Chapter 22 

-Ava’s POV- 

I forgot how to move for a second, completely stunned by the sight in front of me. Then, as if my body suddenly remembered how to function, the words rushed out of my mouth. “I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to interrupt.” 

Grayson didn’t even flinch. He just glanced at the woman he had been kissing moments ago with that cold, unreadable expression I was getting too used to. His voice was flat, controlled. “Get out.” 

The woman–tall, gorgeous, and radiating confidence–smirked. She didn’t even bother to hide her satisfaction. A slow, victorious smile spread across her lips before she strutted over to grab her bag, giving me a once–over like I was something beneath her notice. The message in her eyes was loud and clear: This isn’t over. 

She brushed past me, her perfume trailing behind her as if she had just marked her territory. For a split second, I stood frozen again, my mind screaming at me to move. I turned to follow her–no, not to follow her, but to get the hell out of this suffocating room. 

“I believe you didn’t just come all the way up here just to leave.” 

Grayson’s voice cut through the silence, cold and unbothered, as if he hadn’t just been caught kissing another woman. My head snapped back in his direction, the bewilderment clear on my face. 

I couldn’t believe this. He had just announced our wedding to the world without even asking me, and now this? “That’s what you’re going to say?” My voice was shaking, a mix of anger and disbelief. “You’re not even going to try to give an explanation? Or maybe an apology?” 

He walked calmly to his desk, every movement precise and calculated, as if nothing had happened. He sat down, his posture as regal as ever, like a king surveying his kingdom. “Close the door. You’re letting the cold air out.” 

That was it. That was the moment I snapped. “I just walked in on you kissing someone else,” I shouted, slamming the door shut behind me, “right after you announced that I was marrying you without even asking me first! And the best you can say is, ‘I believe you didn’t just come all the way up here just to leave?” I mimicked his cold tone, throwing his words back at 

him. 

Grayson’s face remained completely impassive, like I hadn’t just exploded in front of him. “She placed her lips on mine the moment you stepped inside,” he said, his voice devoid of any emotion. “It was coincidental and bad timing. Now, if you would like to discuss wedding arrangements, I have ten minutes.” He checked his watch, completely unfazed by the chaos surrounding him. 

I stared at him, incredulous. Was this man serious? He didn’t care. He genuinely didn’t care. My blood boiled. “Are you kidding me right now?!” I slammed my hands down on his desk. “I signed a contract to be your fake Luna for a year. I didn’t sign up to have a wedding!” 

His eyebrow quirked, that familiar infuriating expression he always wore. “And how exactly did you think this would play out? Did you expect people to just magically know you’re my Luna? That you’re my wife to humans? There needs to be a wedding.” 

desk, 

He spoke like I was the unreasonable one, like this was all just some minor inconvenience. I clenched my teeth, trying to contain my frustration. “And so what? You decided to announce it without even asking me?” I took a step closer! glaring at him. “And it’s just a coincidence it is the exact day my father’s ultimatum ends?” 

That small, arrogant smile tugged at the corners of his lips, but he didn’t bother answering. I didn’t need one. The smug look on his face said everything I needed to know. 

“I can’t believe this,” I muttered, pacing back and forth. “You’re deliberately picking a fight with him. And you realize I just left my husband, right? You may have the power to end that marriage because you’re the Alpha King, but not everyone is a werewolf. Humans will judge me if I get married four days after leaving my husband.” 

 

He leaned back in his chair, the air in the room dropping a few degrees, “Do you want to return to him?” His tone was icy. chilling. “I can make it possible.” 

I stared at him, my mouth falling open. “You’re not listening to me!” 

“Maybe if you were making valid points, I would,” he responded, his voice as frigid as ever. 

I let out a harsh scoff. Just how much of an asshole was this man? “Oh, right. Just like your point that the ‘placed her lips on yours‘ and it was ‘coincidental and bad timing‘ was valid?!” The words tumbled out before I could stop them. “I mean, I know this is fake, but if you’re going to kiss other women, at least have the decency to have a conversation with me about it.” 

I wasn’t jealous. I wasn’t. I didn’t care what he did with other women. This was all just a role, right? I was playing the part of his Luna to treat him and that was it. But somehow, the words kept coming. “This is what I wanted to talk about. We need to set some ground rules if we’re going to be seeing other people.” 

The temperature in the room seemed to drop another few degrees. Grayson’s eyes darkened, his voice low and deadly. “No conversation is required because no one will be seeing other people. Monica will understand soon enough that there are consequences to her actions and I should have informed you before the announcement, but there will be a wedding” 

I opened my mouth to argue, but he continued, his tone final. “And there will be no debate about this. I’ll retract the statement, and we can reschedule the date to whenever you prefer. You can take over the planning if that’s what you want, but there will be a wedding. And there will be one soon. Understand?” 

My head nodded before I could process what was happening. I felt my arms wrap around myself instinctively, the weight of his words sinking in. 

He let out a sigh, the tension in his posture easing slightly. “I don’t want to spend the next year arguing with you over every little thing. I’ll consult you on matters that concern you moving forward.” 

The sudden shift in his tone threw me off, but I nodded numbly. It was all my body could manage. “So… we’re exclusive? For the next year?” 

What the hell was I saying? 

“Yes, Ava.” His voice was low, and the way he said my name sent a shiver down my spine. 

I looked away, trying to collect my thoughts. Okay. That was settled. There were a lot of things I wanted to talk about, but the words weren’t forming right now. I was still reeling from everything that had just happened. 

I cleared my throat, trying to refocus. “We still need to schedule dates and times when you’ll be getting treatment.” My face flushed, the awkwardness of the topic making me feel even more self–conscious. 

Grayson didn’t respond. He just kept staring at me, his gaze intense, unreadable. It made me feel small, vulnerable, and very, very exposed. I shifted uncomfortably under his scrutiny. 

Clearing my throat again, I glanced toward the door. “I guess I’ll leave you to your meeting then.” 

The silence between us was suffocating, a thick cloud of tension hanging in the air. My feet moved before my mind did, ready to bolt for the door, but just as I reached for the handle, an image of my mother flashed in my head. 

Power. 

Grayson Blackwood was power personified, and right now, I needed that power. I turned back toward him, swallowing down my pride. “I need your help with something,” I said, voice low but steady. “My mother… she’s having me blacklisted from every hospital in the country. I won’t be able to get a job anywhere.” 

He didn’t flinch, didn’t so much as blink. Grayson was a man who calculated, and right now, I could see the wheels turning behind those cold, gray eyes. After a beat, he spoke, his tone measured and controlled, “Pick any hospital you want. You’ll get a call by the end of the day.” 

 

I shook my head, feeling my pulse quicken. “No. I don’t want you to get me the job. I want to earn it. I just need you to make her stop. Can you please do that?” 

His 

gaze softened for just a moment–so brief that if I blinked, I would’ve missed it. “I’ll make some calls.” 

Relief washed over me, “Thank you,” I muttered, turning toward the door again but something kept my something made me turn back to face him one more time. Without thinking, the words spilled out. 

“Two weeks. I want to get married in two weeks.” 

feet