Chapter One

Ava's pov

“I’m not going to that party!” I yelled, my heart pounding hard against my chest like it would explode but my face managed to keep a blank stare.

The pin drop silence in the room sent shivers down my spine but of course, I had to pretend to be calm.

If I wanted to keep my point, I had to at least pretend like I was no longer a child.

I darted my eyes around the office, finding my grandparents’ faces boring holes into my body.

“You must've lost a few screws from your brain in that stupid lab you keep going to. You definitely don't know what you're talking about.” My grandmother hissed.

She shot lasers at me with her eyes and if looks could kill, I'd probably be ten feet beneath the earth’s surface, but who cared?

As usual, the entire family was gathered in my grandfather's living room in our family house.

When I say the entire family, I mean my grandparents who definitely hate and want to sell me out for money, my aunts and uncles who detested my mother and I and would do anything to get rid of us and a handful of other people I don't care about.

You may be wondering why my sweet…emphasis on the sweet family was gathered in my grandfather's country home, wasting our previous time over nothing.

Me.

Ever since I turned sixteen, my grandparents especially my grandmother seemed to have taken on the role of witch hunting my life, especially my love life.

As a twenty years old young lady, my entire family seemed only want one thing for me and that was for me to attend the annual mating ceremony held in our pack, find my mate and just get married.

Just like that.

No talking, no getting to know each other, no actual falling in love. They just want me to hop on the nearest guy I can find and get married.

Why the hell would I even do that?

“I can't remember asking for your opinion. This is an order, not a request. You're going to that party and that's final. You can go!” Grandma Ava rasped.

My eyes went from her to my grandfather who had been sitting quietly without saying a word and the more I stared at him, the angrier I got. Who gave them the right to control my life like it was theirs?

This was the same thing they did with my mother, controlling her life, making her suffer and endure abuse from that bastard whom the universe had to unfortunately choose as my deadbeat father.

Now they want to start with me.

My hands gripped the hem of my shirt tight, not caring if I was wearing a cheap fabric that could tear at any minute. I rose up on my feet and walked to my grandmother.

“I hate to break it to you grandma but I won't be going anywhere near that charade. The only place I'll be going is the hospital to see my poor mother, who is losing her life all thanks to you!” I yelled on top of my voice.

Her eyes turned red instantly as rage slowly crawled in. I stepped back and gripped my shirt tighter. The tension between my grandmother and I made the room hot and unbearable.

Grandma Ava, my grandmother, whom I was named after….terrible mistake by the way, suddenly shot up from her seat with rage in her eyes. She clenched her fists tight with gritted teeth.

“Don't make me repeat myself, Ava.” She started, her eyes darting around. “You know better than to mess with me.”

My eyes landed on the expensive wristwatch she was wearing and a hot ball of rage suddenly rose in my throat. My grandparents were the most selfish set of people I've met, they owned a lot of properties across our pack. They're the literal definition of stinky rich but the only thing they cared about was me getting married.

And I wasn't about to give them the pleasure.

“Over my dead body would I attend a dumb party like that.” I sneered, inching closer to her face.

Balls of sweat trickled down my face, my heart kept racing like a wild animal in the jungle, everyone in the room had their eyes on us but not one person said a thing.

My hands had become all sweaty and clammy as a feeling of nervousness crept up my neck.

It was one thing to disobey my grandmother, but yelling in her face was another thing.

“Ava, that's fine, you don't speak to your grand mother in that manner. Just do what she’s asking you to.” One of my uncles voice broke the silence.

“Oh, shut the hell up, Francis. You can't even stand up for yourself, who the hell are you to tell me what to do.” I hissed and rolled my eyes.

“Ava!” Someone yelled my name. The room instantly turned into chaos. My relatives started whispering and pointing fingers. The heat in the room only became worse. I could see my grandfather boiling hot with the rage of a wounded lion.

Before she could speak, my grandfather suddenly held her hand.

“Honey, you know she's just a kid. Let's give her more time to think about it. You know….” Grandma Ava snatched her hands out of it.

“Oh, keep quiet, Leo. You always go easy on them and that is why they always turn out as whores who do nothing but drag our family name in shame!” She spat unapologetically.

The entire room went silent.

My hands grabbed my shirt tighter, tears stung the corner of my eyes while I bit my lips to hold back from crying.

I was too familiar with that ‘whore’, the one who dragged the family name in shame.

That whore was my poor mother.

My poor mother who was fighting for her life at the hospital was deemed the whore of the family.

Grandma Ava stepped closer to my face, her face leaning into mine with a cruel, evil smirk.

“Yes, Ava, your mother is the disgrace I'm talking about.” She snickered while my hands and lips quivered.

She stared at me dead in the eyes without remorse.

“Your mother brought shame upon this family. All those years I worked my back off building this family's reputation in the pack, your shame of a mother ruined it by jumping from man to man like a whore.”

More tears gathered in my eyes but I refused to let them out, I wasn't going to give these people the pleasure of watching me cry.

“Ava just….” I held my hand up, cutting her off.

“Dear grandmother, I hate to be the one telling you this but you're nothing but a selfish, self centered mother and grandmother.” I started with my shaky voice.

The entire room went up in gasps. Terror lined the faces of my aunts and uncles….even my grandfather who would never dream of standing up to my grandmother.

Her brown eyes were burning holes into my body but I couldn't care less. I yanked the hands of my uncle away and stepped closer to her face.

“My mother is in that hospital today because of you.” Tears rolled down my eyes as I spoke.

I could no longer fight back the tears and the more I tried sniffing, the more they rushed out.