Chapter 5 - Trouble

Ava's POV

"Aunt! Please, just let me go. I promise I won't go back again. Please!" I begged, but Aunt Janet didn’t believe me.

She had lived in sorrow ever since my parents died. Not a day passed without her thinking of my father, Mark, whom she lost to the cold hands of death. And now, it seemed like I was following the same path, and she wasn’t ready to lose me too.

"No, Ava! I won’t. Until I see some changes in you, I won’t let you out," Aunt Janet lashed at me, clenching her fists as she tried to control the tears that rolled down her cheeks.

I knew she didn’t want to chain me up, but she felt like she didn’t have a choice. It was the only way to stop me from going back to Lyconia.

"I won’t go back to Lyconia again. I’ve learned my lesson. They never loved me," I cried out, sweating profusely, the chain digging into my wrists.

"This is the same lie you told me before!" Janet yelled, her hand almost flying toward my face before she broke down in tears.

"I took you in, Ava. I clothed you, sent you to therapy for months. Got you a job at the bar. You have a best friend, Penny, who’s like a sister to you. What else do you need? Huh? Am I not trying enough? Is it not enough that your parents died because of their carelessness? Why do you want to follow them?!" she challenged me, her voice rising in anger, tears streaming down her face.

"I’m sorry, Aunt," I whispered through my own tears, sitting on the cold floor, my heart heavy with guilt.

"No, you’re not. If you were really sorry, you wouldn’t keep going back there—to Lyconia!" Janet barked, her frustration evident. She grabbed the journal my father had written and stormed out, letting me know she was going to dispose of it.

"Start a new life, Ava. Stay here and think about your life!" she ordered, giving me a mean look before sniffing and wiping her tears away, leaving me alone in the dungeon. Chained. And left with nothing but my thoughts.

---

Days passed. Aunt Janet’s only interaction with me was when she entered the dungeon to drop food, change my plates, and then leave without saying a word.

Even she couldn’t take how she was treating me anymore, but she wouldn’t back down until I showed her I was ready to change. To start fresh. Away from the past. Away from Lyconia. Away from the memory of my parents.

Evening came faster than I expected. After a month of being chained, cut off from any conversation, I had reached a breaking point. All I had done was shed tears and eat the meals she brought me.

That evening, like always, Aunt Janet came in with chicken, some chocolate juice, and laid it down for me. I ate silently, but this time, something inside me couldn’t take the silence anymore.

"Aunt Janet," I called as she turned to leave, my voice trembling. She stopped but didn’t turn back, her shoulders stiff, her own tears barely held in.

"Yes?" she answered, her voice shaky, on the verge of breaking. "Is there something you want to talk to me about?"

"Yes... I mean... I’m sorry... for... for... all the pain... I’ve caused you. I didn’t..." I couldn’t even finish my sentence before she rushed to me, kneeling on the cold floor. She hugged me tightly, and we both broke down in tears.

I buried my head into her shoulder, gripping her clothes as if I could hold on to the past and fix everything. "I’m so sorry, Aunt. I promise I’ll never go back to that cursed place again. I don’t want anything to do with them. Please, forgive me," I sobbed, my voice echoing in the dungeon.

"Shhh... it’s okay. I understand, baby. I’m here for you. I’ll always be here for you. Just don’t go back there again. You’re all I have, and I love you," Janet whispered, holding me tighter, kissing my forehead gently. "I can’t believe how grown-up you are. The last time I did this was when you were a child," she said, wiping her tears, then mine.

She unclasped the chains from my hands, her own tears falling as she apologized. "I never wanted to do this. It broke my heart every day seeing you like this. Please, Ava, leave it behind. I just want the best for you. The wolf world... it’s dangerous, and you don’t want to get caught up in it."

I nodded, hugging her tighter. "Thanks, Aunt. I promise... I’ll stay away from it."

And just like that, life started to feel normal again. My wolf was quiet, almost like it had gone dormant, and all I wanted was to live my life—go to college, have fun, and party.

A few minutes after Janet left, Penny, my best friend from work, called. "Ava! Guess what! There’s a party at the bar tonight, and you have to come!" she exclaimed, excitement radiating through the phone.

"I’m still under therapeutic—"

"Oh, c’mon, Ava! Just have fun. Trust me, it’s going to be worth it," Penny insisted before hanging up.

"Was that Penny?" Janet asked, raising an eyebrow at me.

"Don’t give me that look, Aunt. I’m not going!" I insisted.

"Oh yes, you will! I never said you had to isolate yourself from the world! You need a man in your life too, so get out there and look your best for the party!" Janet shouted playfully.

"But, Aunt..."

"No buts. Now, get up there!" she laughed, pushing me toward the stairs.

Little did Aunt Janet or I know that at this party, I was about to meet someone—a werewolf, just like me.