CHAPTER 3

Ava 

Hot tears welled up in my eyes as the door slammed shut, the echo of my mother’s scorn still ringing in my ears. "You’re a disgrace," she’d said, her words like knives carving into the fragile shell of my pride. "You’ll never run with the pack. You’ll always hide indoors, just like you always do.”

It was the full moon tonight—a night that called every wolf to the run, to revel in their strength and unity. Every wolf but me.

The tears I’d fought so hard to contain now spilled freely, streaking my cheeks as I collapsed onto the edge of my bed. 

My eyes, already swollen from the countless nights I’d cried, burned with fresh grief. Was it my fault that I was born prematurely , Was it my fault that my spine twisted as it did, or that I couldn’t shift when others did .

I remembered my father’s stories about my mother when I was younger, how she was the pride of the pack. She had admirers, wolves who envied the one destined to be her mate.

 My father had beamed with pride when he discovered she was his. But when I was born—early, weak, and deformed—it was as if all that pride turned to ash.

The pack had mocked her, whispering that she was cursed, that she had birthed a runt. Her friends turned their backs, and the males who had once desired her gloated that fate had spared them. 

Desperate to restore her reputation, she bore three healthy, strong sons. It was proof that she wasn’t to blame—that I, Ava, was the problem.

And so, she hid me. If the pack could forget I existed, maybe she could reclaim her place among them. 

My presence was a reminder of her shame, a scar she couldn’t erase. She didn’t hit me or scream all the time; she simply ignored me, her silence louder than any words.

My brothers, Joshua and Paul, followed her lead, pretending I didn’t exist. But Blake... Blake was different. Blake saw me. 

He was my lifeline, the only reason I hadn’t ended it all when the darkness became too much to bear. 

A soft knock interrupted my spiral of despair. Blake slipped into my room, closing the door quietly behind him. 

He held a finger to his lips, signaling for silence as he tiptoed inside, his playful grin softening the ache in my chest.

Blake pulled out a pen and paper, scribbling quickly before sliding the note to me. “The pack is running to the east side of the mountain tonight.”

“You can go to the west side for a quick run. Just be back before we return.”

Hope flickered in my chest, but fear snuffed it out just as quickly. "What if I get caught?" I whispered, my voice trembling.

Blake took the paper back and wrote: “Ava, you need to let your wolf out. You’ve only shifted once, and if you keep suppressing her, she could leave you. I asked my wolf about it, and he said the same thing.”

My heart clenched. Losing my wolf? Could things get any worse? She was more daring, more resilient than I ever could be. 

But she’d told me once, in her quiet, steady voice, You don’t need to be fixed. You just need to trust me.

Trust. It felt impossible. But Blake was right. If I didn’t shift tonight, I might never get another chance. So, I nodded, took the pen, and scribbled back: “I’ll go. But just for an hour.”

Blake’s smile lit up his face as he kissed my cheek. Nervousness churned in my stomach as I waited for the pack to leave. 

Finally, the sound of paws pounding the earth signaled that the run had begun. I slipped out and darted toward the west wing of the woods, my heart hammering in my chest.

The moment my wolf took over, everything changed. She ran, her paws pounding the earth as the moon bathed us in silver light. 

For the first time in months, I felt alive, free. She stretched her limbs, reveling in the freedom she’d been denied for so long, until we finally collapsed under the glow of the full moon.

“Ava. Her voice whispered through my mind, gentle yet firm. Don’t block me out. We’re special. That’s why they treat us this way. You’ll see. Soon.”

I wanted to argue, to cry out against her optimism, but then a sound shattered the peace—a low, steady rumble of paws against the earth.

My breath hitched as a massive black wolf emerged from the shadows, its golden eyes locking onto mine. 

In one powerful leap, it landed in front of me, and my wolf cursed under her breath. I almost laughed, but then his scent hit me like a tidal wave.

"Derek."

Panic surged. Why was he here? Was the pack coming this way?

Before I could move, Derek shifted back into his human form, standing tall and unashamed in his nakedness.

 He pulled on a pair of shorts and crossed his arms, his piercing gaze fixed on me. "What are you doing here?”

"I... I..." I stammered, trying to find my voice. "My wolf wanted to run. I snuck out. Are the others here?”

He sighed heavily, frustration etched into his face. "No. But you shouldn’t be here. Do you even know what happens on the full moon?”

Confusion must have shown on my face because he sighed again, stepping closer. "On the full moon, wolves are either hunting or mating," he said bluntly. 

"And my wolf..." His voice dropped, his gaze darkening. "It scented you. It wants to claim you. To make you mine.”

He leaned in, his breath hot against my skin as he sniffed my hair. My body betrayed me, shivering under his touch. "But don’t push your luck," he said coldly. "My body might want you, but it can never have you. We can never mate.”

Then, with a voice like steel, he said the words that broke me: "I, Derek Blackthorn, reject you, Ava Silverclaw, as my mate.”

The pain was a dagger to my heart, but I swallowed my tears, refusing to let him see me break. Summoning all my courage, I looked him in the eye and said, "I, Ava Silverclaw, reject you, Derek Blackthorn, as my mate.”

Shock flashed across his face. He hadn’t expected me to reject him, not without prompting.

"This isn’t right," he muttered, pacing in frustration. "The mate bond should’ve broken by now.”

In a fit of rage, he shifted back into his wolf form and disappeared into the forest,

leaving me alone under the moon, fighting back tears as his scent lingered in the air.