Kane’s POV The ache never fades No matter how much I try to drown it out, no matter how many times I tell myself that rejecting Avery was necessary, the pain lingers like a slow, festering wound. A bond severed, yet somehow… not. I feel it every damn day. A dull, persistent tug in my chest, like something is missing. Like something was ripped from me but refuses to fully let go. I tell myself it’s because of the rejection, that my body is simply adjusting to the loss. That the emptiness I feel is nothing more than the side effect of breaking a mate bond. But my wolf knows better. He hasn’t stopped pacing since the day she left, a low growl always rumbling in the back of my mind. Bring her back. I shove the thought away as I stalk toward my office, forcing my face into a mask of indifference. My warriors bow their heads in greeting, my Beta murmuring updates as he falls in step beside me. I nod absently, acknowledging his words without really hearing them. Because
Avery’s POVThe days blur together. Each one is a battle.A battle against hunger. Against exhaustion. Against the suffocating loneliness of knowing there is no pack, no home waiting for me.No one except the tiny life growing inside me.My child.That thought alone keeps me moving.I hunt where I can, stealing scraps from the forest. The human world is foreign, unfamiliar, but I force myself to adapt. To blend in. To survive.Because I have to survive.I spend most of my days in the abandoned cabin, fixing the broken windows, gathering blankets, trying to make it more livable. At night, I stay awake listening to the sounds of the human town nearby, my senses always alert, always on edge.I don’t belong here, but I have no choice.Then, on my second day in the town, everything changes.---I meet Glen at the local market.I hadn’t meant to interact with anyone, but hunger had driven me to the outskirts of town, where vendors sell fresh bread and fruit. The smell was overwhelming, my s
Kane’s POVThe sound of fists hitting flesh echoes through the training grounds.I don’t hold back.My opponent, one of my top warriors, barely has time to react before I land another blow, sending him sprawling into the dirt. A low growl rumbles from my chest as I pace the sparring ring, my muscles tense with unspent energy.“Again,” I order.The warrior coughs, clutching his ribs as he scrambles to his feet.We’ve been at this for hours. The rest of the pack watches from the sidelines, eyes filled with wariness. No one dares to question their Alpha’s relentless training.They all know.I haven’t been the same since Avery left.---It’s been weeks.Weeks of burying myself in work. Of increasing patrols, pushing warriors past their limits, drowning myself in anything that keeps my mind occupied.But it never works.No matter how many battles I fight, how many meetings I sit through, she lingers.Avery.Her scent. Her fire. The way she looked at me the last time we spoke, defiance burn
Avery’s POVI wipe a shaky hand across my forehead as I step out of the café, my stomach twisting with nausea. The scent of freshly brewed coffee and warm pastries, usually comforting, had made me gag all day. I barely made it through my shift without throwing up. Mrs. Thompson had noticed immediately. “You’re pale as a ghost, dear,” she said, her wrinkled face creased with concern. “Go home. Get some rest. I won’t have you collapsing in my café.” I didn’t argue. I couldn’t. As I walk down the dimly lit street to get to the downtown market to get some things I'll eat for the night, I hug my coat tighter around myself. The city buzzes with life, cars honking, people laughing, the distant hum of music from a nearby bar, but none of it eases the growing unease creeping up my spine. Something feels… wrong. The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, and a shiver slithers down my spine. I’m being watched. My heart pounds faster. My grip tightens on my bag. I force myself t
Kane’s POVThe air in the council chamber is stifling, thick with the scent of aged wolves and heated arguments.I sit at the head of the long wooden table, jaw clenched, fingers drumming impatiently against the arm of my chair as the elders drone on.“An Alpha’s duty is to his pack first.”“You need an heir, Kane.”“It’s time to start thinking about the future.”Their words are the same as always, pressing, insistent, their expectant gazes weighing on me.I don’t react. I don’t even acknowledge them. I just watch them as tbey continue to ramble on.I should have expected this. It’s been weeks since Avery left, weeks of these meetings becoming more unbearable, weeks of my Luna pretending everything is perfect, and weeks of me pretending I give a damn.I don’t.Not about heirs. Not about securing a legacy. Not about anything anymore.“An Alpha without an heir weakens the pack,” one of the elders continues, eyes sharp. “If something were to happen to you—”I slam my fist onto the table.
