All Chapters of Rise of the Chubby Lunar Queen : Chapter 1 - Chapter 5

POV: AvaI was wrong about the whole rock bottom thing. For a second, I forgot devils like my parents were very capable of throwing people like me into hell to burn. "Don't make this difficult."My father didn't look at me as he spoke. He stood by the fireplace, his large back to the room, staring at the dying fire. His fingers were wrapped tightly around a crystal glass of whiskey, the liquid shaking slightly.I stood in the center of the parlor, my small leather travel bag resting against my boot. The ache in my chest from Kael's broken bond was still a dull, throbbing weight, but the brutality in this room was so much worse."Sold," I repeated, the word tasting like dirt on my tongue. "You're selling me into a marriage to fix your political standing. That's what this is, isn't it? A contract with some old lord who needs a breeder."My mother let out a sharp, mocking laugh from the sofa. "Marriage? You think you have that kind of value after what happened tonight, Ava? Don't be rid

POV: Ava"You lied."I threw the thick, white rejection papers straight at Kael’s chest. The sheets scattered in the freezing wind, slapping against his leather jacket before fluttering down onto the snowy floorboards of the terrace.He didn't move or even try to catch them. He just stood there, his eyes watching the papers drift into the dark, completely calm. He didn't deny it, or look guilty, or—not that I didn't know it was wishful thinking— maybe even sorry? He just looked at me, his face a perfect, unreadable mask.The silence between us stretched out, cold, until the only sound left was the whistling wind coming off the northern ridge.Instead of getting angry, Kael took a slow step closer, his shadow falling over my boots again."Did your wolf disappear, Ava?" he asked, his voice dropping into a quiet, smooth whisper.Wh-what…? Why would he even ask that..?I paused, my breath catching in my throat as my whole body went rigid.My knuckles tightened inside the pockets of my hoo