Once His Mate Now His Rival (by Lord Browny) novel Chapter 33

Chapter Thirty Three

“What do you say, Bree… will you marry me?” Marcus said still on his knees.

He saw Amber’s lips move but no words came out. All around them, phone touches lit up as people took pictures.

“I’m still kneeling, Bree, please… say something,”

“Marc–I… I… ”

“Stay the hell away from my wife you bastard!” A deep voice cut through the room at that moment, ruining the

moment.

Marcus and Amber looked up to find Damon standing at the edge of the crowd, fury written across his face. Before Amber could move, Damon grabbed her wrist and began pulling her through the crowd when Marcus intervened, rising to his feet. At this point, the people standing around them instantly recognize Damon and were now recording videos.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Amber yelled as she struggled to free herself from his grip but Damon’s grip only tightened.

“What does it look like I’m doing. I’m taking you away from this bastard!” Damon shot back.

“Jesus, stop meddling in my life Damon. Let go of me!” She shouted, her voice echoing through the room.

“Let her go, you bastard!” Marcus barked, stepping forward He reached out to pull Amber away, but Damon turned and kicked him square in the chest.

Marcus stumbled backward, crashing into a table. The ring box slipped from his hand and clattered to the floor, the diamond rolling out and skittering away.

Gasps rippled through the restaurant as everyone whispered amongst themselves.

“What the hell is wrong with you, Damon?” Amber screamed, tears welling up in her eyes.

“There’s no way I’m letting you go back to this asshole, Bree. I meant every word when I said I’d do anything to get you back, and I will. ”

Damon then turned and face the crowd.

“I know what you’re all thinking. You think I’m crazy. Maybe I am. But this woman, Amber, is my wife. And I love her with every fiber of my being.”

A murmur went through the crowd, but Damon didn’t stop. His gaze remained on the audience and his heart pounded as he spoke.

“We have a daughter. Her name is Jessie. We’re not together right now because I messed up in the past. I hurt her. I broke her. But I’ve realized how much of a fool I’ve been, and I’m not walking away again.”

He turned his glare back to Marcus.

“So if anyone here even dreams of approaching her, consider this a warning. Stay away, or you’ll get burned. I’ll fight for her, I’ll bleed for her, I’ll die for her if I have to. Begause I’m not letting her go. Not this time.”

A stunned silence followed his outburst. Then, without another word, Damon grabbed Amber’s purse with one hand and stormed out of the restaurant, dragging her behind him.

“Let go of me, you crazy bastard!” Amber yelled the moment they stepped outside. She tore her wrist from his grip, breathing hard.

Before Damon could say another word-

1/4

Chapter Thirty Three

SLAP!

Her palm connected with his cheek, the sharp sound echoing in the night air.

Damon froze, then turned slowly to face her. A faint, rueful smile curved his lips.

+25 Bonus

“I deserved that,” he said softly. “But if you think I’ll just stand by and watch you walk away with him, you’re wrong, Bree. Dead wrong.”

“You bastard! What the hell has come over you? Why would you ruin my date with my fiance? What’s wrong with you?”

“You, Bree. You’re what’s wrong with me. Can’t you see how much it kills me to watch you with him? Don’t you see how hard I’ve been trying?”

“I don’t give a damn about your feelings, Damon! I just want you to stay the hell out of my life!” Amber shot back

“There’s no way I can do that, Bree. It’s just not possible. And besides, I practically saved you from embarrassment in there.”

Amber frowned. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“Oh, come on, Bree. It was obvious you were going to say no. Everyone could see it. I just did you a favor by taking

you

out of there.”

“Fuck you, Damon,” Amber snapped. “I didn’t ask for your help. So stop interfering in my life!”

She turned to leave, but in the blink of an eye, Damon was in front of her again, using his Alpha reflexes to block her path.

“Look, Bree. I know I messed up. No matter what I say or do, it’ll never be enough to fix what I broke. You gave me nothing but love, and all I gave you was pain. I treated you like trash. I cheated on you with that bitch. And even after divorcing me, you still stayed behind to care for my father. And instead of repaying that kindness, I let Bella manipulate me with her lies. I threw you in jail, Bree. I took Jessie away from you, without even letting you know your own daughter.”

Amber’s eyes well with tears, but she refused to meet his gaze.

“I’m sorry,” Damon continued, stepping closer. “God, I’m so sorry. I just want to make things right. I know it’s late, but please, give me a chance. Meet our daughter, Bree. See how much we could still be a family again.”

He took a shaky breath. “For her sake, I won’t give up. You can push me away, slap me, curse me, but I’ll keep trying. I’m never letting you go again.

“So please… for Jessie’s sake… can you just accept me back?

Amber’s heart pounded in her chest as Damon’s words echoed in her mind. She could feel every wound she’d tried to heal tearing up again.

She lifted a trembling hand to wipe her tears.

Damon tried to touch her but she shrugged his hands away

“There’s no version of this life where I ever forgive you, Damon. So do yourself a favor and go back to pretending I don’t exist.”

She turned and walked off before he could stop her again.

She was about to move back inside the restaurant to look for Marcus when she spotted him outside, already moving towards his car.

2/4

Chapter Thirty Three

+25 Bonus

Her heart went out for him when she saw the pain and hurt in his eyes.

“Marc!” She called, running up to him.

“Please wait Marc. I’m so sor-‘

“Let go!” Marcus muttered, pulling his hand from her grasp.

“Please Marc. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean for any of this to happen.” Amber said about to cry.

Marcus turned to her. “What exactly are you sorry for, Bree”

“Marc, please-”

“No,” he cut her off sharply. “Answer me. What exactly are you sorry for? For embarrassing me in front of a whole crowd? For letting your ex–husband crash the proposal? Or maybe for leaving me to clean up the mess you created?”

His voice rose, thick with hurt. “By midnight tonight, I’ll be trending on the news, Bree. The man whose fiancee’s ex stormed her proposal. Is that what you’re sorry for?”

At this point, Amber could feel the tears welling up in her eyes. This was the first time he has ever spoken to her in that manner. It was obvious he was really annoyed and hurt.

“I swear, I didn’t know he was going to show up. You know how much I hate him, Marc. You’ve been with me long enough to know that.” Amber’s face brimmed with tears.

“And if he hadn’t come, would your answer had been any different?”

“Please Marc-”

“No, answer me Bree. Would you have said yes if he hadn’t showed up?” Marcus pressed, pain and hurt flashing in his eyes.

Amber lowered her head, swallowing hard as silence fell between them.

“You know how much I adore you, Marc. I like what we have, and I don’t want tonight to ruin that.” Her voice trembled as she laid emphasis on the last word.

Marcus didn’t know when a dark, bitter laugh escaped him. ‘Adore? Is that all there is to this, Bree?”

“Six years we’ve been together, and you still can’t bring yourself to say the word love. Have you thought about what my pack says about me? They call me pathetic. They say I’m not fit to be Alpha because I chase a woman who can’t return my feelings. Every day I ignore them and stand by you and Jason because that’s how much I love you. And what do I get in return? ‘I adore you‘?” He slammed his fist into his car, the metal denting with a sickening thud.

At this point, Amber couldn’t hold back her tears and started crying.

“I’m so sorry Marc, I’m so sorry!” She

said in between sobs

“That doesn’t matter anymore, Bree. It doesn’t.” He glance at the tiny ring box in his hand.

“Do you even know how long I’ve had this?” His voice was at, but the hurt in his voice didn’t go unnoticed.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify