Chapter 5

Ava's POV

The rumors were delicious.

For the past week, the entire Bloodmoon Pack had been whispering about one thing: The Night at the Black Wolf.

"Did you hear? The Beta daughter bought the bar." "I saw Alpha Cole dripping in champagne. He looked like a drowned rat." "Where did she get the money?"

I walked through the Pack House corridors, my heels clicking on the marble. Warriors who used to ignore me now stepped aside, eyeing me with a mix of fear and confusion. I wasn't the "help" anymore. I was the crazy ex with a bottomless bank account.

I pushed open the door to the Alpha's Office.

"Why are you still here?"

Lexi was sitting at my desk, trying to figure out the filing system. She looked exhausted. Apparently, being the "future Luna" was harder than just looking pretty.

"Because of Article 4, Section 2 of the Pack Code," I said breezily, dropping my bag. " 'An un-rejected mate must remain within territory limits until the Alpha Succession is finalized.' "

I leaned against the doorframe, smirking. "Believe me, Lexi. If I could leave without being hunted down as a Traitor, I'd be in Paris right now. But I have seven days left. So, I'm here to... finish my paperwork."

"Finish?" Lexi scoffed, gesturing to the piles of chaotic documents. "You haven't done a thing all week! The supply routes are a mess. The vendors are calling me!"

"And what did you tell them?"

"I told them I'm the new Luna!"

"And?"

"And they hung up on me!" She threw a stapler at the wall. "Fix it, Ava! Cole is furious. The pack is running out of meat."

I laughed. It was a cold, sharp sound.

"You wanted the title, Lexi. You get the job."

I walked over to the main server-the digital brain of the pack.

"What are you doing?" Lexi narrowed her eyes.

"Just... cleaning up."

I typed in my admin password. [DELETE ALL CONTACTS?] [YES.]

[WIPE PATROL SCHEDULES?] [YES.]

[ERASE FINANCIAL RECORDS?] [YES.]

"You know," I said conversationally, watching the progress bar load. "Cole has been avoiding me since the bar. Is he still trying to wash the champagne smell out of his ego?"

Lexi stood up, her face flushing red. She marched over, getting in my face.

"He's not avoiding you! He's busy! He's preparing for our mating ceremony!"

She yanked down the collar of her pink cashmere sweater. There, on her neck, was a fresh, angry purple bruise. A hickey.

"See?" She preened, desperate to hurt me. "We were up all night. He said he needed to reclaim his pride after your little stunt. He promised that the second he becomes Alpha... he's marking me right here."

My eyes flicked to the mark. A week ago, it would have killed me. Now? It looked like a desperate branding on a piece of cattle.

"Congratulations," I deadpanned. "I hope he's better in bed than he is at managing a budget. Because honestly? The bar is low."

Ding. [DELETION COMPLETE.]

I pulled my flash drive out of the server. The pack's logistics were now officially a ghost town. Good luck running a territory when you don't know who supplies your food or where your borders are.

"I'm done here," I said, zipping up my jacket. "I have one last perimeter check to log before my shift ends. Then, I'm officially off the clock. Forever."

"You're going on patrol?" Lexi looked suspicious. "Why?"

"To make sure the sensors are... calibrated," I lied smoothly. (I had actually turned them off yesterday).

"I'm coming with you," Lexi announced, grabbing her coat.

I paused. "Excuse me?"

"Cole said I need to show 'Luna leadership.' If you're going to the border, I'm going too. I need to make sure you aren't stealing pack secrets."

I looked at her. Really looked at her. She was wearing heels. In the forest.

"Suit yourself," I smiled, a predator sensing prey. "But try to keep up, Princess. The woods are dangerous at night."

The forest was suffocating. The sun was setting, casting long, bloody shadows across the tree line.

I walked fast, enjoying the way Lexi huffed and puffed behind me.

"Slow down!" she whined, tripping over a root. "My feet hurt! Ava!"

"This is the job, Lexi," I called back without stopping. "Luna isn't just a title. It's work."

"I hate this," she muttered. "I hate you."

My wolf, Nyx, suddenly spiked in my mind. Her hackles raised. [Ava. Stop. Something is wrong.]

I froze. The birds had stopped singing. The air tasted metallic. Like copper. Like rot.

Rogues.

I reached for my radio to call it in-habit, really. But then I remembered the deleted files. The disabled sensors. No one was coming.

Except...

Crack.

A twig snapped.

I turned slowly.

Three pairs of glowing yellow eyes emerged from the darkness.

Lexi walked right into my back. "Why did you stop? I swear to the moon goddess, Ava, I'm telling Cole you-"

She looked up. She saw the eyes.

Her scream shattered the silence.