---- 4 Damon ignored her, only looking down at me with an impossibly gentle voice. "Easy, you need to clean the silver off first. I'll handle things here and be right with you." I didn't speak, letting him help me stand and walk step by step toward the door. My mind was completely blank, ears ringing, until the silver was neutralized with special medicine and I finally came back to my senses. Soon after, Damon's Gamma guards came out first. One of them approached me. "Luna, even though you haven't had the mating ceremony yet, we all know you're the Alpha's mate. Don't misunderstand-this is an arranged marriage by the pack elders. He didn't tell you because he wanted to handle it himself, but he never expected Lydia Ashford to dare provoke you. He cares about you so much, he would never be with anyone else." ---- Cares about me? I found it laughable, but my face remained expressionless as I sat quietly like a lifeless statue. After a while, Damon came out. Lydia ran away crying, her figure utterly disheveled. Damon dismissed the Gamma guards and got in the car, tenderly applying medicine to my wounds. His movements were gentle as if handling fragile treasure, his voice low and hoarse. "Sage, the marriage alliance is arranged by the pack. I won't bond with her. You're my mate. Don't overthink this." I didn't speak, just stared ahead blankly. "I understand, Damon. Let's go." Damon glanced at me, seeming to want to say more, but finally just started the car. The atmosphere inside was suffocating. I closed my eyes, my mind in chaos. Suddenly, the sharp sound of brakes pierced the air. ---- I snapped my eyes open to see countless silver arrows flying toward us. But because of the silver water's earlier corrosion, my wolf was still unconscious and my reflexes were too slow to dodge. My pupils contracted sharply. The next second, Damon threw himself over me, holding me tightly in his arms. "Thud-" the sound of arrows piercing flesh. A tremendous crash, and the whole world spun. I lost consciousness in a pool of blood. When I woke again, I was lying in a hospital bed, the harsh fluorescent lights stabbing at my eyes. Damon sat beside the bed, his face pale, his eyes filled with both sorrow and relief. "Sage, you're finally awake. You scared me to death. We... we lost the baby. But don't worry, we're both still healthy. We'll have children of our own in the future." I was devastated. I had been pregnant and didn't even know it. Lost before even a month. But thinking of