Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
Raven
“The anniversary celebration is tomorrow. You should be done with the preparations by now,” Wendy glared at me, letting out an exasperated breath. “Must I do everything around here myself?”
No. But it would certainly be nice if Wendy did anything at all.
As per Alpha Damien’s instructions, I’d taken up the planning of the anniversary celebrations with Wendy, and as usual, she’d left me to do the heavy lifting.
I didn’t mind. Planning the anniversary celebration was an immersive process that kept my mind occupied.
So occupied, I couldn’t worry about my upcoming procedure to end my pregnancy, and so occupied, I couldn’t think about the kiss I’d shared with Alpha Damien that left me seared.
Of the way the intense dislike I felt for him had rapidly faded within seconds of being in his arms, leaving me wanting, no, needing him so much that if he hadn’t almost caught a whiff of my real scent beneath my scent inhibitors, I’d have stayed in his arms and let him—
No.
No, I needed a clear head to finish the arrangements for the celebrations. It was harder than usual to pull off because my procedure was slated for today in exactly an hour.
Matching Wendy’s irritated stare with an impassive one, I pulled up my checklist to see the tasks yet to be handled.
My heart thudded in my chest as I noticed that of the two tasks left, one would require an in-person conversation with Alpha Damien, whom I had been steadily avoiding for the past two days since the kiss had happened.
I wasn’t ready to see him. Not now. I thought fast.
“I’ll contact the decorators and check out the hall,” I stated casually. “But the confirmation of the order of events and the guest list needs to be confirmed with Mr. Blackwell. I already have it printed and—”
I’d barely gotten the words out when Wendy snatched the guest list right out of my hands, just like I’d expected.
“I will be the one to take care of Mr. Blackwell personally, not you,” Wendy called over her shoulder flippantly, already opening my office door to head out. “In the meantime, try not to make any more mistakes. Mr. Blackwell can’t keep forgiving your errors.”
Wendy’s words glanced off the knot of anxiety I felt in my chest as my phone buzzed with a reminder. I needed to head out now under the guise of checking in with the decorators to meet up with my appointment with Dr Warner.
My hands trembled, and I felt sick to my stomach. My phone continued to buzz. And buzz. And buzz.
I turned off the reminder. I couldn’t do it. I think deep down, I’d always known I couldn’t. That was why I’d kept pushing it off and delaying the decision. It was a stupid, ill-advised, and reckless decision, but I was going to keep the pregnancy.
I would have to leave this job and face possible homelessness to do it, but I didn’t care. I was keeping it. Tears filled my eyes, and my hand dipped to my belly—my office door slammed open, and a red-faced Wendy stormed in.
“He wants to talk to you,” Wendy’s voice was tight with disbelief and embarrassment.
Straightening in my seat, I stared at Wendy.
The top of her shirt had conveniently lost two buttons somewhere between her trip to Alpha Damien’s office and back, and her sizable breasts were on the verge of spilling out.
It didn’t take much to put two and two together to guess she’d tried her hand at seducing Alpha Damien.
I felt a strange bite of jealousy that I struggled to contain.
“What?” I questioned tersely, and Wendy’s expression grew darker still.
“Mr. Blackwell wants to discuss the order of events with you alone.” Her tone was bitter.
I blinked, her earlier words finally registering through the haze of jealousy that held me. Alpha Damien wanted to talk to me. Alone. My mind helpfully offered up a memory of the last time we’d spoken in private.
“No!” I panicked, scrambling for an excuse. “I mean, I can’t. I still have to head out to check the hotel hall reservations now and—”
Wendy flung the guest list in my face.
“Don’t bother putting up the innocent girl act with me,” she snapped sharply, and I paused, beyond perplexed.
“What are you talking about?”
Wendy leaned over my desk in a distinctly threatening motion, the edges of her lips tipping up into an ugly, condescending smile that didn’t reach her eyes.
“I know men like Mr. Blackwell,” Wendy started, her voice soft and insidious. “A slip like you can’t hope to satisfy a man like that. He’ll use and discard you like the whore that you are—”
I slapped her.
Wendy grasped her cheek, staring at me with undisguised shock.
“You hit me?”
I straightened to my feet, meeting Wendy’s gaze. My temper might have gotten the better of me at the moment, but the truth was this confrontation was long overdue.
