CHAPTER 6

"The time isn't right, Connor," I said, my voice steady despite the electricity hum between us. I took the device from him, placing it on the table between us and hitting the speaker.

"Ava? Where the hell are you?" Blake’s voice barked through the line, sharp and demanding.

"I had to go to ground, Blake. The reporters were scenting blood after the showcase," I replied, my tone flat, masking the disgust that curdled in my gut.

"Then you haven't heard what Lisa did?" He sounded like he was pacing a cage. "She’s thrown the pack into a frenzy. Turner Studios is under siege by the High Council. I need you back at the den immediately to prepare for a public address. You’re going to clear the Studio’s name and swear this was all a misunderstanding."

A public address, I thought bitterly. Another sacrificial altar where he expects me to lay down my neck.

"Fine," I said, playing the role of the submissive mate one last time. "I’m on my way."

I cut the link. Connor was watching me, his dark eyes swirling with a protective, lunar fire. He reached into my bag, pulled out my phone, and tapped something in. "My private frequency is saved. If you scent a trap, you call me. No matter what."

"Thank you, Alpha Vale," I started, but he cut me off. He reached out, pulling me firmly onto his lap, his powerful hands anchoring me.

"Not that name, Ava. We are blood-bound now. I am your husband." His gaze was intense, demanding a claim. I felt my face heat up as I whispered, "My husband."

A rare, dangerous smile touched his lips. "Good. I’ll drop you at the Turner gates. But remember your oath: don't let another wolf close enough to touch what is mine."

As Connor’s transport pulled up to the Turner Studios headquarters, the air was thick with the scent of anxiety and whispered betrayals. I stepped out, moving through a private stone archway to avoid the pack-journalists howling at the main gate.

Inside, the staff went silent as I passed. They stared at me like I was a ghost or a traitor. I pushed open the heavy oak doors to Blake’s office without knocking.

"You’re finally here," Blake snapped, slamming a newspaper onto his desk. "Explain Lisa. If you didn't order her to leak those scent-logs and photos, who did?"

"Blake, we were supposed to bond today," I said, forcing a tremor into my voice to play the part of the confused, innocent mate. "Why would I sabotage the very Alpha I was meant to stand beside?"

"Then how do you explain the Crown Star on your ankle? You know your legs are your most lethal weapon on the runway—you did that to outshine Riley!"

I looked him dead in the eye, seeing the greed behind his charm. He hadn't just been promoting Riley; he had been shielding his secret lover this entire time.

"The bracelet was too loose for my wrist. Gary saw it. Ask the handler," I countered.

"I did," he growled. "He said you made the call yourself. And now Bel AME is threatening a blood-feud lawsuit. The pack-public is calling us liars. You have to fix this, Ava. My career can't take this hit. You’re going to stand before the cameras this afternoon and tell them Lisa went rogue—that she concocted this lie to steal the spotlight, and that the Studio had no part in it."

"You want me to ruin my only friend to save your pride?" I cried, the tears half-real from the sheer weight of his audacity. "You called me to fill that spot! Why am I the one being sacrificed?"

"Because you're the one the cameras caught!" he shouted, his mask slipping for a second. He realized he’d gone too far and tried to soften his tone, stepping forward to pull me into a hollow embrace. I shoved him back, my wolf snarling under my skin.

"Ava, please. Just this once. Once the bonding ceremony is finished tomorrow, I promise I’ll make it up to you. I’ll give you everything."

He was so confident I’d fold. He thought I was still the same soft wolf he’d spent three years breaking. I forced myself to nod, wiping a stray tear. "Fine. I’ll do the conference. For you. But don't ever ask me to bleed for you again."

"I promise," he said, already looking back at his documents. "Be ready by three. We’ll go over your script then."

The moment I stepped out of his office, the "devoted mate" mask shattered. My gaze went ice-cold. I stepped into a quiet corridor and dialed Lisa.

"He’s trying to use me as a shield," I whispered.

"I figured as much," Lisa hissed. "What’s the counter-hunt?"

"At three o’clock, I’m going to stand at that podium and 'confess' to everything. I’ll apologize to the Studio and the public just like he wants. But the second I step down, I want you to leak the infrared photos of Blake and Riley at the infirmary. Give them the truth they can't scrub away."

"The 'Alpha’s Secret Pup' angle?" Lisa laughed, a dark, triumphant sound. "I'll have it trending across every territory before he can even finish his victory drink. I’m going to make you a legend, Ava. Not just a model, but a Queen."