Chapter 3 :The Wolf Pack's Ways

Sunlight streamed through the tall glass windows of the Iron Fangs master bedroom, casting warm golden patterns across the wooden floorboards. Ava woke up slowly, her mind foggy and disoriented. For a fleeting second, she hoped the nightmarish wedding day, the cheating video, the torrential rain, and the towering tattooed biker who claimed she was his 'mate' were all nothing more than a fever dream. But as the rich, masculine scent of cedar, leather, and wood filled her lungs, reality crashed back down upon her.

She sat up, pulling the thick wool quilt around her shoulders. Her wedding dress was gone, replaced by a clean, oversized black cotton t-shirt that smelled faintly of Jax. Her ruined clothes were neatly folded on a wooden chair by the corner. As she swung her legs over the bed, the door clicked open, and Jax stepped inside carrying a wooden tray laden with steaming black coffee, fresh eggs, toast, and sliced fruit.

He stopped in his tracks when he saw her awake, a faint smile touching the corners of his lips. "Morning, little bird. I figured you'd be starving. You haven't eaten since yesterday morning."

Ava’s stomach let out a loud, embarrassing rumble, making her cheeks flush bright pink. She crossed her arms defensively, looking up at him with a mixture of caution and lingering defiance. "I want my phone, Jax. And I want to know what kind of game you're playing. Werewolves? Fated mates? Is this some kind of elaborate prank Marcus set up to humiliate me even further?"

Jax set the tray down gently on the bedside table, pulling up a chair and sitting down. He crossed his massive arms over his chest, his amber eyes steady and serious. "Marcus Vance doesn't even know where my territory is, Ava. And even if he did, he wouldn't dare step foot across my borders unless he wanted his head mounted on a spike. Werewolves are very real. The world you lived in—the high-society human world of fake smiles, backstabbing executives, and glittering galas—is just a thin veneer covering a much wilder, more primal reality."

Ava stared at him, searching his face for any sign of a joke or deception. But she found only absolute, unwavering sincerity. Her voice dropped to a whisper. "You expect me to just... believe that monsters and wolf packs exist? That I'm supposed to be your... mate?"

"I don't expect you to believe anything blindly," Jax replied calmly. "Take your time. Explore the compound. Talk to the pack members. See how we live. You'll soon realize that my pack is more loyal, honorable, and protective than any human corporation you ever worked for."

Reluctantly, Ava agreed to eat. After finishing breakfast, she washed up, slipped into a pair of soft sweatpants and a sweatshirt left out for her, and stepped out of the master suite. Walking down the wide wooden hallway, she descended the grand staircase into the main communal lounge of the clubhouse.

The clubhouse was massive, built like a high-end mountain lodge combined with a heavy-duty biker garage. Downstairs, dozens of men and women dressed in leather vests adorned with the snarling iron wolf emblem were gathered around long wooden tables, eating breakfast, laughing, and cleaning weapons or tinkering with heavy motorcycles. When Ava stepped into the room, conversations instantly died down. Dozens of pairs of sharp, golden-flecked eyes turned to lock onto her.

Ava froze, her heart hammering against her ribs. She felt like a delicate lamb stepping into a den of apex predators. She took a nervous step backward, ready to bolt back upstairs.

Then, Razor stepped out from the crowd, holding a cup of coffee. He offered her a warm, easygoing grin that eased some of the tension in the room. "Easy there, everyone. This is the Alpha's guest—and our new Luna, whether she knows it yet or not. Let's not scare her back into the woods."

A few chuckles rippled through the pack members, and people returned to their meals, though curious glances still followed Ava wherever she moved. Razor walked over, offering her a cup of fresh tea. "You doing alright, Ava? I know this is a massive shock for someone coming straight out of the city high-rise life."

"I... I'm just trying to process everything," Ava admitted honestly, accepting the warm mug. "Jax says you're all... werewolves. And that I belong here."

Razor chuckled softly, leaning against a wooden pillar. "It sounds insane until you feel the shift, trust me. Humans like Marcus Vance think they own the world because of their bank accounts and legal contracts. But human laws don't mean a damn thing out here in the wild. Marcus is a coward, Ava. We checked the security logs from your old apartment building this morning. He's already tearing the city apart looking for you, not because he loves you, but because losing you makes him look weak to his wealthy associates."

Hearing Marcus’s name sent a sharp pang of anger through Ava’s chest. The humiliation of the wedding video flashed behind her eyelids. "He doesn't love me. He never did. I was just a trophy to him—a pretty accessory to parade around at charity galas while he slept with my best friend behind my back."

"And that's why Jax is going to make him pay," Razor said grimly, his eyes hardening. "An Alpha never lets someone hurt his mate and walk away clean."

Later that afternoon, Jax took Ava on a tour of the wider compound. He showed her the sprawling training grounds, the medical clinic, the children's quarters where young wolf pups played safely under the watchful eyes of pack elders, and the massive motorcycle garage where the Iron Fangs maintained their fleet of custom bikes. Ava watched in amazement as she saw how tightly knit and fiercely loyal the pack was. Unlike the cold, backstabbing corporate world of Marcus Vance, where everyone stepped on each other to get ahead, the Iron Fangs operated like a true family. Everyone looked out for one another. Everyone shared what they had.

"You see, Ava?" Jax murmured, walking closely beside her as the cool evening breeze swept across the courtyard. "We don't care about designer clothes, bank accounts, or social status. We care about strength, honor, and loyalty. You gave Marcus three years of your life, and he betrayed you for a moment of selfish lust. If you stay with me, I will give you a kingdom where you are worshipped, protected, and cherished above all else."

Ava looked up into Jax’s intense amber eyes. Her mind told her to run back to the city, to file a lawsuit, to return to her normal human life. But her heart—and the undeniable, warm electric hum pulsing through her veins every time Jax stood close—whispered a very different truth. She was falling for the dangerous biker Alpha, deeper and faster than she ever imagined possible.