“I’ve tried to tolerate and work amicably with you, Wendy, but I’m not interested in trying anymore,” I let out a breath. “Henceforth, I will not do your work for you, and if you talk down to me like you did just now, I won’t stop with just a slap.”
Wendy overcame her shock, her hands forming fists at her side, rage riding her hard.
“Blackwell won’t protect you forever,” she spat out vindictively.
Blackwell, protect me? What a silly thought. I ignored Wendy, simply picking up the guest list off my desk and walking out of my office. However, the closer I got to Alpha Damien’s office, the more my confidence slowly fizzled out until I paused just as I was about to knock on his door.
What was I doing here? There was no way this was going to end well.
“Enter,” Alpha Damien called out, and I jumped.
Fuck. It was too late to turn back. He’d already sensed my presence.
Forcing on a cool, polite, and professional smile, I pushed open the door and stepped into his office.
“You called for me, Mr. Blackwell?”
My smile wavered as I caught sight of Alpha Damien.
His dark hair was pulled back in an immaculate man-bun, his tailored suit jacket was folded up to the side of his desk, and the sleeves of his crisp white shirt were folded up to his elbows, revealing tanned, muscular, veiny forearms, one of which held a black designer watch.
My legs pressed together reflexively. When he had me up against the wall, he’d been wearing that same watch on the hand that had pushed up my skirt and—
“Do you intend to stand by the door for the rest of this conversation, Miss Caine?” Alpha Damien asked fluidly, raising his golden gaze to me.
I flushed, but I didn’t let him get the last word in. I was done with being a pushover and a doormat just to avoid any trouble at work. Regardless of what I’d done to prevent it, trouble had always found me.
I held out my chin, giving Alpha Damien the sweetest smile I could muster.
“Would you like to continue acting like an asshole for the rest of this conversation, Mr. Blackwell?”
Alpha Damien’s gaze darkened, and in a blink, he moved. One minute, he was over at his desk giving me an annoyed look; the next, he had me pinned against the closed door of his office.
Alpha Damien glowered down at me, enraged, the scent of his dominance thick in the air, but my body misunderstood his anger. I sucked in his scent eagerly, my nipples pebbling underneath my bra, my hips straining to move against his, and my gaze trailing from his charged gaze to his lips and lower—
Alpha Damien let out a low growl that snapped me back to myself instantly.
“Do you know what happened to the last person who dared insult me so casually?” He demanded, his dominance surging but not yet overpowering.
I swallowed hard, forcing a sense of bravado I didn’t feel.
“I’m sure you’ll tell me all about it,” I quipped even as dread surged within me.
It was common knowledge that Alpha Damien toppled entire enterprises and laid waste to packs for smaller preconceived slights. And I had gone on to hit the man and call him an asshole.
I was so done for.
“Nothing,” Alpha Damien bit out through gritted teeth, somehow even closer than he’d been a few seconds ago, and I shivered. “Nothing has happened to them because no one would dare to talk to me like you just did.”
“They should,” I shrugged, ruefully meeting his gaze. “Perhaps then, you’d be a pleasant person to be around.”
“Miss Caine,” Alpha Damien growled, and the sheer power behind his words made me stiffen and shut up. But it was already too late.
The air between us had shifted, and the intensity of Alpha Damien’s gaze would have made me back away if I wasn’t already pressed against the door. His body brushed lightly against mine, his fingers tucking a stray lock of hair behind my ear.
My eyes fell shut, a tremor working through me, then he was gone. Startled, I opened my eyes to see Alpha Damien sitting back behind his desk, his expression unreadable.
“You have been avoiding me. That day...” He began without preamble only to pause haltingly.
I froze, a thread of an emotion I couldn’t name stilling my movement as I waited with bated breath. Alpha Damien’s golden gaze met mine unfeelingly.
“I was wrong to have behaved inappropriately with you. I apologize. That mistake that will never happen again,” he said, and the crushing relief I’d expected to feel was conspicuously absent.
A mistake. Of course, it was a mistake for him. I nodded once.
“I share an equal blame in this situation.” My distant polite smile returned as I shrugged casually. “Like you said, it was an awful mistake. Let’s just pretend it never happened.”
