Mia
“Damon, come on! We gotta go. We can’t just ignore your parents’ invitation,” I say, trying to talk some sense into him. He’s been fuming ever since Aaron barged into his room.
I walk over and wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him closer. “Pleeease? You have to come with me. I don’t want them thinking I’m rude or some kinda evil witch who stole their precious boy.”
He lets out a long, frustrated sigh before finally nodding. “Alright, fine. But if that bastard tries anything else…” He trails off when my stomach lets out a monstrous growl. His serious face cracks, and he starts laughing.
I smack his chest, pretending to be offended. “This is all your fucking fault! You body-slammed me and crushed all the food I ate. I’m basically running on air here!”
He’s still chuckling. “Alright, alright. Let’s go before you decide to swallow me whole.”
I roll my eyes but grin. “Excuse me, I almost died earlier thanks to your WWE audition moves,” I shoot back, but I can’t help the laughter bubbling up.
“Yeah, yeah,” he smirks, grabbing my hand. “Let’s hope this dinner doesn’t turn into a disaster.”
I walk over to the mirror, smoothing my dress down and giving myself one last look. “It’ll be fine,” I say, trying to convince myself more than him.
Damon whistles low behind me. “Damn, you look fantastic in that dress.” His eyes roam over me, not even trying to be subtle. I’m wearing a blue, knee-length bodycon dress that hugs every damn curve I have, and from the way his jaw tightens, I know I made the right choice.
I turn to him, twirling a strand of my straightened hair. “Think my hair looks good like this?” I ask, suddenly nervous. I spent an hour straightening it this afternoon, and now I’m second-guessing everything.
He steps closer, cupping my cheek and planting a soft kiss there. “You’re gorgeous, Mia. Hair, dress, everything.”
Goddess, he makes it so hard to focus.
“Let’s go,” he says, lacing his fingers with mine.
We head downstairs, hand in hand, and the second we hit the living room, the smell of roasted chicken, fresh salad, and warm, buttery bread hits me like a truck. Holy shit, I’m starving. My stomach practically starts singing.
The dining table is massive…like, medieval banquet massive…. stretching across the whole damn room, lined with way too many chairs. Everyone’s already seated, plates full, drinks poured, loud chatter filling the space. But as soon as we walk in, the room goes quiet, all eyes snapping to us.
Great. No pressure or anything.
Anna, Damon’s mom, is the first to speak. She stands up, waving at us with a huge smile. “There they are! Over here, sweethearts! Saved you some seats.”
I smile back and make my way over, taking the seat beside her, while Damon sits on my other side, his hand still firmly gripping mine under the table.
“Hello, Mia. I’m so glad you could make it,” Sean-Damon’s dad, says warmly. He’s practically Damon’s twin but older. Same jet-black hair, pale skin, and intense dark brown eyes. He looks like the future Damon, but with more wrinkles and dad energy.
“Thank you for having me. It’s a pleasure,” I reply, trying not to sound too formal, but damn, the nerves are real.
“So you’re Mia,” a woman says, grinning at me. “The girl who finally managed to capture Damon’s attention.”
Damon leans in, whispering in my ear, “That’s Aunt Marissa, she’s been dying to meet you.”
I glance back at her, smiling. “I guess I did what no one else could, huh?” I joke, squeezing Damon’s hand.
She chuckles, while Anna beams.
Damon starts rattling off names, and I try my best to keep up. “This is Aunt Marissa, Uncle Kyle, Aunt Lia.” I greet them all politely, but my brain is already overloaded.
“That’s my cousin Max and his twin, Mason,” Damon adds, pointing to two guys who look like they’re up to no good. They grin at me like I’m their new partner in crime.
“And this is Jenny,” he says, pointing to a sweet-looking brunette who waves at me. “Hi, Mia!”
“Hey!” I wave back, already liking her.
“And Cynthia,” Damon adds, motioning to a girl who’s too busy demolishing a chicken leg to even glance up. She grunts in acknowledgment, and I stifle a laugh.
“Nice to meet you all,” I say, doing my best to stay calm even though my heart’s racing.
Everyone seems cool… until I feel that slimy presence from across the table.
Aaron.
Leaning back in his chair like he owns the place, he twirls his wine glass between his fingers, eyes locked on me. His smug grin stretches wide, like he’s been waiting for this moment.
“And what about me?” he drawls, his voice loud enough for the whole table. “Don’t I deserve an introduction too?” He tilts his head towards Damon, who’s already clenching his jaw so hard.
