Chapter 10: The Enemy within

Chapter Ten: The Enemy Within

Days ran on thick in the cabin, stretched out like strings at breaking points. Ava had tried, time and time again, to sweep her nagging worry away from her mind's surface. But she really could not rid herself of that gnawing feeling anymore. Damien had grown a bit remote, more closely walled-up, as though waiting in preparation for even worse scenarios than the rogues presented.

But it wasn't just the rogues that kept her on edge.

Ava's thoughts kept returning to the conversation she had overheard the other night when she was walking back from the kitchen. Damien had been speaking in hushed tones to someone on the phone, and though the conversation had been brief, she had caught a name that made her blood run cold: Isabella.

She didn't know much about Isabella, but the way Damien had tensed up when he mentioned her told Ava all she needed to know. There was history there. History which Damien didn't want to discuss. And for reasons that totally eluded her, Ava couldn't shake off the feeling that Isabella had something to do with the growing distance between her and Damien.

That evening, as she was sitting on the porch, her thoughts were broken by the crunch of tires on gravel. A car.

Damien, pacing inside, stiffened. His glance shot out the window; his jaw clenched.

"It's her," he muttered to himself.

Ava's stomach twisted. She had no idea who this "her" was, but the sudden shift in Damien's demeanor told her that whoever it was, she wasn't welcome.

Ava rose to her feet, brushing off the tension in her limbs. "Who's coming?" she asked, trying to mask the concern in her voice.

Damien didn't answer immediately. Instead, he strode toward the door, his body rigid with suppressed annoyance. "Stay inside, Ava."

But Ava wasn't one to follow orders without question, not anymore. She had learned too much about Damien, about the dangers they were facing together, to be passive.

"No," she said, firmly striding toward him. "I'm not staying inside. If this person means something to you, I deserve to know who they are."

Damien's eyes flickered with frustration, but there was a resigned look in them too, as if he knew she wouldn't back down. He gave a short nod, opening the door just as the sound of footsteps reached them.

The woman standing in the doorframe certainly wasn't anything like what Ava had expected. She was tall and elegant-looking, with dark, raven hair framing sharp features. And the way that she conducted herself commanded attention, her mannerisms bespoke of the assumption of being the epicenter of every room that she entered. Yet, that was not all that knotted Ava's heart behind her breast. It was simply in the manner she stared at Damien.

Ava could see the familiarity in their shared gaze-the unsaid connection that coursed her veins with jealousy.

"Damien," the woman said, her voice silky and smooth, as though every word was crafted to draw attention. "I wasn't sure if you'd still be hiding out here, but I thought I'd come by anyway."

Damien's jaw tightened as he stepped forward, blocking the door slightly. "Isabella, what are you doing here?"

Isabella didn't flinch at his cold tone. She stepped closer, her eyes moving over him as if evaluating every inch. "I thought it was time we had a little chat. About the pack. About you. And about her," she said finally, turning her gaze toward Ava. Her eyes were sharp, like daggers. "I see you have found someone to play with, Damien. But I do hope you realize that she means nothing but a distraction. And you cannot even keep her safe from the big bad wolves out there. Least of all when I'm around."

Ava's heart juddered in her chest while her muscles coiled tighter with the venom laced into Isabella's every word. She stood right before her, all but begging her to rise, and for the first time, Ava felt utterly powerless.

Damien straightened, stepping between them. "Isabella, that's enough."

But Isabella wasn't to be swayed. Her smile was cold, almost predatory. "Is it enough? Because it doesn't look like it. You're playing with fire, Damien. And you know it." She turned her gaze on Ava once more, her voice dripping with disdain. "Do you really think you're part of this world? That you can be anything more than a pitiful distraction?

Ava's breath caught in her throat. The words stung, but she refused to show weakness. "I'm not going anywhere," she said, her voice surprisingly steady.

Isabella gave a soft, mocking laugh. "Oh, sweetie, you don't get it, do you?" She turned her full attention back to Damien, ignoring Ava as though she weren't even there. "You can't afford to be distracted by her. You know it. You always have. I'm the one who can help you—who always has."

Damien's fists clenched at his sides, but he didn't move. Ava could feel the tension between them, the undercurrent of something that had long been unresolved. Isabella had been part of Damien's past, she could see that. But she wasn't going to let Isabella's presence break what she and Damien were building. She wasn't going to back down, no matter how much Isabella seemed to loom over them.

"Damien," Isabella purred, taking a step forward, her hand brushing against his arm. "You can't be serious about her. Not when everything you're fighting for is at stake."

Ava's pulse quickened as she watched Isabella touch him, her jealousy in a sudden wave. She had never been possessive, but there was something about Isabella that made her blood boil-the woman wasn't after Damien, but his power, his position, his world. And she would stop at nothing to get it.

"I'm not going anywhere," Ava repeated, the determination in her voice rising. She was done being passive, done being the one who stepped aside for someone else's claim.

Damien finally turned to her, his eyes softening slightly. "Ava…"

"Damien," Isabella interrupted, her tone sharp with impatience. "You're better than this. You know you are."

Damien's eyes hardened as he faced Isabella fully. "Enough, Isabella. I've made my choice. And it's not you."

Ava held her breath as Isabella's face twisted in anger and disbelief. "You think you can just throw me aside? After everything we've been through? After everything I've done for you?"

Damien's voice was low, but there was no mistaking the steel behind his words. "Yes. I do.

Isabella's eyes flashed with fury, but she held her tongue, clearly calculating her next move. She gave one last, scathing look at Ava, before turning on her heel and heading for the door.

"You'll regret this, Damien," Isabella called over her shoulder, her voice a low threat. "You always do."

Ava stood there, her heart racing, and watched the woman disappear into the night. She wanted to say something, to ask Damien what was going through his mind, but she couldn't find the words. Isabella had left her mark, and Ava wasn't sure what it meant for them-for her.

Damien closed the door with a soft click and turned back to her. His expression was unreadable. "Are you alright?

Ava nodded, though the ball in her stomach remained knotted. She didn't know what just transpired-but she did know one thing. Isabella was a threat, and she wasn't going to let her tear Damien away from her.

What was to come next- well, they would face whateve

r it was, together. Come what may.