Chapter 6: Chapter 6 Take back what’s mine
Damian’s POV
Rick met me at my penthouse an hour later, a tablet in hand and concern written all over his face.
"That was fast," I said, pouring myself a drink.
"You’re not going to like this." He set the tablet on the coffee table and dropped onto the couch across from me.
I picked up the tablet, scrolling through the report.
Aria Smith. Twenty-five years old. Abandoned at an orphanage as an infant. No record of her parents. Raised by the state until eighteen. Scholarship to university. Graduated with honors in business management.
And then—
My jaw clenched.
"She was married," I said flatly.
"She thought she was," Rick corrected. "Ethan Holt. Alpha of the Silver Creek Pack. But here’s the thing—the marriage certificate is completely fake."
I looked up sharply. "Fake?"
"Forged. Never registered with the Council, never filed with human authorities either. It’s worthless paper." Rick’s expression darkened.
"Alpha Holt’s been stringing her along for two years while he’s actually bonded to Clara Voss. They have a three-year-old son. The pup was brought back to the pack under the guise of adoption and became Alpha Holt’s sole heir."
The implications hit me like a freight train. No wonder she was so cynical about relationships.
She’d been abandoned as a baby. Then the first man she’d trusted enough to "marry" had been playing an elaborate con game.
"Where is Ethan Holt now?"
"Silver Creek territory. Why?"
"Because I’m going to rip his throat out."
Rick held up a hand. "Damian. Think about this. If you go after Holt now, it’s going to raise questions. The Council will want to know why the Alpha King is involving himself in Pack business."
"She’s my mate."
"I know. But she doesn’t know that. Not really. And if you go charging in like an avenging angel, you’re going to push her away even further."
I wanted to argue. My wolf wanted blood. But Rick was right.
Aria didn’t trust me. Hell, she barely believed I was her mate. If I went on a rampage now, I’d only prove her cynicism right.
My wolf snarled at the thought.
*She’s ours,* he insisted. *She belongs to us. We’ll make her see.*
But how?
"What are you going to do?" Rick asked.
I looked at the tablet again, at the photo of Aria staring back at me. Those beautiful green eyes, that guarded expression.
"I offered her a rather tempting contract," I said slowly. "But now it seems the terms need to be sweetened."
Rick frowned. "Sweetened?"
"Like a prenuptial agreement." I met his gaze. "She’s at a critical time inheriting Vincent Smith’s estate, and Vincent’s werewolf wife and stepson won’t give up fighting for it. Draft me a contract stating that after I help her inherit the full estate, I won’t claim any share of it through our marital relationship."
"You’re sure she’ll agree to this contract?"
"She needs this contract right now." I picked up my phone. "She needs me."
"Ah, there’s that arrogant Alpha King," Rick laughed. "I’ll get the contract to you as soon as possible. Looking forward to meeting our new Luna."
I smiled grimly. "It won’t be long."
---
Aria’s POV
The next morning, I returned to what had been home for two years. Unfinished business.
The house was quiet. "Alpha Ethan took Miss Clara and young Marcus to the country estate," a servant told me. "They won’t be back until tonight."
Perfect.
With the house empty, I called the servants to help me pack clothes, books, personal documents, everything that was mine.
When one of them asked hesitantly if I was leaving and whether she should inform Alpha Ethan, I cut her off gently.
"No need to mention this to Alpha Ethan. He’s very busy right now."
Busy with his wife and child. But let him enjoy it while it lasted.
By nightfall I’d called a moving company. Within two hours, it was like I’d never lived there at all.
Almost.
Two things were still missing.
The first: a collection of research papers I’d written over the years—business data, analysis, strategies I’d developed, always kept locked in my desk drawer.
Gone.
The second: the core project data I’d built for Holt Corporation, stored on company servers I couldn’t directly access.
Two years of work. My blood, sweat, and sleepless nights. There was no way I was leaving them behind for Ethan to profit from.
---
The next morning, Ethan called. I could hear highway noise in the background.
"Did you get my message yesterday?"
"Yeah, I saw it." I stirred my coffee, keeping my voice light.
"I’m really sorry about leaving so suddenly—I couldn’t let Clara take Marcus alone—"
"There’s nothing to apologize for," I cut in smoothly. "You accompanying Clara is completely understandable."
A pause. "When you didn’t reply, I thought you might be upset—"
"I was swamped. Apartments, potential clients. I barely had time to breathe."
Not entirely a lie.
"Oh." He sounded relieved. "Don’t push yourself too hard. I worry about you."
I wrinkled my nose, suddenly losing what little appetite I had left.
"Daddy, stop talking to the bad lady!" Marcus’s shrill voice cut through the line.
"I should go," Ethan said quickly. "I’ll see you tonight." He hung up before I could respond.
Fine by me.
After breakfast,I headed straight to Holt Corporation.
His top-floor office was spacious, meticulously organized, filled with expensive furniture that screamed success.
I’d been in here countless times before, always working late while he wined and dined clients.
Now I tore through every drawer, every file cabinet, every locked compartment I could access.
Nothing.
I bypassed his embarrassingly simple computer password and searched through folders, email archives, cloud backups.
Still nothing.
I was about to give up when someone knocked.His Beta, Max.
"Luna, Alpha Ethan isn’t available today. We need your signature on these disbursement contracts."
I took the stack and scanned through them.
Partnerships I’d fought tooth and nail to secure—Packs far above Silver Creek’s usual league, deals that could set the business up for years. If the funding didn’t go through on time, at least half would fall apart.
"Have you tried reaching Alpha Ethan?"
"Yes. He said he was busy and to come to you if anything urgent came up."
Of course he did.
Ethan’s company ran because of me. I worked around the clock, never made mistakes, cleaned up every mess. And yet I had no real authority—no title beyond Luna, no stock options, nothing.
Whenever I made decisions in his absence, he’d publicly reprimand me in front of Pack members and shareholders afterward, just to make clear I had no power.
He’d told me once it was to protect us. That going public would cause problems.
I’d believed him.
"Leave them here," I said, setting the contracts aside. "I’ll review them when I get back."
The moment Max left, I dropped the contracts on his desk and walked out.
The Smith family lawyer had contacted me that morning.
The inheritance paperwork was finalized. I was officially the sole heir to the Smith fortune.
The last thing I needed was to waste another second cleaning up Ethan Holt’s messes.
---
Back at my apartment, a courier was waiting with a thick envelope marked "Confidential."
I tore it open and found a contract. Not just any contract—a marriage agreement that was almost too good to be true. Complete financial protection, a prenuptial clause that kept my inheritance entirely separate, and terms that heavily favored me.
Damian Blackwood’s signature was already at the bottom.
I read through it twice, then a third time. Every clause was designed to protect my interests. This wasn’t just a business arrangement—it was exactly what I needed.
I picked up my phone and dialed the number he’d given me.
"Alpha King," I said when he answered. "This is Aria Smith. I’ve reviewed your contract."
"And?" His voice was carefully neutral.
"I’d like to discuss the details. Are you available to meet tonight?"
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