Avery’s POVKane walks away, his powerful strides eating up the distance between us. His back is rigid, his fists clenched at his sides, but for the first time, I see something in him that I wasn’t expecting.Sadness.It flickered across his face for only a brief second, barely there at all, but I caught it. And it makes something inside me twist—something I don’t want to acknowledge.I push the thought away, swallowing hard as I lift my chin.This is what I want.The night air is thick with excitement as the circus performance comes to an end. The fire dancers take their final bow, the acrobats disappear into the crowd, and the energy shifts.The pack knows what’s coming next.The real event of the night.The announcement of their Luna.People begin murmuring as they turn toward the grand podium in the center of the gathering space. It’s a raised wooden platform, large enough for Kane to stand tall and commanding over his wolves. Warriors, elders, and ranked pack members stand closes
Kane’s POVShe’s gone.I watch as Avery stumbles away from the pack grounds, her form swallowed by the darkness of the trees. The silver glow of the moon traces her retreating figure, and for a split second, I swear she hesitates, just for a moment, before she disappears completely.My wolf howls, a desperate, agonized sound that tears through my mind like a blade.Go after her. Bring her back. Fix this.But I don’t move.I force my feet to stay planted, my fists clenching so tightly my nails dig into my palms. I’ve given her what she wanted. She asked for this.So why does it feel like I just carved out my own heart?The bond is gone, but the pain remains, raw and unrelenting. A wound that refuses to close. It festers, sinking into my bones, poisoning me with an emptiness I never imagined possible. My wolf paces inside me, snarling, begging—demanding—that I run after her, that I make her understand she belongs here.But she doesn’t want to belong to me.“She’s really leaving…”The mu
Avery’s POVI should feel relief.The moment my feet cross into my pack’s land, I should be able to breathe again.But I stepped into my pack's territory and all I feel is a suffocating weight in my chest.Something is wrong.The air is thick with tension, an unnatural stillness settling over the clearing as I step forward. The warriors standing at the borders shift uneasily, their hands hovering near their weapons. Their gazes land on me, sharp, assessing, filled with something I can’t quite place at first.Then I see it.Disgust.A cold dread curls in my stomach. My steps falter, but I force myself to keep walking, my heart hammering against my ribs.Why are they looking at me like this? I'm the kidnapped daughter of their Alpha. They should be happy and joyful that I've finally returnsI swallow the lump forming in my throat, squaring my shoulders as I move through the entrance of the pack’s territory. The murmurs start as whispers, barely audible, but they grow louder with each st
Kane’s POV The days blur into nights. The nights stretch endlessly, empty and cold.Kane drowns himself in duty.He trains harder than ever, sparring until his muscles scream in protest, fighting until his knuckles are raw and bloodied. He takes on patrols, strategic planning, and diplomatic meetings with neighboring packs, anything to keep his mind occupied. Anything to keep from thinking about her.But it doesn’t work.No matter how much blood he spills on the training grounds, how many rogues he slaughters in battle, nothing fills the void Avery left behind.She is in everything.The way the moonlight touches the treetops reminds him of how her silver-blue eyes used to gleam with defiance. The scent of the wildflowers near the lake brings back memories of the one time he caught her smiling, truly smiling, when she thought no one was looking. Even his bed, his damn bed, feels foreign, too cold without her warmth beside him.And the worst part? His wolf is miserable.It howls inside
Avery’s POVI used to walk these halls with pride. I used to be respected, admired, feared even. But now?Now, I am nothing.The moment Kane rejected me, my pack followed suit. My title, my rank, my very existence as the Alpha’s daughter, it was all stripped away in an instant. I am no longer Avery Lane, the heir of this pack.I am a prisoner.They don’t keep me locked in a cell, but I might as well be in one. Every day, I am assigned the lowest, most degrading tasks chores even the omegas are spared from. Scrubbing warrior barracks floors, hauling heavy buckets of filthy water, cleaning the training grounds after bloody sparring sessions.But it’s not just the labor that wears me down.It’s them.The whispers. The cruel laughter. The way they look at me like I’m nothing but filth under their boots.“She should be with the rogues.”“She slept with the enemy and thought she could just walk back in?”“Disgraceful.”I keep my head down, pretending not to hear, but the words dig deep, car
