★★★
“Help me please!!!” Ava screamed her lungs out as she held her chest. She held the duvet close to her chest tightly. This is how she wakes up every morning, having nightmares about her past and this was one of 'em.Jude was not in bed with her, she guessed he went to attend a very important meeting this morning, so that meant the beginning of her day was bad since no one was there to soothe her pains.She rose from the bed frowning, walked to the bathroom, and rinsed her face.She smashed her hands on the mirror which shattered, blood dripping from her hands as she looked at herself in disgust.She really was going back to that fucking pack, Her blood was boiling with rage, she hates him to the core.Damon Walter!Her worst nightmare.After washing up, she wore harem pants on a bustier top and her hair was pulled in a braid since she was going to practice after breakfast. Ava sat down at the dining table which was filled with plenty of dishes. A male maid served her food and stood not far away from her. Ava took one spoon and spoiled her mouth terribly, She spat out the food back into her plate and quickly rinsed her mouth with water.She stood up angrily and shifted the chair back, she looked at the maid whose eyes were filled with fear.He was an Omega and so he was shaken by her aura.“I'm Sorry ma” Tha maid pleaded immediately.“Sorry,” she scoffed as she looked at the stupid food which was served to her.“This soup is salty and the sauce is bland, how do you expect me to eat such good food, oh! You guys planned to kill me right?” She yelled at him which got him to his knees immediately.He bowed his head and started begging for forgiveness but that made her more furious, she carried her plate and threw it at him.Blood oozed out from his head, mixed with hot soup and rice.He screamed in pain as he held his head, but he could not stand up.Ava took a full chicken from the table and ate it, she closed her eyes again as she spat it out.“Come here,” She ordered, the omega was hesitant but he hurriedly got to her place still holding his head.“Now, eat this,” She gave him the chicken to eat and he did.The chicken was okay to him, and he wondered why she gave it to him, “You are also wondering what sort of chicken is this right? It tastes like raw chicken with no season. What sort of meal is this? Are you guys in your right senses this morning?” She shouted again kicking him every time she said a wordThe poor Omega grunted as he was beaten up to a pulp by the Luna-to-be, Alpha Jude walked in seeing Ava in that situation, and he stopped in his tracks.“Ava Baby,” He called out gently and softly, upon hearing his voice Ava huffed and stopped.“You must be very annoyed this morning, What did he do?” He inquired, striding in their direction.“He served a bland and bitter food,” She responded.Alpha Jude turned to face the omega who was on his knees, blood dripping over his body and he had a few bones broken.“Is that true?” he asked the Omega“I am sorry Alpha,” the Omega apologized and he received a resounding slap from his Alpha.“This must not occur again,” He warned and then dragged Ava to his side, hugging her from the back.“I am deeply sorry, Ava baby, for the incompetence of my workers, I will change them if you want me to,” He whispered in her ears.“ No, it's fine,” She waved it off.“Why don't we duel, we haven't done that in such a long time , Let me see how far you have gone,” He proposed, this was his method of letting her calm down.She smiled briefly before agreeing and they went to the practice field where his men practice.Seeing that their Alpha and the supposed Luna were present, the soldiers stopped what they were doing and bowed their heads down.His delta rushed to his side, “Alpha,”“I want this place to be cleared, my lady, and I want to have a duel,” He announced, The delta nodded his head as he understood what his alpha meant. The warrior cleared the field, and everywhere was quiet as they handed the two their favorite weapons, Alpha Jude always loved using a sword while Ava loved daggers, to her they were smaller and faster. Both of them stood in their stance, focused on each other, Ava had a fierce look filled with determination while the latter had a smirk on his face. They moved about for a while, the air was tense and the rustling of winds through the trees.All of a sudden Ava decided to attack, holding her dagger tight, she shoved it forward to his stomach but he dodged it with his sword.The clashing of their blades was the only thing you could hear in the field as both of them blocked each other's attack. The warriors in there watched with keen interest, they were not allowed to hail anybody as it was for them to learn more about duels and how they attack their opponent. “Wow, you are still good with swords isn't it?” Ava said, trying to distract him but he chuckled.