Damon’s POV
Walking out of Ava Crawford’s room, I could feel that weird irritation just getting heavier and heavier, like something invisible was tugging at my nerves.
Something was off.
I just couldn’t pin down what.
Was it that bare patch of wall?
Or that way, too, perfect smile she gave me earlier?
No clue.
All I knew was that the moment I saw our wedding photo gone, the one where we were both smiling so happily on our big day, my chest actually tightened for a second.
That photo was her treasure.
Back when my mother tried to replace it with some fancy artist’s painting, Ava stood up to her for the first time.
She used to wipe that frame clean every day.
But today…
she took it down herself.
As I walked through the hallway, my mind kept replaying Ava’s recent changes.
She didn’t blindly listen to me anymore.
She talked back to my mother.
She even dared to threaten me.
And when she looked at me, it wasn’t with that soft, devoted admiration she used to have.
Instead, it was…
calm.
Too calm.
A kind of calm that made my stomach twist.
But she’s still working for the Crawford Pack.
And Ava is just an Omega.
Without me, she’s nothing.
I lied to her about having a fertility issue, no wolf would ever accept her if she couldn’t give them a child.
She doesn’t have a single cent to her name.
She can’t even afford a red-eye plane ticket.
Where could she possibly go?
Besides…
she loves me.
I can feel that.
Ava’s the only person in this world who’d never betray me.
Yeah.
I’ve just been letting Sylvia distract me too much lately.
That’s why Ava feels different.
It’s all in my head.
Right when I was zoning out, something soft suddenly threw itself against my side.
Arms looped around my neck and warm, eager kisses landed on my jaw.
Sylvia.
I reacted instantly, pushing her off me a bit harder than I meant to.
She stumbled, nearly falling.
“Not here.” I snapped in a low voice, glancing down the empty hall.
This was my manor, sure, but housekeepers and guards walked through here all the time.
I couldn’t stand the thought of anyone seeing me kissing her.
I grabbed her wrist and pulled her quickly into her room, shutting the door behind us.
“I thought you said Leo needed something from me?” My tone came out more impatient than I intended.
“Oh, sweetheart, that was just a harmless little lie.” Sylvia leaned in again, her hands already wandering over me.
“It’s me who needs you.”
She tilted her head up, eyes brimming with tears so prettily it almost looked rehearsed.
“Damon, I’m really upset today. Ava… she actually called me a maid, in front of everyone. I gave you a child. I’ve sacrificed so much for you, and I haven’t gotten any recognition at all. Instead, she humiliated me. She even called me a whore… it was so degrading.”
She was at it again.
The tears, the complaints, same routine, different day.
Honestly, a wave of irritation just surged through me.
I’d already dealt with enough crap today.
That damn project at the company, my endlessly dramatic mother, and Ava acting…
off.
Every single thing had been drilling into my skull.
All I wanted right now was a moment of peace.
Just one.
But I couldn’t snap at her.
Sylvia had given a lot for me.
She’d even had my child.
I let out a long breath, pulled her into my arms, and tried to soften my voice.
“Alright, stop crying.
Didn’t I tell you I’d give you an answer soon?”
“But how long do I have to wait?
I don’t see anything changing,” she choked out against my chest.
“Listen,” I said, lifting her face so she had to meet my eyes.
“I already told you.
I’m taking you to tomorrow night’s banquet.
That’s the clearest sign you could ask for.
It’s held by the Pack Alliance Council.
Every major Alpha and Luna from both coasts will be there.
It’s basically a stage for showing power, the top of the food chain stuff.”
“I’m walking in with you as my partner.
Isn’t that enough to show where I stand?”
“Oh, Damon!” She threw her arms around me, her eyes lighting up instantly.
“I knew you still cared about me!”
She rose on her toes and kissed me fiercely.
“I have one more request,” she murmured against my ear, her breath warm.
“I want a prettier dress. I want to outshine that bitch Ava. I want everyone to see who your real woman is.”
A dress?
That was nothing.
“Sure,” I said without even thinking about it.
“I’ll tell the maid to get it ready.”
That made her even happier.
She curled around me like some seductive viper, her hand sliding up to undo my shirt buttons, her lips trailing fire down my chest and neck, waking up every feral instinct in me.
Fine.
Whatever.
I needed an outlet anyway.
I scooped her up, pushed her down into the soft mattress, and tore open that silk robe getting in my way.
We went at each other like we were starving, my body slamming into hers again and again…
But right when I was about to climax, staring down at Sylvia’s flushed face, something weird hit me.
In my head, out of nowhere, Ava appeared.
She was stepping out of the bathroom in a robe, hair dripping, her clean, bare face misty with steam, eyes cool and distant.
What the hell?
Why her?
I rushed to finish with Sylvia, irritation biting at me, and when she asked me to shower with her, I cut her off before she could finish.
I almost never turned her down, but this time I did.
“Honey, we both need our energy for tomorrow.
That banquet’s full of big names, and you’ve never been to that kind of event.
You really need to learn some basic social rules.”
“You know you can’t mess up in front of everyone,” I added, looking right at Sylvia.
“If you embarrass yourself there, the pack loses business deals.”
“Of course.” Sylvia nodded immediately.
“Even that Omega Ava can handle it. Why wouldn’t I? Don’t forget, I used to get straight A’s.”
I held back the urge to expose her.
Back in high school, Sylvia paid people to take her exams.
Her grades were awful, but somehow I still liked that reckless honesty of hers.
“Alright, honey. See you tomorrow.” I leaned down and brushed a goodnight kiss against her lips.
“I should go now, before the servants notice anything.”