Avery’s POVThe coffee machine hums, filling the air with the rich scent of roasted beans. I try to focus on the rhythmic sounds, on the warmth of the café, on anything but the unease prickling down my spine.But something feels off.Every sound feels too sharp, every movement too noticeable. The clatter of plates from the back makes me jump. The laughter of customers seems distant, like I’m hearing it through water.A restlessness grips me, a feeling I can’t quite name.I flinch when a coworker brushes past me, nearly dropping the cup in my hands.“Whoa, you okay?” Glen’s voice cuts through my haze. She steadies me with a hand on my shoulder, concern clear in her eyes.I force a nod, plastering on a smile. “Yeah… just a little out of it today.”She doesn’t look convinced, but thankfully, she doesn’t push. “You should take a break. I’ll cover for you.”I don’t argue. Stepping outside, the crisp evening air wraps around me, cool against my heated skin. I take a deep breath, willing the
Kane’s POVThe fire in the hearth crackles, but Kane barely notices. His mind is elsewhere, trapped in the storm of emotions he’s been trying to suppress ever since Adrian told him the truth.Avery is alive.She’s been out there, alone, cast aside like she was nothing.And now, she carries his child.Kane grips the arms of his chair so tightly that the wood groans under the pressure. He can’t shake the image from his mind, the thought of her struggling, barely surviving in the human world while he sat here, oblivious. His pack had abandoned her, turned her away when she needed help the most.And he’d let them. This wouldn't have happened if he hadn't sent her away.A growl rumbles in his chest, his wolf pacing furiously inside him. The beast had been restless ever since he learned the truth, demanding action, demanding that he bring her back where she belongs.But does she still belong here?Kane grits his teeth, frustration clawing at him. She rejected him. That moment plays in his m
Avery’s POVThe feeling hasn’t gone away.That eerie, prickling sensation on the back of my neck. The weight of unseen eyes tracking my every move.At first, I thought I was being paranoid. Maybe my pregnancy hormones were messing with my head, making me overly sensitive to everything around me. I even moved out of the rooftop room and got my own tiny apartment, just for more safety.But that prickling feeling lingers stillAs I stand by the café’s entrance, staring out into the busy street, I know, I am being watched.I don’t know who they are.I don’t know what they want.But I know one thing, I need to leave.I place a protective hand over my belly, trying to calm my racing heart. My child. My pup. If something happens to me, what will happen to it?I can’t take that risk.Mrs. Thompson notices my hesitation as I clutch my coat tighter around me. “Avery, dear? Are you feeling alright?”I force a smile. “Yeah… I just— I think I need to go home early today.”She frowns, worry creasin
Avery's POV The whispers caame like the wind, soft, but impossible to ignore. Everywhere I walked, they trailed behind me like shadows, brushing against my ears. “Did you hear?” “The Alpha has cast Selene out.” "She begged.” "He showed no mercy.” “She was with another.” The rumors spread faster than wildfire. And I kept my head high. I didn’t flinch. I didn’t speak. I didn’t feed the flames. I had no need to. Dignity had become my armor. Silence, my sharpest weapon. I had spent too many years defending myself, biting back pain with grace. This time, I let the world talk while I simply walked through it. Selene, the name that once held weight in this pack, once dripped with entitlement and venom, was gone. Disgraced. Stripped of every illusion of power she once paraded in front of me. The same women who used to
Kane's POV The air in the packhouse was thick, tense with something I couldn’t quite name until I heard her voice echoing down the hall. Selene Her sharp, clipped tone lanced through the silence like a blade. “You clumsy little thing!” she snapped, voice shrill and soaked in entitlement. “Do you even know what this is worth? Or is your brain too small to understand luxury?” I turned the corner just in time to see the young servant girl flinch, eyes wide and terrified, tea dripping down her wrists and onto the marble floor. Selene loomed over her like a wolf over a rabbit, proud and cruel, forgetting her place entirely. I stepped in before I realized I was moving. “You will treat her with respect,” I said, voice low and cold. I didn’t shout. I didn’t need to. Selena turned, mouth already open to defend herself, probably with some pathetic reminder of who she once wa
Avery's POVI woke wrapped in Kane’s arms, his heartbeat a steady rhythm against my back. It was a feeling I hadn't known in years, warmth without fear, closeness without control. For a long time, I just lay there, eyes closed, letting the silence between us speak. Not the silence of estrangement, but something softer. Restful. Healing.He murmured something in his sleep, his fingers twitching slightly as if reaching for me even in his dreams. A smalll smile tugged at my lips, but I knew I couldn’t stay here all morning. I needed a moment. To breathe. To think. To remember who I was outside of him, tooI carefully slipped from his grasp, easing off the bed so as not to wake him. He shifted slightly but didn’t stir.My feet carried me to the my room. The moment I stepped inside, the air felt different, still scented faintly with lavender from an old satchel tucked into a drawer, and the cool morning light poured through the window like a familiar f
