The night was bitter, the cold slicing through my skin as Zach and I ran. The sounds of the party had long faded behind us, but Mavin’s screams still echoed in my ears.
"Mommy, don’t go!"
My legs ached, my breath coming in sharp, ragged gasps. Zach finally slowed as we reached the outskirts of town, his grip firm on my arm as if he expected me to collapse. Maybe he was right.
“This place is safe for now,” Zach muttered, leading me into an old safe house tucked between the trees. It was a small, abandoned cottage, its walls lined with dust and forgotten furniture. He pulled the curtains shut, locking the door behind us. “We can’t stay long. Gavin’s guards will be out looking for you.”
I barely heard him. My body moved on instinct, pacing the creaky wooden floor as I tried to make sense of what had just happened.
Gavin’s voice was still ringing in my head. The cold finality of his words.
"You have five seconds before I make good on that decree."
I shuddered, wrapping my arms around myself. I should’ve expected it but hearing him say it so easily—casting me aside like I was nothing—felt like a dagger to my chest.
“Ofelia,” Zach called again, sharper this time. “We need to plan our next move. I know you’re shaken up, but you can’t lose your head now.”
I turned to him, my voice barely above a whisper. “I have to go back.”
Zach’s expression hardened. “Don’t be reckless. You saw what happened back there. If you go back now, they’ll kill you.”
“I can’t just leave him,” I snapped. “Mavin—he saw me. He knows I didn’t abandon him. I have to reach him before Avery poisons him even more.”
Zach sighed, rubbing a hand down his face. “And how do you plan to do that? March up to the estate and ask nicely?”
I ignored him, my eyes scanning the room. There had to be something—some way to contact Mavin without exposing myself. Then I spotted it.
An old, dusty drawer sat half-open in the corner. My hands trembled as I pulled it open, my heart pounding when I saw what lay inside. A burner phone.
I snatched it up, fingers shaking as I checked for a signal. Weak, but still working. I hesitated for only a moment before typing a short message to the only person I knew could still be trusted inside Gavin’s ranks.
"Is he safe?”
Minutes passed. I held my breath, my pulse hammering as the screen stayed dark. Then, finally, a reply came.
But it wasn’t from my contact.
My heart nearly stopped as I read the sender’s name.
Mavin.
I inhaled sharply, my fingers tightening around the phone as I opened the message.
[Mommy, I need you. They're lying to me. Please come back.]
A choked sob caught in my throat. He knew. He knew. Despite everything, despite Avery’s poison and Gavin’s coldness, Mavin still trusted me.
Zach looked over my shoulder, his jaw tightening. “This is dangerous, Ofelia. If he’s messaging you, someone could be watching him.”
“I don’t care,” I whispered. “He needs me.”
Inside the pack’s estate, Avery watched Mavin with an expression of forced patience. He stood stiffly in the center of his room, fists clenched, glaring up at her.
“She’s not a traitor,” he said, his voice thick with defiance.
Avery sighed, kneeling to meet his eye level. “Oh, sweetheart. I know this is hard to understand, but your mother—”
“She’s not my mother,” Mavin snapped. “You keep saying that, but she is. She raised me. She was there when no one else was.”
A flicker of irritation passed over Avery’s face, but she smoothed it over quickly. “That woman lied to you, Mavin. She manipulated you. She wanted to hurt us.”
Mavin’s hands trembled. “That’s not true.”
Gavin, who had been standing quietly by the door, finally spoke. “You need to let her go.”
Mavin turned, his blue eyes burning. “If she’s a traitor, why do I remember her being the only one who ever loved me?”
The room went still.
Avery’s lips pressed into a thin line, her fingers curling at her sides. She turned to Gavin, expecting him to say something—to tell Mavin he was wrong.
But Gavin said nothing. Instead, he turned and walked away.
Zach and I sat in silence, the burner phone still clutched in my hands. Every second felt like an eternity as I waited for another message, anything to tell me Mavin was still safe.
Then, the screen flickered.
A new message appeared—but this time, it wasn’t from Mavin.
A chill ran down my spine as I read the words.
[Come any closer, and you’ll regret it.]
The number was blocked.
I swallowed hard, my pulse racing. This wasn’t just a warning. Someone knew. Someone had been watching.
Zach peered over my shoulder, his expression darkening. “They’re onto us.”
“I’m going back,” I said. “Tonight.”
Zach exhaled sharply. “You’re insane.”
I met his gaze, my voice firm. “Mavin needs me. And I’m done letting them take everything from me.”
For a long moment, Zach didn’t speak. Then, finally, he let out a low curse. “Fine. But if we do this, we do it my way. There’s an old tunnel beneath the estate. It’s dangerous, but it might be our only shot.”
I nodded. “Then we take it.”
A final message flashed onto the screen.
[Mommy, they know.]