“Oh, I think she met you earlier, Aaron. Y’know, when you barged into my room without knocking.” Damon let the sarcasm drip from every word.
The table goes awkwardly quiet.
Sean clears his throat loudly, trying to break the tension. “Alright! Let’s eat before the food gets cold.”
“So, Mia,” Aunt Marissa says, giving me that warm auntie smile, “we hear you’re from another pack. How’s it been adjusting?”
I smile politely, even though I can feel Aaron’s smug ass watching me from across the table. “It’s been great, actually. The people here at Shadow Pang are amazing. And I’m really grateful to Anna and Sean for finding a place for me and my parents to stay.”
Aunt Marissa beams at me, nodding like I just passed some secret family test. “I’m glad you like it here. When I was younger, I had to leave Shadow Pang too…moved in with Kyle’s pack.”
“And you loved it?” I ask, genuinely liking her vibe.
“Yeah,” she smiles, but before I can say anything else, of course, he has to ruin it.
Aaron leans back in his chair, swirling his wine glass. “No offense,” he starts…and isn’t that always how asshole-“but why wouldn’t she love it? I mean, I heard your parents were broke, and you’re just a lowly omega.”
“Aaron,” Uncle Kyle glares at Aaron like he’s about to hurl his fork at his head.
Aaron shrugs, all smug. “What? I’m just stating facts, dad.”
I can feel my blood boiling, my hands clenched into fists under the table. But next to me? Damon looks like he’s two seconds from leaping across the table and strangling his cousin.
Then, finally, Damon speaks. “I don’t give a shit if she’s an omega. She’s my mate. And I love her.” His eyes don’t leave Aaron’s, like he’s daring him to say one more word.
Aaron laughs. “Oh, so the big bad Damon’s gone soft now, huh? You forget I was there when you used to fuck anything that breathed.”
“Aaron!” Anna practically shrieks, slamming her napkin down on the table.
But Aaron ignores her, his eyes sliding to me, filled with that gross, slimy look. “You really think you’ve tamed him, Mia? You know you’re just his latest project, right? You’re just his charity case.”
Fuck him.
I give him the fakest, sweetest smile I can muster. “Oh, Aaron, that’s adorable. You actually think your opinion matters. But no, I’m not Damon’s ‘project.’ I’m more like his full-time job. With… full benefits.” I wink.
The table explodes with laughter. Damon almost spits out his drink, coughing and laughing at the same time. Even Aunt Lia who’s been quiet, hides a grin behind her napkin.
Aaron’s face? Yeah, he’s not laughing.
But he’s not done either. “You sure you’re ready for this, sweetheart?” he sneers. “Damon changes women like he changes his damn underwear.”
I lean forward, resting my elbows on the table, staring him down. “And yet, I’m still here. Weird, right?” I smile sweetly. “But don’t worry, Aaron. I’ll last longer than you did with your mate. Oh wait…didn’t she dump your sorry ass for an Alpha?” I fake gasp.
Boom. The table goes wild…Mason and Max practically fall out of their chairs, howling. Even Uncle Kyle can’t hide his smirk.
Aaron’s face goes red, his jaw clenched so tight it looks like it might crack. I raise my wine glass toward him in a mock toast.
“Cheers,” I say, grinning.
Damon grabs my hand under the table, squeezing it tight. His other hand sneaks to my thigh, giving it a gentle squeeze.
He leans in, lips brushing my ear. “You’re fucking incredible.”
I smirk, taking a sip of wine. “Yeah, I know.”
Aaron stays quiet for the rest of dinner, fuming. Serves him right.
But of course… it doesn’t end there.
After dinner, I help the maids clear the plates, feeling pretty damn smug. I’m humming to myself as I leave the kitchen when I walk straight into someone.
I look up.
Shit. Aaron.
He grins, leaning against the wall, eyes roaming over me like I’m on some damn menu. “You seem to think you won back there,” he drawls.
I glare, stepping back. “You started it, asshole.”
He laughs.”Yeah, but damn…you’re something else. Feisty, sassy… just how I like them.”
I roll my eyes. “If you don’t have anything useful to say-”
“I want you.”
What. The. Fuck.
I blink at him, but he just steps closer, his eyes darkening.”I want you, Mia. And trust me…I always get what I want.”
I freeze for a second, my heart pounding in my chest, but then I gather myself, narrowing my eyes. “You’re fucking crazy!”
He just smirks, turning to leave. “We’ll see.”
I stand there, speechless, staring after him.
Okay, what the actual fuck just happened? This is not what I planned for Christmas.