Avery’s POVI stand frozen in fear, I can’t move I can’t think I can’t do anything, watching a stranger approach with malice in his eyes. I don’t know what he wants from me but my instincts can tell that it is nothing good. The tension in the air thickens as I realize he means to harm me. “What do you want from me?” I ask with a shaky voice. Just as fear begins to overtake me, Kane steps in. Without a word, he moves swiftly, his movements predatory and lethal, taking down the out sider with a ruthless ease that sends a chill down my spine. His protective instinct is unmistakable, he just saved my life.For a brief, surreal moment, I forget who he is. Forgetting the cruelty, the manipulation, the constant struggle against him. In this instant, he seems almost... normal. Almost like a protector. In this moment I know he would do anything to protect me and keep me safe. This makes my wolf purr in admiration “he would do anything for us Avery, he is the only one who truly cares about us”
Alpha Kane’s POVI can feel the burning tension building within me, a storm of frustration and need that refuses to be quelled. All my attempts to be patient with Avery have worn thin, and every defiant glance, every refusal she makes only fuels the flames of my obsession because that is the best word to describe the dangerous feelings I have for her. Its an obsession that refuses to go away like an annoying bug flying round me. I know I should give her time, but my wolf, my instinct—demand otherwise. The bond, the desire, it claws at me relentlessly. I am trying my very best to let her have her space but the harder I try, the more I want her. I hoped it would be easier with time, but that is just a myth in this scenario because time only made me feel worse.One night, unable to fight this longing I feel any longer, I walk into the common room, my eyes scanning everywhere until I find Avery. I pull her into a secluded corner of the packhouse not even listening to her multiple question
Avery's POVMy consistent defiance in rejecting Kane yet again had pushed him beyond his limit. In front of the entire pack, he forced me to kneel on the cold, hard ground as a form of punishment. The warriors sneer at me, some whispering that I should submit already, I hear and see their judgment. I should pay for making their alpha go through all this stress, while others watching in amusement. But I refused to break. I glared up at Kane, my body trembling, but my spirit defiant.Let me give a recap of what happened. It was a normal day of training until the all-mighty alpha Kane decided to start his usual tantrum of me not accepting to be his mate.“Why do you choose to be so stubborn Avery?” he asked in annoyanceI am getting sick of this so I reply “I am stuck here in your pack, isn’t that good enough?”His expression hardens as he brings his face closer to me “it isn’t enough and you know it” after a few more back and forth then I may or may not have called him the A word in fro
Kane’s POVI watch them from the shadows, my blood boiling as Adrian kneels beside my Avery, his touch gentle as he cleans her wounds like he actually cares about her. The sight of her letting my brother care for her, of her walls cracking even slightly, sends a wave of fury through me. She has been with me for months, hell she is my bloody mate and I have never been able to make her smile this much. My wolf paces restlessly inside me, growling in protest “you cannot let him win our mate over, she was ours first and you will not let your brother play with her”. For the first time in a long time I fully agree with my wolf. She is my mate. Mine. And yet, she sits there, her shoulders relaxed, her lips slightly parted, trusting Adrian in a way she never has with me. I will be damned if I let him have her, she can’t though we have a mate bond. She can’t actually feel anything for him.My brother and I have a complicated relationship. Complicated is the best way I can put it because we h
Avery’s POVMy mind has been in a whirlwind of thoughts since meeting Adrian, well more of a whirlwind that it was before. I don’t know what to make of Adrian, he is well…he is different is the best way to put it. He’s nothing like his older brother except in the looks department. He is very tall and only an inch or two shorter than Kane, he has his brothers’ eyes but they have a warm inviting feel while his brothers’ eyes feel like they are burning. They look almost like twins, if I am being completely honest Kane is the hotter one but Adrian is very close too just that he feels more cute and charming. Like a golden retriever. where Kane is all dominance and control, Adrian is… easy. Easy to talk to, easy to be around. He makes me want to stay all day and tell him everything.I should be suspicious; I would be an idiot if I didn’t have suspicions or question his kindness at least a little but don’t I deserve to be a little delusional? I haven’t felt genuine kindness in a while. I sho
Adrian’s POVI should have been a world class actor with how good I am at playing my part just right. Being who she wants…no needs me to be. I have been careful, calculated and diligent. Every move I have made so far has been deliberate, from the soft touches to the teasing words. From making her smile, giggle, playfully punch me and talk to me. I watched her hesitate at first, obviously not sure whether to trust me or not, as she slowly lowered her defenses around me. I was proud of myself. She did try to hold back from my charm not sure what to take of it, as soon as I made her believe I was of no harm she finally caved. She became her true and authentic self around me. The Avery without all the built up walls to keep people away from her, to shield herself from getting hurt. I sound like such the villain if I might say so myselfIt’s working just the way I imagined it would. I mean I never doubted my capabilities in charming a woman, look at me. I have done everything to be the
