Ava's POV The sudden stop of the horse jolted me awake. My body swayed forward slightly, and I blinked, confused. I hadn’t even realized I’d fallen asleep. My head was heavy, and my neck ached from the awkward position I’d been riding in. The guards jumped down first, and one of them turned to help me down. I took his hand reluctantly, sliding off the horse’s back, landing on stiff legs. I glanced around, rubbing the sleep from my eyes...We were surrounded by thick forest—tall trees with knotted trunks, their leaves blocking out most of the sun. Something about the place felt wrong. Quiet in the kind of way that made the hairs on my arms stand up. “Where…where are we?” I asked, my voice cracking from disuse. The guard closest to me gave a lazy shrug. “We’ll wait for you here. You just need to walk to that house and ask about the person you want.” I followed his pointing finger and spotted a small house in the distance. It looked old. But why aren't they going with me? Am I sup
Ava's POV It’s been a whole week since my encounter with Thorne. A whole week of pretending. Of forcing myself not to look at him, not to respond to the flickers of emotion I caught in his eyes when our paths crossed. I’d done everything in my power to avoid him, turning my head away whenever I felt his gaze.And it was hard. Gods, it was so hard.But I had to. If they even suspected I’d felt something, that I’d responded to his touch, to the way he had looked at me like I was more than a slave...they’d destroy me. Maybe not just me.Maybe him too.So I kept my head low and my heart locked behind bars. If they believed I hadn’t fallen into the trap, maybe…just maybe…they'd leave me alone. Luna Alina’s punishments hadn’t stopped. If anything, they’d sharpened and worsen...like she could sense the smallest flicker of rebellion in me. I tried to please her in every way possible. But she always found an excuse to punish me.But that was my fate. I’d accepted that now. Alpha Darien hadn
Ava's POV "Thorne." I muttered involuntarily. "I'm sorry, Ava. I'm so sorry for everything." He said. I couldn't say anything, I just nodded into his hand that was still on my cheeks. "I wish I could do something. I really wish I could." “You don’t have to do anything, Thorne. You can’t do anything...” I whispered, my voice crumbling. I didn’t mean it to sound cruel, but it did. His hand didn’t move. His thumb brushed gently beneath my eye, and I flinched—not because it hurt, but because it didn’t. Because it was gentle. And gentleness always scared me more than pain. “I want to,” he said, his voice low. “I want to tear down every wall in this place if it means you’ll be safe. I want to burn it all to the ground.” My breath caught. My throat tightened, and for a moment I couldn’t speak. I could only stare at him, at this man who looked at me like I was something worth saving. Like I was everything to him. Like I was something and not nothing. “But you can’t,” I said,
Ava's POV Thorne.The body lotion slipped from my fingers and hit the floor with a soft thud. I just stood there, staring. My chest tightened, and my breath caught in my throat. Something moved through me, something strange and overwhelming. Relief? Joy? Happiness?Why?Why on earth was I happy to see him? Was this...was this what the bond felt like?My heart thudded so loudly it felt like it would crack my ribs. My hands trembled by my sides.“What…what are you…doing here?” I asked, my voice shaky, barely more than a whisper. I stood up slowly, my knees wobbling like they might give out.He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he turned toward the door. Panic flared in my chest. Was he leaving because i talked? Without thinking, I reached out my left hand, fingers stretched toward him, like I could somehow stop him with that tiny gesture. I didn’t even speak. I couldn’t. My throat was too tight.Then he did something I didn’t expect at all. He walked to the door, locked it…and then tu
Ava's POVCold.I gasped, my body jerking upright as freezing water slammed against my skin. I couldn’t even scream. The shock knocked the breath right out of my lungs, and all that came out was a choked cough. My whole body trembled. I couldn’t think. Couldn’t breathe. My heart pounded like a hammer, each beat crashing into the next like it was trying to tear through my ribs and run away.My hands scraped along the cold, wet floor. My eyes darted around, searching for something—anything—that would help me understand where I was. What was happening?I blinked rapidly, looking around. My eyes fell on Luna Alina’s figure towering over me. My stomach twisted in panic, and I dropped to my knees, my wet hands pressing together, begging before I could stop myself.“Please, don’t kill me. Please, don’t kill me. I didn’t do anything. Please…”My voice cracked with every word. My eyes burned, my lips quivered, and my whole body trembled like a leaf in the wind. I didn’t even know what I was be
Ava's POV I held my chest tightly as my heart pounded like a war drum. It was beating so fast that I thought it might break through my ribs. I was terrified. If Briane and Lyra were caught, it would be my fault. They came here for me. They risked everything for me. And now…they might get punished because of it. Oh, Goddess, please don’t let them be caught. Please…please…I I whispered a desperate prayer in my mind, over and over, as the door creaked open. “Why is everywhere so dark in here? Bring your torchlight,” a guard grumbled. I heard the dull thud of footsteps as one of them walked away. I held my breath and tried to press myself deeper into the darkness, wishing I could disappear. “Drane…” I heard Karen’s voice call from outside the room. “Why are you going in there?” “I want to check if Ava is awake,” the guard—Drane—answered. My stomach dropped. My limbs stiffened. He was right there, just a few steps away. Oh God, oh God… “Oh. Don’t worry,” Karen said, her voice growi