Ava POV:
The penthouse apartment had a view of the entire city skyline. It was my apartment. My name was on the deed. My trust fund paid the mortgage. But for the last two years, I had let Liam live here because he said his pack house was "under renovation."
Renovation that never ended.
"Put that in the box. Careful, it's crystal," I instructed the movers.
I stood in the center of the living room, watching as traces of Liam were stripped away. His ugly modern art, his collection of expensive watches, his lingering scent on the sofa. I wanted it all gone.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?"
The elevator doors pinged open, and Liam stormed in. He looked disheveled, his tie loose. He must have rushed over from his office as soon as the doorman called him.
"I'm cleaning house," I said, not looking up from the clipboard in my hand. "You have until noon to get your personal effects out. Anything left behind goes to the incinerator."
"You can't do this!" Liam roared. He marched over and grabbed my arm. "I live here! Sarah and I are moving in next week. We need this place. The baby needs a stable environment!"
I looked at his hand on my arm. My skin crawled.
"Let go of me," I said calmly.
"No! You are being unreasonable. Just because we didn't work out doesn't mean you can be vindictive. I made a choice for the good of my pack, Ava! Sarah is fertile. She gives me strong offspring. You... you were a dead end."
"A dead end?" I repeated.
"Yes! I needed an heir! I did what any Alpha would do. And now you're punishing me by taking away my home? After everything we were?" He lowered his voice, trying to sound reasonable, trying to gaslight me. "Ava, be a good girl. Don't be hysterical. Keep the apartment in my name. Consider it... child support. For the years I wasted waiting for your wolf to show up."
The audacity stole the breath from my lungs. He wanted me to subsidize the home where he would raise his child with his mistress. He wanted me to pay him for the time he spent using me.
I pulled my arm free and swung.
Smack!
My palm connected with his cheek with a force that surprised us both. It wasn't just a slap; it was a release. Liam stumbled back, clutching his face. His eyes went wide.
"You bitch," he snarled. His eyes flashed red. His claws lengthened.
He lunged at me.
Instinct took over. I didn't cower. I didn't run. A surge of power, hot and white, erupted from my belly. It wasn't the submission of an Omega or the steady strength of a Beta. It was pure, unadulterated command.
"BACK OFF!"
The voice that came out of my mouth wasn't just mine. It was layered, distorted, vibrating with a power that shook the glass windows. It was the Alpha Voice-the command that forced submission.
Liam froze mid-air. His body obeyed before his brain could process it. He slammed to the ground, his knees hitting the hardwood floor with a crack. He gasped, clutching his chest, his wolf whimpering in submission.
Silence filled the room. The movers were staring, open-mouthed.
Liam looked up at me, terror written all over his face. "How... how did you do that? You're a defect. You have no wolf."
I stood over him. I felt tall. I felt ancient.
"I never said I had no wolf, Liam," I whispered. "I said I took suppressants to protect you."
I walked over to the fireplace mantel where a framed photo of us sat. It was from our engagement. We looked happy. It was a lie.
I took a lighter from my pocket and flicked it on. I held the flame to the corner of the photo.
"You called me a dead end," I said, watching the flames curl around his smiling face. "So let me show you what a dead end looks like."
I dropped the burning photo onto the floor in front of him.
"Get out. If you are not gone in ten minutes, I will have security throw you out the window."
Liam scrambled to his feet. He didn't argue. He didn't try to use his Alpha tone. He ran. He ran like a frightened pup who had just realized he had woken a sleeping dragon.
As the door closed behind him, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror.
My eyes were no longer hazel. They were swirling with flecks of silver.