“Of course, I still am,” He smashed his sword on her daggers which made her take some steps back.“Aiisssh, so harsh,” She scoffed as she attacked him with force. Alpha Jude countered each blow swiftly which made Ava mad, She kept attacking fiercely without stopping, both of them were evenly matched, neither of them giving an inch. Then with a sudden twist, Ava struck her daggers which slashed his arms, blood flowed freely but Alpha Jude cared less, he continued attacking her with full force and slashed her cheeks, Ava touched her cheeks and felt the blood oozing out, she just smirked and continued fighting, this went on and on till Alpha Jude attacked intensely which sent one of her dagger flying to the edge of the field. Ava was furious but she kept on fighting like her life depended on it. He kicked her legs which made her fall to her knees and with a swift movement he shoved the sword to her neck, waiting for her to admit defeat.Everyone in the field gasped at that action. They were waiting for Ava to drop her weapon, but Ava being Ava, she bent down and used her elbow to hit his groin.“Shit Ava! You could have died right now,” Alpha Jude snapped at her for being so careless.His hands were still on his groin but it was not painful since it was her elbow she used.“Are you telling me you want to give up because of that small thing alpha,” she taunted and he frowned.“Of course not,” He said as he raised his sword ready to attack.He looked at her eyes and then in one move he knocked her to the ground, this time around he was firm.Ava had no choice but to drop the dagger in defeat, Alpha Jude stood up and carried her on his shoulder.“You need to get your wound dressed up,” he said as they walked out of the field.The night of the mate bond ceremony finally came, Ava came in wearing a crimson silk that clung to her body, the neckline plunged low revealing the swell of her breast and a tempting expanse of her cleavage. The gown was a tiny arm that stopped low above her knee, exposing her lap, her clothes were revealing yet sexy. She wore high heels which made her legs look a mile long. Her hair was styled in a messy bun revealing delicate ears which were adorned with pearl earrings, her make-up was perfect and her lips red as a rose.She didn't look like someone who came for the mating bond but like a queen ready to descend on her throne. All eyes were on her as she swayed her hips seductively, no one was able to recognize her as the beta daughter who went missing as her parents claimed.She was all smiles, being the center of attraction was nice and she loved it. Immersed with the whole pack gawking at her, Ava was dragged by an unknown person.Her eyes were filled with anger as she loo
Ava had run out of the hall in urgency after she had come out of the trance of sparked emotions that were building up when she saw that devil.Her heart beats very fast as her wolf calls for him.How can the gods do this to her?Why would he be her mate?This is so unfair. Ava questioned inwardly.“Ava baby, what are you thinking about that you were not even aware of my presence,” Alpha Jude asked with his arms folded as he looked at her dearly.Ava gave an awkward laugh, “Uh-hmm, it's nothing actually, I was just calculating something in my head,” Ava lied, she was a very good liar that Alpha Jude wasn't able to detect through her heartbeat.“Hmm, if you say so, you look so beautiful tonight, and I can't wait to have you all to myself when we get back to my pack, so sad that I have to behave well in front of your parents, or else I would have slashed this clothes and take you in,” He kicked his lips as he said those words affectionately, this got Ava laughing.“You are so funny swee
Ava groaned as she stirred awake, squinting her eyes shut when the golden rays of sun stole through the blinds and hit her face.A smile crept on her face when she remembered the previous night with Alpha Jude,frowning slightly when she remembered what happened with Damon.Pushing the thought of him and chastising herself to focus on the present.Alpha Jude had noticed she wasn’t feeling good when they returned,He had made her feel special, and it had to helped Wade off thoughts she was not exactly ready to deal with.His light snore reminded her that he had was still fast asleep beside her, she turned to face him, taking in his lean masculine body splayed in plain sight for her gaze.Ava stared at him, her arm unconsciously moving to wrap around his torso, she felt him stir, and an idea sparked in her head.Running her fingers lightly from his chest, she trailed down to his torso, feeling every muscle and ab beneath her fingers.His breath hitched when her finger ran through the clus
