Chapter 118

••• Victoria’s POV ••• The morning after the confrontation with Alpha Martin dawned cool and clear, but the tension hadn’t left my chest. Damien hadn’t said much after we returned to the mansion. I could see it in the way his jaw ticked—he was still furious, still calculating. A knock echoed through Damien's and my study. I turned from the window just as Felix opened the front doors. "Luna Astraea is here to see you," he announced. I straightened my blouse and nodded. "I'll see her now." A moment later, I saw Damien’s mother in our living room near the floor-to-ceiling windows that faced the garden, still with the quiet grace I’d always admired since the first time we met. Luna Astraea had always treated me with warmth, even when I was still unsure of my place. She gave me the Luna necklace with such certainty, without even asking if I was truly her son's mate. "Victoria, dear." She turned around when she felt me approaching, and greeted softly, pulling me into a gentle embrace. Her pe