Ava had only one thing in mind. Exacting her revenge and avenging her family and pack. She had long sealed her heart to the prospect of love ever since that day. She didn’t want any of such again.
It only brought her unnecessary heartache. Things were better with her heart guarded. She couldn’t get hurt that way.
Collins handed her things to one of the maids and guided Ava outside the house. Ava wondered where he could possibly be taking her to. She remained silent and simply let him take the lead. He led her outside the house, shutting the door behind them.
Ava stood on the porch, watching everything going on. They lived at the main house in an array of houses that formed a sort of community. The Silver Bay Pack was organized in such a way that fostered community. The Alpha’s house was distinguished from others. It was where Ava had stayed all this time.
She watched some children playing at the far end of the front yard. They were having, kicking dust at each other, oblivious to whatever perils the world held. Ava wanted that. She wished she could go back to being so carefree and doing whatever she liked without the fear of any type of consequences.
Collins hand wrapped around hers, tethering her to the real world. He always seemed to know when she needed some kind of comfort and was always ready to provide her with it.
“I’ve been thinking. I think it’s finally time.” She echoed the words running through her head.
Collins turned to look at her, as if he already knew what she was talking about without her having to explain further.
“Are you sure you’re ready to go now? To face them?” He asked, worried about her wellbeing.
Ava nodded her head, trying to steel her nerves and convince herself that she was ready. She had to be. She’d already spent all those years preparing for this one moment. It was finally time for her to strike.
“It’s about time I make my appearance. Logan and the rest of his pack might have forgotten about what they did to me and my family but I haven’t. I swear on the moon that glistens, and on the stars that burn bright. I will get my revenge on them for what they did to me.”
Ava makes these oaths, her eyes burning with a certain hunger. A hunger for vengeance for the ill that was perpetuated on her and her pack. She would never forget it for as long as she continued to breathe.
Collins nodded his head as he took in all she’d just said. His grip on her hand tightened. He turned to look at her, his eyes full of conviction as he spoke.
“I will always be by your side, at your disposal in however way you deem it fit to use me. Use me as you may and exact your revenge.”
“Then you promise not to leave me till I get what you want?” Ava directed the question at him.
“What is it you desire? Name it and it’s all yours.” Collins replied, without skipping a beat.
“It’s simple.” Ava’s gaze never wavered. “To watch Moonwalker pack burn to the ground.”
“As you so wish.”
Moonwalker pack had aged along the years as well, their strength and numbers growing with each passing day. They was about to be a shift in power and they could all feel it.
“To rule in kind and be as great of a man as your father was…”
The aging man seemed to drawl on for what felt like forever. His father had assigned Benjamin Reels to teach and guide him on what his future duties as an Alpha would be. As much as he appreciated the man’s effort in trying to shape him into his perceived image of the ideal Alpha,
Logan was just about done with everything. He tuned out most of what he was saying, too occupied with his own thoughts to bother about what the man was going on and on about. It had been years since it happened. Years since he had heartlessly broken the heart of the one who had been made for him by the moon goddess.
Every single night since then had been filled with wishful dreams. Dreams where he had her as his mate. Dreams were he would apologize profusely for hurting her in such a way. Dreams where she’d forgive him, still wearing that smile on her face that he loved so much. Then again, they were all dreams weren’t they?
“Lord Logan? Are you listening?”
He raised his head, to look at the man who was now staring at him expectantly. Shit. He had been zoning out so bad that the man had taken notice of it.
“Yes.” Logan shifted in his seat. “I’m actually feeling really tired. Is it okay if we end today’s lesson here Benjamin?”
“Oh, well of course. See to it that you get enough rest, alright?”
“I’ll do that.” Logan sent him a smile.
Benjamin got up from his seat and bid the young man farewell before eventually leaving the small study room. Now finally alone with his thoughts, Logan slumped deeper into his seat. Every day was a different torture with his thoughts. It was hard enough that he had so much on his plate already.
His father would never hesitate to hammer it into his head each day that he was going to be the Alpha soon. He would be responsible for leading and protecting the pack from all sorts of outsiders and anything that could pose a threat to the prosperity of the pack. He’d gotten that talk well enough from his father.
What bothered him was Ava, the girl who couldn’t just leave his head no matter how hard he tried. He’d done almost everything he could do to try and forget her but it just didn’t seem to work. It was like a part of him that was once filled was now empty, forever damned to suffer for his treachery and heartlessness.
I miss you.
It was hard enough without the weight his wolf seemed to bare on him. It only added to his guilt more and more. Maybe if he could turn back the hands of time, he would have done things a lot more differently.
“I’m sorry Ava. My heart will continue to bleed for the wounds I've caused you.” He whispered, almost like a prayer.
