Chapter 11
Aria’s POV
The next morning, I was halfway through my second coffee when I finally made the call.
He picked up after two rings.
“Where the hell were you last night?” His voice was tight with barely concealed frustration.
“Good morning to you too, Ethan p>
I kept my tone light. Almost amused.
“I waited for over an hour. You didn’t show p>
“Oh, I’m sorry—I forgot to update you. The meeting ran long, so I stayed at a hotel nearby. It didn’t make sense to drive all the way back p>
Silence stretched on the other end.
“Aria p>
“Anyway, I’m calling to let you know I’ll be taking a few days off p>
I heard him choke on his coffee. “Excuse me p>
“Personal leave. I’ll send the formal request to your beta p>
“You can’t just p>
“Ethan.” I kept my voice calm, but I let the steel show through. “I’ve worked non-stop for two years. I haven’t taken a single day off. I think I’m entitled to a break p>
“We’re in the middle of critical negotiations p>
“Then maybe you should’ve thought about that before letting your mother and sister harass me while I was working p>
Silence.
“Let me make this simple,” I continued. “Either Margaret and Sophie apologize—formally—and promise not to interfere with my work again, or I quit. I’ll go home, play full-time nanny, and you can handle the territory deals yourself p>
I heard his breath catch.
“You’re not serious p>
“Try me p>
I hung up.
Ethan’s POV
The line went dead.
I stared at my phone, fury and disbelief warring in my chest.
Clara appeared in the doorway, holding Marcus’s hand.
“Everything okay p>
“No,” I bit out. “Aria just threatened to quit p>
Her eyes widened. “What? Why p>
“Because apparently, my family asking her to help out once in a while is too much to handle p>
Clara’s expression shifted.”Well… maybe it’s for the best. If she’s not committed to the pack, maybe she shouldn’t be Luna p>
I looked at her sharply.
“What p>
“I’m just saying—if she’s going to hold the pack hostage every time she doesn’t get her way p>
I turned away, jaw tight.
Clara was wrong.
Aria wasn’t the problem.
But I couldn’t bring myself to admit it.
Over the next three days, everything fell apart.
Two major partners pulled out of negotiations. Another delayed contract signatures indefinitely. The common thread?
They’d all worked directly with Aria.
And now, they wouldn’t speak to anyone else.
The worst blow came on day three.
A key parcel of disputed territory—one we’d been negotiating for months—was being mediated by a network of human lawyers Aria had cultivated. They were neutral. Professional. Trusted.
Until now.
“They’re refusing to proceed without Ms. Smith,” my beta told me, his expression grim.
“Why p>
“They say she’s the only one who understands the terms. They won’t work with a substitute p>
I slammed my fist on the desk.
My father called an hour later.
“Ethan, fix this p>
“I’m trying p>
“Try harder. And make your mother and sister apologize. I don’t care if they have to grovel. Get Aria back. Now p>
He hung up.
I found my mother and Sophie in the sitting room.
“You’re both going to apologize to Aria p>
Sophie’s eyes widened. “But p>
“Now. Both of you. In person. Or I’ll strip your pack stipends p>
My mother’s face went white with fury, but she said nothing.
I left before I said something I’d regret.
By the fourth evening, I was buried in paperwork, trying desperately to salvage what was left of our territory deals.
My phone buzzed.
A group chat I rarely paid attention to.
Someone had posted a news link.
**Crescent Moon Pack to Formally Introduce Vincent Smith’s Heir at Exclusive Gala p>
I clicked it.
The article was light on details, but the implications were huge. Vincent Smith’s estate was worth hundreds of millions. Whoever inherited it would have leverage over a dozen packs.
An idea sparked.
If I could connect with this heir, establish a partnership, it might offset the damage Aria’s absence had caused.
I reached for my phone to call her—she’d know how to approach this—
But the call didn’t go through.
I tried again.
Nothing.
Then I checked.
Blocked.
She’d blocked my number.
Fury surged through me, hot and blinding.
So that’s how she wanted to play it.
Fine.
I leaned back in my chair, a smile tugging at my lips.
Aria thought she held all the cards. She thought the pack needed her. That I needed her.
But she’d just handed me the perfect opportunity to prove her wrong.
The Smith heir was the key. If I could secure a partnership with them—on my own, without Aria’s help—I’d not only stabilize the pack’s finances, I’d prove to everyone that Aria Smith was replaceable.
And when I succeeded?
I’d make sure she understood exactly what she’d lost.
She wanted to act independent? To walk away from me, from the pack, like we were beneath her?
I’d show her what happens when you bite the hand that feeds you.
I pulled up my contacts, scrolling until I found the name I needed.
My beta answered on the first ring.
“Get me an invitation to the Crescent Moon gala. I don’t care what it takes p>
“Alpha, it’s an exclusive event p>
“I said I don’t care. Use our connections. Call in favors. Bribe someone if you have to. I want an invitation on my desk by tomorrow morning p>
“Understood p>
I hung up and stared at the news article again, my smile widening.
Aria thought she could control me by withholding her skills, her contacts, her precious expertise.
But she’d forgotten one thing.
I was an Alpha.
And Alphas didn’t beg.
Once I secured this deal, once I brought the Smith heir’s resources into Silver Creek’s fold, the entire pack would see the truth.
That I didn’t need Aria.
That she was nothing more than a tool I’d used—and could easily discard.
And when she came crawling back, desperate to reclaim her place?
I’d make her beg for it.
She’d learn her place. On her knees. In the bedroom. Waiting for me to decide if she was worth my time.
No more authority. No more negotiations. No more pretending she was anything other than what she really was.
Mine to command.
Mine to punish.
Mine.
I stood, straightening my jacket. I’d walk into that gala tonight.
I’d shake hands with the Smith heir.
And I’d walk out with everything I needed to bury Aria’s little rebellion.
She wanted to play games?
Fine.
But she was about to learn that in my world, I always won.