Ava’s POV
I stepped off the stage, the applause still buzzing in my ears like someone had turned the volume way too high.
Lifting the hem of my dress, I walked toward the hallway leading backstage, only to have a tall figure block the entire path.
It was Damon.
He strode right up to me, his tone sharp.
“What did you pull, Ava?
How the hell did you end up giving Adrian’s speech?
That’s not something a simple partnership explains.”
“What do you think?” I asked back, sidestepping his question on purpose.
The muscles along Damon’s jaw twitched.
He stared straight into my eyes, his expression shifting like he was piecing something together.
But I wasn’t scared.
I knew Damon too well, smart, calculating, and unbearably arrogant.
In his eyes, I was just a useless Omega.
Sure enough, he opened his mouth like he had something big to say, then swallowed it down.
He clenched his teeth, his voice dripping with disdain and certainty.
“You’re just an Omega, Ava. How could you possibly have anything going on with Adrian Thorne?” He stepped closer, broad shoulders blocking the light behind him.
“You could only talk cooperation with an Alpha like him, only stand on that stage, because you’re still the Luna of the Darkmoon Pack. People are giving you respect because of me, because of our pack’s power. The second you’re not my Luna, you’re nothing. Got it?”
I couldn’t help it.
I laughed.
Exactly the reaction I expected to have.
He demanded to know why I was laughing, clearly irritated by my attitude.
I kept laughing, because he was just too arrogant, too blind.
In his mind, the years I spent grinding myself into exhaustion meant nothing.
Every achievement I fought for, he decided it all came from him.
He didn’t see my ability at all.
But I wasn’t angry anymore.
I didn’t need his approval.
Still, I didn’t correct him.
Not yet.
I smoothed my expression and met his gaze.
“You’re right, Damon,” I said softly, playing along.
“Everything I have today is thanks to the Darkmoon Pack.”
The second he heard that, his whole body eased.
His shoulders dropped, tension fading.
He even reached out like he wanted to fix a strand of hair near my face.
I tilted my head away.
He didn’t care, just kept talking with that superior tone.
“Good. As long as you understand.” He adjusted his suit jacket.
“Now that this cooperation is basically done, finish up here and get back to the pack. There are things at the manor waiting for you. My mother is still angry. And Leo’s schedule for next month. You need to redo it.”
Did he think I was his personal assistant?
Or his maid?
Before I could respond, steady footsteps echoed from the far end of the hallway.
Adrian emerged from the shadows, dressed in that perfectly tailored black suit.
He didn’t even spare Damon a glance before stopping at my side.
“Come with me.” Adrian’s voice was cool, almost sharp, leaving no room for debate.
Damon’s expression shifted instantly.
He stepped forward, blocking me with his body, facing Adrian head-on.
“Mr. Thorne,” Damon said through clenched teeth, tone edged with warning. New chapters come out on g.com first.
“Ava is my Luna. She’s coming home with me.”
Adrian finally shifted his gaze toward Damon.
He was half a head taller, and that height difference made his disdain even more obvious.
He stared down at Damon, those icy blue eyes holding not the slightest trace of warmth.
“So what?” Adrian’s tone was downright dismissive.
Damon’s fists tightened instantly, knuckles whitening.
The veins on his neck popped like they were about to burst.
He was an Alpha, getting challenged face-to-face by another Alpha was something he simply couldn’t stomach.
The air in the hallway thinned out, heavy pressure slamming back and forth between the two of them.
I swear even the walls felt like they were trembling.
I couldn’t let them explode here.
More importantly, I was terrified Adrian might just throw my secret identity on the spot.
I needed him to play along.
I stepped out from behind Damon and slipped between them.
“Damon, this is all for work,” I blurted, talking way faster than usual.
“We still haven’t finalized a lot of details about the project. Mr. Thorne has high standards, so we really do need more negotiation. This is crucial for the future of the Darkmoon Pack.”
Damon looked at me.
He was upset, very upset, but trying hard not to show it.
He knew perfectly well how badly Darkmoon Pack needed Bloodmoon Pack’s funding and support right now.
For the sake of the pack, he had no choice but to hold his temper.
“Fine,” Damon forced out, practically grinding his teeth.
“Work comes first. I’ll be waiting for you at home, Ava.”
I didn’t respond.
I just turned and walked straight to Adrian’s side.
Adrian gave Damon another glance, still the same bored, dismissive look.
With his strength and his pack’s power, he had every reason to act like he didn’t need to care about anyone.
