Chapter 001

Ava’s Pov

“Try not to wear that pathetic expression, you are sucking the joy out of the room for everyone else,” my stepmother hissed into my ear. Each word that came out of her mouth was more painful than the last.

I forced a smile, brittle and hollow. It felt foreign on my face, a mask I wore to survive this nightmare. My eyes burned, but I refused to let the tears fall. Not here. Not now.

“You may now kiss the bride,” the priest announced. The room stilled for a heartbeat as the groom leaned in, his face with happiness. His lips brushed hers in a kiss so tender it felt like mockery.

The crowd erupted in applause, their cheers booming through the room. Around me, smiles beamed, hands clapped, and voices shouted congratulations. I clapped too, forcing my shaking hands to mimic their rhythm. 

But inside, I was sad, angry too.  

This was the man I had loved. The man I had vowed to spend my life with—Alpha Robertson Hastings. My husband. And now, he was holding my sister as if she were his world.

My stepmother leaned closer, her breath cold against my ear. “Oh, Ava,” she murmured, her tone poisonous. “If only you weren’t such a barren disgrace, this wouldn’t be happening. But here we are.” 

I stiffened, my nails digging into my palms.  

“Your sister is doing what you couldn’t—saving the pack. She will give him the children you failed to. You should be grateful, really. She’s fixing the mess you made.” 

Her words dug into my skin like claws, shredding what little was left of my heart. I bit down on my lip so hard I tasted blood, swallowing back the scream clawing at my throat.  

Not now, Ava. Don’t let them see you fall apart.

This woman—my stepmother. I could never understand why she despised me so much. To her, I was nothing more than an eyesore, a waste of space. 

My sister, Betty, had always been the golden child, the one destined for greatness. I was the invisible one. The “worthless” omega.

For a fleeting moment, I thought my luck had changed when Alpha Robert was revealed as my mate years ago. It felt like fate was finally on my side. But even then, the victory was hollow. 

Everyone knew Robert’s heart had always belonged to Betty. It was only the pack’s traditions of marrying your mate that forced him to marry me instead.

I couldn’t even keep my marriage as he had no choice but to get married to Betty, all because I couldn’t give him a child. 

“Aren’t you going to congratulate me, sister?” Betty’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. She stood a few feet away, her smile wide and gleaming like polished glass. 

The room went silent as heads turned toward me, waiting for my response. 

I swallowed hard, forcing a weak smile. “Congratulations, Betty.”

Betty’s grin widened, predatory now. She stepped closer, taking her time, her heels clicking sharply against the floor. “Oh, Ava,” she said, her voice with fake concern. “You’re so brave. Standing here, smiling, after everything. It’s inspiring, really.” 

Her words felt like daggers, but she wasn’t done.  

“I mean, it must be hard,” she continued, loud enough for everyone to hear. “Watching me marry the man you failed to keep. Knowing that you couldn’t give him what he needed. But don’t worry.” She reached out, brushing her fingers lightly against my arm, her touch like ice. “I’ll take care of him for you. I’ll give him everything he deserves. Everything you couldn’t.”  

Laughter rippled through the crowd. Some of them tried to hide their smiles behind raised hands, but others didn’t bother. The humiliation burned in my chest, hot and suffocating.

I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms so hard it hurt. The words I wanted to say stuck in my throat. 

Betty leaned in closer, her voice whisper meant just for me. “You should thank me, you know. I saved you from embarrassing yourself any further. You were never meant for this. You were always... less.”  

I bit the inside of my cheek until I tasted blood, desperate to keep my composure. Not here. Not now. I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of seeing me break. 

"I'm sure you will find another husband very soon," Betty said. She placed a delicate hand on her stomach, her smile turning wicked. “Then you can have a child, and your niece or nephew growing inside me will have someone to play with.”

Yes, she is carrying his child…

The room seemed to blur around me. My heart hurt so much I thought I might just die. I clenched my fists, nails digging into my palms, desperate to hold myself together. 

I stood slowly, my legs trembling under me. My gaze shifted to Robert, who sat beside Betty. For a brief moment, I thought I saw guilt in his eyes. But it was gone just as quickly, replaced by indifference—or maybe relief. 

“Congratulations Betty,” I said again, forcing a smile on my face. My voice was calm, though every word felt like walking barefoot across broken glass. “I will be leaving now.”

If Betty’s plan was to humiliate me further, I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction. Staying there, enduring more of her taunts, was out of the question. 

But before I could take a step, her voice rang out again. “Aren’t you at least going to take a family picture before you leave?”  

Her words stopped me in my tracks. I turned slowly, my lips parting to respond, but before I could, Evelyn—my stepmother—let out a nervous laugh.  

“Oh, please,” Evelyn said, waving a dismissive hand. “She doesn’t have to. She’s not looking her best today and didn’t clean up well enough. You wouldn’t want her ruining the picture.”  

Laughter bubbled softly through the crowd. Betty’s smile widened as she tilted her head. “Sorry, sister. Maybe next time.”

I couldn’t respond, the lump in my throat suffocating me. I forced another smile, turned on my heel, and walked out of the venue. My chest felt heavy, like I couldn’t breathe, but I refused to stop or look back. Not here. Not in front of them.

Once I was outside, the cold air hit me, but it did nothing to help the pain in me. My hand clutched at my heart, as if I could hold it together long enough to make it home. The pain stabbed deeper than I thought possible.  

Robert and I hadn’t been perfect. I knew that. But I had believed, truly believed that over the years, we had built something real. Something worth fighting for. I thought we had grown to love each other.  

But I was wrong. And now, I was alone.

I couldn’t stay there for another second. I needed to escape, to breathe, to be anywhere but surrounded by the cruel people I had to call family. The only place that came to mind, oddly enough, was the nearby bar.  

Alcohol wasn’t something I turned to often, but tonight, it felt like my only way out. If drowning in a glass of something strong could numb even a fraction of this pain, I was willing to try. 

I bolted into the night, my heels clicking on the pavement as I rushed down the streets. My vision blurred with tears, and I wasn’t watching where I was going. All I could think about was finding somewhere—anywhere—to disappear. 

The distant sound of an approaching engine barely registered in my mind until it was too late. Headlights suddenly light up the road ahead, and I froze in place, my body refusing to move. The blaring horn prompted me to move, but I was paralyzed, caught in the car’s path.  

The screech of tires rang out as the car came to an abrupt stop just inches from me. My chest dropped as I stumbled back, gasping for air. My legs felt weak, trembling so hard I thought they might give out beneath me.  

The driver’s door opened, and out stepped a man, a stranger, tall and striking, with an aura that seemed to command the night itself. His face was sharp yet soft, his jawline strong, and his piercing eyes held concern and frustration.  

How does one even look like this? Was I dead and imagining things or was this man real? 

He walked towards me quickly, his voice deep. “Are you alright?”  

I blinked, unable to answer. Something about him tugged at me, a strange pull within my chest. My wolf suddenly stirred, alert and restless, whispering the word I hadn’t expected to hear again: mate.

Mate? The stranger also seemed to notice this as he froze, staring at me. I stared back at him wondering how that was possible, how I had another mate. 

But before I could speak or process things fully, the adrenaline left my body all at once, leaving me dizzy and weak. The world spun around me, the stranger’s worried face blurring into darkness. My knees buckled, and as I fell, his arms caught me just before I hit the ground.  

The last thing I heard before everything went black was his voice, his gentle voice. “Hey, stay with me.”