Chapter Eight Damien's POV I hate the idea of Julian being h here . +25 BONUS The moment I saw him at the university gates earlier , I knew he wasn't here for anything good And now , seeing him standing in front of Elara , casually talking to her like they were old friends , made my blood boil . were talking about , but it didn't matter . Julian always had a way of inserting himself where he I wasn't even sure what they w didn't belong . Just like he did , two years ago I walked towards him , my fists clenching involuntarily . " Elara . " I began , interrupting their conversation . " Step aside . " She turned to me , her eyes filled with annoyan in between yance . " He's discussing with me " She said , crossing her arms . " It's r rude to o come That caught me off guard . For a split second , I faltered . Elara has always been soft - spoken , never confrontational . This wasn't like her at all A small , mocking smile tugged at my lips . "I don't care the least about you . " I said , my tone dripping with anger as I pointed at Julian T have unfinished business with this little dog over here . " Elara didn't flinch Instead , she turned back to Julian , and to my utter disbelief , she smiled . "I would love to go on a date with you . " She said , her voice calm , as though she hadn't just dropped a bombshell in front of me . Then , without sparing me another glance , she turned around and walked off . I was frozen for a moment , stunned by her words . But when she noticed that Sabrina wasn't following her , she turned back , grabbed her hand , and pulled her away with her . The moment she was out of sight , .my control snapped . Before Julian could say a word , my list connected with his jaw . He staggered back , falling to the ground . I moved toward him again , my rage boiling over , but Caspian was suddenly in between us . He pushed me back , holding me firmly by the shoulders . " That's enough , Damien Caspian barked . " We just got here . Do you want to get fired on your first day ? " I glared at Julian , still sprawled on the ground , and pointed a finger in his direction . " Stay away from her , " I said . Julian said nothing , simply wiping the blood off the corner of his mouth and smirking at me . I shook off Caspian's grip and stormed off , heading back to the room the university had provided for Caspian and me . Once inside , I started pacing back and forth , my thoughts were a mess . So many things had changed Furstly , Elara's parents didn't die . Secondly , she didn't feel the Mating Bond between us . Thirdly , Julian was never in the picture before . In our past lives , Julian and I had crossed paths often , but he was never part of her story . Now , here he was , asking her out on +25 BONUS a date as if he had every right to It didn't make sense . None of it did Is Elara no longer my mate ? Has the Moon Goddess reassigned her to Julian ? And why are her parents still alive ? Not that I wanted them dead , but their deaths played an important role in our past . It was what brought her into my house . Now , that is gone . Maybe the Moon Goddess decided to give her a second chance - one without the pain and suffering she endured before . Maybe she wanted Elara to be free of me , the mate who had betrayed her and ultimately caused her death But Julian ? I couldn't stomach the idea of him being her second chance . I knew Julian better than anyone . He anyone . He only asked her out to get under my skin wasn't capable of loving My hands clenched into fists , and I fought back the urge to punch him once again . " If I see you walk around in circles one more time , I might lose my mind , " Caspian said , leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed I stopped pacing and glared at him . " What do you want ? " He raised an eyebrow " I want to know why you're so worked up about Julian being here . Are you afraid he's going to make your life miserable like he did in our final year ?" I scoffed . " Julian doesn't bother me . " I lied . I know exactly why he's here . He's still trying to prove a point to his parents , nothing more . " Caspian smirked . " Then why did you punch him after he asked Elara out ? " " What ab That question made me freeze . Caspian had hit a nerve , and he knew it about you ?" I shot back , deflecting . " You didn't look too happy about it either . Do you like her ? " Caspian's smirk faded , but before he could answer , the door burst open . " Ava " I muttered under my breath , already annoyed Before I could react , she launched herself at me , wrapping her arms around my neck . " I missed you , baby " She exclaimed , her voice grating on my nerves . I pried her arms off me , stepping back to put some distance between us . " What are you doing here ? " I asked coldly . Ava pouted , looking up at me with wide , doe - like eyes " Lenme to see you , of course . It's been so long , Damien . Don't tell me you're not happy to see me " I pinched the bridge of my nose , feeling a headache coming on . The last thing I needed was Ava's drama on top of everything else Caspian stepped in " Ava now's not a go a good time . Damien's busy " " Oh , come on " 5 She whined , ignoring him . " You're not still mad about last time , are you ? " +25 BONUS I tuned her out , my mind drifting back to Elara . No matter what , I couldn't let Julian win . Elara didn't remember our past , but I did . And I wasn't going to lose her again . At least not to Julian " Please leave , " I said , coldly . Ava tilted her head , her lips curling into a a sly smile . " Leave ? To where , Damien ? " She asked , her tone sickeningly sweet : "T work here as well ." " You work here ? " I repeated slowly . My jaw tightened . Of course , she had to ruin everything . It wasn't enough that Julian was here to mess things up ; now Ava ! She grinned widely , clearly enjoying my reaction . " Oh , didn't I mention it before ? I transferred here last week . Isn't it wonderful ? We get to spend more time together . " Oh hell no . The very last thing I needed was my ex working in the same place as me