Ava’s POVThe forest was alive with a restless kind of energy, the kind that prickled against my skin and stirred the wolf within me, clawing to be let out. The full moon was only a day away, and for wolves, that always meant tension, longing, and power simmering beneath the surface. But this time was different. This full moon wasn’t just any moon—it was one marked by the old prophecies, and for that reason, the clans were gathering. Every chief, every elder, and even the Alpha King himself… Diego.The name thrummed through me like a secret I shouldn’t keep repeating, but couldn’t stop.Our lands were unrecognizable. Where the woods were usually wild and untamed, now lanterns strung high among the branches cast a golden glow. Long tables made of carved oak had been dragged into the clearings, their surfaces polished and lined with fine woven cloths. The younger wolves ran errands under the strict commands of their elders, while the older ones gave instructions in clipped tones, voices
Diego’s POVThe night was quiet, but my mind was anything but. The halls of the estate stretched endlessly, my footsteps echoing like accusations against stone. Sleep eluded me, and every time I closed my eyes, I saw her—Ava. The way her gaze lingered with unspoken questions, the way her presence stirred something deep inside me that was both comforting and terrifying.I ran my hand along the cold banister as I climbed to my study, the familiar scent of ink and parchment greeting me. Maps of the old lands and records of my family’s legacy cluttered the table. My curse loomed over everything like a shadow I couldn’t escape. I remembered my aunt’s words from nights before, the prophecy that bound me:You will be freed only when you marry the one fate chose for you.But fate was cruel. Fate gave me riddles without answers, promises without directions. I didn’t know where to begin looking for this so-called chosen one—and a part of me didn’t care. Because when I thought of Ava, I wondered
Ava’s POVThe knock at my bedroom door was soft, almost too soft for anyone in this house. Sage would have barged in, demanding attention. My father’s knocks were always loud and sure, a reminder of authority. My mother’s came with her voice trailing behind, calling me by name.But this one—hesitant, deliberate—belonged to Alvin.I froze, pen still in hand, the sketches and notes sprawled across the secret board before me glowing under the dim light of my desk lamp. My heart gave a sharp twist. I couldn’t let him see this. Not Alvin. Not anyone.I swept the papers into a stack, shoved them into the false panel I had carved into the wall, and pulled the board shut just as his voice slipped under the door.“Ava? Are you awake?”I smoothed my hair down, inhaled once, and slipped into my usual mask before opening the door.Alvin stood there, leaning against the frame, his expression unusually calm. But calm with Alvin was never truly calm—it was always a performance. His sharp eyes scanne
Ava’s POVSleep was a stranger that night. I had tossed and turned until the moon itself had traveled halfway across the sky, the glow through my curtains mocking my exhaustion. My wolf stirred restlessly beneath my skin, as though aware of my turmoil but refusing to share its calm with me. Every breath in the dark felt stifling, every thought circling back to Diego, to Sage, to the chains of my family’s expectations.I finally pushed the covers off with a sigh and padded to my balcony doors. The air outside was cool and heavy with the faint scent of rain. The courtyard below looked peaceful, but peace was the last thing inside me.I needed out.I found my parents in the sitting room, speaking quietly with each other. My father’s stern eyes narrowed when I appeared in the doorway. My mother, elegant as ever, looked up from her teacup.“Ava,” she said, her voice carrying warning. “It’s the middle of the night.”“I need some air,” I told them. “I’m going to Veronica’s for a while.”My f
Diego’s POVThe moment I caught her scent, I didn’t think twice. Her fragrance—wild honey laced with the sharpness of wolfbane—cut through the night air like a blade through silence. I had been lingering at the edges of the mansion grounds for hours, pacing the perimeter, torn between staying hidden and answering the pull inside my chest.But when her presence shifted—when her heartbeat quickened as though it was searching for something—I couldn’t stop myself.I slipped through the side door like a shadow, quiet enough that not even the guards patrolling the east wing noticed me. My instincts carried me up the grand staircase, down the familiar hall lined with portraits of her family, and straight to her door. She was standing there, tense, listening to something beyond her window.Before I could think, I was there. I grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her inside. She let out a startled gasp, but I shut the door behind us and pressed her against the wall, shielding her from any pryin
Ava's POV The night was still, the kind that made shadows stretch long and sinister across the walls of my room. I had been waiting for hours, listening to the steady march of footsteps outside my door, the occasional cough of the guards my father had posted. Three days of being locked away like some fragile porcelain doll had been enough to push my patience to breaking.Tonight, I was going to see Diego.I had barely swung my legs over the wood in the woods when the air shifted. A rustle, followed by the crunch of boots on gravel, pierced the silence. My heart thudded painfully in my chest. I froze.And then I heard his voice.“Well, well. Trying to run off in the middle of the night, Ava?”Sage.Before I could run away, strong hands clamped around my arms and yanked me back inside. His men emerged from the shadows like a net tightening around me, their movements precise, like this had been planned from the start. My stomach sank.“You had me followed?” I spat, wrenching my arm free