Kane's POVThe night was quiet, the kind of quiet that settled deep into your bones. The sky stretched above with stars scattered like forgotten wishes. I sat on the porch steps, elbows resting on my knees, fingers tangled together as I stared at the horizon. The cool wind carried the scent of lavender and pine, and for the first time in a long time, I let myself feel still.The door behind me creaked, soft and hesitant.I didn’t turned around.But I knew it was herAvery.Her presence was like a ripple,gentle, but impossible to ignore. She stepped closer, the wooden porch boards groaning beneath her weight until she lowered herself beside me. Her shoulder brushed mine. Light, barely there. But enough.Enough to remind me I wasn’t alone.We sat in silence, our breaths syncing with the rhythm of the night. I didn’t want to scare her off with words. She hadn’t been this close in weeks, this close. And I would’ve s
Avery's POVI couldn’t look away from themFrom the moment Kane learned he was a father, something in him shifted. It wasn’t dramatic, there was no grand declaration or overwhelming display of emotion after that first, raw encounter. No, the change was quieter. Deeper. Like the slow turn of the earth beneath your feet, steady, inevitable.The Alpha I had known, ruthless, calculated, commanding, was gone. In his place stood a man with paint-streaked jeans, tangled hair, and a voice several notes higher than necessary while reading stories about dragons, moon bears, and magical wolves who saved the day.He’d never held a toddler before that day in the nursery, but now he carried our son with a confidence that didn’t come from experience, itt came from love.Kane took to fatherhood with a kind of wide eyed eagerness that almost made me laugh. Almost. Because sometimes it hurt to watch, like something in my chest didn’t quite know what to do with
Kane's POV I wasn’t expecting her to reach for me that day Not tonight. Not after the way she’s kept her distance, like she’s been building invisible walls around herself just to survive being under the same roof as me. But then, in the silence of the corridor, she turned to me. Her hand found mine, not firm, not certain, but deliberate. I froze, afraid even a a breath would make her retreat She didn’t say a word. Just led me forward, past portraits on the walls. Her fingers trembled slightly, her pace cautious. I followed her, heart thudding like a war drum in my chest, unsure of what this meant, until she stopped in front of a door. Sky blue. Small. Innocent. The kind of door that had no place in the life I used to live. "I hand painted the door myself after we arrived" She said, then she hesitated for half a heartbeat, then pushed it open. My breath l
Avery's POVTime moves strangely in Kane’s packhouse. The days blend together, soft and slow, like fog creeping over familiar ground. Each morning, I wake in a room that used to feel like a prison. Now, it just feels.... quiet.Not safe. Not yet.But its not dangerous either.In the days that followed, I noticed something had changed. Not in Kane, he’s already change, hopefully, but in the air around us. The silence that once screamed now hums with something else. Something hesitant. Unspoken.I start to notice the little things.He sets out a second plate at every meal, never asking if I’ll join but always hoping I will. He adjusts the thermostat back to the exact warmth I always liked, the one that made me feel held without being touched. He doesn’t knock on my door. Doesn’t ask for talks. Doesn’t ask for anything, really. He just…. shows up.When I do come down to eat, he doesn’t stare or smile or try to fill the silence.
Kane's POVI find her in the garden again early in the morningHer figure framed by the soft sway of lavender that brushes against her dress. She always loved this place, said the scent reminded her of peace. Now, I wonder if it only reminds her of what I destroyed.Avery kneels beside the blossoms, her fingers brushing the petals like they’re more fragile than she feels. She hasn’t spoken to me more than a few words since she returned. She walks with purpose, keeps her distance, and when she looks at me, it’s like I’m a stranger standing in the ruins of the life she once tried to build.But I can’t keep letting her run. I won’t.“Don’t run from me anymore, Avery.” My voice is low, steady. No Alpha command. No anger. Just truth.She stiffens but doesn’t look up. Her silence wraps around her like armor, tight, defensive, and heavy. I step closer, not enough to crowd her, but enough to make her feel me there. I won’t let her face t
Avery’s POVThe ceremony was silent, somber even. No grand cheers. No joy. Just the quiet rustle of the wind and the heavy breath of a pack unsure how to process what they’d witnessedKane stood beside me, barely able to stay upright. His arm was bandaged, his face bruised and bloodied. Yet there was a gleam in his eye, a victorious gleam. One that reminded me of the old Kane. The ruthless one. The conqueror who always took what he wanted no matter what.He reached for me, his fingers brushing my arm. “You’re mine again,” he whispered, not as a question, but as a declaration.And I nodded.What else could I do?The fight had been issued. The outcome determined. The pack had no more words to say.I was his again, claimed by blood, by dominance, by the archaic laws we still obeyed.But as his hand wrapped around mine, something inside me twisted. It should’ve been relief. It should’ve been … something. A reunion.