Romans de EVELYN JONES

CHAPTER FIVEMATED TO AN ALPHA ? (Ava's POV) I didn't sleep. I was worn out already, and feeling too cold was something else. I kept seeing Orion standing at his angry packland. I touched the warm granite stone in my pocket. It was real. I was now part of a dangerous plan. The next morning, I was even more tired. I went to my dinner job. Flipping burgers was easier than thinking. At noon, the door opened with a cold blast. I looked up. My heart froze. It wasn't Orion. It was Rhys, a young, strict werewolf from the woods. He looked calm but dangerous. He wore normal clothes, but his gold eyes scanned the room like a hunter. He walked straight to my counter. Everyone else seemed to feel the threat and got quiet. "You smell better in here," Rhys said, leaning on the counter. "Less forest, more grease." I kept wiping the counter. "What can I get you? The special is meatloaf." He ignored me. "You were with Orion last night." It wasn't a question. "I got lost in the woods walki

CHAPTER FOURSURROUNDED (Ava's POV) I sucked in a breath. They could smell me. They knew I was in the area, even from a distance, by scent alone. Orion raised his head. And suddenly, he looked at his pack straight in the eye, and he shifted his posture. From tired man to Alpha in an instant—power glowed round about his presence. “The scent is mine,” Orion declared, his voice resounding with authority. “It is not your concern.” I flinched, weighed down by my own shock and panic. “All of what you do concerns us, Orion.” The woman took a step forward. Her footsteps sounded very smoothly, like those of a predator about to pounce on its prey. "The land is in disorder. You vanished for two days. And now, having come back, your scent is that of the city, of another creature. This is an insult to the pack." “A stranger is a guide,” Orion continued in a lowered tone. “I had to look for this particular aspect of the woods. She pointed the way. This is exactly the woman who led me here.

CHAPTER THREESTRONG SCENT(Ava's POV) He supported me. I could feel the power in his hand. His face was right there in mine. Although his golden eyes were nearly black in the dim light, they were burning. “I was focused,” I whispered, trying to pull away. It was all just a bit too much. “You were paying attention to me,” he corrected me instead, his thumb pressing slowly against my hip. I quickly moved over to the next rock, breaking contact with him. Then, struggling up the last bit to the shore, I turned, puffing. “Oh, dear!” he exclaimed, and he followed, making two giant strides across the creek without touching the water. In an instant, he was right beside me. "Stop making this seem personal… about you," I said, straightening my jacket. "This is what I should do. I'm your guide." ”Everything is personal,” he snapped, pushing past me into the darkness beyond. ”You are walking behind me now. You smell too much of the human world. I cannot really trust you...” “Fine,” I gr

CHAPTER TWOTHE PACK (Ava's POV) The next day passed. There were a lot of customers. I flinched at the sound of the doorbell ringing each time. I didn't expect to see his frightening golden eyes peering at me. He never appeared. I was relieved but also a little nervous. The night arrived too soon. I finished work and changed, taking my jacket along. The hundred dollars was still in my wallet, making it feel so heavy. “The old mill was four miles out of town, exactly where the reservation lands began. It's way back in the woods where nobody goes. I took the muddy shortcut. I didn't like walking alone at night, but I wanted to spend that money before I got too scared to meet him.” The mill was cold. The structure was made of stone and wood. It really looked ancient. There was the smell of dampness and old objects. “You’re late,” said the voice from the dark archway. I froze in shock. My heart skipped a beat. I hadn’t even seen him move. Orion went out into the waning

CHAPTER ONE (Ava's POV) ALPHA ORION My heart was pounding, and I kept running, my backpack thudding against my back with every rough step. The air was overwhelmed with cold. I disliked running in the woods at night, but this night was different. Tonight, I was feeling a panic that was sharp and immediate, not just my normal fear of the dark. Then a strange voice hit my ears. "Come on, Ava! Come over here!” I turned around, trying to see whoever was speaking to me from behind. No one. Nothing but black tree silhouettes and deep darkness. The moon was lit with silver well up in the air, providing very little illumination. I wasn’t supposed to be out here. I knew that. We lived in a small mountain town, and curfew was like a normal thing. And especially since the last full moon, it was even more. A stick broke. It was not a small twig, but a large branch, cracked cleanly. I stopped breathing, until my lungs were on fire. I began to run faster, this time. My old