CHAPTER 17

“Excuse me,” I muttered, my voice clenched between my teeth. My heart pounded with an intensity that matched the heat rising in my chest. This wasn’t just some casual disruption in our lives. No, this was something far deeper, something more dangerous. I knew, in my gut, that if I didn’t get out of here now, if I didn’t take control of the situation—this situation—I would lose my mind. And maybe my life.

The guy… he was gifted. I still didn’t know exactly what that meant, or how it worked, but the sharpness in my instincts told me he was dangerous. I had no idea how powerful he was, but from the way my wolf growled, I knew it wasn’t a threat to be taken lightly. And yet, I couldn’t shake the suffocating urge to confront him, to find out just how far I’d go to protect what was mine.

“Mom,” I said, forcing the words past my gritted teeth. “I’ll be back for dinner. I just… I need to do something.” My voice faltered for a split second, betraying the chaos that whirled inside me.

I glanced down at Ava, who stood next to me, her expression unreadable. Should I make her come with me? Would she want to come with me? Would she think I was abandoning her? The weight of my choices pressed down on me like a boulder.

“Ava,” I said quickly, my words tumbling out in a rush. “You remember what I asked you earlier, right? You know, that thing I said we needed to talk about?” I hesitated for a moment, my mind spinning, trying to find a way to make it sound less urgent than it felt. “I can’t do this alone. But if you want to stay here and sort everything out, I—”

Smooth, real smooth. I felt my chest tighten. I hated how unsure I sounded, how my own emotions were betraying me. But Ava didn’t hesitate.

“No,” she said, cutting me off. “I’ll come. Sorry, Blake, but I promised I’d help.” Her words were firm, but I could hear the underlying unease in her voice, the tension that she was trying to hide.

Blake, ever the skeptic, stepped forward. “Ava, don’t you think this is more important? I mean, if all of this is true… if you really are meant to be gifted, don’t you think you should be figuring that out right now?”

Ava shook her head, her lips pressing into a tight line. “Meant to be,” she said quietly, her gaze dropping to the floor. “As in, I’m not right now.”

She reached for my hand, her fingers brushing against mine, but then, as if realizing something, she quickly pulled away. I didn’t give her a chance to withdraw. I grabbed her hand tightly, not wanting to let go of the only thing that felt like it made sense in this chaotic mess.

Without another word, we turned and ran, our footsteps echoing down the hallway, each one heavier than the last. It was like we were being chased, hunted, by something we couldn’t see. Was it the truth? Was it the fear of what would happen if we didn’t face it? Or maybe, just maybe, it was me—jealousy gnawing at my insides, the fear that Ava might be taken from me.

Why was I feeling like this? I was the one who had planned to mate with someone else to break our bond. I was the one who had been prepared to walk away from her. So why did I feel like I was losing her now?

We ran until we reached the cave—the one place that had always felt like home. The place we’d gone to hide from the world, to be alone with our thoughts and our emotions. But there was no time to waste. I didn’t care about the consequences. I didn’t care about anything except the way I felt in that moment.

Without thinking, I pushed Ava against the nearest tree and kissed her—hard. It wasn’t gentle or sweet. It was raw, desperate, driven by a need I couldn’t fully comprehend.

She kissed me back with just as much intensity, her fingers clawing at my arms as she pressed her body against mine. She wrapped her leg around my waist, pulling herself closer, and I growled low in my throat.

But then, just as quickly as it had started, she pulled back. Her breath was shallow, her chest rising and falling with the same frantic rhythm as mine.

“What does all of this mean, Derek?” she asked, her voice strained, as though she was trying to understand the storm that had just swept through us.

“I don’t know, baby,” I replied, my lips grazing her neck as I tried to find the words to explain everything. “I don’t know what it means. But right now, all I want is you. I want you—all of you.”

Her breath hitched, and I could feel the warmth of her skin beneath my lips. But even as my body screamed for more, my mind was racing. There was something deeper here—something that wasn’t just about us, about the bond that we shared.

It was about her. About Ava.

I pulled back from her slowly, my heart pounding in my chest. “Ava, listen… I’ve been nothing but selfish with you. I’ve been taking what I wanted, and I haven’t cared about what you need, what you want. I’ve made this all about me. And that’s not fair to you.”

She looked up at me, her eyes wide, so trusting, so innocent. And it hit me then—this was the woman I cared about. This was the woman who had been by my side, even when I didn’t deserve her.

Sighing, I rubbed the back of my neck, finally letting go of the tension that had been coiled there for too long. I glanced around, realizing that in the heat of the moment, I hadn’t even bothered to check if anyone was around. Luckily, it seemed we were alone.

