Chapter 118: New Family
Meredith choked a sob as she tried to hold herself together. How could she have no right? She was his mate. His Luna. She had stood by his side through everything, had given him her heart, body, and soul.
"Please, let him go," the woman whispered once more. Her fingers tightened around Damien's arm.
Damien didn't stop her. He didn't deny it. He didn't fight for Meredith.
Meredith's legs gave out beneath her. The strength drained from her like water from a broken vessel. She felt herself falling, everything around her spinning into a blur.
But before she could fall completely, Magnus and Xavier were there. They wrapped their arms around her and held her gently. They gritted their teeth.
Magnus's hands trembled as he restrained himself, his jaw clenched tight. Xavier's eyes were filled with a rage that threatened to overflow.
But her? She felt empty. As if Damien had just taken the last remaining piece of her and crushed it beneath his heel.
Tears streamed down her face, but she couldn't even bring herself to wipe them away. They fell freely, tracing the contours of her cheeks.
She just sat there, shaking violently, waiting for Damien to say something. To say anything. To fight for her. To deny the words. To tell her that this was all a terrible mistake. That, after everything, he still loved her so much.
But Damien only closed his eyes. After a moment, when he dared to finally look at her, his gaze was empty. There was no trace of the love they had shared, no hint of the bond that had once tied them together.
And then, he looked away from her. Just like that. As if she were now nothing more than a distant memory. A mistake he had long since erased.
It hit Meredith like a physical blow, knocking the breath from her lungs.
Deafening silence followed, and Meredith finally knew the truth. Damien Ravenscroft was gone.
The man she had loved, the man she had believed in and trusted more than herself, was no more.
What stood before her was a stranger, someone who had chosen another path, another life, someone else.
And in that moment, Meredith felt the last remnants of her hope slip away, leaving her with nothing but an aching void where her heart had once been.
Her legs trembled. But still, she forced herself to stand. She had to. Even if it felt impossible.
She wiped her tear-streaked cheeks, inhaling shakily as she lifted her gaze.
Meredith's lips parted, and she said softly, "Damien Ravenscroft..."
He didn't react. His gaze remained so distant she could not reach it. But Meredith spoke anyway. She had to say everything before she missed her chance. Before she let him go completely.
“I missed you,” she breathed as she clutched her chest. She tried to hold the pieces of her shattered heart together. “I missed you so fucking much...”
Damien's jaw tightened. It was the only sign that her words had reached him, but he said nothing.
Meredith continued. “I love you,” she confessed. “I love you with everything I have, Damien. And I always will...”
She swallowed back a sob, shaking her head at the thought of all her mistakes.
“But I was stupid,” she whispered. “I was so stupid to run away. I let my fear take over. I let my weakness destroy what we had.”
Her hands curled into fists, nails digging into her palms as she fought to keep herself from falling to the ground.
“If I could turn back time,” she said, “I would have never left. I would have stayed. I would have fought for you. For us.”
Damien's fingers twitched slightly.
Meredith let out a soft laugh. “I was so happy,” she whispered. “You made me so happy, Damien. More than I ever needed.”
A fresh wave of tears fell down her cheeks, freeing all the emotions she still held for him.
“I was so proud to be your mate,” she admitted. “So proud to be your Luna.”
Her voice cracked, and she closed her eyes. “But I was a coward.”
Something passed through Damien's eyes, but he still said nothing.
Meredith inhaled sharply, forcing herself to continue. “And for that…”
Her knees buckled slightly, the weight of her guilt threatening to pull her down. But she forced herself to stay standing and used every ounce of strength she had left.
“I'm sorry, Damien...” She bit her lip, sobbing softly. “I'm sorry for being weak.” A tear slipped from her lashes, followed by another, and another.
“I'm sorry for being human. For being a crybaby. For being stupid, and...” And then, she smiled, a heart-wrenching smile. “But most of all, I'm sorry for hurting you, Damien...”
She faintly heard Damien's sharp intake of breath. For the first time since she had arrived, something seemed to have finally reached him.
But it was too late.
Because Meredith had already made up her mind.
She lifted her gaze, staring at the man she had loved with every part of her soul.
“I want you to be happy, Damien,” she whispered. “With your new family...”
Her chest ached, her heart screamed, but she continued, forcing the words past the lump in her throat.
“I hope she makes you smile every day.” She inhaled sharply. “I hope your child will be as strong and kind as you are.”
A soft, trembling breath escaped her lips. “And I'm glad that you've found someone who loves you even more than I ever did.” Her lips quivered. “Because that's what you deserve.”
She smiled softly through the tears. She had said everything she needed to say.
And now, it was time to let go.
Meredith suddenly broke into a run, her heart pounding in her chest as she sprinted toward Damien.
Damien's eyes widened slightly, but he did not move. He stood there, waiting patiently, as if unable to understand what was happening to her.
Then, she reached him, her chest colliding with his as she threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly.
The warmth of him against her sent a shiver down her spine. For a moment, everything else faded away. All that mattered was that she was holding him again after years away from each other.
The woman beside Damien gasped. She tried to interrupt.
“What are you doing?" she said. "Get away from him!”
But Damien raised a hand, silencing her.
“It's okay,” he said softly, his gaze still fixed on Meredith.
Meredith slowly looked up at him, her eyes searching his face.
“Damien…” she whispered.
She stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his in a kiss so tender that it made her heart ache.
At first, Damien did not kiss her back and just let her claim his lips. But then, slowly, his arms encircled her, pulling her closer. His soft lips moved against hers in a hungry kiss that spoke of all the words and buried emotions he couldn't say or express.
For a brief moment, it felt like they were the only two people in the world, bound together by a love that refused to die even in the face of death.
But Meredith suddenly pulled away, her breath coming in ragged gasps.
She looked one last time into his glistening eyes and said, “I love you, Damien...”
Damien's glistening lips parted, and then, for the first time in years, he finally called her name. "Meredith..."
The sound of his hoarse voice tore at her heart, but she forced herself to step back. “You're finally free,” she said.
With those words, she turned and ran, her legs carrying her away from him, away from the life they had once dreamed of together.
Damien's anguished voice echoed behind her. “Meredith!”
But she didn't stop. She couldn't. The tears streamed down her face as she fled.
She knew that this was the only way. The only way to set them free.
To set them free from each other.