***IRENE ***That was when I saw her.Jess —curled up in a corner, her shoulders trembling, eyes red and wet with tears.My heart dropped. “Jess!” I rushed forward, crouching in front of her. “What happened? Who did this?”Jess quickly looked up, her teary eyes darting to the others standing behind me. She didn’t say anything. Her lips trembled slightly, but she just shook her head.I turned my glare on the other women. “Out. All of you. Now.”They didn’t hesitate—within seconds, the hallway was empty.I turned back to Jess, my voice gentler now. “Jess, talk to me. What happened?”She sniffed, wiping her nose with the back of her hand. Her voice came out small and broken. “Ryan… he threatened me.”I blinked. “What?” The word came out sharper than I intended.Jess clenched her hands tightly together. “He… he cornered me in the parking lot. He said if I don’t convince you to revoke your order, he’ll make Justin’s life in the pack miserable.”My chest tightened. Justin. Her mate.I fel
—•AVERY•— I watched Ryan, silent and unreadable, though inside, something bitter stirred.If only he knew.If only he knew the woman standing before him was the same “weak omega” he had once thrown away without a second thought.If only he knew Avery—the one he mocked, spat on, rejected—was the one now looking down on him.I didn’t say another word. I just stared at him, the corner of my lips barely curving, not into a smile, but into something sharper.He didn’t know that the woman he had destroyed once was now the one holding all the power.Strictly speaking, Ryan Waters had no idea who he was really shaking hands with.And I had no intention of telling him.Ryan was still smiling when I met his gaze, confident and cocky, like he already assumed the meeting would go his way.“I’m afraid you came for nothing, Mr Waters,” I said flatly.His brows furrowed. “Excuse me?”“I said,” I repeated slowly, letting each word fall sharp like glass, “We have no business to discuss.”He blinked,
—•AVERY•— When I finally reached the mansion gates, my stomach churned. The guards bowed as I drove in, but I barely noticed. My whole body felt numb.I parked the car and sat there for a moment, staring out the windshield. The world outside looked calm—too calm. Like the world didn’t know something terrible was about to happen.When I finally stepped out of the car, Mrs. Brianne came rushing to meet me. “Dear, you’re back. You look pale—are you alright?”I forced a small smile. “I’m fine. Just… a little tired.”She frowned, clearly unconvinced, but didn’t push further. I walked past her and entered the mansion, each step feeling heavier than the last. When I got inside, the house was quiet except for the faint sound of plates clinking from the dining area. Jess was sitting at the table, halfway through dinner, her phone beside her. The air smelled like roasted chicken and rice.The moment she saw me, she froze mid-bite, her eyes wide. “Avery!” she exclaimed, quickly wiping her mout
—•AVERY•— The drive back home felt longer than it actually was. My hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly my knuckles turned white. Every time I blinked, the seer’s words echoed in my head like a haunting melody I couldn’t escape.‘Never acknowledge him as your son.Your wolf must never awaken.He will die.’ Those words spun around in my mind until I thought I’d go mad. I pressed harder on the accelerator, trying to drown my thoughts with the sound of the engine, but nothing helped. My chest felt tight, my throat burned, and my eyes stung with unshed tears.I could still see the seer’s face in my mind—the strange calm in her eyes, the way she said my name like she had known me forever. And that power… that cold, mysterious aura that clung to her. She didn’t lie. I could feel it. Whatever she was, she wasn’t ordinary.The thought of my mother made my heart twist painfully. ‘She sacrificed her life to protect you.’ Was that true? Did she really die because of me?My fingers trem
—•AVERY•—My heart pounded fast. The woman’s eyes never left mine. She stood there with that strange calm smile that made my stomach twist.I took a slow step back, still holding my handbag tightly. “What do you mean… you’ve been waiting for me?” I asked, my voice low but shaky.The woman tilted her head slightly, her eyes glinting. “Exactly what I said, child. I’ve been waiting for you for a very long time.”I frowned, glancing around to see if anyone was watching us. The people at the grocery store had gone back to their business, but something about this woman made me uneasy. “Who are you?” I demanded. “And why were those girls pushing you out?”The woman chuckled softly, her voice deep and smooth. “Sometimes, it is easier to see true hearts when you wear the face of weakness. The cruel will always show their colors first.”That only made me more confused. “What are you talking about?”She took a slow step closer, and I stiffened. There was something about her presence—something n
—•AVERY•—I froze. The words dropped like a stone into the pit of my stomach. “Blood Moon?” I whispered.Jayden nodded.Blood Moon pack. Once the second most powerful pack after Ironcrest… until everything changed. Almost overnight, they had dropped to lowest among the leading packs. No one had ever understood why. No explanation, no answers, just whispers and suspicion that lingered, and the truth buried under years of silence.And now… someone from there had saved me?“How?” I murmured, more to myself than to him. “How could anyone from them even…?”I frowned, shaking my head. “I don’t know anyone from the Blood Moon pack.”Jayden’s lips pressed into a thin line. “Maybe you think you don’t. But listen—” he leaned forward now, his tone firm, almost urgent—“Blood Moon used to be the strongest after Ironcrest. Remember Ironcrest is Damon’s pack right? Nonetheless, right after the alpha of the Blood Moon pack was mysteriously killed, another took over. But no one knew who this new leade