Chapter 21

Ethan’s Pov

I escorted Ava back to our hotel room after the auction to pack and go home. Ava’s fingers kept daintily grazing over the large emerald pendant and she had a far away look in her eyes while we rode the elevator to our floor.

I couldn’t tell if she really liked the necklace or if she was frightened by the origins of it. Would she consider it a bad omen if it belonged to my mother before?

She was silent the entire ride up to the room, it made me nervous. She was usually someone who liked to express her emotions freely and explain herself. It was strange, as though I was experiencing the calm before the storm.

We walked into the room and she turned to me as soon as I closed the door behind us.

“Are you sure you want me to have this?” She asked, her eyes wide. Her shoulders were tensed and pulled straight back in a formal manner. She was on edge as she waited for my response.

My brows furrowed as I gazed down at her, “Of course I do. Why? Do you not like it?”

She ran a hand through her bangs, making them stick out a little. Her flustered expression and messy hair made her look endearing, though a little frazzled. I felt my gaze focusing on her face a little too long, realizing how pretty she was even in mundane moments.

I swallowed it and looked away for a moment.

“I do! It’s just-” She huffed. “This was your mothers. I don’t know if it’s right that I should have it. I don’t deserve it.”

I placed a hand on her shoulder, keeping her from continuing. She looked up at me, silently waiting for me to say something. I needed to reassure her, but I was struck by the intimacy of what giving her the necklace meant.

My heart warmed at how considerate she was over my mother’s possessions. She cared so much about the opinion of a woman she had never met, all because that woman was important to me. I felt very fond of Ava in that moment.

“As my wife,” I began. “You are entitled to this.”

She tried to interrupt, but I continued on without giving her a chance.

“I want you to have it, so please, take care of it for me.”

Ava blinked a few times, deciding if she was going to keep arguing about it or not. Ultimately she gave in to my request.

She nodded determinedly and covered the jewel with the palm of her hand.

“I will do my best.” She smiled, giving one curt nod in support.

We left the hotel shortly after. It only took an hour or so to get back to the house.

Ava was exhausted. I had one of the maids bring her suitcase to her bedroom, and she looked like she was nearly ready to fall asleep standing up. I had to hold back a chuckle as her eyes drooped and blinked slowly.

“Go rest,” I told her with a smirk. “You’ve had an eventful weekend.”

“Are you sure?” She asked, barely stifling a yawn as she did. “Do you want me to help you unpack or anything?”

I thought it was sweet how much Ava insisted on taking care of me as though I wasn’t as powerful as I actually am. She just liked to make sure I was happy at any given moment. It was a kind gesture.

I nudged her towards the stairs with a small grin.

Ava simpered appreciatively, which was followed by another almost comically large yawn, and she started climbing the stairs to the room. I watched her figure go up the steps, and once she was out of sight, I went to my office to get more work done.

At the ball, Mars told me that Andrew was making deals with other alpha’s families to grow his power. I had to sit down and figure out my next move regarding taking away Andrew’s control of the werewolf world. He didn’t deserve the power he had - the power he took from my parents.

I lowered myself into the chair at my desk, files in front of me with details about a good portion of Andrew’s allies. He held some of the most elite members of society in his pocket.

Assembling his connections was like putting together a puzzle while still missing half the pieces.

The front door buzzed. I looked up, not expecting anyone. Though, I wasn’t surprised when my maid led Mars into the office. He liked to visit without an invitation. He said it keeps people on their toes.

“Ethan,” Mars greeted with a cocky smile.

“Mars.” I returned with a straight face. “I should’ve known you lacked the manners to call before showing up unannounced.”

Mars rolled his eyes and the maid left us. I gestured to the chair in the corner of the room, and waited for Mars to tell me what it was he needed.

Mars sat and looked at me, his face turning serious.

“We need to talk.”

“I see that,” I opened my arms wide. “So, talk.”

“Olivia is engaged to Andrew,” Mars burst out, unable to contain it any longer. His eyes were red with fury as he tried to explain without yelling. It looked like he had been crying a few moments before showing up here. “Her parents arranged the marriage and now she’s engaged to that old man.”

“We will do something to stop it, then.” I reassured him. Olivia was his girlfriend. Her father was the alpha of the Sterling Nights pack, one of the more powerful packs in the area. Andrew must have made a negotiation for the engagement so that he was granted access to her father’s influence.

“If you don’t stop it you lose any chance at becoming Alpha Chairman,” Mars scoffed, as if I didn’t understand the gravity of the situation.

“Mars,” I stood up, pushing my chair back. “I understand what you’re saying, and we will stop it. We just need to be careful and plan everything out.”

Mars sunk deeper into his chair with a scowl.

“We can’t go in with guns blazing, it’ll do more damage to our images and my company.” I reminded him. Mars looked away with his jaw clenched. He was always more hot headed than I--he liked to be impulsive.

Impulsivity was dangerous, though. Especially with men like Andrew, who were far more influential than myself at the moment. One wrong move and I was out of the running all together.

“You need to start working towards becoming alpha chairman,” Mars stood up and leaned against my desk. “Like, actually buckle down and start working on your public image.”

I rolled my eyes at him.

“What more would you have me do?” I asked.

“If you let Olivia marry Andrew, Andrew will have access to her father’s money, influence, and connections.” Mars ranted. “He will become unstoppable, more powerful. We won’t have a leg up in the race for chairman.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose and closed my eyes, trying to keep a headache from forming.

“What are your suggestions, then?” I asked.

Mars smiled. I could tell by the look on his face that he had just been itching for me to request his opinion. Mars was impetuous, but he was not stupid. He was a clever strategist and that’s why I asked him to form an alliance with me.

Connections like this always came with a price, though.

“You need to divorce Ava.” He said with an uneasy grin plastered on his face.

My jaw went slack as I stared at him, trying to calm the racing of my heart. The thought of leaving Ava made my stomach sick with anxiety.

“What are you talking about?” I demanded. Why would he suggest something so unfounded?

“Divorce Ava and marry Sarah,” He repeated. “It’s the only way to make this work.”