Chapter 1

The last person I wanted to see tonight was Alpha Elias Grey.

Unfortunately, the bastard had a habit of appearing whenever I was finally beginning to forget him.

Three fucking months of avoiding him. Three months of convincing myself that I was over the humiliation, the rejection, and the foolish little confession that had earned me nothing but his laughter.

And now he was here, watching me.

I lifted my glass of scotch and swallowed its contents in one go.

"Gods, Ava. Do you have a death wish?" My best friend Vivian shouted over the noise in clear displeasure.

I didn't care. I mostly didn't care about things whenever Elias Grey was involved, and tonight, he was.

He was my enemy, my nemesis. The hatred I felt toward him was immeasurable. He was my sin.

I could feel his eyes on me—calculating, watching, like a predator who has found its prey.

"What? It's just some scotch, Vivi. Stop being a hardass." I grumbled, grabbing her own glass and gulping it too, ignoring the shock on her face.

"Ava!" she reprimanded, but I didn't mind. I couldn't. I dragged her toward the dance floor instead, determined not to let her even get a hint of his arrival.

"Dance, Vivi. We're finally done in this hellhole." I screamed at the top of my voice, grabbing a shot from a stranger and gulping it.

"Ava fucking Humphrey! I will drag you out of this club, so help me God."

"Live a little, Vivi." I poured, screaming as the next song hit.

Vivi didn't dance. She stared at me as though she could read into my soul, and for a moment I feared she could—feared she could read the thoughts permanently stamped in my heart, could see my blood boiling with a lust I knew I shouldn't, couldn't, have.

"Fine," she said eventually, and got dancing.

I shut my eyes, letting my body move with the sound, dancing till I couldn't feel my legs, letting every thought of Elias Grey out of my head.

The music changed to something slower, and something in my chest pulled tight.

Cedar and smoke. My wolf stirred under my skin before my mind caught up, clearly restless. I'd spent three months teaching her to stay quiet, and one breath of him undid all of it.

My eyes found him instantly. He stood at the edge of the dance floor—black shirt, tattoos curling up his neck, hands in his pockets like the club was his and we were all just borrowing it. Alpha Elias Grey. His gaze found mine through a hundred moving bodies, like he'd known exactly where to look.

I couldn't look away, like I was in a trance, my heartbeat pounding so hard in my chest I heard it in my ears.

"Ava! Ava!" Vivi's hand clamped around my arm. "Are you okay?"

"Restroom," I managed. "Back soon."

I didn't wait for her answer.

The restroom was empty and filthy, and I was grateful for both. I braced my hands on the basin and stared at the wreck in the mirror. My blonde hair had come loose, mascara smudged at the corners. Pull yourself together. Walk out. Don't look at him.

I shook my head, slapping my cheeks a few times before deciding I could return. All I had to do was avoid fucking Elias Grey.

The door opened behind me. I didn't need to turn around. My wolf had already told me.

Alpha Elias Grey stood right in the doorway, and for a second, I forgot how to breathe.

He didn't say anything. He simply stared at me, his broad shoulders filling the entrance.

Then he stepped inside. My eyes widened as he reached behind him and pushed the door shut.

"Wrong room, or can't you read?"

Elias tilted his head slightly, his eyes moving over my face with the sort of lazy arrogance that made me want to slap him.

"Interesting greeting, Cara mia."

I folded my arms across my chest, mostly to keep my hands from trembling.

"Don't call me that." I snapped, unable to keep the tremble out of my voice.

I gestured at the door. "It's the fucking women's restroom. Unless they've started allowing men in here, I suggest you find your way out."

The corners of his lips twitched—the most reaction I'd gotten out of him.

He was tall, the kind of tall that made the already small restroom feel suffocating. His black shirt stretched across his broad chest, the first few buttons undone, revealing the dark tattoos creeping up his neck.

His hair fell carelessly over his forehead, a few strands brushing his eyes. He looked exactly as I remembered.

And that was the problem. I hated that I remembered. I hated that my eyes noticed the faint stubble along his jaw, the familiar shape of his mouth, and the way he stood as though the entire fucking world belonged to him.

Elias's gaze travelled down to my folded arms before returning to my face. "Still have that mouth, I see."