Avery’s POVHunger has become my constant companion. A dull, gnawing ache that never truly fades, only worsens with each passing day.At first, they rationed my meals, cutting my portions in half while I watched the others eat their fill. Then, they stopped giving me food altogether. I’m only fed when someone feels like it. A few scraps here and there. Leftover bones. Crusts of stale bread.Some nights, I get nothing at all.I lie awake in the dark, my stomach twisting in painful knots, my body too weak to move. The hunger keeps me up, an ever-present torment, but I refuse to beg. I refuse to let them see me break.But the pack isn’t satisfied with just starving me.One evening, after another long day of grueling labor, I approach the kitchen, my body screaming for nourishment. The omegas are finishing dinner service, clearing out the leftovers. I hesitate, shame burning in my chest as I force myself to speak.“Please,” I whisper, my throat dry, my voice hoarse. “Just a little.”The w
Avery’s POVThe bruises on my body haven’t even begun to fade when another blow is dealt—one that isn’t physical but somehow feels so much worse.A pack meeting is called.I know something is wrong the moment two warriors appear at my door. They don’t speak. They don’t need to. The smirks on their faces tell me enough.I am not invited to this meeting.I am being dragged to it.Rough hands grab my arms, yanking me forward. I don’t struggle—I learned quickly that it only leads to more pain. Instead, I keep my head high, forcing my feet to move as they haul me toward the gathering.The entire pack is already assembled in the courtyard, their eyes shining under the moonlight. The air is thick with anticipation.At the center of it all, standing on the raised platform like a god among mortals, is my father.Alpha Grant Lane.The man I once worshipped. The man I once fought to make proud.Now, he is the man who despises me most in this world.A hush falls over the crowd as I am shoved forw
Avery’s POVWhenever I feel like nothing, no suffering could be more than what I am currently going through, my own pack shocks me yet again. At the end of the pack meeting, all the wolves had come to the agreement of throwing me out of the pack and into cold till I beg them for mercy.I knew the decision isn’t about punishment.It’s about humiliation.I know it the second my father’s Beta grabs my arm and yanks me toward the packhouse doors. The gathered wolves smirk, sneer, whisper behind their hands as I stumble forward. My father watches from his chair, his expression unreadable, but I know better than to expect mercy.“This disgrace doesn’t deserve a roof over her head,” the Beta announces, his voice loud enough for everyone to hear. “A traitor like her should learn what it means to be nothing.”A cruel chuckle ripples through the crowd. Someone murmurs, “She should be grateful we even let her stay this long.”Grateful.For what? The endless insults? The starvation? The beatings
Avery’s POVI stood in the middle of it all, caught between two Alphas, one from my past and one from the fragile peace I had found in the present. The air was thick with tension, so heavy I could hardly breathe. All around us, the Midnight Hollow Pack had gathered and they stood frozen, their eyes flicking between Callum and Kane, waiting for a blow that hadn't yet landed.And then there was Callum.He didn’t speak right away. He didn’t react like I expected. No snarling, no immediate rejection of the challenge. Just.… a smirkIt curled slowly at the corners of his mouth, twisting into something dangerous and curious. His golden eyes weren’t filled with anger, no, they gleamed with something else. Amusement. Amusement at Kane’s presence. Amusement at his demand. Amusement at me, perhaps, for being the center of it all“You’re bold, I’ll give you that,” Callum finally said, his tone almost lazy, laced with mock a
Kane's POV"They belong to me"My wolf roars inside me as I stand in the middle of the garden, the cool wind biting at my skinMy eyes are locked on him, Callum. He’s standing too close to her, too damn close to what’s mine. Avery stands just behind him, her hand hovering protectively near our son’s shoulder.I can barely look at her without the fury building in my chest. But it's not just rage. It’s pain. Betrayal. A yearning so deep it feels like it’s been carved into my bonesI take a step forward, my voice low, steady, yet filled with every ounce of authority I’ve earned through blood and war.“That woman,” I say, my gaze cutting straight through Callum, “and that child…. they are mine. They belong to me”The words echo, slicing the air between us like a blade.Avery’s face pales. Her lips part, but no words come. Her eyes, those damn eyes I’ve seen in every dream, go wide
Kane's POVThe wind howls as we ride into the unfamiliar terrain, a biting cold cutting through even the thickest of furs. The Midnight Hollow Pack.The name alone has haunted me these past few weeks, lingering in the back of my mind like a whisper I couldn’t shake. Every instinct screamed she was here. And now that I’m standing at the edge of their territory, I can feel it, like a current in the air, electric and impossible to ignoreAvery.My heartbeat thunders in my chest as I step past the final tree line. As we discreetly entered into the pack, we entered a large garden at first. And, in the center of the field, framed by moonlight and pine, is her.Avery.My legs nearly give out.She’s alive.Hair wind tossed and wild, eyes sharp like I remember. She’s dressed simply, but she stands tall.... proud, whole, no longer the woman who once fled from me in fe