Kane’s POVI normally pride myself in being a man of immense control. Control over my pack, my territory, and the bond that connects me to Avery, well at least I try to have control over it. But Adrian’s persistent interference is unraveling me. Making me lose every sense of control I once believed I had. It’s one thing for Avery to resist me, as much as it hurts that he can handle; our back and forth, her claims of hating me, I can handle all of that. It’s another to see her smile, to see the tension ease from her shoulders when Adrian is nearby. To see her smile the type of smile I’ve never seen her give me, she looks so happy when he is around and I have no hand in said happiness. That is what I have a problem handling. The mate bond demands that I be his alone, and the sight of her leaning toward his brother makes my blood boil. I know she can not do anything with him, I have tried but the mate bond just does not allow it but being this close to someone isn’t breaking any rules y
Avery’s POVMy world has become a twisted game of survival. Kane’s constant dominance is suffocating, while Adrian’s attention feels like a breath of fresh air. It’s Adrian who starts planting the seeds of escape in my mind, his voice a whisper in the dark corners of the packhouse. He is giving me something I desperately crave. My freedom“Kane won’t ever let you go,” Adrian tells me one evening, his gaze intense and unyielding. “You’ll be a prisoner here forever unless you leave.” I knew this already, I always knew this I just tried my best not to think about it. Not to believe I really am stuck in this hellhole for the rest of my life. With no future in sight.“I know Kane won’t let me go and every time I tried to run away he found me, he punished me and id wake up still stuck here. Knowing that if I tried to escape again he would find then punish me just like the other times and I would be able to do nothing but feel useless” I admit honestly, as much as I hate to say it, I am sca
Avery’s POV I had fallen asleep in the living room after putting my son to sleep and cleaning the house. But the sound of shattering glass suddenly rips me from sleep. For a split second, I think I imagined it. The room is silent except for the rapid pounding of my heart. My breath is uneven, my body frozen as I try to distinguish between dream and reality. But then, a gust of cold air brushes against my skin, unnatural and sharp. And I know. Something is wrong. My son I sprang up, my bare feet hitting the floor with a loud thud. The sound barely registers in my ears as I sprint down the hall, my pulse hammering louder than my footsteps. The hallway has never felt this long. Every second drags. By the time I reach the bedroom door, my hands are trembling so badly that I nearly rip it off its hinges. And then I see it. The window........ wide open. The night air rushes in, making the curtains snap and billow wildly like ghosts in the dim moonlight. The glass sh
Kane’s POVI sit at the head of the dining hall, my fingers drumming against the polished wood of the table, my plate untouched. Across the room, Sophia, my chosen Luna, is speaking with a visiting Alpha. Her laughter is soft, too sweet, her hand lingering on the man’s arm for just a second too long.It’s supposed to be harmless, a diplomatic show of hospitality. But something about it irks me. It seemed like she was deliberately doing everything to get my attention.My wolf growls low in my mind, restless and on edge. I shove the irritation down, forcing myself to look away. This isn’t what should be consuming my thoughts. I have bigger problems.The attack.The message."A pup for a pup."The words have been gnawing at me all day. A threat, a warning… or something more?I take a deep breath, pushing back my chair. The visiting Alpha turns toward me, expecting me to rejoin the conversation, but I lift a hand."Enjoy the feast," I say, my voice even. "I have matters to handle, but I’l
Avery’s POVI wake up with a strangled gasp, my heart hammering so hard it feels like it might burst from my chest.My body is drenched in sweat, my breaths uneven, as I try to untangle myself from the suffocating grip of the nightmare. A man in the shadows had grabbed my son away from me. I had screamed my lungs out till I woke upBut even now, awake in the darkness of my room, the fear doesn’t fadeI force myself to sit up, my hands trembling as I push damp strands of hair away from my face. The room is silent, the only sound is my own ragged breathing, but it does nothing to calm me.Because it wasn’t just the dream.It’s the feeling.That same, relentless feeling that has been haunting me for days, wrapping around my throat like invisible hands, pressing down on my chest with a weight that refuses to lift.I turn my head sharply, my gaze immediately lan
