Chapter 41

I had to apologize to the manager and promise to replace the table Damon broke before leaving the shop. I knew I'd be the topic of conversation for the whole week.

I took a deep sigh before climbing into the car. Luca smiled at me from the driver's seat.

"Hey, Madam Clara," he greeted. I smiled back and glanced at Damon, who was staring ahead.

Yes, I know I overreacted, but anyone in my shoes would have reacted the same way… right?

Luca started the car. As we drove back to the house, Damon didn't say a word, and I started to feel nervous.

"Why didn't you accept it? That's why we're doing this in the first place, right? If you accepted it, we'd both go our separate ways, just like you wanted, right?" I asked, staring at him. He turned to me with a raised eyebrow.

"So you're saying you want me to become the Alpha King now? Okay then," he said, turning away. I scoffed and glanced out the window.

"See? You're angry again," he pointed out. I shook my head.

"Why would I be angry? I have no reason to be angry," I muttered, then shrieked when he pulled me toward him, resting my back on his chest.

We stared into each other's eyes. I tried reading his thoughts but couldn't.

"Why didn't you accept it?" I asked softly, still staring into his eyes. I didn't know what I expected him to say, but I wanted some assurance.

"Because I'm not ready for that responsibility yet," he muttered. I furrowed my eyebrows.

"That's a lie; just say you're not ready to give me up yet," I said. He rolled his eyes, but I could see a smile on his lips.

"Think whatever makes you happy, Clara," he murmured. I smiled, wrapping my arms around his shoulder. We stayed like that until we got home.

I got out of the car first and waited for Damon. He got out and immediately grabbed my hand.

I smiled up at him and leaned into him as we walked into the mansion. My body tensed when I noticed Alicia staring at us from a distance, but I pretended not to see her. She wasn't going to spoil my mood.

"You'll work for me starting tomorrow," Damon said, turning to me. My eyes widened.

"What? Why?" I asked. He let go of my hand to grab my cheek.

"Because I have to keep an eye on you and your mood swings. Why are you acting like you don't want to be by my side all the time?" he muttered. I scoffed.

"As much as I'd like to fuck the truth out of you, I have a meeting to attend to now, and I'm already late because my wife loves throwing tantrums," he murmured against my lips, laughing.

"When will you be back?" I asked, grabbing his hand before he could walk away. He tilted his head.

"I thought you hated my company? Tsk, Clara, don't get obsessed with me now," he murmured, winking before walking away. I sighed as soon as he disappeared.

He was right; I was getting obsessed with him. I wanted him near all the time, and I hated the feeling.

"Ugh! Why am I falling in love with him? This is all your fault," I muttered, blaming my wolf. But I knew it wasn't just her; it was both of us. What had I expected? That I wouldn't fall for someone like Damon? Except for his unfiltered tongue, he was perfect.

"This isn't good," I told myself, groaning.

"I see you're very happy being cozied up with Damon, right? Acting like a wife and all. It makes you happy, huh?" I turned to the voice and watched Alicia walk up to me with a sneer.

"What do you want now, witch of the west?" I said, folding my arms. She glared at me.

"You think you've won because Damon is showing you a little attention? He does that to all his other sluts, and you're no exception. When he's done, he'll throw you away like the trash you are," she muttered with a smirk. Her words hit too close to home.

"And you'll still remain irrelevant to him. Always watching him from the side and never an option," I replied smugly. I must have struck a nerve because she nearly popped a vein.

"Distance yourself from him now, or I'm going to tell the world that you're just a fake wife, and he'll never get the chance to become Alpha King again," she murmured. I frowned.

"You do know if Damon finds out about this threat, you'll get seriously hurt, right?" I muttered. She smirked.

"I knew you were going to say that, but you won't tell him, so he won't find out," she said. I raised an eyebrow.

"And what makes you think I won't tell him?" I asked. She tilted her head.

"Because I know your secret. I know what happened to you. Do you think Damon would still want to touch you when he finds out?" she said. My whole body froze.

How did she? Even Liam didn't know that because I never told him. I never had the heart to tell him.

"How did you?" I trailed off, staring at her in shock. She grinned menacingly.

"Distance yourself from Damon, or not only am I going to tell him, but I'll tell everyone. How embarrassing would that be for you?"

This cleaned-up version corrects grammatical errors, improves punctuation, and enhances readability. Note that some stylistic choices (like the directness of some dialogue) are maintained to reflect the original tone. The explicit content remains as presented in the original.