AVA’S POV
I woke up before everyone else, or so I thought. I rose slowly, each movement deliberate, testing my body. Weakness still clung to me, but I forced it aside. The day would not wait for me to recover. Alexander needed me. The packhouse would demand me. The world would not slow for anyone.
I was alone, and somehow, that felt worse than being hunted.
The first thing I noticed was the cold. My hands trembled as I pressed them over my
stomach, the life inside me pulsing softly against the rising dread.
I slid out of bed, careful not to disturb the sheets, bare feet whispering against the
marble floor. Every step toward the kitchen made me feel exposed, like the walls themselves were judging me.
Passing Xavier’s old room, the sound of moans froze me mid-step.
My wolf growled low in my chest. Leave, Ava. Don’t look.
But the human part of me, the part that still hoped my alpha might hold even a shred of
respect, led me closer.
The door was slightly ajar. I peeked.
Xavier was in bed. And Liezel, naked, straddling him, moving as if he belonged to her
entirely. My stomach twisted violently. My hands shook, my heart pounded, and yet, I
couldn’t tear my eyes away for just a moment.
Then I turned and ran.
Tears streaked my face as I entered the kitchen. I chopped, stirred, and cleaned, all with
hands that refused to stop trembling. I couldn’t stop seeing it, the way he looked at her,
the careless laughter, the intimacy I would never know.
“Good morning,” Xavier’s voice boomed from the doorway, and I flinched. Shirtless.
Dominant. Expectant.
“Morning,” I whispered, voice tight.
Liezel followed, laughing softly, wearing only the lingerie, my lingerie that Xavier had gifted me on our wedding night. My chest tightened. Every memory of love, of marriage,
of hope, felt like shards of glass pressing against my ribs.
“Prepare my breakfast,” Xavier ordered. “And hers. Get her tea, her favorite. Alexander,
coat on. You’ll take him to the park.”
I nodded, swallowing back bile. “Yes, Alpha,” I murmured, my voice hollow, obedient.
“Alexander, breakfast first,” Xavier said, casually stroking the nape of his neck. Liezel
laughed beside him. “Make sure it’s hot. I like my tea strong, darling.”
I moved mechanically. Chopped eggs. Buttered bread. Carried plates and tea as if my
hands belonged to someone else. My heart ached with every glance Xavier gave Liezel,
every whispered joke I wasn’t part of, every casual touch that belonged to someone
else entirely.
“Here,” I said, placing the tea in front of her. My fingers brushed her hand for a fraction of a second. She smiled. No recognition. No acknowledgment. Nothing.
Xavier’s eyes flicked to me. “Move it,” he said, voice sharp. “Take Alexander out before he loses patience.”
I nodded silently. Alexander tugged at my hand, unaware of the storm swirling inside me.
At the park, the sun was sharp. Children screamed and ran, and Alexander’s laughter rang like bells.
My phone vibrated once in my palm, an unfamiliar comfort. A call. Magnus. My
childhood best friend from the orphanage, the one I hadn’t spoken to since I married
Xavier is now the only heir to the Sharpfang Pack. I didn’t call back. I couldn’t risk it.
But the knowledge that someone who had truly known me long ago still thought to check on me lingered longer than the vibration itself.
I answered cautiously. “Magnus?”
“How are you, Ava?” His voice was steady, gentle, the kind of voice that could untangle
years of fear.
“I’m fine,” I said, voice tight. “I’m… fine.”
He didn’t buy it. “You’re not. What’s wrong?”
I hesitated. The truth would open doors I wasn’t ready to cross. I shook my head.
“Nothing. Really. Just… tired.”
There was silence for a moment, then he said softly, “Ava… I’ve been here. Always. If you ever need me, I’ll help. All you have to do is say it.”
I stared at the phone long after the call ended. His words echoed. Always here… ready
to help… A lifeline I hadn’t realized I still craved.
Back at the house, the memory of Xavier and Liezel clung to me like smoke. I cooked,
served, cleaned, and obeyed, every motion deliberate, silent. Every order followed
without complaint, every ounce of pain swallowed like medicine.
“Tea, Alpha,” I said, setting the cup down carefully.
“Thanks,” Xavier murmured, not looking at me.
Liezel giggled. “You always know exactly how I like it.”
I pressed my lips together. A small, bitter smile. Inside, I burned. Outside, I bowed my
head and served.
Alexander tugged at my hand again. “Auntie Ava, swing!”
“Yes,” I whispered. He ran ahead, and I followed, letting the fresh air wash over me,
trying to purge the suffocating heaviness of the house.
Hours passed. I thought of Magnus’s words. I’m here. Always.
Could I trust him? Could I reach out? Or was it a fantasy, a fleeting hope in a life full of
betrayals?
I sank onto a park bench, hands pressed to my stomach. The life inside me pulsed, warmly, stubbornly.
We exist. We survive.
I whispered it aloud. “We will survive. We will be stronger. We’ll endure.”
And in that quiet, with the wind in my hair and the distant laughter of children, I realized
something.
I didn’t need Xavier’s acknowledgment.
I didn’t need Liezel’s approval.
I had a child.
I had Magnus’s promise.
I had my own will.
And that was enough.
I would survive. Not just for me. Not just for him. Not for anyone else.
But for the life that belonged to no one but me.
Whatever came next, whatever choices I had to make, I would protect that life.
And if Magnus’s hand was offered… perhaps it was time to take it.
The world could try to break me.
It could try to erase me.
But it wouldn’t.
Not anymore.
