Chapter Fifteen
1509 Words
Selene’s sharp eyes immediately landed on Ava, and a knowing smirk tugged at her lips. She leaned closer to Lillian and whispered, “That’s her. Damien’s mate.”
Lillian’s gaze followed Selene’s, landing on Ava with cold, assessing eyes. She had already known about Damien’s mate—a weak, insignificant human. Unworthy.
And yet, seeing her in person filled Lillian with even more disdain.
Then her gaze flicked to Ava and Tasha, who were laughing over a pair of ridiculous-looking high heels.
“How careless,” Lillian murmured. “Roaming around, completely unaware of who’s watching.”
Tasha twirled in front of the mirror, admiring the shimmering silver dress she had just tried on. “This is it! I’m definitely wearing this tonight,” she declared.
Ava smiled as she sipped her smoothie, lounging on one of the seats in the boutique. “Good, because I was not about to let you drag me to another store.”
Tasha rolled her eyes. “You act like you don’t love shopping, Miss Fashionable.”
Ava only smirked in response.
Just as they were about to head to the cashier, a*****e attendant approached with a nervous expression.
“Excuse me, Miss,” she said to Tasha. “There seems to be an issue with your card.”
Tasha frowned. “What issue?”
The woman hesitated. “It’s been flagged for fraud. The system won’t process your payment.”
Ava and Tasha exchanged confused looks. “That’s impossible,” Tasha said. “I’ve been using it all day with no issues.”
“I’m sorry, but we can’t accept it.” The store manager, a stern-looking woman, had now joined the conversation. “And we have a strict policy. If there are suspected fraudulent transactions, we are required to ask the customer to leave.”
A hush fell over the store as curious and judgmental stares settled on them.
Ava’s expression darkened instantly.
“I hope you’re not suggesting she did anything wrong,” Ava said coolly, rising to her feet.
“I’m simply following protocol,” the manager replied.
Ava’s eyes sharpened. “No, you’re making a baseless accusation in the middle of a luxury store to humiliate a paying customer. And that, my dear, is the quickest way to get yourself sued.”
The manager stiffened.
Tasha, now growing more annoyed, pulled out her phone. “You know what? Let’s call the bank.”
Just then, two women at the entrance watched the scene unfold with hidden amusement.
Lillian Blackwood and Selene.
Lillian made no move to intervene, merely observing with quiet superiority.
Selene, standing beside her, smirked. “She’s not as timid as I thought.”
Lillian hummed. “She’s irrelevant. Weak or not, Damien won’t keep her.”
Back at the counter, Tasha’s call connected, and within seconds, her frustration turned to relief.
“Yeah, I’m at the store right now—” she paused as the bank representative spoke, then narrowed her eyes. “Wait… what?”
Ava arched a brow. “What is it?”
Tasha put the phone on speaker. The banker’s voice came through.
“There was an error on the merchant’s side. Your card is perfectly fine. The system flagged it by mistake.”
Silence.
Ava turned back to the store manager, her voice smooth but cutting. “So, not only did you falsely accuse my friend, but you also embarrassed her in public over your own mistake.”
The manager paled. “I-I apologize for the confusion, Miss—”
Ava’s sharp gaze didn’t soften. “It’s not me you should be apologizing to.”
The woman immediately turned to Tasha. “I’m very sorry for the misunderstanding, Miss.”
Tasha crossed her arms. “Next time, be sure before you embarrass someone.”
Ava turned, her gaze flickering to the entrance.
Her eyes locked with Lillian’s for the briefest moment.
Something about the woman’s poised stance and calculating expression rubbed her the wrong way, but Ava shook off the feeling. She had bigger things to worry about.
As she and Tasha left the store, Selene spoke under her breath.
“She’s sharp.”
Lillian barely reacted. “She’s still just a human.”
Selene smiled. “Just a useless human.”
Marcus stood in Damien’s office, his expression unreadable as he finished his report. “That’s what happened at the mall earlier today.”
Damien leaned back in his chair, his fingers steepled. His wolf, restless from the information, growled in the back of his mind.
