Novels by Jess E.

Chapter 5 — She Belongs To Me POV: Ava"I'm here for my Luna."The deep voice boomed through the shattered gates of the courtyard, enough to stop the wind.Alarms were screaming from the watchtowers, their red lights cutting through the thick darkness, but nobody moved. The silvercrest warriors stood in a wide circle, their swords drawn, their hands shaking as they backed away from the entrance.Kael dragged me down the stone steps from the terrace, his grip on my wrist tighter than ever. My skin was hot where his fingers pressed, the broken bond still sparking between us, but my eyes were locked on the front gates.A man stepped through the smoke and swirling snow.He was broad-shouldered, his short black hair dusted with white frost. He walked with a slow, controlled sort of violence, like he was a predator stepping into a cage full of sheep. A long, jagged scar ran from his jaw all the way down to his collarbone, disappearing under the leather of his dark coat. His storm-grey eye

POV: Ava"You lied."I threw the thick, white rejection papers straight at Kael’s chest. The sheets scattered in the freezing wind, slapping against his leather jacket before fluttering down onto the snowy floorboards of the terrace.He didn't move or even try to catch them. He just stood there, his eyes watching the papers drift into the dark, completely calm. He didn't deny it, or look guilty, or—not that I didn't know it was wishful thinking— maybe even sorry? He just looked at me, his face a perfect, unreadable mask.The silence between us stretched out, cold, until the only sound left was the whistling wind coming off the northern ridge.Instead of getting angry, Kael took a slow step closer, his shadow falling over my boots again."Did your wolf disappear, Ava?" he asked, his voice dropping into a quiet, smooth whisper.Wh-what…? Why would he even ask that..?I paused, my breath catching in my throat as my whole body went rigid.My knuckles tightened inside the pockets of my hoo

POV: Ava"Touch her again."The growl shook the wooden panels of the wall as Kael slammed Rowan against the plaster. The force of the impact made a portrait frame rattle and slide off its hook, crashing onto the floorboards with a loud smash of breaking glass. Kael’s forearm was jammed right against Rowan’s throat, his knuckles turning white as his eyes flashed with a dangerous, unstable light.Rowan's storm-focused features stayed completely calm, his boots sliding back just an inch as he used his weight to balance against the pressure.Anyone looking into the room would think Kael was acting out of jealousy. They would think the Alpha Prince had suddenly realized his mistake and was rushing back to save the girl he loved from being carried away by a stranger.But they would be completely wrong.There was no love in Kael’s scent. There was only a dark, suffocating fury because another man had dared to put a finger on his property. He had rejected me. He had thrown our bond into the

POV: AvaI was wrong about the whole rock bottom thing. For a second, I forgot devils like my parents were very capable of throwing people like me into hell to burn. "Don't make this difficult."My father didn't look at me as he spoke. He stood by the fireplace, his large back to the room, staring at the dying fire. His fingers were wrapped tightly around a crystal glass of whiskey, the liquid shaking slightly.I stood in the center of the parlor, my small leather travel bag resting against my boot. The ache in my chest from Kael's broken bond was still a dull, throbbing weight, but the brutality in this room was so much worse."Sold," I repeated, the word tasting like dirt on my tongue. "You're selling me into a marriage to fix your political standing. That's what this is, isn't it? A contract with some old lord who needs a breeder."My mother let out a sharp, mocking laugh from the sofa. "Marriage? You think you have that kind of value after what happened tonight, Ava? Don't be rid

POV: Ava"I reject you, fatass."The words cut through the silence of the grand hall like a knife.BOOM.The entire pack went dead silent for a fraction of a second, and then the laughter started. It began with a few snickers from the back row warriors, but in less than 10 seconds, the whole Silvercrest pack was cackling and giggling like I was some clown in a circus. I could feel my vision slowly wavering due to how overwhelming everything was. I froze right where I stood in the middle of the room. My hands were shoved deep into the pockets of my oversized black hoodie, my thick dark curls falling over my face to hide my burning cheeks.I stared at Kael…. The Alpha Prince. The golden boy with the sun-bleached hair and ice-blue eyes who I had spent my entire childhood secretly crushing hard on. The boy whose smile used to make me believe in fairytales.He didn't look like a prince right now. He looked like a monster.He stood on the raised dais, his handsome face twisted into a crue