Kane's POVSearching relentlessly for months.For months, I’ve been chasing ghosts.Each day starts with hope and ends in bitter disappointment. Every trail I follow turns cold. Every whisper fades into nothing. I’ve scoured villages, burned through resources, turned allies into spies and enemies into informants. All in the name of two people, one of whom I barely got the chance to know, my mate.… and my son.And now, I’m running out of places to lookI sit alone in my war room, the firelight flickering over maps and reports littered across the table. My hands are clenched, knuckles white against the parchment. My wolf paces restlessly beneath the surface, snarling at our helplessness. The silence around me is suffocating.Then, there was a knock.Dylan steps in without waiting for my permission, a scroll clutched in his hand, eyes unreadable. He’s been with me long enough to know better th
Avery's POVThe scent of pine and damp earth fills my lungs, grounding me as I sit beneath the old cedar tree that overlooks the training field. The moon hangs low in the sky, casting a gentle silver glow over the clearing. My son is a blur of motion, darting after fireflies, his laughter spilling into the night air like a song I never want to forget.It’s peaceful here nowIt’s not something I take for granted. Not after what it took me to finally get this peace.I tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ear, my eyes never leaving him. Every step he takes in joy is a reminder of why I had to leave. Why I had to disappear from the only life I’d ever known. Why I endured so much to get here.This place… Midnight Hollow… it is now unlike any other pack I’ve known. They didn’t welcome me with open arms at first. They were wary, curious, they literally bullied me at first. But I didn’t come here seeking approval. I came seeking safety
Kane’s POVWeeks. Endless, goddamn weeksEach morning I wake with fire in my blood, and each night I fall into restless slep with nothing to show for it but empty trails and false hope. It’s as if she never existed. As if my son had been nothing but a dream conjured in the haze of pain and regret.But I know better. I saw them. I felt her presence, her fear, her defiance, when they were ripped away from me. That memory haunts me more than the scent of blood in battle. And the silence that followed? It’s the loudest torment I’ve ever known.I stand in my war room, maps and intelligence reports strewn across the table like a battlefield. Pins mark every rumored sighting, every report of a she-wolf and child passing through human territories. We’ve scoured border towns, questioned informants, turned rogue packs inside out. And still...... nothing.“Still nothing?” My voice is low, but the threat in it is undeniable.Dylan stands acr
Pain. That’s the first thing I feel as I drift into the realm of the living, raw, agonizing pain that claws through every muscle, every joint, every memory I’ve buried deep.I try to move, but my limbs are dead weight, like they belong to someone else. The darkness clings to me, thick and suffocating, until a dim flicker of candlelight filters through the fog in my mind. My eyes flutter open. The ceiling above me is is unfamiliar. The scent of medicine hangs in the air, laced with something metallic, blood, old and bitter.I’m alive.But at what cost?A presence stirs beside me. I turn my head slowly, every muscle screaming. It’s Dylan, my Beta. Loyal, dependable, always by my side. But there’s something in his eyes. A shadow. A hesitation that doesn’t belong there.My throat feels like sandpaper, my voice little more than a croak. “Where is she?”He stiffens.
Avery’s Point of ViewI walk through the pack grounds this evening, and it’s… strange.The air feels differentNot in the way a storm brews or when something ominous lingers in the shadows. No, this was more subtle, like the pack itself is holding its breath. As if something fundamental had changed, something they couldn’t quite name but felt in their bones. And I could feel it too.Once, they only sneered and hissed at me.Once there was only scorn, mocking laughter, sneers, pointed fingers but now.... now there is hesitation. The Alpha’s children still glare at me, their hatred far from extinguished, but even that looks different now. Duller. Muted by uncertaintyI'm no longer the easy target they used to enjoy tormenting.I see it in the smallest ways.A warrior, Kyle, I think his name is, passes me near the training grounds. Before, he wouldn’t have looked twice at me, mayb
Avery’s POVFor days, I pondered over the knife I had gotten. Should I really use it to just end them all myself?But that would make me a killerThat would make my hands stained with the blood of the Alpha and his children.How will I still be able to use the same blood stained hands to raise my innocent son?No, I cant kill them.Not now.So I hid the knife, waiting for a day when I would have no choice but to use it.......To day was another weekly pack meeting day.The mansion buzzed like a disturbed hive. Whispers flitted through the halls like venomous wasps, my name being the subject of discussion.Their faces were laced with surprise, curiosity, and barely veiled contempt.“Did you hear? Avry snapped at the Alpha’s son a few days back”“She threatened them.”“I heard she nearly clawed his face off.”None of it was true. But none of it was false enough to be ignored either. And the more they whispered, the more I felt their eyes on me. Some filled with scorn, others with some