When Ava stood at the altar, she wondered if she was still dreaming.
She knew this was coming, but hearing it out loud made the contract feel real in a way signing it hadn’t.
The ceremony was private and brief.
In a quiet stone hall, they stood before an Elder, exchanged vows, registered their bond in the Council’s records, and received his blessing.
After that, they signed the marriage documents in a smaller office.
Ava watched as the clerk stamped the certificate and slid it across the desk.
Damon Sterling and Ava Bennett.
Her name looked strange next to his.
Damon placed a hand on the small of her back and guided her out.
“Having second thoughts?” he asked quietly.
Ava shook her head.
“No.
Just…
taking it in.”
Damon’s voice stayed steady.
“Take your time.”
Back at the estate, Ava sat in the living room with the marriage certificate on the table in front of her.
It had all happened so fast.
Victor’s betrayal.
The contract.
The ceremony.
The Council registration.
Now she was married to Victor’s father, the Alpha of the most powerful pack in the north.
“Ava.”
She looked up.
Damon stood in the doorway, his jacket gone and his sleeves rolled up to his forearms.
He looked more relaxed than he had all day.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
Ava nodded.
“Yes.
Just thinking.”
Damon crossed the room and sat down across from her.
“About what comes next?”
Ava looked at him.
“I guess so.”
“I’ve been thinking about that too,” Damon said.
“Your work, for one.”
Ava blinked.
“My work?”
“You were an architect at Lumis before you lost your sight,” Damon said.
“I assume you still want to return to that field.”
Ava nodded slowly.
“I do.
But I haven’t worked in a year.
I don’t know if they’ll take me back.”
“They will,” Damon said.
“But if you want another option, Sterling Holdings owns an independent design studio.
I can arrange for you to interview for a director position.”
Ava stared at him.
“Director?
That’s a senior role.
I just got my sight back.
I haven’t even returned to the field yet.”
“You’re qualified,” Damon said.
“Your portfolio speaks for itself.”
Ava shook her head slowly.
“Why would you do that?
Just because I’m your wife?”
She had to ask.
There were too many things she still didn’t understand.
Why her?
Why this marriage?
She had no pack, no inheritance, no leverage.
Damon met her eyes.
“First, because of your talent.
Second, because I want my wife to have every chance to shine.”
Ava went quiet.
No one had ever said something like that to her before.
Victor hadn’t liked it when she focused on work.
He’d told her more than once that if she married him, all she needed to do was be a good Luna and have his kids.
Ava wasn’t sure if Damon actually cared or if he was just holding up his end of the contract, but either way, it moved her.
But her career path was clear in her mind.
She wasn’t ready for a director role.
She needed to rebuild first.
“Thank you,” Ava said quietly.
“But I’d like to stay at Lumis for a few more years, if they’ll have me.
I need the experience.
I need to build my name again.”
Damon studied her for a moment.
Then he nodded.
“I respect that.”
Later that night, Ava finished her shower and stepped out of the bathroom wrapped in a soft robe.
She had spent the last hour organizing files for her return to work, and her mind was still buzzing with plans.
As she dried her hair, she heard movement downstairs.
Curious, Ava descended the staircase.
Damon was sitting on the sofa in the living room, a laptop balanced on his knee.
He had changed into silk pajamas, the top buttons undone.
He looked more relaxed.
When he noticed her, he closed the laptop and set it aside.
“Still awake?” he asked.
“I was going through some work files,” Ava admitted.
“Getting ready to go back to the office.”
Damon patted the seat beside him.
“Come sit.”
Ava hesitated, then walked over.
She sat down, leaving a careful distance between them.
Damon glanced at her, then stood and crossed to the bar cart in the corner.
He poured a glass of mulled wine and brought it back, handing it to her.
Ava accepted the glass.
The warmth of the mulled wine spread through her as she took a sip.
It was comforting, soothing.
Before she realized it, she had finished the entire glass.
“Alpha Damon,” she said softly.
“Mm?”
Ava set the glass down and turned to face him.
Her eyes were slightly hazy from the wine, her cheeks flushed.
“Why did you really marry me?”
Damon looked at her, his expression unreadable.
“Just to satisfy the Council, you could have chosen anyone,” Ava continued.
“Why me?”
Damon was silent for a long moment.
Then he said, “Does that question bother you so much, Ava?
I told you before we signed the contract, all you need to do now is be my Luna.”
Ava didn’t know how to answer.
Damon leaned closer.
His fingers brushed her cheek, featherlight and warm.
“So, Luna Ava, let’s try, shall we?”
Ava’s breath caught.
“Try what?”
Damon’s lips curved into the faintest smile.
“Fulfilling our duties as husband and wife.”
And then he kissed her.
His lips were firm and possessive.
Ava froze for a heartbeat, then leaned into him before she could stop herself.
The taste of mulled wine lingered between them.
Damon’s hand slid to the back of her neck.
His other hand settled on her waist, holding her close.
The wine had warmed her from the inside out, loosening something careful in her chest.
Ava didn’t pull away when Damon’s lips found hers again.
She closed her eyes and let her hands slide up to his shoulders.
Damon’s kiss deepened.
His hand moved from her face to the curve of her throat, then lower, slipping beneath the collar of her silk nightgown.
Ava shivered.
“Afraid of me?” Damon murmured against her lips.
“No.
Well…
maybe a little,” Ava whispered, opening her eyes to meet his gaze.
Her voice was soft.
“I need to be clear about something.
I married you for money.
For status.
Maybe a little bit to spite Victor.
But I don’t love you, Damon.”
Damon’s silver-blue eyes stayed locked on hers.
“I know,” he said quietly, brushing his thumb along her jaw.
“You don’t have to be afraid of me, Ava.”
But someday, he would make her love him.
Without another word, Damon swept her up into his arms and carried her toward the stairs.
The bedroom door swung open, then closed behind them.
Ava could feel the heat radiating from Damon’s body, scalding and overwhelming.
She tilted her head back, staring at the ceiling light as it swayed gently in her vision.
“Alpha Damon,” she whispered, her voice already hoarse.
“Hm?” Damon’s mouth traced the line of her collarbone.
“You said you’d keep your word.”
Damon paused for only a heartbeat.
Then he leaned close to her ear, his voice low and certain.
“I am a man of my word, Ava.
Always.”
The silk sheets tangled around them.
Ava’s breath caught when his hands slid beneath the thin fabric of her nightgown, pushing it slowly upward.
The cool air kissed her skin, but Damon’s touch burned hotter.
“You’re trembling,” Damon said softly, his gaze tracing every inch of her exposed skin.
“I’m fine,” Ava managed, though her voice betrayed her.
“You don’t have to pretend with me.”
He kissed her throat, her shoulder, the curve of her breast.
His hands roamed her body with a possessiveness that made her heart race.
Ava’s fingers gripped the sheets beneath her.
“I’ve waited long enough, Ava,” Damon said, his voice rough and low.
His hand slid down her thigh, pulling her closer.
“Tell me to stop, and I will.
But if you don’t…”
His thumb traced slow circles on her inner thigh, close to her center.
“I’m going to make you mine.
Completely.”