Chapter 58: Chapter 58 The Engagement2
Aria’s POV
He wore a perfectly tailored black suit that emphasized his height and the predatory grace of his movements.
Under the crystal chandeliers, he looked like something out of a fairy tale—powerful, dangerous, impossibly handsome.
The entire ballroom fell silent as he crossed directly to me.
We were standing near the side of the room, just another group among dozens. But the moment Damian stopped at my side, and it felt like every light in the place focused on us.
"Alpha King," I said, stepping forward with a smile. "You’re here."
His eyes swept over me—slow, deliberate, lingering on the curve of my neck where my pulse was already betraying me—and something dark flickered in their depths.
His gaze dropped to my lips, then lower, tracing the neckline of my dress as if he could see through it.
"I’m sorry I’m late," he said quietly, but his voice was rougher than necessary.
"You’re not late at all. Your timing is perfect."
I reached out and slipped my hand into the crook of his elbow. The Master of Ceremonies called us to the stage.
Alpha Andrew and Luna Elena took their positions beside us, presenting the engagement rings. But I barely heard a word.
Damian’s hand had moved to rest at the small of my back, his palm flat against the bare skin exposed by my dress. His fingers weren’t still.
They traced slow, lazy circles against my spine, leaving trails of heat wherever they touched.
Damian had chosen the rings himself. Mine was stunning—a single emerald-cut diamond that caught the light like frozen fire.
When he took my hand to slide the ring onto my finger, he didn’t let go. Instead, he lifted my hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to my knuckles—slow, deliberate, his lips lingering just long enough for me to feel the warmth of his breath.
"Aria," he said, his voice pitched low enough that only I could hear. "You look beautiful tonight."
His eyes dropped to my lips. Then lower. He was remembering what those lips had done the last time we were alone. I could see it in his gaze.
Heat flooded my cheeks. My thighs pressed together beneath my dress.
"Thank you," I managed.
I picked up his ring and slipped it onto his finger.
"Damian... I hope we can work well together."
The words came out formal, a retreat into safety. But my finger was still drawing slow circles in his palm.
Damian’s hand closed around mine—not politely, but possessively—and he drew me closer.
His arm slid around my waist, his palm flattening against the bare skin of my lower back. His fingers spread wide, his thumb resting just above the curve of my ass.
Applause erupted around us.
I kept my expression composed. Professional. But beneath the surface, I was burning. His hand was burning into my skin. His hip pressed against mine as we turned, and I felt the hard line of his thigh brush between my legs for just a fraction of a second.
Damian was perfectly gentlemanly about it—nothing visible, nothing the crowd could see.
But his thumb was stroking the top of my ass in slow, possessive circles. And when he leaned in to murmur against my ear, his lips brushed the shell of it, his breath hot.
"We’ll work very well together, Aria."
The way he said it—low, dark, full of promise—made my knees weak.A dull ache pulsed between my thighs, and I had to lock my knees to keep from swaying into him.
I didn’t dare look at his face. If I saw that hunger in his eyes again, I wasn’t sure I could stay upright.
Thankfully, the ring exchange was over. And Luna Elena kept the ceremony mercifully brief. After the ring exchange and a few speeches, guests were free to mingle.
Damian escorted me to my friends’ table, his hand never leaving the small of my back.
Damian escorted me to the table where my friends were sitting, his hand never leaving the small of my back.
"Let me introduce you," I said. "These are my former colleagues and current friends. We’re working on a business project together."
All three of them shot to their feet like they’d been electrocuted.
"Alpha King! It’s an honor!"
Damian inclined his head and proceeded to shake each of their hands individually, asking polite questions about their work.
I hadn’t expected him to be so gracious. I’d thought he’d just nod and move on to more important guests.
Jennifer looked like she might faint from the attention.
"Alpha King and Aria are perfect together," Diana blurted out, then immediately looked like she regretted speaking.
"I mean—seeing you exchange rings just now, it was so moving. I actually cried a little."
"Why are you all getting emotional?" I protested, laughing. "It’s just an engagement."
"You deserve this," Rachel said fiercely, grabbing my hand. "You deserve all the happiness in the world."
"Aria has so many wonderful qualities," Jennifer added, apparently emboldened by Diana’s outburst. "Being beautiful is honestly her least impressive trait."
I wanted to sink through the floor. "Alright, that’s enough—"
"I agree," Damian said calmly, sitting down like he planned to stay. "Please, tell me more. What other qualities does Aria have?"
"Oh, there are tons!" Diana launched into what threatened to become a comprehensive list.
I grabbed serving fork and started loading everyone’s plates with expensive delicacies, desperately trying to shut them up.
But when I reached Damian’s plate, I hesitated. Surely he’d want to sit with the Royal Pack elders, not waste time at our table.
"Where’s mine?" Damian asked, looking at me expectantly.
I blinked at him. "Alpha King, shouldn’t you sit with Luna Grace? She’s been looking forward to talking with you all evening."
"Anything she needs to say can wait." He picked up his own serving fork—and placed the last piece of abalone on my plate instead of his own.
His fingers brushed against mine as he did so, lingering just a fraction of a second too long.
"Tonight, the person I should be with is you."
Something in my chest went warm and liquid.
My friends immediately started making delighted noises, but I couldn’t look away from Damian.
Then his gaze was fixed on me, dark and deliberate, tracing the line of my jaw, the curve of my neck, the way my chest rose and fell beneath my dress.
He said these things so matter-of-factly, without any apparent awareness of how they sounded. How intimate. How... possessive.
How much they made me want to believe this was real.
His eyes dropped to my lips, then lower, trailing down the exposed skin of my collarbone with a hunger that made my thighs press together beneath the table.
"Damian."
The cold voice cut through our moment like a knife.
Comments