"Unfortunately, you still have yours."

I shifted sideways, intending to walk past him, but he didn't move. "Move, Elias." I gritted out.

"Is that how you greet someone you haven't seen in months, Cara mia?"

"Someone?" I scoffed. "That's an interesting choice of word."

His eyes narrowed slightly. "You're angry."

"Brilliant observation. Did you figure that out all by yourself?" I snarked.

He took another step toward me, and I instinctively moved backwards until my hips met the edge of the basin.

"Look at me, Ava."

"I'd rather look at a fucking wall."

He stood directly in front of me. The close proximity between us made my chest heave as though he'd touched me.

"You've been avoiding me. Three months, Ava. Not one call." He tsked in disapproval.

"What did you expect? A thank-you card for the humiliation?"

Something flickered across his face, and I could've sworn it was regret—but I knew better than to assume. Elias didn't do regret.

"Ava." He called, and my insides jittered softly.

He lifted my chin with two fingers. I knew I should slap his hand away. I knew every reason why. I could recite them—the confession, his laughter, the woman on his arm the very next night.

"Say it," he murmured. "Tell me to leave."

"Elias…"

"That's not leave."

"I hate you."

"I know." His thumb brushed my lower lip, and my knees went weak. "You've always been a terrible liar."

"Elias…" I breathed out, hating myself for being in this situation again, hating that I let it happen, hating that I couldn't get enough of it.

He turned me around, making me face the mirror, his hand on my neck. "Open up for me, Cara mia."

For some seconds, neither of us spoke. Our reflections in the mirror were wrecked and flushed. His lips pressed to my shoulder—soft, almost tender.

Then he straightened, and whatever that was vanished like it had never existed. I tugged my dress down with shaking hands and kept my eyes on the door. "This didn't happen."

"Of course." He stepped past me, hand on the door, and glanced back with that infuriating half smile. "See you later, Cara mia."

The door swung shut behind him. I stood there, swallowing the disappointment. It was and would only ever be just sex.

I walked out of the restroom and back to the club, where I saw Vivian sitting by the bar.

"Took you long enough." She said as I approached her, only to pause, squinting her eyes. "Are you good?" she asked, and I nodded, unable to say a word. I didn't want to look around, didn't want to search for him.

Vivian sighed. "Come on, we're leaving. I've had enough to last me a lifetime."

I didn't have it in me to argue, after what had just happened.

In the car, Vivian glanced at me, eyes filled with the same worry I'd seen countless times.

"Did you see him again?" she asked.

I stared out the window. My dress still felt wrong against my skin. "No," I said instead.

Vivi didn't answer right away. She never did when she knew I was lying. She just tightened her grip on the steering wheel.

"Ava."

"I said no."

"Your lipstick is gone." She didn't look at me. "And you've got a mark on your shoulder."

My hand flew to the spot before I could stop it.

"Fucking hell, Ava." She exhaled hard. "Three months. Three months of you crying in my bathroom, swearing you were done with him, and you can't even last one night?"

"It was a mistake." I argued back.

"It's always a mistake with you."

"Vivi."

"No, don't 'Vivi' me." Her voice cracked, and that was worse than the shouting. "I'm not mad that you did it with him. I'm mad because he hurt you, and you keep walking back into it like you don't have a choice."

I don't, I almost said. Because my wolf was still pacing under my skin—restless and smug and furious all at once—and I couldn't explain that either.

How do you tell your human best friend that something inside you recognized him before you did?

So I said the only true thing I could. "I know."

Vivi's face softened, just slightly. She reached over and squeezed my hand.

"Whatever you decide, I'm here. Okay? Just promise me you'll be careful."

"I promise." I leaned my head against the cold glass and closed my eyes. For a few blessed minutes, nothing existed but the hum of the engine.

Then my phone buzzed.

I almost ignored it, but the screen lit up, and the name on it made my stomach drop.

Father.

I hadn't heard from him in almost a year. Not a call, not a message, not even a cold word on my birthday.

I opened the text with trembling fingers.

You've avoided this house long enough. Your pack needs you home. Come by Saturday. This is not a request.

Below it was a second message.

Your sister's mate has been chosen. The whole pack will be there. This is an order.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, my wolf went completely still.