All Chapters of The Awakening: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Ava's POV The courtyard was chaos.The sound of bones snapping still echoed in my ears, mingling with the guttural roar that had ripped free from Diego’s chest when his human skin gave way to the monster beneath. His Lycan form towered above everyone — massive, dark, and twice the size of any wolf I’d ever seen. His eyes burned molten gold, seething with rage and something primal that made even the bravest of my father’s men recoil.I couldn’t breathe.Every nerve in me was pulled toward him, toward the terrifying majesty of what he had become. He was feral, unstoppable, and yet—he was Diego. The Diego whose eyes softened when they met mine, whose presence burned like a secret fire in my chest.He didn’t stay.With one earth-shaking leap, he bounded past us and vanished into the trees beyond the courtyard, his growl fading into the storm-thickened air. Leaves whipped loose from branches, spiraling in the wake of his departure.My heart lurched to follow. My body moved before my mind

Ava's POV The first thing I felt was weight.Not the kind that pressed on my chest from nightmares, but a heavy stillness that seemed to stretch through my bones and muscles, like I had been asleep for years. My eyelids fought against the faint stream of sunlight filtering in through the curtains, but when I finally managed to open them, the room swam into focus.I was in my bed. My room. The familiar carved headboard above me, the heavy quilt drawn to my waist, the scent of lavender candles long burned out. My breath came shallow, weak, as if I had only just clawed my way back from drowning.“Finally.”The voice startled me. My mother sat in the chair near the foot of my bed, her posture poised yet rigid. Her hands, neatly folded in her lap, betrayed the tension she carried. For a fleeting moment, I thought I saw relief flicker in her eyes, but it was gone before I could place it.“Mother…” My voice rasped, the word rough and fragile. “How long—?”“Three days,” she said softly, thou

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 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 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