten your grip, the more you’ll lose him."

Liana scoffed, waving a dismissive hand. "I don’t need your advice, Anne. If you’re so concerned about Damien, go find him. Maybe you can talk some sense into him before he does something reckless."

Anne stepped forward, her gaze unwavering. "Oh, I plan to," she said, her voice tinged with exasperation. "Because unlike you, I actually care about him more than what he can do for me. And when I find him, I’m going to tell him everything you’re too afraid to admit."

Without waiting for a response, Anne turned and strode out of the room, her heart heavy but her resolve unshaken. She would find Damien, and she would make sure he understood the full truth—no more lies, no more half-truths.

**********************************************

Damien’s paws sank into the soft forest floor, the scent of pine and earth grounding him as he ran deeper into the woods. The cold air whipped past him, carrying away the anger and confusion that had threatened to consume him. His wolf had taken over completely, its primal instincts guiding his path and granting him a release his human side couldn’t find.

The deer had been swift, but not swift enough. Damien’s wolf had taken it down with brutal efficiency, its struggle and the taste of blood helping to calm the storm inside him. As the carcass lay forgotten, he prowled through the undergrowth, his mind quieter but far from settled.

Then, a sound—a soft rustle of leaves. The scent hit him next, achingly familiar. He turned his head sharply, his golden eyes narrowing as a figure emerged from the shadows.

Anne.

Her wolf was smaller than his but no less striking, her coat a pale silver that seemed to glow in the moonlight. She stepped toward him with deliberate slowness, her posture relaxed but watchful, her bright blue eyes locked on his.

Damien growled low in his throat, not in warning but in frustration. Anne’s wolf merely blinked, her presence calm and steady, a balm to his frayed nerves. She lowered her head slightly, a silent gesture of trust and reassurance.

Something in Damien’s chest loosened. He felt his anger dissipating, the tension draining from his muscles. With a shudder, he let his wolf recede, his body twisting and reshaping until he stood on two legs, his human form exposed to the cool night air.

Anne followed his lead, shifting effortlessly into her human form. She stood a few feet away, giving him space, her silver hair catching the moonlight. She didn’t speak immediately, waiting for him to regain his composure.

Damien raked a hand through his hair, his breaths coming in uneven bursts. "You followed me," he said finally, his voice rough.

Anne crossed her arms, tilting her head slightly. "Someone had to. You looked like you were ready to tear through the entire forest."

A faint smile tugged at the corner of Damien’s lips, but it didn’t last. He leaned against a tree, his shoulders slumping. "How long?" he asked, his tone heavy. "How long have you known?"

Anne hesitated, her gaze softening. "A while," she admitted. "It wasn’t my place to tell you. And... I hoped Liana would come clean eventually."

Damien let out a bitter laugh, his breath visible in the chilly air. "Eventually? That’s rich. Everyone knew, didn’t they?" His voice broke, the pain evident. "You, Chris, probably half the pack. Everyone but me."

Anne stepped closer, her movements careful. "It wasn’t like that, Damien. We didn’t want to hurt you. And Chris... he only found out recently. He wanted to tell you, but I stopped him."

"Yeah," Damien muttered, his jaw tightening. "She raised me, Anne. She lied to me my entire life. And now..." He trailed off, his head tilting back as he stared at the canopy above, the moonlight filtering through the leaves.

Anne placed a gentle hand on his arm, grounding him. "You’re allowed to be angry," she said softly. "But don’t let it consume you. You deserve the truth, and you’re finally getting it. Don’t let her take anything else from you."

Damien closed his eyes, exhaling slowly. Her words settled over him, steadying him in a way nothing else had. He opened his eyes and looked at her, his expression raw but calmer.

"Thank you," he said quietly.

For a moment, they stood in silence, the forest around them a cocoon of stillness. Damien finally pushed away from the tree, his shoulders straighter.

"Let’s go back," he said, his voice steadier. "I’ve had enough running for one night."

Anne gave him a small, encouraging smile. "Whenever you’re ready."