I Left Before He Learned My Worth novel Chapter 16

**TITLE: I Left Before He Learned My Worth**

**Chapter 16**

**DAMON**

The pouch I clutched, containing the shattered remnants of the moonstone, felt as though it were searing a hole through my pocket as I navigated the shadowy streets en route to the jewelry district of the city. The predawn silence wrapped around me like a heavy blanket, amplifying the turmoil within my mind.

Sleep had eluded me the entire night. Each time I dared to close my eyes, visions of that pendant falling in slow motion invaded my thoughts, the sickening sound of its shattering against my desk echoing in my ears. I could still see those precious blue fragments scattering across the floor, each one a broken promise, a reminder of my failures.

Sera was stable now—the healers had managed to stabilize her silver poisoning, at least for the moment. When I left her side, she was asleep, her face pale against the starkness of the white sheets, the mating mark on her throat a constant reminder of the choices I had made. Choices that haunted me like shadows in the night.

But it wasn’t Sera’s face that haunted my dreams.

No, it was Aria’s. The way her eyes had looked at me when I chose to give her that extravagant moonstone necklace instead of returning her mother’s cherished pendant. The shuttered expression on her face, the flicker of hope extinguished in her eyes—it was a sight I could never erase.

Time and again, I had hurt her. I had chosen Sera over Aria, dismissed her feelings, taken her sacrifices for granted as if they were inconsequential. And now, her mother’s pendant—the last tangible connection to her murdered pack, the sole link to the family that had once loved her before rogues had torn it all apart—was in ruins.

I had to make amends. I had to find a way to fix this.

As I arrived in the jewelry district, the first hints of dawn began to illuminate the streets. Shop owners were just beginning to open their doors, their movements a symphony of routine as they arranged their displays in the windows. I had spent the previous night researching the most skilled craftsmen in the Northern Territories, those who specialized in antique restoration and the delicate art of metalwork.

The first shop I entered had garnered a reputation for performing miracles—rumor had it that they had restored a ceremonial crown crushed in a landslide, bringing it back to life as if it were brand new.

The elderly wolf who owned the shop—Edmund, as the sign indicated—looked up from his workbench when I stepped inside, his magnifying glasses making his eyes appear disproportionately large.

“Alpha Cross,” he greeted, recognition lighting up his features. “It’s an honor. What brings you here today?”

With a sense of trepidation, I placed the pouch on his counter, carefully opening it to reveal the shattered pieces within. “This pendant belonged to an omega in my pack. It was… damaged. I need it repaired.”

Edmund lifted his magnifying glasses and leaned in, scrutinizing the fragments with a furrowed brow. He delicately picked up a few pieces, turning them in the light, studying the intricate metalwork of the setting.

His expression grew increasingly troubled as he examined the remnants.

“This is exceptional craftsmanship,” he murmured, almost to himself. “Very old. The moonstone itself was… how should I put this? It wasn’t just valuable—it was sacred. You can tell by the color, the way it’s been shaped. This isn’t merely a decorative piece.”

“Can you fix it?” I asked, my voice tinged with desperation, the weight of my plea hanging heavily in the air.

Edmund set the pieces down, meeting my gaze with a grave expression. “Alpha Cross, I’m afraid I can’t.”

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