Chapter 34

Ava

I made my way back to the Packhouse, my mind still buzzing over my interaction with Leonard. His words kept replaying in my head on a loop—his insistence that Chris harbored deeper feelings for me, despite my protests to the contrary. His observations about the telltale way a man looked at a woman he desired.

He had been right, of course. But I wasn’t ready to admit that; not to myself, and not to anyone.

I shook my head, as if to physically dislodge the thoughts. Mercifully, it seemed the inner hallways of the Packhouse were deserted as I slipped back inside, affording me a moment of solitude to collect myself.

Or so I thought.

As I neared Chris’s office, the low rumble of voices drifted out from the slightly ajar door—Chris’s roguish voice mingling with the higher, clipped tones of a woman I didn’t immediately recognize. His new assistant, perhaps?

I hesitated outside the door, debating whether I should announce myself or simply retreat until a more convenient time. Before I could decide, however, the woman’s voice rang out clearly.

“—absolutely unacceptable. The Alpha should not be interrupted right now.”

There was a brief pause, then the unmistakable sound of Chris chuckling. “That’s quite alright, Amelia. That’s my Luna, Ava. She can come in.”

The door swung open to reveal the source of the unfamiliar voice—a prim, middle-aged woman with her ash-blonde hair pulled back in a tight bun. Her gaze swept over me as she stepped aside, gesturing for me to enter.

“My apologies,” she said, clearly a bit embarrassed by her earlier words. “I didn’t realize that you were expected.”

I opened my mouth to respond, but Chris cut me off smoothly. “Please, come have a seat, Ava.” He patted the empty chair beside him, smiling at me in a way that made my pulse throb despite my best efforts.

Shooting his assistant—Amelia—a withering glance, I crossed the room to join Chris at his large oak desk. That was when I noticed the video call—a group of half a dozen older human men in crisp suits, all seated around a long conference table. Immediately, my hackles rose.

These were human executives—the ones who viewed our supernatural communities as little more than corporate assets to be exploited.

“Gentlemen,” Chris addressed them easily, “allow me to introduce Ava, our territory’s Acting Luna. I believe her input will be valuable for our discussion today.”

The stoic human faces on the screen appraised me with obvious skepticism, their gazes lingering on me as I took my seat.

“Very well,” one of the men—undoubtedly their leader—said at last. He folded his hands on the tabletop, fixing Chris with a hawklike stare. “We were just proposing some strategies for maximizing the… resources… available to us now that you have taken over leadership of this territory. Particularly, we are in search of lumber. Your territory has some of the finest, from what I understand.”

His words were clear: we did have some of the finest trees in the region. But we were also steadfastly against the idea of deforestation, only cutting that which we needed for our homes and our fires—and we always replanted any trees that we cut down.

I felt Chris tense almost imperceptibly beside me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Amelia’s rigid posture, her features carefully blank and impassive. For a moment, I wasn’t sure what Chris might say; perhaps his time in the human world had turned him blind to such issues.

But, once again, I was left surprised by his words.

“I’m afraid I cannot agree to anything that would overwork or exploit my people,” Chris said evenly. “And besides, we don’t believe in deforestation.” He looked at me then, a silent invitation for me to weigh in.

I sat up a little straighter, not only surprised by his immediate refusal to do something like this but also the fact that he was looking to me for support.

I nodded. “The land and its resources are already stretched thin just to meet our own needs and maintain a sustainable lifestyle,” I said firmly. “Any additional demands would inevitably tax the environment and our small workforce to the breaking point. It’s simply not feasible without causing irreparable harm.”

“They’re just trees,” one of the men chimed in with a laugh. “They regrow.”

“Our trees are sacred to us; they provide us with clean air, shade, our homes, our warmth in the winter. And we only take what we need,” I retorted instantly.

A murmur of displeasure rippled through the video attendees, their features twisting into matching scowls of derision. The leader held up a hand for silence, fixing me with a look that could curdle milk.

“Trees aside,” he said, “I was under the impression that your… subordinates—what are they called, ‘Omegas’?—would be available to assist with any labor requirements. They are essentially free labor, are they not?”

I felt my stomach twist. The Omegas were no longer our slaves. And the way that his lip had curled upward upon using our word, like it was some kind of savage tongue, made my blood simmer just beneath the surface.

“I’ve abolished that archaic system. There are no more slaves or second-class citizens in my territory. We are all equals here.”

The silence following Chris’s words was deafening. The human businessmen shifted uncomfortably in their seats, clearly not expecting this sort of response from Chris. I hadn’t expected it, either. Although, he had done nothing but shower me with pleasant surprises since his return to the pack.

“Be that as it may,” the lead man finally said through tight lips, “you are not a permanent Alpha, Christopher.” He waved a hand dismissively. “These… radical changes hardly seem necessary or prudent for a temporary situation, don’t you agree?”

I held my breath, watching Chris closely to gauge his reaction. But to my surprise, he didn’t so much as flinch at the thinly veiled condescension. When he spoke, his voice was calm and level.

“With all due respect, I’m not interested in making decisions based on temporary convenience,” he said, pinning the man with a hard glare. “My sole priority is protecting my people and doing what’s best for this pack, regardless of how long I’m in charge. And I simply won’t allow anyone to exploit or overwork them, human or otherwise.”

Another tense beat of silence, then the man gave a curt nod of acknowledgment. “Very well. We’ll have to regroup and reevaluate from this new vantage point, then. We may need to send an envoy to assess the situation more thoroughly.”

As the video feed disconnected, I let out a slow, steadying breath, fighting the urge to gape openly at Chris. He had stood his ground, our ground, against that entire group of seasoned human elite without batting an eye. I couldn’t deny that it was impressive.

And perhaps Leonard had been wrong about his comments regarding the untrustworthiness of hot-blooded young bucks who let their impulses run away with them. Chris had handled that entire situation with a level head and principled determination far beyond his years.

Before I could find the words to praise his leadership, however, Chris heaved a sigh and raked a hand through his hair. “Sorry you had to sit through all that unpleasantness, Ava. It’s been a never-ending headache trying to realign expectations with reality around here.”

I shook my head insistently. “Don’t apologize—I’m glad I could be here to back you up,” I told him. “And… well, that was quite impressive, how you stood your ground against them.”

The comment made him crack a lopsided grin at me. “I appreciate that. Although I have a feeling we haven’t seen the last of their bullying tactics on this front.”

He trailed off as Amelia approached, her arms filled with files and folders. “Alpha, you still have the quarterly reports to review in preparation for tonight’s meeting,” she reminded him briskly.

Chris groaned, but accepted the stack of documents nonetheless. “I almost forgot I had another meeting. Thanks for the reminder.” He flashed me an apologetic look. “It seems my work is never done around here.”

“Well, maybe I could stay and help?” I offered, before realizing how that might sound in light of Leonard’s insinuations earlier. “I mean, not that you need it. But I could lend another set of eyes, at least?”

Chris regarded me for a moment, seeming to weigh the proposition. Then he shook his head. “That’s kind of you, Ava, but I wouldn’t want to impose. You look dead on your feet—maybe you should head home and get some rest.”

I nodded and stood. Truthfully, I was exhausted. The hangover had officially caught up to me, and now my legs and back ached in need of a soft bed to lie on.

“Alright,” I said, turning and making my way over to the door. “See you tomorrow, then.”

Before I could leave, however, Chris quickly called out, “Ava.” I turned to see that he was now standing, and that his assistant was nowhere to be seen.

“What is it?” I asked.

He paused, glancing almost nervously down at his feet, before he lifted his gaze and fixed me with another one of those signature lopsided grins of his.

“Can I come over later?”