Ava’s POV
I stepped back into the manor, forcing myself to keep a straight face, pretending nothing was off.
Not yet.
I couldn’t afford even the tiniest slip.
There was still a lot to prepare, and first on my list was making sure the divorce papers would go through smoothly.
If Damon ever found out I was the true heir of the Crawford Pack, a status-obsessed Alpha like him would do whatever it took to stop the divorce.
I absolutely couldn’t risk that.
I pushed open the heavy carved doors.
The bright lights in the living room stabbed straight into my sore eyes.
There they were, Damon and the woman he’d brought in, Sylvia, standing side by side.
And in front of them was Leo, the boy I’d raised for four years.
The moment he saw me, Damon’s expression flickered, just a split second of panic, but he slapped his perfect Alpha mask on fast enough that anyone else might’ve missed it.
He walked over, reaching for my soaked coat.
“Darling, where did you go? You’re drenched,” he said, tone gentle as ever, like everything that happened this afternoon at the office had been some random hallucination.
I took a small step back, dodging his touch.
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught the servants standing nearby.
None of them looked away.
Instead, they watched with this quiet, almost eager look, like they’d been waiting ages for this exact scene to unfold.
“Oh? And this is?” I turned to Sylvia with a polite smile, acting as if I hadn’t already pieced everything together hours ago.
“Ava, let me introduce her,” Damon said smoothly, his expression perfectly natural.
“This is Sylvia, the new tutor I hired for Leo. You know how busy we’ve been with pack matters. Leo needs proper care. And Sylvia is a strong she-wolf. She can teach him archery, riding, even guide him through controlled shifts.”
Tutor.
What a convenient little story.
“Mom!” Leo called out, but the word wasn’t meant for me.
He darted to Sylvia’s side, grabbing her hand like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Then he turned, giving me a look full of challenge and disdain.
“Sylvia is amazing! She taught me how to hit a moving target today! Way better than you!”
Something twisted hard inside me.
Four years.
I’d held him through fevers all night.
I’d shielded him when others questioned his place in the pack.
I’d given him everything a mother could.
And now he looked at me with pure disdain.
“Leo, you can’t talk to your mother like that!” Damon snapped, face tightening.
“She’s not my mom!” Leo didn’t even flinch.
If anything, he got bolder.
“Grandma said she’s a cursed Omega, a shame to the pack! She can’t even have kids!”
His words drove straight into the softest part of me.
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Sylvia’s lips curling into a smug little smile.
Her eyes practically said, See?
You were always just the placeholder.
“The moment I met Sylvia, I knew she was nicer. She should be my mom!” Leo announced proudly.
“Enough, Leo!” Damon barked, Alpha authority bleeding into his voice.
He strode toward me, reaching as if to pull me into a comforting embrace.
“Ava, don’t take what he said to heart.”
“Don’t touch me.” My voice came out cool and steady, not loud at all, but it was enough to freeze Damon’s hand in mid-air.
He stared at me, stunned.
I guess he wasn’t used to hearing that tone from me.
I’d always been the gentle one, the considerate one, the Ava who never pushed back.
If I could, I’d walk out of this place right now.
But before the divorce is finalized, I can’t make a single wrong move.
I glanced at his confused expression and forced a stiff smile.
“I just feel filthy. I don’t want to smudge your ridiculously expensive suit.”
The shock on Damon’s face melted into an understanding smile.
He exhaled, relieved, and flicked my nose the way he always did.
“Always thinking about me. You’re basically the perfect Luna.”
Perfect Luna?
I almost laughed.
Sure.
A ‘perfect’ idiot who got manipulated for four years, fed birth-control pills like candy, and still bent over backwards for him.
“Leo, why don’t you go with Sylvia first. I’ll take care of your mom. She looks a little tired,” Damon said gently.
I bit down on my lip.
A punch to his smug face suddenly felt like a fantastic idea.
Why does he have to act so convincingly sincere?
The living room felt huge with just the two of us standing there.
“Sweetheart, are you upset because I hired a tutor for Leo without asking you?” Damon asked carefully, lacing his fingers with mine.
His palms were warm, familiar, but somehow I felt absolutely nothing.
“No,” I said, shaking my head, trying to keep my tone steady.
“I just…
got caught off guard.
I mean, I’ve been his mother for four years, but somehow Sylvia managed to get him wrapped around her finger in one day.
Look how close they are.
They look more like a real mother and son than we do, don’t you think?”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Damon shot back immediately, firm and absolute.
“Ava, you’re Leo’s mother. His only mother. Nothing will ever change that.”
He said it like he was swearing an oath.
I suddenly laughed, shoulders trembling.
“What’s so funny?” Damon asked, utterly confused.
“Nothing.” I wiped my smile away and looked at his perfectly sculpted face.
“It’s just… today feels like some twisted drama.”
I slipped my hand out of his and headed upstairs.
“I’m tired.
I’m going to rest.”
“I’ll walk you up,” he offered, following a step behind.
“No need,” I said, turning back to give him a soft, reassuring smile.
“I’m okay. A good night’s sleep and I’ll be fine by morning.”
He needs to believe I’m still the Ava he thinks he can control with one hand tied behind his back.
Back in the bedroom, I slipped out of my clothes and headed into the bathroom.
Warm water ran over my skin, but somehow it felt like I was standing naked in a snowstorm.
The woman staring back at me in the foggy mirror looked pale and hollow, like a stranger wearing my face.
Damon pushed the door open and walked in, a clean towel draped over his arm.
He wrapped his arms around me from behind, resting his chin on my shoulder as if nothing in the world could shake him.
“Want me to stay with you tonight?” His voice dropped low, smooth and tempting, and he brushed a kiss against my neck.
Once upon a time, moments like that used to make my heart flip.
Now they just made my stomach twist.
I opened my mouth, ready to say something, anything, when Sylvia’s voice suddenly rang from outside the bedroom.
“Damon? Are you in there? Leo says he can’t sleep. He wants you to tell him a bedtime story.”
Through the mirror, I watched Damon loosen his hold on me without even blinking.
No hesitation.
No explanation.
He just walked out.
My chest tightened again, painful and involuntary.
Just hang on, Ava.
One more month and you’ll be free.
Then I saw Sylvia standing in the doorway, leaning casually against the frame.
She was in a silky robe that left almost nothing to the imagination, her eyes dripping with smug challenge.
That look seemed to say loud and clear: This man, this pack, everything here will be mine.