Avery’s POVAfter wandering the huge mansion, I found my way back to my new room.But as the door creaked shut behind me, and I turned around, I almost couldn't believe what I saw.The room I left in a perfect condition was now a battlefieldMy clothes were ripped and strewn across the floor, some of them stained with what looked like ink or wine. The once-pristine bedsheets had been slashed through as if by claws, and the headboard bore deep, angry gouges. The mirror above the dresser was cracked right through the center, and scrawled in what appeared to be red lipstick were the words: "Whore. Traitor. Unfit."My heart dropped. A sharp sting bloomed behind my eyes, but I forced myself to blink back the tears. I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction, not them, not her, not this cursed place.I stepped forward cautiously, my bare feet brushing against the soft fabric of my ruined dress. Every corner of the room screamed defiance. This wasn’t a warning, it was a declaration. I was not wel
Avery’s POVThe knock on my chamber door came just as I finished brushing my hair. I froze, my brush hovering mid-air as the door creaked open without waiting for permission. A guard stepped in, stiff and silent, before motioning for me to follow. I didn’t ask where I was being taken, there was no point. In this place, it was obvious my questions didn’t matter.The halls were cold and we walked in silence, past stern-faced servants and curious pack members who didn’t bother hiding their judgment. I kept my head high. I would not let them see me crumble.He was waiting for me in what looked like a private study, dark wood walls, a roaring fireplace, and shelves lined with books no one had touched in decades. The old Alpha Callum stood by the window, his hands clasped behind his back as if he were some noble monarch greeting a war prize. I didn’t need to be told who he was. His presence bled power… and something colder. Something decayed.He turned slowly, his gaze sweeping over me like
Avery’s POVThe morning began like any other, strained silence, stiff greetings, and stares that scraped against my skin like tiny blades. I dressed slowly, deliberately, bracing myself for another day of pretending not to notice the glares or whispers that clung to me like a curse.But I should’ve known today would be different. Worse.It started with the sharp clang of metal on tile, followed by a shout from somewhere down the hall. Then came the hurried footsteps, too many to count, echoing through the packhouse like an approaching storm.I stepped out of my room just in time to see the Beta whispering urgently to Alpha Callum, his face pale and tense. The Alpha’s expression darkened immediately, and his eyes, cold and empty, scanned the hallway until they landed on me.I froze“You,” he barked, his voice slicing through the air. “In the hall. Now.”Confused and wary, I obeyed. Guards quickly flanked me on either side, as if I were some dangerous criminal. My heart pounded harder w
Avery’s POV The morning sun filters through the windows, casting long streaks of gold across the marble floor. The silence in this house always feels heavy, almost as if it’s daring me to breathe too loudly. After the chaos of yesterday, the accusation, the whispers, I need air. I step outside, wrapping my shawl tighter around my shoulders as the wind brushes against my skin. The garden is quiet, unnaturally so. It’s early enough that no one else is out here, and I’m grateful for the solitude. The flowers are in bloom, colors bursting from every corner, their scent calming and familiar. For a moment, I allow myself to imagine I’m somewhere else, somewhere safe. Somewhere free. Somewhere with my son. I walk slowly, letting the soft crunch of gravel under my shoes ground me. My mind wanders to my son again. Is he safe? Is he thinking of me? Crying for me? I miss the warmth of his small hands, the sound of his laughter. I miss being his mother, not some caged pawn in someone else’s ga
Avery’s POVDays blur into weeks, and each one carves its own scar across my mind. The torment doesn’t lessen, it evolves. It becomes more subtle, more personal, calculated to wear me down without leaving a single visible mark.The servants “forget” to bring me meals. My clothes go mysteriously missing or are returned soiled. The once-pristine corner of the estate assigned to me is constantly vandalized, mud mud tracked in, linens slashed, mirrors cracked. No one speaks to me unless it’s to mock or command. I'm invisible unless they need someone to insult.Still, I endure.Every morning I wake up sore, tired, and dreading what new cruelty the day will bring. But I get up anyway. I dress with what little dignity they’ve left me. I hold my head high even when my knees want to buckle. I walk those halls as if I belong there, even though I know I don’t.I do it for him.My son.I haven’t seen him since the night I agreed to this cursed marriage. I don’t know how he is doing or who watches
Avery’s POVI used to think that hatred burned out with time. That if I endured long enough, kept my head down, and stayed silent, the Alpha’s children would lose interest in tormenting me. But I was wrong.So very wrong.Each day in this house feels like walking through a storm barefoot, every step painful, every breath cold. The torment isn’t loud. It doesn’t need to be. It creeps into everything, my meals, my rest, my moments of solitude. It started subtly: whispers trailing behind me like the hem of a cursed dress. Servants pausing mid-task to shoot glances filled with contempt, their lips curving in to sneers as they muttered words meant to slash deeper than any blade“Whore.”“The Alpha’s shame.”“She doesn’t belong here.”I told myself to ignore it. That I was above their cruelty. That silence would protect me. But silence didn’t stop them.It only encouraged them.This morning, I opened my eyes to find my room violated. The moment I sat up, the stench of ink hit me. Red, thick
Avery’s POVThe evening air was crisp, laced with the faint scent of pine and damp earth, an almost comforting scent that tugged at memories of simpler times. I wrapped my shawl tighter around my shoulders, trying to find solace in the quiet for just a little while. For once, the packhouse was still. No jeering voices, no cruel eyes watching my every step. Just silence.That should’ve been my first warning.Earlier that day, a young Omega, barely older than a child, had slipped into my chambers while I was folding what little remained of my ruined clothing. Her voice trembled as she whispered, “Someone left something for you in the courtyard. They said it’s from someone who cares.”I should’ve questioned it. Should’ve asked who and why. But my soul had grown so parched for kindness, for a flicker of hope, that I clung to the idea like a drowning woman to driftwood. My heart had beat a little faster at the thought. A gift. A gesture. A sign that someone, anyone, still saw me as humanS
Avery’s POVI had forgotten what it felt like to truly breathe until I held him again. My son, warm, whole, and trembling in my arms, was the single light that pierced through the endless darkness I’d been trapped in. The moment he was led into my chambers, I collapsed to my knees, sobbing into his tiny shoulder as he clung to me with equal desperation. Every piece of my fractured heart snapped back into place.The messenger who brought him watched in silence for a while before speaking. “Your father sent him,” he said flatly. “He’s aware of what you’ve been enduring. He sees you’ve kept your end of the deal. You haven’t fought back, you’ve remained silent… obedient. He considers this your reward.”My fingers curled protectively around my son. Reward. The word tasted bitter on my tongue.“But,” the messenger added, his voice dipping into warning, “this gift can be taken back just as quickly. The alliance must not be threatened. Do not forget what’s at stake.”I didn’t respond. I simpl
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.