Kane’s POV The moon hangs low in the sky, casting a pale glow over the packhouse. I should be sleeping, but rest has eluded me for weeks. My thoughts are a tangled mess, circling around ruling the packs and handing my Luna who never fails to remind me of how I still let Avery to control my heart even though she is gone But no matter how much I try to push Avery from my mind, she lingers like a ghost, haunting my every waking moment. Her defiant gaze. The way my wolf still aches for her despite everything. I exhale sharply, dragging a hand through my hair as I step toward my office window. The forest stretches before me, silent and still, but something about the night feels off. The unease that has been clawing at my chest lately refuses to fade. A sharp knock echoes against my door. I turn just as my Beta, Liam, strides in, his expression grim. The tension in his shoulders is unmistakable. My muscles coil. I know that look. “There was an attack on the border,” Liam repor
Avery’s POVFour Years LaterI tuck the blanket around my son, smoothing it over his small frame. His little chest rises and falls in a steady rhythm, his soft, dark lashees resting against his cheeks.My beautiful boy.My whole world.I press a gentle kiss to his forehead, inhaling his familiar scent of milk and baby soap. He sighs in his sleep, shifting slightly, but his tiny fingers remain curled into fists. so much like his father’s when he was angry.A lump forms in my throat, and I shake my head, pushing the thought away.I shouldn't think about him.I shouldn't think about how my wolf still yearns for him even after four yearsI shouldn't think about how I remember him each time I look at my son, they share such striking resemblance.I shake my head once again.Don’t think about him.The past is the past.I step away from
Kane’s POVThe clash of metal fills the air, the grunts of my warriors echoing around the training grounds. I stand at the edge, arms crossed, watching them spar. My body moves through the drills automatically, but my mind is far away.Far away on her.Avery.No matter how hard I try, I can’t silence my Beta’s voice in my head.“Are you sure Avery was telling the truth?”I scowl. I shouldn’t be thinking about this. She made her choice, she lied to my face. Said the child wasn’t mine. Told me she had been with someone else after I rejected her.Then why won’t my wolf accept it?A warrior lunges at me, forcing me back to the present. Instinct takes over. I sidestep easily, gripping his wrist and twisting until he grunts in pain. With a sharp pull, I slam him into the ground, hard.The ground shakesA hush falls over the training ground. The warriors stop mid-fight, looking at me warily. I can feel their unease. They’ve seen me brutal in training before, but today ia different.Today, I
Avery’s POV I wrap my arms around myself, staring out of the small window in my new apartment. The city lights outside blur in my vision, exhaustion pressing heavy on my shoulders.The entire day had been spent searching for a better paying job, scouring every corner of the city, yet I came up empty handed. Bills were piling up. Rent was due soon. And in just a few short months, I’d have another mouth to feed.My hand drifts to my belly.I did the right thing.Kane could never know.A sharp pang clenches my chest, but I push it down. I had made my choice.Even if it cost me everything.I take a slow breath and pull the curtain shut. The apartment is small, barely big enough for one person, let alone a mother and child, but it’s mine. It’s safe.Or at least, it should be.That feeling still lingers. The one that’s haunted me for months now.That I’m being watched.I shake my head, running a hand through my hair. It’s just paranoia. No one knows where I am. No one is coming.I glance d
Kane’s POV I sit in my dimly lit office, my fingers gripping a glass of whiskey that remains untouched. The ice has long since melted, the amber liquid swirling as I roll my wrist, watching the way the firelight catches its depths. But it does nothing to dull the storm raging inside me. The weight of my decision presses on my chest like a vice, tightening with every second. I had agreed. Agreed to take my Luna to bed. Agreed to give the pack the heir they demanded. It was logical. Expected. Yet, I feel like I’m suffocating. A muscle ticks in my jaw as I stare out the window into the darkened forest beyond the packhouse. The wind howls through the trees, rattling against the glass panes as though mocking me. The beast inside me stirs, pacing restlessly, snarling ay the very thought of what I am expected to do. "She’s not our mate." The words are a snarl in my mind, my wolf’s fury crackling like lightning through my veins. He refuses to accept Sophia, my Luna, refuses
Kane’s POVI sit at the head of the long, polished table, my fingers curled into tight fists against the armrests of my chair. The elders' voices buzz around me, relentless, grating, a chorus of expectations I don’t care to entertain."Heir.""Legacy.""Strength of the pack."It’s always the same conversation, the same pressure. They talk as if I owe them a piece of myself, as if my bloodline is more important than the rage still burning in my chest."You can’t put this off forever, Alpha Kane," one of the older men speaks, his voice laced with impatience. "The Red Claw Pack needs stability. A future."I do not answer them. I barely even listenedI drag a hand down my face, exausted, but the fire inside me refuses to settle.Avery’s words still claw at me."The baby isn’t yours, Kane.""I was with someone else after you rejected me."The lies were obvious, but the fact that she was willing to utter them, that she would rather push me away than let me into her life, cut deeper than any