Ava’s POV
As soon as I stepped back into the Darkmoon Pack’s Alpha Manor, the motion lights flicked on, splashing harsh white across the polished marble floor.
Damon marched toward me, his expression tight, irritation practically rolling off him.
He stopped half a step from me, the pressure of an Alpha heavy in the air.
“How’s the project going?”
“All settled,” I said, meeting his eyes.
My voice stayed flat.
I knew exactly why he was pissed.
Damon was always possessive, borderline domineering, he’d convinced me once that it was love.
I used to think being treated like his personal property meant I mattered.
As long as no one else touched me, he acted like that was enough.
Before…
I would’ve apologized by now.
But this time, I didn’t feel like I had anything to be sorry for.
Damon froze.
“What?” He stepped closer; the tip of his polished shoe nearly tapped my heel.
His tall frame cast a shadow that swallowed me whole.
“Adrian Thorne agreed to the deal? No way. That guy’s arrogant as hell. The Bloodmoon Pack barely keeps any commercial ties with the East Coast. He doesn’t even bother giving the Elders any face. So what did you do?”
I held his gaze and dropped the explanation I’d already rehearsed.
“Months ago, on a rainy night, I found a wolf pup wandering near the border and helped him.”
I paused, watching his reaction, then continued, “Turns out that pup was Adrian’s nephew. I didn’t know who he was at the time. Mr. Thorne values bloodline and family more than anything. He recognized me today. To repay the favor, he agreed to all the terms.”
Not entirely a lie.
I really had helped a lost pup.
Adrian just didn’t know it was me.
Damon’s shoulders loosened instantly.
He bought it.
A cold laugh echoed in my head.
For someone as full of himself as he was, believing I just got lucky was way easier than admitting an Omega might actually be competent.
“Good,” he said, nodding.
He walked to the couch, then came back over and reached out to brush his fingers against my cheek. Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
“This deal will benefit the Darkmoon Pack a lot. Ava.” His voice softened.
“You’re always doing things that help the pack. You love me, don’t you?”
He was close, close enough that his scent wrapped around me.
But beneath it, sharp and unmistakable, was another woman’s perfume.
My brows tightened, and I gently pushed his hand away.
“Of course I do. Why wouldn’t I?” I said, watching his back.
“But you heard me. Adrian agreed to meet because of his nephew. For the collaboration itself, he has one more condition.”
“What condition?” Damon asked immediately.
I didn’t sugarcoat it.
“His lab’s hit a snag, and I’m the only one who can fix part of their data issue. He wants me to go to the West Coast and help them finish a short-term research project.”
Damon spun around like I’d just slapped him.
“Leave? Go to the West Coast?” He shut it down instantly.
“Absolutely not. You’re the Luna of the Darkmoon Pack. How could you go work on another Alpha’s land? Stay here and keep working on your own research. I’ll send a Beta to Bloodmoon Pack for the follow-up. You don’t need to show up again.”
I didn’t argue.
I was waiting for Adrian to make his move.
Right on cue, Damon’s phone buzzed in his pocket.
He pulled it out, glanced at the screen.
It was his Beta, Kane.
He answered and hit speaker.
Kane’s voice came through steady.
“They’ve confirmed the partnership. And…” He paused, like he had to swallow hard before continuing.
“And they just wired a massive amount of seed money into our joint account. It’s enough to cover all our previous losses, and still buy out the biggest crystal mine on the East Coast.”
Damon’s hand froze midair, phone hovering.
“How much?” he asked.
Kane reported a figure so outrageous the whole hall seemed to exhale and then fall silent.
Damon’s breathing turned heavy, his chest rising and falling like he couldn’t get enough air.
He hung up.
When he looked at me again, every bit of his earlier refusal had evaporated.
Greed had steamrolled whatever Alpha pride he pretended to have.
“Tomorrow morning, I’ll have someone drive you to the airport. And listen, do everything Mr. Thorne needs. This funding is crucial for our pack. Just think of this trip as opening new ground for the Darkmoon Pack on the West Coast.”
I didn’t even get a chance to speak.
Bang!
The hall doors slammed open with a force that sent cold wind and dead leaves swirling inside.
Damon’s mother, the former Luna of the Darkmoon Pack, Elizabeth, stormed in.
She was wrapped in an expensive fur coat, hair pulled so tight not a strand dared move.
She ignored Damon completely and marched straight toward me.
The sharp crack of something breaking sliced through the air.
Elizabeth had slapped the antique vase off the entry table, its porcelain shattering across the floor.
“You lying bitch!” she screamed, jabbing a trembling finger right at my face.
“How dare you play me like that? Sneaking off to some high-level banquet behind the whole Pack’s back, trying to seduce the West Coast Alpha? Where exactly did you plan to dump the Darkmoon Pack’s dignity, hmm?”
Damon stepped in front of me so fast the air seemed to shift, blocking his mother’s rage with his own body.
“Mother, enough!” His voice cracked, sharp and absolute.
“Ava just secured a massive investment from the Bloodmoon Pack. She’s the biggest contributor to the Pack right now. I’m not letting you start a scene over nothing.”
Elizabeth shook with fury, her breath sharp and uneven.
“Contributor? She’s a useless girl who can’t even awaken her wolf!” She dodged around him, pinning me with a glare sharp enough to cut skin.
“Damon, she’s got you wrapped around her finger! You’re divorcing her today. Right now. Get her out of this house.”
She grabbed Damon’s arm, desperate and forceful.
“You saw it yourself at the banquet! Bella from the Crawford Pack was there. That’s the woman you should be chasing. If you marry her, the entire East Coast will bow to the Darkmoon Pack.”
Damon ripped his arm from her grasp, his patience snapping.
“Mother, have you lost it?” he shouted.
“Bella is engaged. Her fiance is Adrian Thorne. And you want me to go after the Bloodmoon Alpha’s promised mate? Do you want the West Coast to wipe the Darkmoon Pack off the map?”
Elizabeth scoffed, lifting her chin with icy arrogance.
“So what? That girl doesn’t even like Adrian. I saw it today, she’s terrified of him. All you need to do is be yourself. A girl who just returned to her Pack? She’ll fall for you in no time.”
She was unhinged, her hunger for power completely twisting her judgment.
A sudden crash split the tension, glass hitting stone.
All three turned toward the staircase.
Sylvia stood there on the steps, swallowed by the dim light, wearing only a thin silk nightdress.
A shattered glass and spilled milk pooled at her feet.
She stared at the turmoil in the hall, shoulders shrinking in fear, as if she’d walked into a nightmare she was never meant to see.