Damon slowly paced the width of his study, his hands buried in his pockets as he stopped to stare out the window.It was still early in the morning. The sun was just making its way to the middle of the sky, making everything warm and overshadowing the fog of dawn.His eyes scanned the grounds outside his window, his thoughts far beyond them.Damon's mind was still very much occupied with thoughts of her. He needed answers, most of which only she could give him.“Ava Mitchell Smith of mist wood,” Damon muttered under his breath.She was gorgeous. He could still remember her standing there in the crowd while he struggled to keep his head straight and give the freaking speech.Her scent, he could still remember vividly the strong mix of cinnamon, clove, and vanilla.The silky black hair that looked like they had known no bad days, the tender-looking skin of her cleavage.Slim long legs that were perfectly accentuated in those black heels and the dress that did justice to her curves.Hers
The next three days had passed in a heart-wrenching blur for Ava. Having to contain the pain and heartbreak from the rejection.She knew exactly what she was getting into when she had rejected him as her mate, Consoled by the thought of and knowing that he was affected even more than she was.Trying to keep herself busy and active had not worked either, she was still in pain, and worse of all, the thought of that night was constantly in her mind.He had to accept the rejection to make this work, but from all indications, he had not done that, and Ava doubted he would.The way he had kissed her and held her that night, the look on his face after she rejected him.He did not look like a man that would accept such rejection so easily. Ava lay down, resting her back on the lounge chair, crossing her feet lazily, and smiling at the soft evening sun that kissed her skin on the balcony.Her right hand snaked under her head to support it, while her left hand rested on her naked belly.Closin
It had been almost twenty-four hours since his talk with Will and his brother, and while he wanted to keep still and be patient, he also wished they would bring answers to him quickly.From all he had gathered about Will's brother in the past few hours, it showed he was not just capable but reliable, and Damon hoped he would deliver accordingly.A knock from the door got his attention and he sat upright, before answering a curt come-in.The door swung open and a maid walked in with her head bowed, and her hands clasped in front of her meekly.Damon acknowledged her with a nod, and she proceeded to speak.“You have guests, sir.” She said, waiting for his answer, her eyes still fixed on the floor. “Let them in,” Alpha Damon replied.His eyes fixed on the maid as she walked out.Soon the door opened again, and he sighed in relief when Will and his brother walked in, he nodded to dismiss the maid while he gestured to the men to sit.“Gentlemen, welcome.” He greeted, “Any news?” He asked
Ava sat on the edge of the bed, impatiently waiting for Alpha Jude. She had to know what business they had together for him to come here.She did not like the look in Alpha Damon's eyes. Sighing in relief when she heard the door creak open and alpha Jude walked in.“What was he doing here?” Ava asked as she stood up slowly to stand before him.“Calm down, I need you to calm down.” Alpha Jude said, helping her back onto the bed.Ava could tell she would not like the other next word that would leave his mouth, she had a gut feeling about it “I am calm.” Ava lied, she was far from calm, “I just need to know what he was doing here.” She added, trying to keep her voice as calm and collected as she could.“We are business partners now.” Alpha Jude said simply, Ava could see that there was more, and he seemed not to want to tell her.“What do you mean business partner?” Ava asked confused.“How? Since when? And what business are we talking about.” It all did not make sense to her.“You mig
Ava stared at herself in the mirror as she stepped out of the bathroom. She had spent all weekend trying to convince Jude not to agree with Damon, but it felt like all her pleas fell on deaf ears.Even after explaining her reasons to Jude, he reminded her of how it would benefit his pack and told her to put the past behind her and that she should forward and see the possibilities of the future. It pissed her off. She hated that Jude could not see how cunning Damon and his proposal were.She took out her blow-dryer to dry her hair and then proceeded to straighten it. She decided to tie it up in a high ponytail. She proceeded into her closet to pick out an outfit. Today was the beginning of her working with Damon. Although Jude didn't see the problem with it, she was fully against it.She couldn't bear to stay in the same room as Damon, and now that was going to be her life for a long while.She tried to cajole Jude to pick another person, but he stood firm, emphasizing the fact that