I took a step back, giving her space, though every inch of me wanted to pull her back into my arms. “Are you okay, Derek?” she asked quietly, her voice full of concern for me when she was the one whose life was being upended.

“I’m fine,” I muttered, though I wasn’t sure I believed it.

She stepped closer, her fingers brushing against my chest. “Then why did you stop?” she asked, confusion and concern etched into her features.

Because this wasn’t just about us anymore. “Ava…” I started, taking a deep breath. “All of this—it means you now have a choice. You heard what they said. They came here to tell you that you’re supposed to be gifted, that you’re powerful, and that you don’t have to let anyone hide you anymore. You have a choice, Ava.”

Her eyes searched mine, and I could see the conflict there—the uncertainty of what this all meant. “But you’re my mate, Derek,” she said softly.

“I am,” I agreed, my voice thick with emotion. “But I’ve been a shitty mate. And there’s someone else out there—someone who could help you get your magic back. Someone who could give you the life you deserve.”

She pulled away from me, her gaze narrowing. “Is this some sort of plan to break our bond? Now that his sister is off-limits?”

“No,” I said firmly, shaking my head. “It’s not like that. Before everything got interrupted, I wanted to tell you something. Something that’s been eating at me, but now… now doesn’t feel like the right time. But this has nothing to do with breaking our bond, Ava. This is about you.”

I stepped closer, wanting to close the gap between us, but I held myself back. I wasn’t sure how to explain it, but I needed her to understand. “This is about you finding out who you really are. You’re not just the girl I’m supposed to be with. You’re so much more than that.”

She stared at me, processing what I’d said, her brow furrowing. “I’m not sure I want to be a warrior. I don’t know if I’m ready to lead a pack, Derek.” She paused, biting her lip. “I can’t even stick up for myself when a girl’s pushing my face in the mud. This is a lot to digest.”

I cupped her face in my hands, forcing her to look at me. “You will be. Your wolf believes in you, Ava. She’s been telling you that you’re special, that you’ve always been meant for something bigger. Maybe it’s time to listen to her.”

Her gaze softened, and for a moment, I saw the vulnerability beneath the tough exterior. “She’s been screaming at me to get my magic back. She told me I chose you the moment I was born. And I… I didn’t believe her. But maybe I should have.”

“My wolf told me the same thing,” I murmured. “He’s been telling me that your wolf is his mate. But I don’t know what this all means, Ava. You need to talk to her. Figure out what she’s saying before we move forward.”

She nodded slowly, uncertainty still in her eyes. “I don’t want to go home,” she admitted quietly. “I don’t want anyone in my family to know about all of this. Especially not my mom. It would spread like wildfire, and I don’t know if I can deal with that right now.”

I thought for a moment, an idea suddenly clicking into place. “I have a house you can stay at.”

She tilted her head in confusion. “Why would you have a house? You still live in the pack house.”

I chuckled softly. “It’s not mine . It’s my parents’ house. They’re renovating it, and no one’s living there right now. You can stay there. We’ll tell people you’re just cleaning it up for them.”

Her face softened, a tiny smile tugging at her lips. “Would they let me?”

“Of course,” I said with a grin. “My dad likes you. I can’t see why not.”

She leaned up and kissed me softly, a tender kiss that sent warmth flooding through my chest. “I can’t see myself ever wanting anyone else but you,” she whispered against my lips.

The words sent a rush of heat through me, but even as I responded, a dark thought lingered in the back of my mind. What if the Ava who was about to rise from this wasn’t the Ava I knew? What if this new version of her didn’t want me?

I shoved the thought aside. I wasn’t going to lose her. Not again.

I stood, pulling her hand into mine. “Let’s go back, but before we do, let's sit here and savour every moment that we can … what do you want to do about us? Do we keep this a secret, or do we tell the pack the truth? I mean, everything’s changed now, but I don’t mind either way.”

She looked up at me, her eyes still conflicted. “I’m not sure.”

“I don’t mind either,” I said with a grin. “I kind of like the idea of that guy knowing he’s not the only one in the picture.”

As we sat down in the cave I could still feel her kiss lingering on my lips, a sensation that sent electricity running through my veins. There was something primal about it, something that made me feel like I could do anything. But it also made me feel… afraid. Afraid of losing her, afraid that somehow I wasn’t enough, that what she needed wasn’t something I could give her.

Ava’s breath was soft against my chest, and for a moment, we just stood there, the sounds of the forest around us the only thing keeping us tethered to reality. I could feel the weight of her uncertainty, the way her fingers gently traced the lines of my

shirt. She was trying to make sense of everything too, I could tell. But she wasn’t saying anything