Aria's POV
I was walking toward the pack border when my phone rang. It was Eva. My best friend.
"Aria!" Her voice was thick with anxiety. "I just heard Donna tormented you again today? God, are you okay?"
My voice caught in my throat. "Eva... I found something out."
"What?"
"I need to see you. Right now."
I needed a moment to compose myself, so I decided to go to Eva's place first, then find Ronan.
Eva's villa was only three kilometers from the Blackmoon Pack. By the time I arrived, the sky had gone completely dark. I had run three kilometers; my lungs burned, my legs wouldn't stop trembling, and the wind kept drying the tears on my face.
I barely had the strength to knock.
When Eva saw my face, her pupils shrank. "Fuck, you look like you've been run over by a train. What the hell happened?"
The dam broke. Tears poured down my face in waves.
"I caught Damon in bed with Anissa."
Eva's mouth fell wide open, her jaw nearly hitting the floor. "Anissa? Your maid?"
Her voice shot up several pitches, sharp enough to cut. "That bitch who pretends she's a saint!"
"And Damon." She drew a sharp breath, her chest heaving. "That shameless bastard! You're his mate! He took your property from you and then turned into a bastard!"
Eva suddenly stopped cursing. Her eyes darkened, and her voice trembled.
"Aria... is it because of me? Because four years ago, I was kidnapped by rogue wolves and you rushed out to save me, right?" Her voice faded. "You were taken by those rogue wolves... so Damon hasn't touched you all these years? Was I the one who dragged you into this?"
"Eva!" I cut her off, my voice firm. "Listen to me. Nothing happened to me. Those rogue wolves did catch me, but they didn't do anything. When Damon got to me, I was still untouched."
"Then why would he-"
"Because he chose to believe the obvious." I gave a cold laugh. "Or maybe he just needed an excuse not to touch me. Now I know the truth. He's been sleeping with other she-wolves this whole time."
Anger blazed in Eva's eyes. "That bastard! Aria, you can't keep taking this. You've let people misunderstand you for years, just to protect my reputation. You have to tell Damon the truth, and then divorce him!"
"I tried. He refused to accept it." My voice turned cold. "He said I was nothing, and that if I left him, I'd be a stray dog."
"That arrogant bastard!" Eva cursed again. "In fact, for the past seven years, Damon has kept you from working. We all know how smart you were in school."
I took a deep breath.
"I want to take back my hotel."
Eva opened her mouth, but in the end she only said, "You signed the transfer agreement."
"I know." I stared at the floor. "Four years ago, on our wedding day, Damon put the documents in front of me and said they were routine procedures for merging pack assets. I signed them without looking twice."
I lifted my head. "But there is a clause in the agreement. If the original holder can prove they have the ability to manage the hotel independently, the board has the right to reconsider ownership."
"...But you're an Omega." Eva's voice was very soft.
"I know," I said. "The board won't trust an Omega. I have to prove myself somewhere else first."
"Weston Hotel." Eva jerked her head up, her eyes brightening. "The best hotel group on the West Coast. They opened an executive trainee position just last month. I know their HR director-"
"Weston Hotel." I repeated the name.
Fate liked to play jokes sometimes. The owner of Weston Hotel had been my father's greatest competitor while he was alive.
"Set it up for me," I said.
Eva was thrilled. She spun around on the spot and waved both hands in the air, as if she had just won an Oscar.
"You've always wanted to go back. I knew it from the first day I met you. Every time you walked past the hotel entrance, your eyes lit up."
"That's right," I said. "I can feel my father's presence in a hotel. Damon wouldn't let me work. He said a Luna didn't need to work. Donna said going out to work would disgrace the Blackmoon Pack. Now I don't care anymore. I'm not a Luna anymore. Whether he accepts it or not."
Eva's excitement slowly cooled. She sat back down on the sofa and looked at me. "Aria, I can help you get the job. But the divorce..."
She hesitated.
"Ronan is the best lawyer in the alliance, that's true. But your situation is too difficult. You're a Luna marked by Damon. You have no job, no assets, no children, and you signed a property transfer agreement. Unless Damon agrees himself, no lawyer can touch this marriage. And Ronan and Damon are good friends."
"He's always wanted me to divorce Damon," I said confidently, "because he thinks my Omega status isn't a match for Damon. That means he'll definitely help me."
"I hope so," Eva said. "If Damon keeps making things difficult for you, I swear I'll tell the truth."
I hugged her. I knew how hard it had been for Eva to get to where she was today.
"Don't worry. I will protect you."
"I'll protect you too," Eva said, crying.
She picked up her phone and was just about to dial.
The phone rang.
"Damon." Eva froze as if she had been turned to ice.
My heart sank, all the way to the pit of my stomach.
Damon's voice came through the speaker. "Eva. Aria is with you."
"She isn't." Eva's voice was as cold as ice, cold enough to freeze someone to death.
"Don't lie to me. I know she went to you. Her phone goes straight to voicemail, and she doesn't have another friend in the Blackmoon Pack." Damon's voice began to rise. "You think you can hide her?"
Eva glanced at me. Her eyes were asking what she should do.
"You hurt her! I will never allow you to take her away." Eva's voice was wild, reckless.
Damon stopped pretending to be a gentleman. His words became naked threats, stabbing through the phone like a knife. "Eva, you're a public figure. Your agency has a partnership with the Blackmoon Pack. Your next film, the investors are my people. Your Oscar nomination, your red carpets, your endorsements-all of them are my people. You won't even be able to get a bathroom commercial, Eva."
His voice grew colder and colder. "If you don't hand Aria over, I guarantee you won't be able to stay in Hollywood. When I say something, I mean it."
"Then do it. If you want to torment Aria, I'd rather destroy my own career!" Eva said furiously.
"Torment her? No. I love her," Damon said suddenly. "Let her come home. I'll explain this to her. Listen, I don't have much patience left!"
Love me?
I hung up the phone.
An hour ago, his hand had still been buried in another she-wolf's hair.
Eva looked at me, the anger in her eyes slowly replaced by despair. She knew that in this pack-centered world, no matter how rich or famous a human was, they were still vulnerable before an Alpha.
"I hate the rules of this world," she said through gritted teeth. "I hate that I can't protect you."
"You've done enough, Eva." I gently hugged her. "You reminded me who I am."
"You can't go back. We both know what you'll face if you do," Eva insisted.
"Eva, I have to go back. Damon can do it. He will destroy your career. You fought for ten years to get where you are today. I can't let all your effort go to waste. I can't."
Eva's shoulders shook violently.
"Besides, Pearl is still there, remember? That adorable little cat. I have to get her out." My voice was so gentle, as if afraid of scaring her. "But I won't stay long. I'll find a way to leave him. Truly leave. Ronan Thorne isn't my only hope. There is also the interview opportunity at Weston Hotel. I will prove to everyone that I, Aria, can live well without depending on anyone."
Eva said, almost in despair, "Promise me."
"I promise."
"Swear it."
"I swear."
Her hands slowly loosened.
"You're ten thousand times stronger than Damon." Eva's voice was filled with anger and heartache. "Remember that. You're ten thousand times stronger than him. A million times. You deserve the best."
I walked out of Eva's villa. The night wind was colder than when I had arrived.
I knew why Damon refused to divorce me. It was not politics, it was not money, and it was not love. The moment he slept with Anissa, love had already died completely. He simply wanted to assert his possessiveness as a male. A Luna he had marked, even if she was barren, even if he despised her, had to remain in his territory and be at his disposal. This was an Alpha's instinct, and it was also his pride.
I would obey.
But only for now.
Once I got through to Ronan, I would leave that place.
