Chapter 6

DAMIAN

I sat alone in my room, anger and resentment simmering like fire under my skin. I have never been this angry in my life. Everything I have always wanted had come to me with ease. Women, money, the crown of my pack. This felt like a huge slap to my face. The thought of Aurora leaving and rejecting me stirred something deep and ugly within. I’d never felt so betrayed, so abandoned.

She had the audacity to leave, and for what? To go to that pretender, Ethan Grey. My fists clenched involuntarily. If only she knew the type of man he was. Now that she was gone with him, all I could think about was how to rescue her. I have made mistakes in the past, dammit, but she was making an even worse mistake leaving with him. He was the enemy of the pack for a damn reason.

As I brooded, the door creaked open, and Evelyn stepped in. Her soft, delicate presence which was usually soothing felt wrong. I had never felt like I wanted to be away from her until now. She crossed the room and sat beside me, her usual smile replaced with a concerned frown.

“Damian?” she asked softly, leaning closer. Her perfume, once intoxicating, now felt nauseating. I shifted slightly, fighting the strange urge to move away from her. I did not want to hurt her feelings, but the urge to do just that was strong.

“What’s wrong?” she pressed, reaching out to touch my arm.

“Nothing’s wrong,” I replied curtly, avoiding her gaze. I wasn’t in the mood for her doting or for any conversation. I wanted silence, space.

But Evelyn wasn’t the type to be brushed off easily. She leaned in, her eyes wide and searching. “Damian, I know you better than that. You’re upset. Is it about Aurora?”

At the mention of her name, a familiar sting of anger flared. I scoffed, turning my gaze away. “Aurora is the last thing I want to think about right now.”

Evelyn’s mouth twisted in a slight frown, but then she seemed to shake it off. “There’s something I wanted to talk to you about,” she began, her voice suddenly careful.

I sighed, forcing myself to look at her. “What is it?”

She hesitated, then straightened, gathering her courage. “Now that Aurora’s gone and the divorce is finalized, I thought… well, I thought maybe we could consider getting married?”

The words hung heavily in the air until it turned awkward. I felt a surge of irritation, and I had to work to keep my tone even. I could not believe she was proposing marriage just when I was just rejected by my mate.

“Why would we do that, Evelyn?”

Her face fell, her eyes widening in hurt. “Damian, we’ve been together for so long. We belong together. You’ve told me that yourself so many times. The hindrance is gone now, so why do we have to wait any longer?”

I sighed, leaning back. “I never promised you marriage, Evelyn. I enjoy our time together, but that’s all it was ever meant to be. We go out, I show you off, we have fun, and that’s it.”

Her face twisted and her voice trembled as she spoke. “Damian, we’re more than just a fling. We’ve been through so much together. You can’t just dismiss it like that.”

Watching her, I felt an odd mixture of guilt and frustration. I didn’t want to hurt her. At least, not intentionally. But deep down, a part of me couldn’t care less. All I could think about was Aurora. Her face, her voice, the way she had looked at me on the first day we met. Why couldn’t I get her out of my mind? Was it simply because she had left, or was it something else?

I softened my tone, forcing myself to sound sympathetic. “Evelyn, please understand. I don’t want to hurt you. We have something. But marriage? That was never in the cards.”

She blinked, her eyes growing glossy with tears. “But Damian, I thought we meant more to each other.”

Feeling cornered, I pulled her into a hug, hoping it would calm her. She nestled against me, but I couldn’t shake the emptiness. The warmth I once felt for her was gone, replaced by a nagging hollowness. The only thing that kept circling my mind was how Aurora had rejected me.

And then an idea formed in my head, like a lightbulb had just been flicked on. I pulled back, looking at Evelyn with a sudden intensity.

“Help me get revenge on Aurora,” I said, the words leaving my mouth before I fully realized what I was saying.

Evelyn’s eyes widened. “Revenge? What do you mean?”

I clenched my jaw, the image of Aurora walking out of my life without a backward glance searing into my mind. “I want her back in this pack. I want her to know the pain she put me through. She needs to pay for rejecting me, for leaving without a word.”

Evelyn’s jaw dropped, as I should as well have slapped her right in the face. “Are you saying you want her back?”

I hesitated, knowing Evelyn wouldn’t understand if I told her the whole truth. “No, not like that. I don’t want her back as my Luna. I want her here so I can hurt her the way she hurt me. She humiliated me, Evelyn. She left me when she knew my claim to the crown was at its weakest point. And I won’t stand for that.”

For a moment, Evelyn studied my face, and I could see the doubt flicker in her eyes. But then, her expression smoothed, and a small, pleased smile crept across her lips.

“Well,” she said slowly, her tone turning sly, “I may have a solution.”

I raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “What do you mean?”

She leaned closer, her voice a whisper. “I know someone who might be able to help. A witch.”

A jolt of unease shot through me. Witches had a reputation for meddling with things better left untouched, and I’d always been wary of dealing with them. The entire pack detested the idea of magic, and it was for a good reason because witches had once betrayed our ancestors before.

“A witch?” I muttered, frowning. “I don’t know, Evelyn. Witches come with risks. Horrible ones.”

Evelyn waved her hand dismissively. “This one’s discreet. All she’ll need is a little incentive. A small price for her services. But she’s good, Damian. I promise she’ll help us get what we want.”

I hesitated, weighing the decision. This wasn’t just some petty plan. It was a full-on scheme that would require deception and trust in something I wasn’t sure I fully understood. Yet, the thought of having Aurora back with me made the idea too tempting to ignore. It would be what I wanted the most.

“And what exactly will she do?” I asked, my voice low.

“She’ll cast a spell, something that will weaken Aurora’s trust with that Grey alpha. Or she would do something similar to that,” Evelyn replied. “It’ll make her want to return, to feel drawn back to you.”

The idea twisted in my mind, “Fine,” I said finally, nodding. “Set up the meeting.”

Evelyn’s face lit up, her eyes gleaming with excitement. “I knew you’d come around.”

She started to stand, but then paused, her expression shifting. “But Damian. I have one condition.”

I narrowed my eyes, hoping she was not about to ask for something big. “And what would that be?”

Her lips curved into a soft, almost triumphant smile. “If I help you, then you’ll marry me.”

The words were like ice, seeping into my bones. Was it really worth it? But as I stared into her expectant eyes, I realized I had no way out of this. She was giving me the solution I wanted, and if marriage was the price, then I would have to manipulate my way around it. I did not want to hurt her, but I needed to get what I wanted.

I nodded, forcing a smile. “Fine. I’ll marry you.”

Evelyn squealed, practically jumping with joy as she threw her arms around me. “I knew you’d come around, Damian! We belong together.”

I hugged her back, the smile on my face fake and forced. Inside, my mind was already whirring, questioning what I had just committed to. I would have to find a way to make her move on after all of this. Maybe a fat check would cut it. As she left the room, her excitement practically radiating, I sat there in silence. All I could think about was the plan to revenge on Aurora.

The process was going to be daunting, but the end result was too satisfying for me to just put aside. As I lay down and closed my eyes, it was the last thing I thought of before I drifted off to sleep.