AVA
The whole thing with Paula… was a shock, and it wasn’t a shock I really knew what to do with. I'd known and loved this woman for a long time; she was key in helping me feel at home here, or, at least I believed she was.
And now, to find out she betrayed me, my family and everything we stand for? No. That was a fact neither Artemis or I really knew what to do with. We needed closure, but how do you get closure when someone has maliciously tried to stop you ever having children of your own?
I hardly slept that night. I just kept remembering my mum's face as she sobbed on the floor and the look of utter disgust that my dad gave Paula.
The morning after, I got a frantic link from Alex. Far too early in the morning for problems to be coming up.
AVAWe had a time and we had a place. A time and a place that as far as we knew, Paula believed to be correct. Of course, we weren’t going to put all of our eggs in one basket, I didn’t trust her that much after everything she’s done, but… we had to try.We moved kids, the elderly and anyone else who couldn’t fight, including my parents straight to the safe room as soon as we finished talking through a plan. I couldn’t risk it any longer. I needed them safe.I needed my mum safe. Since it reduced the chances of me trading myself for her, everyone else was on board with that plan too. I assigned four members of my Queen’s guard to look after the safe room, and Jacob had assigned another six of his own warriors.
Three weeks laterAVAThe three weeks following Elijah’s arrest were chaotic. The police had their work cut out for them, as did the courts. In the end, Elijah was sentenced to death for crimes against the Crown, as were some of Elijah and Matthew’s closest and most dedicated cronies.As for the rest of them, they were locked up, and most of them would stay in prison for a very long time. A few were genuinely forced to cooperate by Elijah, and so had to undergo a lengthy rehabilitation programme to make sure no traces of his influence remained.I even succeeded in charging Minister Byron for encouraging the breaking of laws that were fundamental to the safety of millions of women and girls. He’d spend the rest of his life locked up too.
AVAThree days after the coronation, my Kings and I went to one of the Crown’s countryside properties to celebrate on our own. It was needed. With everything that happened in between us arresting Elijah and the coronation itself, we all needed to just unwind for a little while.We spent five perfect days enjoying each other’s company, swimming, relaxing by the lake, and just celebrating everything in our own way.We’d been through a lot in the last six months, and it was time we took the time to reflect, celebrate, and breathe a sigh of relief.The following weeks and months after we came back were chaotic.Of course, we had brief glimmers of normalcy when Theo and Oscar turned 18. We had to have a ball that the Kingdom could attend, but after, we hosted a party just for family and friends, and I spoiled the two of them rotten.My 18th birthday followed six weeks after theirs, and after the huge fuss that was my birthday for the Kingdo
7 years ago…AVAI was a nobody, or at least that’s what they told me.They told me I was a nobody and therefore worthless; I deserved to be bullied, because being bullied would make me stronger, more resilient. I know now that it was bullshit, but when you say that to a kid time and time again, they start to believe it.All day everyday, the heirs to the pack, both the Alpha and Beta twins, and even a lot of the girls my own age made a point of making my life miserable. To begin with, it was just verbal, but in my early teens, it became physical too. I had scars all over my back and the tops of my legs that would never heal properly because they were from before I shifted for the first time.Considering I shifted for the first time early... that says all you need to know.I got my wolf early, but they didn’t know that. I never smelled like a wolf because my wolf, Artemis, could hide her scent. Even before they can shift, wolves have a distinctive smell that identifies them; all wolve
AVAThe first Monday in June was always an interesting one at school. It was the first day of the formal summer training season. The weather was warm enough that everyone was expected to train outdoors, and all indoor training was put on the backburner unless absolutely necessary. It was never necessary.I stood in front of the mirror in the changing rooms at school, yanking my curly brown hair into a rough bun to keep it out of the way during my training session with Beta Alexander. Normally my green eyes sparkled with excitement at training with the Beta, but today, not so much.At lunch time, I was cornered in the cafeteria, my lunch dumped straight over my head. I could have taken down the people responsible easily enough, but the Beta and I had determined that I needed to keep what I was capable of under wraps just until I was ready for it to become public knowledge.My wolf was special, and once that knowledge was out, there was no turning back. Artemis was a beautiful black wol
AVAI hated the lessons I had on Tuesdays. Double maths, biology and geography was torturous. Fortunately, today was different. Mr Jones, our maths teacher, jolted me out of my thoughts. “Class, we have a new student joining us today. This is Isabella, she has transferred here from a pack in Wales, and will be finishing her schooling with us. I hope you will all welcome Isabella.”I glanced around the room, suddenly realising the only empty seat was next to me. She sat down, more graceful than I could ever hope to achieve, holding out her hand to shake mine. “Isabella, call me Izzie,” she smiled.“Ava,” I smiled back.She was tall, slim. The exact opposite of me. She had that kind of figure everyone thinks they want. It wasn't just me that noticed either. Leo, our future Delta, turned to stare at her, no embarrassment at all. I shook my head, suppressing a giggle, before pointing him out to Izzie. “You've already got an admirer,” I laughed. She giggled, before retorting back at m
AVAI woke up bright and early the next day, looking forward to what the day would bring. Artemis was excited to show off in training. Even though we wouldn’t be shifting because very few people knew that I could, she was still looking forward to putting everyone in their place if needed.It was going to be a good day!I was up early enough that I headed over to the training ground, planning to let Artemis out for a run. Beta Alexander was already at the training ground when I got there, which is surprising since it was 5am… I was expecting to be the only one.“Ava? What are you doing here at this time in the morning?”“Artemis is feeling cooped up, she needs to run before school today.”Beta Alexander nodded. “Want me to run with you? I’m going to be letting Kieran run too.”“Go for it, Beta,” I smiled, before ducking into one of the little shacks to shift.I trotted back out just minutes later, shaking my fur out. Beta Alexander was still standing in the middle of the training groun
AVAAt the end of training, I walked back over to where the twins, Leo and Isabella were all waiting for me.“That was amazing!” Isabella squealed, throwing her arms around me. “Now I see why you were training on your own!”I grinned in response, “thanks guys.”“Now I know why dad comes home looking like his ego has been hurt some nights, Ava,” Oscar, one of the Beta’s sons, laughed. Callum, his twin, just nodded in agreement.“Yeah… I would apologise for that, but I’m not going to.”“Are you joining us for dinner at the pack house tonight, Ava?” Oscar asked.I very rarely did, but perhaps now I could? It would just mean I had to get through an evening of comments and questions about how I knocked Beta Alexander on his backside…“Sure, why not,” I smiled. “I just need to shower and change, so I’ll meet you there in an hour?”“Sounds like a plan,” Oscar replied, pulling me into a hug. Callum looked jealous, right up until he joined the hug from behind.The Alpha twins looked left out,