Alpha Damien’s jaw clenched, and for a moment, he seemed almost…annoyed at my agreement. Then, in a flash, the moment was gone.
“Fine,” Alpha Damien said dismissively, and I was about to turn the doorknob and get the hell out of his office when he spoke once again.
“And Miss Caine? The next time you mouth off to me is the last time you will have a job.”
A chill swept through me as I realized he wasn’t just talking about Cityscape. Alpha Damien had enough of a pull that if he decided I wouldn’t be employed anywhere in this country, he’d make it so.
“Am I clear?”
Knowing Alpha Damien, he was vicious enough to go through with his threat. Keeping my child meant I’d need to quit at Cityscape eventually, but I still couldn’t afford to upset Alpha Damien and lose all my future employment prospects. I turned the doorknob.
“Crystal clear, Mr Blackwell.”
Andrew slid up to me just as the orchestra changed to a slower tune.
“Would you like to dance?”
Andrew was in Cityscape’s tech department.
He was a rather cute wolf, but extremely private, and he rarely ever explored beyond the confines of his office, save for staff meetings.
We’d exchanged maybe a grand total of ten words or so during my time in the company.
I hesitated, unsure of what to make of the offer. So I settled for a polite dismissal.
“I’d love to, but I have a call to make.”
Andrew was nonplussed, offering me a friendly smile.
“Alright, some other time then.”
I returned his smile only to stiffen as I felt the heat of someone’s gaze lingering on me. I knew it was him even before I raised my gaze up towards the banister overlooking the down floor.
Alpha Damien stood among a mix of wolves and humans that spoke over each other, trying to get his attention, but his cool gaze lingered on me.
He’d gone all out for the anniversary dinner, decked out in a perfectly tailored black double-breasted suit, black shirt, and red tie that made him look even more sinfully hot than usual.
It wasn’t until he had his phone pressed to his ear that he broke eye contact with me, excusing himself from his group and striding away.
I looked away, suddenly feeling overheated as I took in an urgent breath.
I calmed myself. I had nothing to be worried about.
The anniversary celebration had kicked off without a hitch.
The Sapphire Hotel event hall was resplendent, the exquisite space artfully spruced up with sweeping floral arrangements of roses, orchids, and eucalyptus.
The arrangements were exceptional. From the seating arrangements and placements for the guests complementing the overall space to the live orchestra playing in the background, everything was near perfect.
There was nothing Alpha Damien could fault me for with the arrangements, and even Wendy was mysteriously absent. The night was going to end on a good note. I could just feel it.
“Is that who I think it is?” A sharp voice, incredulous with disbelief came from right behind me, and I froze. It couldn’t be. But I didn’t stop to confirm. Rather, I lengthened my stride, but she easily caught up to me, capturing my forearm in her steel grip and forcibly pulling me to a stop.
Ivy let out an amused laugh.
“It is you, cousin!”
I turned to face her. My cousin wore a green sequinned dress that showed off her modelesque figure and set off her red hair beautifully, and Elias, my treacherous ex-fiancé, stood a step behind her, in a plain t-shirt and slacks.
Despite the difference in coloring, his shocked features suddenly held a startling resemblance to Alpha Damien’s now that I knew what to look for.
If I hadn’t been so distracted with avoiding Alpha Damien, missing my procedure, and ensuring all the arrangements for the event were perfect, I might have realized that Elias was very likely to attend his uncle’s party. Fuck.
I shook Ivy’s grip off with more strength than I knew I was capable of, and Ivy stared at me with slight surprise.
“Don’t fucking touch me,” I growled, and I could literally feel the gazes of the few guests around us taking note of this less-than-friendly interaction. Ivy didn’t reach for me again, her lips twitching into a feral grin.
“It was such poor taste of you to run away from your own mating ceremony, cousin. Alpha Winston was very displeased,” she mused. “To think I would find you here, of all places, after hunting you for so long.”
A chill went up my spine, but I pushed it down. Ivy couldn’t do anything to me here. We were in a very public location.
“What do you want?” I demanded.
Ivy’s smile widened, and nothing could have prepared me for the next words she said.
“I, Ivy Nightbane, challenge you, Raven Nightbane, alpha heir of the Ivory Moon Pack, to a death duel.”