Then he turned around and strode forward, long legs moving with zero hesitation.
I followed close behind him.
Damon’s POV
I stood there in the hallway, watching Adrian and Ava walk away side by side.
Just the sight of them next to each other made something ugly twist in my chest.
I knew Ava was right.
They were doing this for work.
That project mattered to Darkmoon Pack more than anything.
But there was this feeling stuck in me, sharp, uncomfortable, like a rock lodged under my ribs.
Ava was my Luna.
Mine.
She carried my mark.
And yet another man had just taken her with him like it was nothing.
All I could do was stand there and watch.
I spun around and headed back into the banquet hall.
I needed a drink.
I’d barely reached the bar when Bella, Vivian, and Sylvia walked over.
The moment I saw Bella, that fire burning in my chest flared up again.
I didn’t bother holding back.
“Bella, that’s your fiance,” I said, pointing in the direction Adrian had gone.
“He walked off with another she-wolf in front of everyone. You seriously don’t have a problem with that?”
Bella held her glass, sounding completely fed up.
“There’s nothing romantic between me and Adrian. Our engagement was arranged by our families. It’s just business.”
She took a slow sip of her drink, her gaze sweeping over him from head to toe.
“But I can tell,” she added with a little smirk, “that the Omega named Ava is your Luna.”
Vivian let out a dramatic gasp, slapping a hand over her mouth.
“Right? I was literally shocked when I heard it,” she squeaked.
“Mr. Ashford, if she’s your Luna, why didn’t you bring her tonight? Why let her run around alone outside?”
Sylvia immediately slid closer, looping her arm through his and pressing against him like she owned the spot.
“It’s not that Damon didn’t want to bring her,” she said loudly on purpose, making sure half the room heard her.
“She insisted on going off on her own. Damon treats her really well. She’s the one who doesn’t appreciate it.”
Vivian snorted out a laugh.
“Oh my god, is she trying to act single and flirt with other Alphas?” she said, dripping with disdain.
“Even if she does hook up with someone, so what? She’s an Omega. She can’t marry another Alpha. And Adrian already has Bella as his fiancee. She’s basically wasting her time.”
Then Vivian turned and started buttering Bella up.
“Bella, you’re honestly so generous. If it were me, I’d have kicked that shameless Omega out the door already.”
Bella smiled like she’d been waiting for that line.
“I don’t need to concern myself with someone who’s only good for… certain services,” she said lazily.
“You know how we wolves are about bloodlines.”
Sylvia burst out laughing right after her, clearly delighted.
“Bella, that’s such a perfect description,” she said eagerly.
Hearing them run their mouths made heat spike up Damon’s spine.
They were calling his Luna a whore.
Ava was the Luna of the Darkmoon Pack.
She carried the pack’s pride.
Insulting her meant insulting him.
And the fact that Sylvia of all people chimed in, how dare she?
“Enough!” he snapped, slamming his glass onto the bar.
It shattered instantly, liquor spraying across the counter.
All three women jumped.
“Ava’s working. That’s all,” Damon said, his voice cold enough to freeze the room.
“If any of you talk nonsense again, don’t blame me for what happens next.”
Without waiting for a response, he turned on his heel and strode toward the exit.
Staying here even one more second felt suffocating.
“Damon! Wait for me!” Sylvia came clattering after him on her heels, her voice sharp enough to pierce the night air.
She chased him all the way into the parking lot and grabbed his arm before he could pull away.
“Why are you mad?” Sylvia tilted her face up at him, confusion written all over her eyes.
“Is this about Ava?
You actually yelled at me because of her?”
“You shouldn’t have sided with Bella,” he said, shaking her hand off without even looking at her.
“What, now you suddenly feel bad for her? When Bella called me a whore, you didn’t even blink.” Sylvia’s voice shot up an octave, trembling with anger.
“Don’t tell me you’ve actually fallen for Ava. Did you really switch sides on me?!”
She launched straight into a messy tirade, crying, accusing him of not appreciating her, reciting every little thing she’d ever done for him, demanding to know how he could treat her like this.
And gods, it grated on him.
His temples throbbed.
He didn’t want to hear a single word.
He yanked open the car door, slid inside, and shut her out with a heavy thud of metal.
That was when Ava’s face flashed across his mind again.
Ava never threw tantrums like this.
She always handled things quietly, calmly, like she could smooth out any storm just by breathing.
She was always so put-together, so maddeningly considerate.
He slammed his palm against the steering wheel.
Damn it.