“That isn’t your purpose, is it? Your purpose is to fight back, to fight against all that threatens the serenity and peace of our beloved pack.”Ava watched in silence as Collins addressed the people of Silver Bay Pack. They would be leaving for the summit that day. She already had everything she would need packed and was ready to go. Collins had decided to address the pack first before it would be time for them to leave.“Never forget your heritage and pack. You are members of this esteemed pack. We rule by power and equity. May the moon goddess bless us and continue to grant us the prosperity needed for our pack to blossom into abundance.”The whole crowd erupted into a round of applause. They continued to clap for quite some time, moved by Collins’ uplifting words. Ava found herself clapping herself, equally moved by the impact of his words. He really knew how to lift the spirits of a large group of people just by saying what was necessary. It was no surprise that he was the Alpha
“We need to begin preparations. I’m sure you’ve started that already.”Logan remained silent as he listened to his father address him. He was more than glad that Alpha Ryker had dropped the nonchalance. It felt like he was running mad just by having to endure it. At least now his father was finally talking to him. This was nice.“Yes. The Alpha summit will be held at Riverfalls the day after tomorrow. All preparations have been set for then.” Logan explained, still standing before his father.Alpha Ryker nodded, stroking his chin while he seemed to be in thought. Logan held his breath as he waited for a response. If he was lucky, his father wouldn’t flip out on him and end up lashing out. He didn’t think he could handle that right now. It would only aggravate him.“How many packs would be in attendance?” Ryker asked his son.“About 10 of the major packs would be in attendance. Of course, there’ll be room for the minor packs as always.” Ryker hummed thoughtfully. Logan didn’t expect h
“I don’t see why you’d say that.”Logan folded his hands, leaning back in his chair as the man before him continued speaking. He was yet again listening to the complaints of the pack members. This time, a middle-aged man had come to lodge a noise complaint.“I just feel things could be different. I don’t know if you’ve been listening, but I’m a family man. I have a wife and two kids, so I know what I’m talking about. You might not get it since you—"The man’s words trailed off as Logan’s eyes narrowed, silently daring him to finish his sentence. If there was one thing Logan wouldn’t tolerate, it was disrespect. He would never let anyone undermine him or what he stood for.“I think you’ve said enough,” Logan said, shifting in his seat before turning to one of the guards. “Please escort him out.”“Wait! I haven’t even said what I wanted to say just yet. My lord, I—”He didn’t get to finish his sentence before the guard grabbed him by the collar and began pushing him out of the room. Log
“What?!” Collins abruptly got up from the bed, his head spinning. He had just received different shocks all at once and he was having a hard time processing it.“I said I’m leaving the pack.” Ava repeated the words, her hands tightening by her side.There was no longer a place for her here. She couldn’t bear to stay after she had broken Collins’ heart in such a way. She had to leave. She was sure he wouldn’t stop her if that was what she wanted. He might even be more willing to make her leave. Her throat tightened at that thought. She felt another onslaught of tears approaching. “I don’t understand. Why are you leaving?” He asked, unable to wrap his head around what she was saying.“Isn’t it obvious?” She let out a frustrated laugh. “I obviously don’t have a place here anymore.”Collins’ eyes narrowed at her words. He didn’t know what was going through her head but he was sure she felt he would throw her out. His chest clenched at that thought. The thought had never crossed his mind
“Congratulations Luna.”Ava stared at the woman, her whole body frozen at the woman’s words. She felt like time might have stopped completely as she remained seated on the bed. Congratulations? What was there to congratulate?“You’re about three months gone. The baby seems to be in good health so there’s nothing to worry about in that aspect. Just focus on eating healthy and making sure you exercise frequently.”If the woman was concerned by Ava’s silence she didn’t say anything. Her gaze remained fixed on the floor. She was pregnant. The midwife had confirmed it after the examination she had done on her. The only reason she decided to even do one was on Collins’ insistence when she wouldn’t stop throwing up and feeling feverish.So this was the outcome of it after all. Her head was whirring with different thoughts. Her hunch had been right. Something told her she was pregnant when she first felt that nausea but she pushed it away, desperate to convince herself that it was something e
“I don’t care how you get it done. Just do your job as efficiently as possible.”The man in front of Ava nodded his head, a solemn look on his face. He had his hands at his back as he listened to the orders she was giving. She was seated behind her desk while he stood before her as she gave commands.“Alejandro, you know how much trust I have in you.” She continued, fiddling with a pen in her hand.“Of course ma’am. I know how much trust you’ve placed in me and will do my best to make sure it’s well kept.” He said, bowing his head a little.“I need this operation to be as clean as possible. I’ve given you the semantics and everything you’d need to know about the location. Leave absolutely no traces. Understood?” “Yes Ma’am. You can leave this to us. My men will make sure the operation is successful and is a clean operation as you’ve specified. You can count on us for this job.”Ava nodded her head before dismissing Alejandro. Alejandro was the leader of an operative team that special