•• Victoria’s POV •••
I was stunned to see Damien standing on the other side of the door when I opened it, as did Cathy, although I didn’t have to look at her. Everyone knew Damien and I’s relationship hadn’t been the same since Diana returned from abroad.
The fortunate thing was that no one treated me badly. I didn’t know whether Damien had asked everyone to do it or stop them from spreading the story about what happened that night.
“Cathy, you can go now,” Damien said, and being his pack member, Cathy, of course, had to obey him.
But what was he doing here? Shouldn’t he be at the infirmary with Diana, like he usually did? I looked into his dark eyes, which usually showed affection and lust, but now they were just as unreadable as the last time I saw them when I visited Diana at the infirmary.
I opened my mouth, unsure what to say. Just as I was tr
•• Victoria’s POV •••I woke up on the lounge couch, my cheek pressed against Oli’s shoulder. The blanket draped over me smelled faintly of lavender—her doing, no doubt. For a second, I just breathed. The storm inside me had quieted, just a little.Suddenly, my mind drifted off to Lya.Her presence still pulsed faintly in the back of my mind. I tried to talk to her, but she didn't answer. She had gone back into her deep slumber, not stirring at all as I called her name. What was left was just the whisper of warmth, the memory of her voice from last night---that she just needed time to rest and something else. She told me something important that shocked me.I sat up slowly. The ache in my chest hadn’t vanished. It actually intensified because of Lya's words.Just like before, she had come back, even briefly, and that meant she could return again, maybe for real the next ti
•• Victoria’s POV •••I decided to bury myself in the lab.The moment I stepped inside, the world outside ceased to exist. Beakers, burners, essential oils, and ingredients lined the shelves like soldiers waiting for my command.I inspected the oils and couldn't help but smile. Oli did a great job picking up suppliers, just like usual. And Felix and the other had also done well in placing everything in the order I loved. I hoped this meant the pack members had started to trust me.Breathing in the familiar scent of a perfumery, I began working. The glass vials clicked together, the smell of jasmine and sandalwood filled the air, and my hands moved purposefully.I focused on the formulas because I didn’t have to think about Damien if I did that.I didn’t have to remember the way his eyes softened when they looked at me. Or the way he had held me after I confronted him&mdas
•• Victoria’s POV •••The veil of the dream lifted, and everything became clear…“You married Elijah and didn’t care about us!”“You only thought about yourself!”“You are not fit to be our Alpha!”“You turned us into slaves at the Goldclaw Pride Pack!”“What’s to say we won’t be sold again into the Infernal Shadows Pack as slaves?”“We don’t believe you could lead us!”“We don’t believe you could restore the glory of the perfume industry and the Palemane Claws Pack!”“We do not trust you!”“How could we trust you after everything you put us through at the Goldclaw Pride Pack?”My pack members’ blame and doubts echoed in my ears, nearly shattering my heart. Faces I once protected—mothers, elders
•• Victoria’s POV •••Damien’s tenderness after everything made my heart stir in ways I wasn’t ready to face. It wasn't that he was never tender, but this time it felt different.His hands had been reverent. His voice was full of need and restraint. The way he’d whispered my name, as though it was a prayer, echoed in my mind like a lullaby. But even wrapped in his arms, something unsettled twisted inside me.I knew Damien. He was a sexually experienced, dominant Alpha. Charismatic. Sought after.And I was just... me. No wonder he wouldn't fall in love with me. And the thought still sliced my heart.I stared at the ceiling while his fingers traced idle patterns on my back. I should’ve been content. I should’ve felt peace—instead, a low, ugly heat churned inside me.I remembered the blonde escort, the way they kissed, the way he welcomed her. And Dia
•• Victoria's POV •••We returned to the pack house under the cover of night, the tension between us thick enough to choke on. Damien said nothing as he opened the door, his eyes dark with something primal—hungry. I stepped inside, and the door clicked shut behind me.The next moment, his hands were on me.His mouth crashed against mine with a desperation I hadn’t seen before, like he’d waited a thousand years to taste me and couldn’t wait another second. His hands traced my hips, my waist, my spine—everywhere at once—as if memorizing what had always been his.When he pulled away, his breathing was ragged. “You have no idea what you do to me.”I barely had time to respond before he lifted me off the ground and carried me to the bedroom, dropping me onto the bed like I was precious and breakable—but his eyes promised to do anything but that. I felt a delicious shiver run through my body as I anticipated what would come next.He hovered over me, taking in the sight like he was starving.
•• Victoria's POV •••I didn’t breathe again until the massive doors of the Council chamber closed behind Alpha Martin.Silence hung in the air like thick fog. The kind that clings to your skin, suffocating and still.Then, a gavel struck.“Order,” one of the elders barked, voice shaking with the effort of reclaiming control. “This trial is not over.”My heartbeat still hadn’t slowed. I clutched the edges of my seat. Damien hadn’t moved from where he stood, his broad frame angled just slightly in front of me, a wall I didn’t know I needed until Martin walked in and stared like I was prey.But I breathed a sigh of relief. At least Diana would still go on trial. At least Alpha Martin hadn't taken her away.The moment the doors shut, Diana shifted. She looked smaller without Martin behind her—less confident, more desperate. Her eyes darted between the council and Damien. And then to me.“They are lying!” she shouted, pointing at me and Damien. “Those photos are fake! You think I’d tortur