Chapter 37

Clara:

“And then he stormed into the restaurant and even called me a slut. Who does that?” I muttered into the phone. Aunt Amelia gasped dramatically.

“He sounds like the worst,” she said.

Damon muttered, stretching out on my bed, “Why are you acting like I’m not here?”

“Shh, I’m talking to someone important,” I whispered. He rolled his eyes, stood up, and I unsuccessfully tried not to stare at his…well, it was impressively large.

“Where are you going?” I asked, still on the phone.

“I have work, Clara. Just because I agreed to act like a husband doesn’t mean I’m going to neglect my work. I know you want me around all the time, but so does everyone else,” he muttered. I rolled my eyes.

“Why don’t you take a vacation for a week? At least I’ll be free from seeing your face,” I retorted, and he chuckled.

“Sure, baby, but you and I both know you love my company,” he murmured, winking as he dressed.

Last night had been a night of wild, amazing sex. We’d poured out all our frustration and longing, and it was absolutely incredible. My core still throbbed thinking about it.

“I have to go to work too, and hey, can you give Jason and Job their jobs back? They have a challenged mother to care for, and you just got rid of their only source of income because of jealousy,” I muttered. He scoffed.

“Jealousy? Why would I be jealous of two scrawny, red-haired kids? I mean, look at me—I can’t be compared to anyone,” he muttered. I sighed.

“Such a narcissist,” Aunt Amelia said through the phone. I couldn’t agree more.

“Please just give them back their jobs. I’ll stop talking to them if that’ll please you,” I pleaded. He turned to me, raising an eyebrow.

“Really?” he asked. I nodded.

“Okay, I’ll give them their jobs, but on one condition,” he said, and I frowned.

“What condition? I already said I wouldn’t talk to them,” I said.

“Well, even if you don’t talk to them, they’ll talk to you, and since you’re such a goody-two-shoes, you’ll talk back. I can’t trust you. I need to keep an eye on you, so you’re coming to work with me,” he said. I huffed.

“Just because we agreed to behave like husband and wife doesn’t mean we always have to be together. Despite the fact that my wolf wants to be with you, I still hate your guts,” I muttered.

“Well, my wolf is making me feel things too, and he’s a very territorial and possessive wolf. He wants you to himself, and therefore is trying to keep you beside him,” he said, and my wolf purred in response. She loved the idea of her mate being possessive.

“Are you sure you’re not the one who wants me close, Damon?” I murmured, teasingly smiling. He scoffed.

“I know you’d love that, little devil. I’ve got to admit, I want you close, though,” he said, slowly walking toward me. I gasped as he leaned close, our noses almost touching.

“If you work for me, I’ll get to fuck you whenever I crave. I’ve got to admit, I love being buried deep inside you,” he murmured before pulling away and leaving the room, leaving me utterly discombobulated.

Aunt Amelia suddenly said, snapping me out of my trance, “Oh, you two are like a couple out of a novel. He definitely wants you.” I’d completely forgotten she was still there.

“He doesn’t; he’s made that terribly clear. He might be attached now because of sex, and we can’t really control the mating bond,” I murmured. She was quiet for a while.

“The mating bond isn’t easy to fight, Clara. So, if you’re hoping the feelings you have for him can be fought…”

“I don’t have feelings for him; my wolf does,” I interrupted, and she sighed.

“Clara, every time I call, you’re talking about Damon. Damon this and Damon that. If you don’t like him or love him like you say, you won’t be so bothered if he was with someone else,” she said. I shook my head.

“Even if I don’t want to feel anything, my wolf makes me feel something…”

“Don’t try to deny it, Clara, because I know you. I know you’re finding it hard to give your heart to him after what happened with Liam, and you think Damon is going to break your heart,” she said. I scoffed.

“I’m not thinking he’s going to break my heart. He said himself that after he becomes Alpha King, we’ll divorce and go our separate ways. He doesn’t see or want a future with me, so why should I aim for something that was never going to happen?” I asked. She sighed.

“Clara…”

“I don’t like him; it’s just sex and a few emotions that should be gone someday. I can’t and won’t fall in love with him, Aunt Amelia,” I murmured, ending the call and sighing. I wasn’t going to think about this again. I’d already spent last night doing that and given myself a headache.

“I have to get to work,” I muttered, sluggishly getting out of bed and heading to the bathroom.

After showering, I walked into the room to find Alicia there.

“What are you doing here? And who gave you permission to enter this house?” I asked. She scoffed.

“Oh? And who am I supposed to ask permission from? You?” she asked, slowly approaching me.

“Yes, because I am Damon’s wife, and you will respect me as your future Luna,” I said. She laughed.

“Future Luna? The minute I saw you, I knew something was off. Damon never planned on getting married. He hated the idea of being mated, and then all of a sudden, he shows up with some gold-digging, cheap slut as his wife? So I started wondering why. I almost believed it was because he had feelings for you, but these past few days made me realize Damon can’t be tamed by someone like you. So I watched and listened, and guess what I found out? He’s just using you to get the Alpha King position, and then he’s going to dump you like the slut you are,” she said, a crazy look in her eyes. I frowned.

“And?”

“And if I go to my uncle and tell him this, with proof, Damon will never get that Alpha King title, and you’ll suffer the consequences for deceiving the king and queen. Do you want that?” she asked. For some reason, I didn’t care about myself. I only cared about Damon.

“What do you want?” I asked through clenched teeth. She smirked.

“As you know, I want Damon for myself. I’ve been in love with him since we were kids, and I’m the only one who understands him. I’m the only one for him, and I can’t bear the idea of someone else having him, especially someone like you,” she said. I scoffed.

“So what do you expect me to do? He needs me to become the Alpha King,” I said. She nodded.

“I know that, and I want him to become Alpha King, but the way you two are growing close is hurting me. I can see he’s developing a soft spot for you, and I hate it. He cannot fall for you,” she said. I scoffed. He was never going to fall for me. That thought made me frown.

“So what do I do?”

“I want you to distance yourself from him. The more you ignore him, the more he’ll ignore you. If you want him to be Alpha King, and if you want to live a normal life, you’ll do as I say. I’ll tell you when to start. See you soon, Mrs. Donovan.” Then she left me standing there.