Selene and his mother had been there.
And Ava had been humiliated.
For what reason? To amuse them? To see if she’d break under pressure?
He shouldn’t care. She wasn’t fit to be his Luna. But the idea of anyone trying to corner her irritated him more than it should.
Marcus studied his reaction carefully. “I thought you should know.”
Damien exhaled sharply. “Did she handle it?”
Marcus smirked. “She put them in their place without even knowing who was behind it.”
Damien wasn’t surprised. Despite being human, Ava wasn’t weak.
Lucian, who had been silent up until now, scoffed. “If she were stronger, she wouldn’t have been targeted in the first place.”
Marcus shot him a look. “You say that like Selene and your Luna-loving Alpha’s parents don’t play dirty.”
Lucian shrugged. “It’s the truth. She’s an easy target.”
Damien’s jaw ticked. His mother had never opposed him openly, but she had been pushing for him to accept Selene. If she had tested Ava just to prove a point…
His wolf snarled.
Damien sighed and stood. “We’re done here.”
Lucian left without another word, but Marcus lingered.
“Are you going to do anything about this?”
Damien didn’t answer.
Marcus scoffed. “Right. Because avoiding her is working so well.”
With that, he walked out.
Damien remained still for a long moment. Why did it bother him so much?
He didn’t have an answer.
---
Tasha’s Birthday Event – The Club
The club was packed, the bass from the speakers vibrating through the floor as people danced, laughed, and toasted to Tasha’s birthday.
Ava, dressed in a sleek black dress, leaned against the bar, sipping her drink while watching Tasha enjoy herself on the dance floor.
Nathan and Sofia sat in one of the VIP booths, caught in their own world.
Vivian and Nicholas Kingston had returned from their business trip and were at the event as well.
It was supposed to be a night of fun.
But Ava felt it before she saw him.
A shift in the air. A presence that sent a shiver down her spine.
She turned.
Damien Blackwood had arrived.
He wasn’t alone—Lucian, Marcus, and a few others from his circle trailed behind him.
Ava’s grip on her drink tightened.
Why was he here?
Nathan, noticing her reaction, followed her gaze. “You have got to be kidding me.”
Tasha, now beside them, raised a brow. “That’s Damien Blackwood. Here? At my birthday?”
Ava swallowed. “Yeah.”
Vivian, standing close, watched Damien with an unreadable expression. Nicholas whispered something to her, but she only nodded.
Then, as if drawn by an unseen force, Damien’s gaze locked onto Ava.
A long, charged moment passed.
Then he moved—walking straight toward her.
Ava didn’t move as Damien approached. Her pulse quickened, but she forced herself to keep a neutral expression. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing her flustered.
Damien stopped a few feet away, his gaze unreadable. He wasn’t alone—Marcus stood slightly behind him, looking far too amused, while Lucian wore his usual disapproving frown.
Tasha, sensing the tension, leaned closer to Ava and whispered, “What the hell is he doing here?”
Ava had no answer.
Damien tilted his head slightly, his cold blue eyes scanning her as if trying to decipher a puzzle. Then, in a voice smooth yet laced with something sharper, he said, “Interesting choice of venue.”
Ava raised a brow. “For a birthday party? It’s pretty standard.”
Damien’s lips twitched—not quite a smirk, but something close. “Standard.” He let the word roll off his tongue, as if testing its weight. “I suppose it suits you.”
Suits me?
Ava took a slow sip of her drink. “That sounds like an insult, but I’ll pretend it isn’t.”
Marcus snorted, but quickly covered it with a cough when Damien shot him a look.
Damien didn’t take his eyes off Ava. “Are you always this defensive?”
Ava set her glass down on the bar. “Are you always this condescending?”
Nathan, who had been quiet until now, cleared his throat. “Ava—”
She ignored him, keeping her gaze locked with Damien’s.
Damien exhaled slowly, as if debating whether to say more. Then, with deliberate casualness, he picked up her drink.
Ava’s breath hitched.
- Writer
