I Left Before He Learned My Worth novel Chapter 18

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

**Chapter 18**

**DAMON**

**$20 Free Colds**

“I… she didn’t specify,” Margaret finally managed to say, her voice trembling under the weight of her words. “All she mentioned was that she needed to travel, that it would take a few weeks—”

“Did she go to Shadowmere territory?” I pressed, my heart pounding with urgency.

A heavy silence enveloped us, thick with unspoken truths.

“Luna Margaret, I’m going to ask you one more time, and I want you to be honest with me. Is Aria in Shadowmere territory?”

“I can’t say for certain—”

“But you suspect.” My tone was firm, not allowing room for evasion. “That’s why you’re so hesitant. That’s why guilt is etched across your face every time I bring her up. What is Aria doing in Shadowmere, Margaret?”

“I can’t—you need to speak with Aria directly—”

“Answer me!” My voice erupted, fueled by the primal fury of my wolf, clawing to break free.

Margaret flinched, a small, frightened sound escaping her lips. When she spoke again, her voice was barely audible, a mere whisper.

“She’s fulfilling an old alliance agreement. One that was arranged long before Sera returned. My daughter was meant to bond with Shadowmere’s Alpha, but she refused because of his curse. So Aria… Aria agreed to take her place. To bond with Alpha Kael.”

The ground beneath me seemed to shift, tilting sideways as the weight of her words settled in.

Bond with Alpha Kael. The cursed Alpha of Shadowmere.

Aria was the new Luna they had spoken of.

“When?” I asked, my voice barely recognizable to my own ears. “When is this bonding ceremony?”

“The blood moon. Three days from now. Alpha Damon, please, you can’t interfere—it’s too late. She’s made her choice, signed the contracts. If you try to stop it now, it could lead to a territorial war—”

Without another thought, I hung up the phone, my mind spinning wildly.

Three days. Aria would bond with another Alpha in just three days.

She had been in Shadowmere for a week—preparing to become their Luna, learning to lead their pack, perhaps even falling in love with the notion of starting anew.

Somewhere far away from me.

Without Sera.

Without the constant reminder of how I had chosen someone else over her time and again.

My wolf howled within me, a desperate sound that clawed at my insides with unrestrained fury. This couldn’t be happening. Aria was mine—not in the possessive way I had treated Sera, but in a way that truly mattered. She had saved my life, sacrificed everything for me. She had loved me when everyone else had turned their backs.

And I had thrown it all away for a childhood fantasy that was rapidly morphing into a nightmare.

Sera. Moon help me, what was I going to tell Sera?

As if my thoughts had conjured her, the door to my office swung open, and Sera stepped inside, looking much better than she had the night before. The color had returned to her cheeks, and she moved with her usual grace, a stark contrast to the turmoil swirling inside me.

“Damon, there you are,” she said, a smile lighting up her face. “I’ve been looking for you. I thought we could have lunch together, maybe discuss the upcoming pack gathering—”

Her words faltered as she caught sight of my expression.

“What’s wrong?” Her smile faded, concern creeping into her features. “Is it about the pendant? Damon, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to drop it—”

“Aria’s bonding with another Alpha,” I stated flatly, the words tumbling from my lips like stones. “In three days. At Shadowmere pack.”

Sera’s face shifted through a whirlwind of emotions—shock, confusion, and then something that resembled relief before settling into a mask of concern.

“I don’t know,” I replied honestly, my voice thick with uncertainty. “I don’t have answers right now, Sera. All I know is that I owe Aria more than what I’ve given her. And I’m not going to fail her again.”

I left Sera standing in my office, her face a mask of fury and hurt, and headed for the door.

Marcus was in the training yard, overseeing combat drills when I approached him. He looked up, surprise flickering across his features.

“Gather a small team,” I ordered, my voice steady. “We’re traveling to Shadowmere territory. Tonight.”

“Shadowmere? But Alpha, they’re closed to outsiders—”

“I don’t care. We’re going anyway. I need to speak with someone there. Someone important.”

Marcus scrutinized my face, then nodded slowly. “How many wolves do you want?”

“Just you and Jake. This isn’t a show of force—it’s a personal matter. We leave at sunset.”

As Marcus moved to carry out my orders, I looked up at the sky, the weight of impending doom pressing down on me. Three days until the blood moon.

Three days until I lost Aria forever.

Unless I could find a way to mend the irreparable damage I had caused.

The shattered pendant in my pocket felt heavier than ever, a tangible reminder of everything I had broken.

But I had to try. I had to make her understand that I had been wrong, that I had been blind, that I had thrown away something precious because I had been too foolish to see its true value.

I owed her the truth. I owed her an apology. I owed her everything I had failed to give when it mattered most.

And Moon help me, I was determined to ensure she knew it.

Three days.

I just had to hope that it was enough time to make things right.