AVAThey didn’t speak at first. I didn’t say a word either. Not after Roman read the letter again. Not after Axel dropped it to the floor like it had burned his fingers. And definitely not after Zade clenched his jaw and turned away from me like he was seconds away from shifting.I just stood there feeling exposed, with the truth hanging in the air between us.“My dad…” I finally began to say, but my voice cracked a bit. “He knew. He knew everything.”Roman moved closer. “You should have told us he died.”The sadness hit me all over again. “Your dad asked me not to. He said it would... complicate things.”“He had no right to ask you to do that,” Axel said coldly.Just then, Zade turned around, and when I looked into his eyes, I could see how stony they were. “And he had no right to hide something this big from us. From you too.”I swallowed. I didn’t want to cry. Not again. But when Roman moved closer and wrapped his arms around me, I let myself lean into his chest.“I’m sorry,” I wh
AVAAs I held the letter with trembling hands, my fingers were barely steady enough to open it. The edges were worn and curled up, like it had been handled many times before now.Somehow, I had managed to divert Megan and Zade’s attention away from the letter by telling them I wasn’t ready to fully read it just yet. But I was. Just not in front of them.I knew it was from my dad before I even read the first line. There was no way on earth I could ever forget what his handwriting looked like. Seeing it all over again brought tears to my eyes, but I pushed them back as soon as they came.“Ava,” the letter began. “If you’re reading this, I’m probably already gone. I wanted to tell you this face-to-face, but there really wasn’t any time for that. But still, you need to know the truth.”My heart skipped a few beats as I sat on the edge of the bed and unfolded the page all the way, trying to keep my breathing calm in the process. But the words looked blurry from all the tears gathering in
ZADEI saw red.Ava was beneath Axel, her shirt had been ripped off and flung away some time ago, and his mouth was all over her skin. As she stared at him, her breath hitched like she didn’t know whether to moan or cry. And just like that, something inside me snapped.Without thinking, I charged at him.“Get off her!” I roared as I pushed Axel away from Ava and into the wall.His body slammed hard into the drywall and before he could even react or try to get his bearings, I punched him right on the jaw. The sound filled the room, and Ava gasped as she suddenly rushed around, trying to cover herself with the sheets. Axel growled deeply, and his eyes flashed.And then without any warning whatsoever, he shifted.Fur covered his body, and his bones cracked, rearranging themselves as his wolf form took over. I shifted instantly, though my own transformation felt almost violent. We didn’t mind link each other. We didn’t even need to. It was just rage against rage as we bared our claws a
AVA“I don’t know who I want more,” I repeated even though my voice was shaky now.Roman’s eyes had turned really dark just as if there was a storm currently rolling through him. He didn’t say a word. He just grabbed my face and kissed me.The kiss was hard and hungry, almost like he was losing his mind.The steam from the shower fogged the mirrors and glass walls, but I barely noticed. His lips moved over mine like he was trying to own me. My fingers were tangled in his wet hair as I moaned into his mouth, clinging to him like he was the only thing keeping me sane.“Do you feel that?” he breathed out in between kisses. “Those sparks?”I nodded even though my heart was pounding so hard in my ears.He dropped to his knees right there on the wet tile. His hands trailed up my thighs, sending sparks all over my skin. I gasped when he kissed my stomach, just below my belly button.“Roman…” I whimpered.His lips hovered just above the place that was aching for him. “I’ve never wanted anyone
AVAMy heart almost stopped beating.“She must either be claimed or destroyed…”The Elder’s voice echoed again and again in my head, ringing louder than everything else in the room. I couldn’t move. I could barely breathe. My chest had tightened like someone wrapped chains around it and kept pulling.Claimed… or destroyed.I didn’t hear the rest. Not really. The elder said more words, something about giving us one week to figure out the bond. Now I had just one week before they would decide if I’d be accepted or removed from the pack.Removed…?I kept staring ahead, frozen in one spot as the council dismissed everyone. The triplets didn’t move either. Their eyes were still on me, but none of them made any attempt to come toward me. They didn’t even say a single word.People were leaving the room slowly and I could hear the whispers that filled the air. Some were looking at me with fear, some with pity, and others—like Hailey, Kylie, and Michelle—looked satisfied. Hailey smirked as s
AVAI walked into the council meeting hall with my head held high, even though my knees felt like jelly. The room was silent and filled with wolves who had probably already made up their minds about me. The Elders sat in a straight row at a table in the front. Alpha Thomas sat at the edge with his arms crossed and his jaw tensed up.Zade, Roman, and Axel were already there. I felt all three of them turn to look at me when I entered, but none of them moved. Hailey was standing near the witness table. Her eyes were red and filled with fake tears like she’d just stepped out of a soap opera. Kylie was behind her and her arms were folded as she glared at me like I’d murdered her puppy. And Michelle had her lips curled up in that evil smirk of hers. An Elder stood. “We’ll begin now,” he announced.Hailey was the first to speak. “Ever since Ava moved to the pack house, things have been unstable.” She sniffled dramatically. “The triplets keep acting strange and the entire house feels unsaf