LOGINAvalineI looked at Rocco, trying to determine whether he was serious. “You spent four days avoiding me because I told you I was attending Lucienne's ceremony. You walked out in the middle of an argument, ignored every call I made, and now you're standing here telling me you're coming with me?”“Yes.” His unwavering gaze didn’t give his mood away.“Why?” I felt clueless.He stepped inside and closed the door behind him. “Because I've had four days to think about it. And I realized it's not safe for you to go alone.”I folded my arms across my chest, struggling to contain the storm of emotions rising inside me. “So you've decided to come along and make sure I don't get anywhere near Jaxon?”His jaw tightened. “I'm not going to pretend I like the idea of you seeing him.”I scoffed at the man. “At least, you're honest.”Then he took a step closer. “I don't want you to face him alone.”My heart gave a painful little twist. “Rocco…”“I know you can handle yourself, Avaline. I know you don'
I drew a slow breath. “Jaxon is part of the Waltonville Pack, Rocco. It's a Luna Ceremony. Naturally, he'll be there.”Rocco's expression turned bitter. “So you'll be seeing your fated mate again.”The words stung, mostly because of the bitterness with which he spoke them. “I'm going for Lucienne, not Jaxon.”He trembled with fury. “Do you really have to go back after everything they did to you? Lucienne had pushed you into the fire, Ava. Wake up!!”“Yes!” I snapped, then immediately regretted my sharp tone. “I'm not going there to see Jaxon. Lucienne might have lost her faith in me. But I'm going because there was a time when Lucienne and her aunt had helped me immensely.”“And what happens when Whitfield approaches you?” He snapped.“I'll deal with it.”Rocco let out a humourless laugh and stared at me. “How do you propose to deal with it? By forgiving him or getting back with him?” I could feel the intense jealousy dripping from every word he uttered.I pressed a hand to my chest,
AvalineFor several seconds, I couldn't breathe. “You did this to yourself?” My voice came out barely above a whisper.Rocco's jaw tightened. “Yes.”“Why?” I stared at him, desperately searching his face for an explanation that would make sense of the horror beneath my fingertips. “Why would you do something like this to yourself?”He looked away.“Rocco, look at me!”His eyes reluctantly met mine, and something in them made my heart ache. He wanted to hide the reason behind his scars. “Every time Kaizen forced me to hurt you, I punished myself afterward.”The words struck me with the force of a physical blow. “What?”“Whenever Alpha Kaizen ordered me to hurt you, I had no choice but to obey. He made sure of that.” His voice was frighteningly calm, as though he were discussing someone else's suffering. “But I couldn't live with what I'd done to you. So, every time I returned, I took a whip and made myself pay for it.”I stared at him in disbelief. “No.” I shook my head, unable to acce
AvalineI waited with bated breath for him to say how much he had missed me. “Missed what?”He grinned boyishly. “I missed helping you as well.”I snorted and rose to clear the table. “Right.”He smirked and followed me to the kitchen to help me. It was the first time I shared household chores with a man. It was disturbing to have him in my breathing space. But he simply stood beside me at the sink, washing plates with his injured arms while I dried them."You'll reopen those wounds," I muttered."Then you should stop staring at them." His wicked smile widened.My head snapped toward him. "I am not staring!"His mouth twitched. "Of course not."I splashed a little water on him. But he caught my wrist before I could do it again. The movement was so quick that I barely registered it. One second, I was standing beside the sink; the next, his fingers were wrapped around my wrist, and he was looking down at me.My breath caught. He didn't release me immediately. Neither did I try to pull a
AvalineAs soon as I got home with Rocco, I noticed a parcel on the porch. Who could have sent it? My first thought was Jaxon. He had been sending these for a year, and every time, they ended up in the trash bin.I was about to crumple it and toss it in the trash when Rocco stopped me. “Won’t you check? It might be important.”I shrugged. “Who else will send me parcels other than that scumbag, Jaxon Whitfield?”A fleeting smile lit up his face for a fraction of a second before it was gone. “I noticed the pack’s seal on the envelope. I don’t think it’s a personal letter from the beta.”I looked down at the envelope in my hands and noticed the Ozark Mountain Pack’s seal on it. How had I not noticed it earlier? It had been a year since I had left Waltonville and the pack. Why would Maximus send me something after a year? All my business collaborations happened through my manager at Carter Confections. Then why this personal letter?“Won’t you check?” Rocco persisted, and I tore open the
RoccoI had spent my entire life fighting to rise above the circumstances into which I had been thrown. Yet now that I had been offered something I once would have considered impossible, my first thought wasn't about the position or the respect it would bring.My first thought went to Avaline. She was in Mammoth Springs, and going back meant I would see her again. How would I face her disappointment in me? I had sworn to protect her, and I had failed her miserably. What if she hated me? What if she wouldn’t let me see her?But I couldn’t defy Alpha Jason. I had to return home.The journey back to Mammoth Springs took longer than I had anticipated.I spent most of it staring through the window, watching the snow-covered wilderness gradually give way to familiar landscapes. Every mile brought me closer to the pack, and every mile made me increasingly restless.I had imagined this moment countless times during the months I had been away. In some versions, Avaline barely noticed my return







