Chapter 247 Find her first. Kill him second
Damian’s POV
The bond felt wrong.
Stretched thin like a wire pulled too tight, vibrating with tension every time I tried to reach for her through it.
Aria was pulling away from me.
And Moon Goddess help me, I didn’t know how to stop it.
I’d been sitting in her apartment for the past two hours, staring at the city lights through the floor-to-ceiling windows and trying to convince myself that I wasn’t being pathetic.
Failed spectacularly on that front.
*You shouldn’t have come,* my wolf growled in the back of my mind. Not angry—worried. *You’re still healing. You promised you’d rest, and instead you’re out here pushing yourself past every limit, like the wound doesn’t matter at all.*
"She said she’d take time off after the launch event," I muttered aloud, running a hand through my hair. "Said we’d spend time together. And now she’s working late, avoiding my calls—"
*Because something’s wrong and you’re too much of a coward to ask what.*
That stung. Mostly because it was true.
I’d felt the shift in her since this morning. A subtle change in the way she responded to me—cooler, more distant.
The warmth that usually flooded the bond when we were together had dimmed to barely a flicker.
Something had hurt her. And I had no fucking clue what.
The not knowing was eating me alive.
I checked my phone again. 10:47 PM. Still no word from her.
My fingers hovered over her contact, debating whether to call again or give her the space she clearly wanted.
*Go get her,*my wolf insisted. *You’ve already broken your promise by flying here. Might as well finish what you started.*
He had a point.
I pulled up her number and hit call before I could second-guess myself.
It rang twice before someone picked up.
"Alpha King?"
Not Aria’s voice. Female, slightly slurred—drunk.
Every muscle in my body went rigid.
"...Who is this?" I managed to keep my voice level. Barely.
"Oh! Sorry. This is Emily. I’m having drinks with Aria right now." A pause, then a hiccup. "She’s in the restroom. We’ll be heading home soon, don’t worry."
Emily.Her former assistant.
That didn’t stop the possessive snarl that wanted to rip out of my chest.
My mate was out drinking with someone else when she’d been avoiding me.
"Address." The word came out clipped. Cold. The Alpha King tone that made subordinates scramble to obey.
There was a beat of surprised silence on the other end.
"Um... we’re at Amber&Oak—that bar near the V&A Group. Pretty close, actually."
Emily’s voice had gone cautious. "Are you planning to pick her up? Because we were going to call a car service. You really don’t need to go out of your way—"
"I’m already in the area," I lied smoothly. "Tell her to wait for me."
I ended the call before she could argue.
My wolf was pacing now, agitated and restless beneath my skin. The need to see Aria—to confirm she was safe, to figure out what the hell was going on between us—was overwhelming.
I grabbed my jacket and headed for the door, already texting Rick the address and ordering him to have a car ready downstairs.
The fifteen-minute drive felt like an eternity.
---
I found the bar easily enough—an upscale place with dim lighting and jazz music drifting out through the open door. The kind of spot humans went to feel sophisticated.
My wolf’s hackles rose the moment I stepped inside.
Too many scents. Too many people. And underneath it all, buried beneath layers of perfume and alcohol—
Aria.
And someone else. Male. Wolf.
The bond flared hot and sharp, flooding me with a surge of possessive rage so intense it took every ounce of control not to shift right there in the middle of the bar.
*Easy,* my wolf warned, though he was just as furious. *Find her first. Kill him second.*
Sound logic.
I moved through the crowd, following Aria’s scent toward the back of the bar. The music was louder here, the lighting even dimmer.
And then I saw her.
She was standing near the restrooms, her back pressed against the wall. Her green eyes were wide, her face flushed—whether from alcohol or fear, I couldn’t tell.
Because there was a man in front of her. Blocking her path. Leaning in too close.
Ethan Holt.