Ava POV:
Harrison brought me home the next morning. He played the part of the concerned mate perfectly for the crew, carrying me to the car, telling them I had "seasickness."
I didn't fight him. The Wolfsbane was still in my system, making my limbs feel like jelly. I needed to bide my time.
He dumped me in our bedroom and left immediately for the Pack Hospital with Brooke. "Prenatal checkup," he had said, beaming like a proud father.
The moment the front door clicked shut, I dragged myself out of bed.
I needed proof.
I went to his study. The door was locked, but I knew where the spare key was-hidden in the hollow spine of a fake book on the shelf. The Art of War. How fitting.
I unlocked the door and went straight to his desk. I booted up his computer. I knew his password: SilverLakeAlpha1 . His ego was his vulnerability.
I scanned his emails. Nothing. He was careful.
Then I checked the blocked list on the Pack's communication server.
My breath hitched.
Hundreds of messages. All from Dustin. All blocked.
Ava, pick up.
Ava, Dad's research... it's about you.
Ava, don't trust the Seer.
And one outgoing message from Harrison's terminal, sent six months ago, pretending to be me:
Dustin, stop contacting me. You are a Rogue and a disgrace. I never want to speak to you again.
"You bastard," I hissed.
I pulled out my phone. It was smashed from the 'accident' on the boat-another lie. I grabbed the landline on the desk.
I dialed the number I had memorized since childhood.
"Hello?" A gruff voice answered.
"Dustin," I whispered.
"Ava?" His voice cracked. "Is that you? I thought... the message said..."
"It wasn't me. It was Harrison. Dustin, I need help. I need extraction."
"Where are you?"
"Pack House. But I can't leave through the front. The Enforcers are everywhere."
"Listen to me," Dustin said, his voice turning hard. "I have a merc team two hours out. But you need to survive until then. And Ava... Dad's totem. The bone carving. Do you have it?"
"It's in the attic," I said.
"Get it. It's not just a carving. It's a key. It unlocks your seal. You are a White Wolf, Ava. You aren't defective. You're a goddamn weapon."
The line went dead. Harrison must have remote-cut the connection.
I ran to the attic. My heart pounded against my ribs.
I found the old dusty trunk. I threw it open.
Empty.
"Looking for this?"
I spun around.
Brooke stood at the top of the stairs. She was holding the bone totem-a jagged piece of ancient wolf bone covered in runes.
"Give it to me," I said, my voice low.
"It's full of dark magic," Brooke said, tossing it in her hand like a toy. "I can feel it. Your parents were into some sick stuff, Ava. No wonder they died."
"Don't you dare talk about them."
"Your mother was weak," Brooke sneered, stepping closer. "She begged for her life. Did you know that? She begged me to save her children."
Red. My vision went completely red.
I didn't think. I didn't plan. I launched myself at her.
I tackled her to the ground. My hands found her throat. I wasn't shifting, but I felt claws-etheric, sharp claws-extending from my human fingers.
"Die!" I screamed.
Brooke's eyes went wide. For a second, she looked genuinely terrified.
Then, she smirked.
She reached into her purse, which had fallen beside her, and pulled out a heavy silver paperweight she must have stolen from the study.
Crack.
She slammed it into my temple.
Pain exploded in my head. I rolled off her, clutching my bleeding skull.
Brooke didn't get up. She lay back, ruffled her hair, and then let out a bloodcurdling scream.
"Help! Harrison! Help me! My baby!"
I looked up through the blood dripping into my eye.
Harrison was standing at the bottom of the attic stairs. He looked up, saw Brooke on the floor clutching her stomach, and saw me with blood on my hands.
"Ava!" he roared.
The Alpha Command hit me like a physical blow, pinning me to the floorboards.
"You attacked my heir!"
He bounded up the stairs, his face twisted in a mask of pure fury.
I looked at Brooke. She winked.
I closed my eyes. Dustin, hurry.
